Soleus Air CFM-25E

I bought a Soleus CFM-25 early in 2006 for use in a 1,000 sq. ft. basement den/bedroom/bath space with moderate moisture problems. It replaced a 20-some year old ugly, bulky, heavy Kenmore unit that still… worked, but which made enough noise to hear a floor away. After 3-1/2 years, the CFM-25 has been just about perfect. I'll echo the positive comments made by other reviewers - I have nothing negative to say. I operate the unit a total of perhaps 4 to 5 months a year with the fan on "medium" at the "dry", not "continuous", setting. It runs through the South's damp Spring and early Fall months, and during extended periods of rain. Without a drain hose, the reservoir usually filled in a day. Attaching a hose to the central A/C's condensate pump through a neatly drilled hole in the wall has made that daily (though easy-to-do) emptying unneeded. Twice yearly, I take 20 minutes to clean the hose, reservoir and filter with a vinegar-water solution. No other maintenance required. I couldn't be more satisfied. I was, however, surprised at its current price. I'd recommended Soleus to a friend last week and rechecked this thread to see if the unit was still available. I paid about $120 with shipping in 2006 - a big difference from today. But given my wonderful experience so far (coupled with its VERY low noise), since comparable capacity dehumidifiers from other manufacturers have similar or higher prices and generally less good user reviews, my recommendation won't change.

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Got my unit from another vendor (that conveniently for them does not accept returns on appliances) .... It arrived quickly enough and is working seemingly alright at this time. The construction of the… casing, however, was malformed and the seam on the right side is not flush, and appears to have a molded tab keeping one side bulged creating a gap. My email inquiries to locate a repair center sent to the support address listed at the company website are returned as undeliverable, and my phone calls to the warranty and support number are forwarded to an unnamed answering machine.... so I am in the negative category for the company, and withholding judgement on the product's functionality. My wife is not pleased that it looks like a second-hand slightly broken item with a crack in the side. It appears that about 20% of the reviews are not enamored with the company, so when this one fails, we'll buy from a different manufacturer, and would have already if I'd checked the reviews here first.

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