96 Pint Dehumidifier for 5500 Sq Ft, 35 Pints DOE, CSA Certified, Swing Louvre, 1.4 Gallon Tank

Big machines are usually put in a corner, where they blow at the nearest wall. The meter beside the unit reads well and the laundry area at the other end never comes down, so people conclude the machine is undersized when it is really just badly aimed.

A powered swing louvre sweeps the outlet from side to side rather than pointing in one fixed direction, which mixes the space instead of drying a column of air. Swing has its own key on the panel, so you can turn it off in a narrow room where it is not needed.

Three figures, and which one to plan around

96 pints a day is measured at 95F and 90% relative humidity, hot and saturated. At 86F and 80% the manufacturer publishes 80 pints, and on the 2019 DOE test at 65F and 60% it publishes 35. That last figure is the honest planning number for a Canadian basement, and it is still a large capacity by household standards. Coverage is rated at 5,500 sq ft on the same optimistic basis as the 96 pint figure.

Seven keys, and swing is the unusual one

Lock, swing, timer, fan, humidity, mode and power. Swing is the key most machines this size do not have: it starts and stops the louvre sweeping. The rest is straightforward, with three modes, two fan speeds, a 24 hour timer and a target anywhere between 30% and 80%. Child lock freezes the lot.

A gallon and a half, or a hose

The 1.4 gallon tank is large for a household machine, and the water full alarm sounds before the unit stops itself. Even so, a machine removing this much water will fill it fast in a genuinely damp basement. The 3.3 ft hose in the box is the sensible default here: run it to a floor drain or sump lower than the unit and the tank stops mattering.

Three modes across two floors

Sleep mode is the quiet setting for a bedroom. Continuous drying runs without waiting for a target, which is what a laundry area or a rack of wet clothes needs. Auto holds the level you set and idles in between, which is the mode a machine this size should spend most of its life in, since running flat out in a large house is rarely necessary.

Sweeps the air outlet from side to side so a large space mixes rather than drying only in front of the machine. It has its own key.

96 pints a day at 95F and 90% RH, 80 pints at 86F and 80%, and 35 pints on the 2019 DOE test at 65F and 60%.

The manufacturer lists both. CSA is the Canadian electrical safety mark and DOE is the energy listing behind the 65F figure.

Large for a household unit, with a visible level, a water full alarm and automatic shutoff before it can overflow.

Blue under 45%, green between 45% and 65%, red above 65%, with a clear digital display of the actual reading.

Returns to your settings after a power interruption rather than waiting for someone to notice it is off.

Clears frost off the coil in a cool basement so the airflow does not gradually choke off.

The panel locks against accidental changes, and the timer can run it overnight or while you are out.

Ships from a Canadian warehouse. Free shipping on orders over $150. Some remote areas, PO boxes and surcharge regions may be excluded or charged extra.

Return within 14 days of purchase, unused, in original condition and packaging.

Covered directly by the manufacturer under their warranty terms for material and manufacturing defects.

At 35 pints a day on the DOE test this is roughly twice the capacity of a 54 pint household machine. It is the size to pick when a smaller unit has already failed to hold the level.

The sweeping outlet is what makes a 5,500 sq ft rating mean anything in a space broken up by walls and furniture.

Continuous drying runs without waiting for a humidity target, which is what a rack of wet washing in a closed room needs.

This is a compressor machine with auto defrost, so a heated basement suits it. An unheated garage near freezing calls for a desiccant unit instead.

What we stand behind

• Ships from a Canadian warehouse, with free shipping on orders over $150
• 14 day returns on unused items in original condition and packaging
• Covered by the manufacturer's own warranty for material and manufacturing defects
• CSA and DOE certification are both listed by the manufacturer, and the 3.3 ft hose is in the box

Is 96 pints or 35 pints the number I should plan around?

35 pints, which is the 2019 DOE test at 65F and 60% relative humidity. The US Department of Energy adopted that condition because it reflects a basement rather than tropical air. The 96 pint figure is measured at 95F and 90%, and the manufacturer also publishes 80 pints at 86F and 80%. Every brand's headline is inflated the same way, so compare DOE to DOE.

What does the swing function do?

It sweeps the air outlet from side to side instead of blowing in one fixed direction. In a large or L shaped space that mixes the air, so the far end comes down at something like the rate of the area beside the machine. It has a key of its own, so you can leave it off in a narrow room.

Do I need the tank at all?

Probably not. A machine removing this much water will fill a 1.4 gallon tank quickly in a damp basement, so the 3.3 ft gravity hose supplied is the sensible default. Run it to a floor drain or sump lower than the unit. The tank is there for rooms without a drain, and it alarms and shuts the machine off before it can overflow.

Will it deal with a musty smelling basement?

It controls the moisture that a musty smell usually comes with. Health Canada advises keeping a home between 30% and 50% relative humidity and running a dehumidifier in damp areas such as basements, noting that mould can begin to grow in an area with excess moisture within 48 hours. It is not a treatment for existing growth, and any water coming in through the wall or floor still has to be dealt with separately.