It removes moisture, and that's okay by me
Pros:
Removes moisture from basement air, warms finished room, rolls on casters
Cons:
Noisy (but not unbearable), oddly-shaped plastic tank (can be inconvenient)
The Bottom Line:
Given other reviews, I was hesitant to buy a Kenmore, but this unit has met my expectations for a dehumidifier.
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Overall Rating:
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Author's Review
The dehumidifier is taller than wide, and about as wide as deep. It has handles on the sides, for lifting the unit. The entire device rolls around on built-in casters.
For getting rid of water once it is collected, the 54501 uses either a pull-out tray/tank or a hose connection. The tray is not the most convenient one that I could imagine -- because of its several angles and jutting plastic angles -- but it definitely works for its intended purpose. The tray has removable cover and a flip-down handle that can be used for carrying. You really need to remove the cover before pouring out the water -- the cover slides up over the handle, so you need to hold the water tank by the sides or set it down. Placing the tank back in the dehumidifier can be a little tricky, and you have to take an extra second to make sure that everything has lined up properly. I have not used the dehumidifier with a hose connection.
During wet weather, I end up emptying the dehumidifier's tank once a day.
My biggest complaint about the unit is that it is loud. It could be worse, but I can notice the droning sound it generates -- all the way from the second floor when the dehumidifier is in my townhouse apartment's basement. When I'm in the same basement room with it, though, it provides a constant background noise and I don't necessarily find it loud enough to be distracting.
It has several modes of operation, from constant "on" to 3- or 6-hours "on" followed by an equal amount of time "off." It can also shut off when a given humidity level -- set as a target on the front panel LED -- is reached during operation. There is no built in humidistat display to tell you what humidity you are currently at, however, so it's a guessing game to figure out your current status.
The dehumidifier does work -- eliminating humidity in my basement, and warming up the finished room it occupies.
On the plus side, it also comes with a Kenmore 5 year warranty. Update: In a comment, I was given a correction that "the warranty is only for one year but it does carry a five year warranty on the sealed refrigeration unit," so please factor that into you buying decisions.
As an additional update, in a different home, we are no longer using this dehumidifier but keep it as a backup. If we have any issues with it in the future, I will make note of them.
