Find the best dehumidifier for your basement or home
by Tom Mercer

If you're shopping for dehumidifiers, you may have seen 70 pint dehumidifiers and wondered how many pints you need to cool a basement, 3 bedrooms, 2 bedrooms and a kitchen, or even your whole house. Having the perfectly sized dehumidifier will go a long way in helping you breathe easily. Your children and family will be better off when the basement or bedroom is comfortable, dry and clean. To get the most of your dehumidifier, you should size it properly, and run it at a setting that maximizes efficiency. This article covers how to size dehumidifiers and how to use dehumidifiers.

Sizing a dehumidifier

The most important attribute for making your home comfortably dry is dehumidifier sizing, measured as pints of capacity. First, you will need to calculate the BTU requirements for your home.

You may have heard that going the next size up is a good thing, but there is a limit. Going more than 1.5 or 2.0 times the actual pints requirement will cause your unit to cycle on and off, whereas proper sizing keeps air dehumidified, and saves money on energy bills by running more efficiently.

Think: slow-and-steady = efficiency.

First, you're going to need to calculate the BTU requirements for your home. Use this dehumidifier pint calculator to help you with choosing a dehumidifier size you need per room type and square footage.

How to Use a Dehumidifier

• Shut the doors and windows, confining the space you wish to dehumidify.
• Plug in the dehumidifier, and set it to high.
• Run the dehumidifier for hours or days until you reach your comfort level.
• Adjust the dehumidifier settings down to maintain comfort.

Final Thoughts

Delonghi dehumidifiers, Frigidaire dehumidifiers or Soleus dehumidifiers are good options, and whether you need a 25 pint dehumidifier, 50 pint dehumidifier, or 70 pint dehumidifier, this dehumidifier size calculator will tell you what size is appropriate for your humidity and room size.

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