AprilAire E100 Pro 100 Pint Dehumidifier for up to 5500 sqft

Wish I had bought the Aprilaire years ago. Two ways to run this Dehumidifier. You can run it stand alone or connect to your house central system. If you're mechanically inclined you can set this unit up to your central system on your own, otherwise you can pay a heating & air guy or an electrician. I intended on connecting to the central system but when it arrived during the worse part of the year humidity wise I plugged it in, turned it on and set it to the percentage I wanted and it worked so well in the central closet that I haven't bothered to connect into the house system. It is downstairs on the main level and actually takes care of the entire house. Since its in the heating/air closet I just turned the unit so the drain pipe that drains the water is turned toward the drain in the floor and I've had zero problems. When fall arrives I just turn the unit off because humidity is no longer a problem and there is no need for it to cycle unnecessarily. Turn it back on end of April or in May. Noise wise since it's near the living room, not a problem. About the same noise level as the a/c running. The relief it has brought with dehumidifying the house makes any noise it may omit more than worth any noise inconvenience. Actually the only time I notice the noise is when fall arrives and the central air is turned off; the noise from the unit turning on to check the air humidity is the only time I notice the unit. That's when I turn it off for the year. This is an investment. An investment in comfort. One of the best decisions I've made for the house in a few years. I've been able to bump up the thermostat a couple degrees also. Yeah, keeping the a/c set to settings before I installed the unit makes the house a little chilly at night. Oh, I have a portable dehumidifier upstairs where humidity of course is the worse that I had used for years. The kind you have to empty the water out of the catch basin. That's been turned off. Unplugged. And in a corner since about 2 or 3 days after receiving and setting up the Aprilaire. Not needed anymore. The Aprilaire took that unit's job away from it fair and square. Note: the Aprilaire is 'downstairs' and the portable is 'upstairs', and the Aprilaire - stand alone - out performed and took away the need of a very good unit. The Aprilaire can be portable if you install the wheels.

I cannot say enough good things about this little dehumidifier. When I first installed it, it ran continuously for probably a day or two, maybe even three. It is integrated into my HVAC in a return to supply configuration and controlled by my Nest learning thermostat, which has its own humidity sensor. While that is convenient, however, Nest settings graduate in increments of 5%. If I had to do it over, I would have left the dehumidifier sensor to control the dehumidifier and signal the HVAC to turn on the fan.I put it in my basement (poured concrete) to keep it dry. During humid months it would go between 55-60%, which was too humid for me. I bumped it down to 45%, which is perfect.If you have ever had a standalone low-end dehumidifier, this is NOT that. While they certainly work, and I’ve used them before, there is simply no comparison. You get what you pay for.My E100 has been operating without a hitch for 9 months. I love it so much, I’m putting an E130 in my attic to dehumidify my main floor and 2nd story. I will definitely configure that one to use the internal sensor and the HVAC fan.**** After 9 months of operation ****I installed the E130 in my attic, and ducted it as return to supply, just like the E100. I also commissioned the new E130 dehumidifier using its internal humidity sensor rather than integrating it into my Nest thermostat. I no longer believe this is the best configuration, even though the Aprilaire’s sensor has a sensitivity of 3% vs. Nest’s 5%.The main observation I would offer is that humidity within the living space differs enough from the humidity in the ductwork that difference in the precision between the sensors is meaningless by comparison. With the internal sensor sampling air within the ductwork, the humidity of the air sensed appears to be influenced by the local proximity to the moister air surrounding the air handler’s drain pan therefore skewing the reading. All of this is in spite of a three minute sampling routine that presumably would flush out any local duct air and replace it with air from the living space.Now, perhaps this reaches some equilibrium over time. For example, perhaps the dehumidification cycles eventually completely remove all drain pan moisture such that the internally sensed humidity from the ductwork no longer differs from the air from the living space. While it may be a nice experiment, I won’t be waiting around to find that out. I plan to have the E130 connected to the Nest thermostat, as the final configuration.All that is to say, the initial Nest thermostat integration of my basement E100 was the correct way to do it. I just need to correct my second dehumidifier (E130) to match it.

After wasting a great deal of time and effort, I invested in this unit. I tried other units that made many claims & wasted my time and money. My power bill went up $2 a day with one tabetop unit that claims 4500 square feet and energy star. By the time I realized that I was on the wrong path, the return window had closed. Dont go through the hassle!These Aprilaire units are absolutely the best. They truly work and are enegy efficient.Dont be tempted to buy any other brand to save money or you will regret it! Many of those units are unreliable.Also, do not be intimidated because of limited knowledge of hvac and ducts and zones, & dampers.These can stand alone. Make sure the unit is level, attach drain tubing or pvc to drain outlet, cycle through the onboard diagnodtics & settings, and your set.These units are normally marketed for more complex applications, e.g. if you wish to tie into your existing hvac, add remote control via thermostat, or only dehumidify particular zones.I did read the instructions twice! Ultimately, all I did was plug mine in after attaching pvc to drain outlet at a slight slope. Of course read all instructions and per those instructions wait a day or so as advised.The warranty may require a certified hvac tech for install, so I did have a friend from Lennox stop by to advise me and install so as not to make a blunder diy.He had nothing to do in my situation but to cycle through the onboard controls.