Soleus Air CFM-25E 25-Pint Dehumidifier

by JohnG
(Richmond, VA)

I bought a Soleus Air CFM-25E Dehumidifier for an attached, but unheated/unairconditioned workshop, since I found that my tools were getting rusty and some mold was starting to appear on leather tool belts and other items. I had planned to get the H/VAC ductwork extended into this area, but haven’t gotten around to it, and now I’m reluctant to spend the money until the economy improves, so the next best thing was buying a dehumidifier.

I didn’t want to spend more than $200, so I went with this Soleus model, although I really didn’t know too much about it or dehumidifiers when I first started looking around. I have to admit that I was skeptical about how well this would work, but I am very pleased that it does the job I bought it to do and it does it really well. Within a few days, I could tell that the moisture and humidity in my work area had gone down considerably. Of course, the water container kept filling up, which amazed me. I didn’t know where all the water was coming from, but I guess the air was really humid.

The humidifier is really quiet, even when running at top speed. That isn’t an issue because I have it in the workshop, but I know that if I ever thought I’d need one in the house, I’d have no qualms about buying another one like this. It obviously has an automatic shut off, so there’s no worry about having the water receptacle overflow. I think (but I’m not sure) you can connect it to a hose to empty, but that’s not something I need to investigate right now.

For someone wanting to use this in a house, the Soleus really is portable. It’s lightweight and has a recessed handle, so you can gently pull it along. It really sucks the water out of my workshop and I haven’t had any mold, mildew or rust problems since.

Five out of five stars.

Pros:
Quiet
Very efficient (does what it’s supposed to do)

Cons:
Emptying water tray can be tricky if not careful.
It would be nice to have a digital display of the air humidity.