Winix WDH871 70 Pint Dehumidifier with Built-In Pump White with Charcoal Grill

This unit is identical to the WDH851 with the difference that one is rated 70 pints and one 50. The first thing to clarify about that rating, and this applies to all dehumidifiers, is that it refers to the maximum amount of water it can remove in 24 hours, not to the size of the tank (which is a fairly standard 2 gallons).

I live in DC and have a beach house in Puerto Rico, which remains closed for 2-3 months at a time so keeping humidity in check becomes a regular chore. I've had and/or tested around 10 dehumidifiers in the last few years. In general they all do the job, clear the air of excess humidity, and they do this fairly effectively. The differences come in how they do this:

1) how many speed settings they have,

2) can the unit be set to run automatically to maintain a certain humidity percent,

3) how noisy are they (notice I don't say how quiet are they, all of them make noise),

4) how are they drained: bucket vs. gravity drain vs. pump

5) how sturdy are they

6) how easily can they be moved from one room to the next (not all wheels are the same)

This unit has 2 fan speed settings. At the high speed this is fairly loud. I'm not talking Rolling Thunder loud, but not quiet enough to keep in a bedroom or to have a quiet conversation next to it. I use this setting for when I'm out of the house. The low setting makes a comfortable background white noise similar to an area fan.

One of the things I like best about this unit is that it has 3 ways to drain the water: 1) manually by carrying a bucket (very solid construction), 2) gravity drain, and 3) it has an included pump that can drain the water up to 15 feet vertically.

The unit has an automatic on and off (or sleep mode) depending on the pre-set humidity level.

The wheels in this unit work very well. In other units (the Danby 60 pint and the Kenmore 70 pint) the wheels either broke or sagged so much that they were worthless after a few months.

Compared to the Frigidaire 70-Pint Dehumidifier (FAD704TDP), the Winix is far better.

1) it is better constructed, the wheels are bigger and easier to roll and the bucket handle feels stronger,

2) it includes a water pump (pump and hose for the Frigidaire add about $80-100)

3) it is quieter, particularly at the low fan setting

I purchased this dehumidifier and went for the premium price tag because I needed a unit that would pump and drain the bucket automatically (secondary residence, not there to empty bucket). It arrived mid-June, we set it up the following week and left, only to return the following weekend and find the "bucket full" light illuminated. At this point, I contacted Winix in an effort to troubleshoot and hopefully fix the problem. After a few rounds and emails, Winix offered to have the unit picked up and tested in their facilities and sent a replacement for us to use in the meantime. The replacement pumped, but only sporadically at best. The pump would activate and drain three times, then not work at all. One week we'd find the bucket drained, the next, the light would be on. In between we literally had to suck on the end of the drain hose to prime the pump, after which it would start. After two months of back and forth with Winix (very customer friendly, high marks for customer service -the product is not good), I thanked the customer service rep, but suggested that we call it quits and be allowed to return the unit for a refund. She referred me back to Kitty Hawk Enterprises (apparently an online division of Costco) and said I should have no problem getting a refund -that between our email correspondence and confirmation from Winix that we made a valiant effort to try and resolve the problem with the manufacturer, there should be no issue at all. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case. Kitty Hawk refused to bend on the 30-day return and would not even look at the correspondence or contact Winix to confirm all of our efforts. We thought we did the right thing by going to the vendor, but KH informed us that we should have also contacted them and would not budge. I spoke with Amazon directly and the agent, who completely concurred that a credit was in order, initiated an A to Z guarantee claim. But, I just got a message that we were 13 days beyond the time frame for that as well. I am surprised, as I have always found Costco to be very customer friendly. This contact was downright hostile and rude -I'm thinking of calling Costco headquarters to relay the story and see what they say. Very unhappy to be out of pocket for over $350 for a product that never worked. Overall, a good dehumidifier, except for the pump. Reading all the other reviews of this and other brands and models with pumps, this seems to be a feature that is notoriously unreliable in all makes and models. I am going to try the Delonghi and I will purchase locally from Best Buy so that I can test it and easily return it if it doesn't work. A product category as unreliable as this one and difficult to ship (requiring time for back and forth that eats up warranty period) is simply a huge mistake!

Buy Winix WDH871 70 Pint Dehumidifier with Built-In Pump White with Charcoal Grill Now

Got this to replace an existing dehumidifier in my basement. I chose this model because:

1. It has a built-in pump that empties into a sink (I do not have a drain on the floor)

2. Hi capacity per day

I cannot tell you how wonderful it is not to have to manually empty the bucket! And more importantly, it does not fill up and then turn itself off like my old unit did.

The unit does have some limitations:

1. Price is a bit higher, but I am willing to pay more for quality and suggest you do the same

2. The fan does seem to stay on and on and on and on... and it rarely shuts off, and even when it does, it is only for a short time.

3. It is quite loud. Do not expect to sleep, read, eat, watch TV, or anything else near this unit. On hi or on low, it is loud. I have mine in the basement, and it does not matter to me how loud it is because I am not down there much. If I was down there it would be a big problem for me.

The pros again:

It works quite well, solving the basement water issue

The built in pump

Seems solid

Triple boxed (!) so it arrived in perfect shape

I may buy a second one for my garage...

Read Best Reviews of Winix WDH871 70 Pint Dehumidifier with Built-In Pump White with Charcoal Grill Here

We've had a dehumidifier in our basement for over 2 years and it ran allllll the time. It finally quit and we bought this one. I was skeptical about it draining itself with the built-in pump, but it works fantastically. It is very quiet compared to the previous one. And it shuts itself off when the humidity level goes down so it's not running forever. I'm very pleased with this product.

Want Winix WDH871 70 Pint Dehumidifier with Built-In Pump White with Charcoal Grill Discount?

This product worked well for the first year then would not work at all. The unit would freeze up even though the temperture was 68 degrees.