Santa Fe Max Dry Dual XT Dehumidifier

Comments about Santa Fe Max Dry Dual XT Dehumidifier:

Great unit: resolved my humidity problem in newly constructed unfinished basement. Surprisingly quiet for its size. HVAC pro suggested mini split system but this was the right call. 1 con: the pump sits below the unit- rendering the castings useless and the unit immobile.

Comments about Santa Fe Max Dry Dual XT Dehumidifier:

I have a new construction home that is nearly energy star efficient for heating and cooling. This also keeps moist stagnant air in the currently unfinished 1500 sq ft basement. Within 2 months of living there, the musty smell from the basement was unbearable, and one was able to feel the claminess in the air. My newly installed and finished oak floors on 1 st floor began to belly at the edges as a result of the excess humidity. My hvac specialist recommended ductless a/c unit with dry mode. I decided to go with Santa fe based on the fact that I had a humidity problem and not an air temp problem. After only one week, it was notable difference in air quality, and the basement is now bone dry with wood flooring now flat again. If humidity is your problem, Santa fe is your solution, do not waste time or money on the smaller inefficient residential uni

Comments about Santa Fe Max Dry Dual XT Dehumidifier:

In late summer 2011, Hurricane Irene resulted in an unexpected storm surge that flooded our crawl space. With typical high humidity in our coastal town combined with storm water, the crawl space humidity exceeded 90 per cent. The Santa-Fe Max Dry reduced the humidity to 50 per cent within 72 hours and has remained constant. The drying ability has saved our house and returned health to our home. Thanks Santa-Fe

Comments about Santa Fe Max Dry Dual XT Dehumidifier:

The first unit I had leaked water all over the floor, the rep for the company said they had units with faulty defrost controls. I certainly did not get a notice of a recall, seemed they were just waiting for failures to replace them with no regard for the damage and lost time the customer would incur. Second unit after a month seems to be doing the same thing!

Comments about Santa Fe Max Dry Dual XT Dehumidifier:

I had a serious humidity problem in my crawlspace. The insulation around the ductwork was soggy to the point water leaked out of the low spots and caused puddles on the plastic sheet lining the ground. Mold, which I could smell as well as see, was growing on the wood joists, this in a three-year-old house! The termite inspector reported the wood was reaching 20% humidity. Obviously, something had to be done.

My house is 2500 sq. ft. on a single level and has a 4-ft. high crawl. I hired a contractor to fully seal the crawlspace and to build a platform for a dehumidifier. He recommended I purchase the Santa Fe Max Dual Dry XT because he had recently used it with good result in a similar case. After a single week, the wood humidity dropped to 12%. After 3 weeks it had dropped to 9%. The termite guy told me I needed to adjust the setting of the dehumidifier as I was actually getting too dry. This, in only one month!

Interestingly, the HVAC technician I had look at the ductwork thought I would need at least two dehumidifiers to get my crawlspace humidity under control. He was clearly thinking of department store-type dehumidifiers. The Santa Fe Max Dual XT Dehumidifier is a workhorse I don't expect to be be running all that much anymore. When it does run, it simply purrs and can't be heard in the house, even when I stand over the area where it is located. Lastly, placing the unit in my crawlspace (I rolled it across three PVC pipes Egyptian-style) to where I had the stand, setting it up (you get everything you need), and plugging it in (regular 120 AC socket) couldn't have been simpler. Needless to say, I am quite pleased with this unit.

Comments about Santa Fe Max Dry Dual XT Dehumidifier:

I called Sylvane, and got a very knowledgeable service rep on the phone who helped me decide on the dehumidifier I needed. There was no high pressure to buy the more expensive unit, in fact, it was I who opted for the larger unit, and not my salesman, who suggested that a little smaller unit should work just fine, but who also said that considering the size of my basement, the larger Max Dry Dual XT Dehumidifier would definitely handle the problem.

I received my Santa Fe Max Dry Dual XT Dehumidifier last week. It is for a large basement where my store-bought dehumidifier just wasn't handling the humidity problem. Although a little heavy, two of us got the unit in the basement without very much trouble at all. I left it on the pallet it came on to keep it off the floor and add a little height for drainage. The unit does come with adjustable feet, however, if you choose to set it directly on the floor. I put on the drainage hose and plugged the Max Dry in. Took about 2 minutes to set up. The Max Dry Dual XT Dehumidifier started drying the basement air immediately. It truly works like a charm. It is a beast when it comes to dehumidifing the air in a large damp basement. The unit does make some noise, but is not overly loud considering its size and abilities. You can hear it running when you are in the basement, but can not hear the unit running when you are upstairs. I would recommend the Santa Fe Max Dry Dual XT Dehumidifier to anyone who has a humidity problem and a very large basement. It is a great product.

Comments about Santa Fe Max Dry Dual XT Dehumidifier:

The Santa Fe does everything they say.my furnace is installed in my crawl space and was causing very heavy condensation .Insulation, floor joist and floor was dripping with condensation.I laid 20 mel down before the Santa Fe arrived,and after the dehumidifier was installed in three days everything was dried out.insulation floors ect.

Comments about Santa Fe Max Dry Dual XT Dehumidifier:

Not to often i feel good about spending alot of money, but this dehumidifier,Santa Fe Dual XT was without a doubt the best purchase i've ever made. My heat unit is in the crawl space and it was like a rain forest . two days to dry this one up. Thanks

Comments about Santa Fe Max Dry Dual XT Dehumidifier:

I recently had a complete AC installation done in my home. I had new ductwork run, an air handler installed and a Carrier Infinity Heat Pump as well. The air handler was placed under my home in my crawlspace along with a myriad of ductwork. Even though I live in the mountains in NC, the air is rather humid and hot in the summer. When this super efficient Carrier unit began pumping out cold air into our home, this created a humidity problem under our home of almost Biblical proportions.

My HVAC tech described the conditions as "raining" under my home and, in fact, the humidity level was so high that it was threatening the newly installed ductwork by loosening the seals of the mastic tape! I quickly began an internet search for a sufficient crawlspace dehumidifier. A Google search led me to the Santa Fe line of products.

After taking delivery of this unit, I just had my electrician install the Santa Fe Max Dry Dual XT in my crawlspace and I must admit that one of the fears I had about this unit was immediately put to rest. I was apprehensive about the noise level coming from this unit. I was afraid it could potentially be a noisy unit running under my home where the sound would intrude upon our living environment. When I was standing outside the crawlspace speaking to my installer who was half in and half out of the crawlspace, I asked him how it was going and he remarked "It's already running. Can't you hear it?" I couldn't even hear it until I got down near the opening of the crawlspace door. It's that quiet! So if noise level is a concern, put that fear to rest. In a crawlspace or basement installation, you won't hear the unit running from your living space above.

What you will notice, and I most certainly did, was that the unit wasted no time pulling the moisture out of the crawlspace. Since I purchased the optional pump accessory, the Dual XT drains water into the pump, when the float reaches a predetermined level, the pump will kick on and shoot the water out. The XT has been working non-stop for the past four hours! It's an absolute tank (but it doesn't sound like one!). It's obvious that this is a very solid, well-built, robust unit and I can say without hesitation that this purchase has saved the house from damage due to moisture and mold. I can't wait to install a hygrometer to read the actual humidity level in the crawlspace.

I highly recommend this unit and wouldn't hesitate to purchase it even for a square footage smaller than 3600'. I plan to re-review this product in the future as time goes on to rate the longevity of the product, but also to comment on the Santa Fe's operation once a desired humidity level has been reached.

Comments about Santa Fe Max Dry Dual XT Dehumidifier:

I bought this unit because our subfloor was rotting in some places.

The first day I calculated that the unit was pulling +/- 9 gallons/day of moisture out of the air. That is 1/2 its rating at "ideal" conditions, but it is still a lot of water (and ideal conditions don't exist in the real world). We are a month in, and the unit is still running most/all of the time at its 50% humidity setting, but we do have a fairly large (2,200 sq. ft), wet (standing water in some places), and not completely encapsulated crawl space.

While I can't say precisely how much the humidity has dropped (I just received my free hygrometer), it does feel and smell less humid under the house, and my wife thinks it smells better in the house as well. Also, every time I check the drain line water is coming out.

A note about the dimensions: The website says it is 37" wide. Based on this information I modified my crawlspace opening so it would fit. As it turns out, this was unnecessary because the unit is 37" DEEP, and I had no trouble fitting it into my crawlspace.

Noise: It is reasonably quiet. You can hear it in the house (it is in the crawlspace), but it is not disruptive.

Another tip: The unit comes with adjustable feet, so it can be leveled even if it is on a slight slope.

Bottom line: This was a big investment, but we plan to keep it. Also, I am glad that I purchased a high-capacity, energy efficient model.