User Reviews - Danby PHD Silhouette DHCC6020 3-in-1 Dehumidifier

Review Title:	Thumbs Up - Danby DHCC-6020 Dehumidifier Combo
User Rating (1 Lowest - 5 Highest):
Date:	2008-05-29
Reviewer:	Kevin T
User Review:

Pros:
1. VERY Quiet compared to other brands
2. EnergyStar certified for dehumidifying
3. Remote Control
4. Easy to access/carry the internal water storage bucket
5. Great customer service (both Sylvane and Danby)
6. Useful “relative humidity” reading tells you how humid it is in your home, and lets you set a desired level of humidity to maintain

Cons:
1. I feel a little mislead about the capacities…It’s capable of 60 pints/day of dehumidification (or 20 for humidification). But the internal storage bucket only holds 12 pints! So you’d have to empty the thing 5 times a day.
2. The directions aren’t very helpful … for example, there’s absolutely no guidance on how/where to install the separately shipped demineralization canister
3. The HEPA-like filter is not washable and needs to be replaced (long term maintenance $)

How I will use it: I live in Washington DC and it’s so humid you can’t even dry yourself off after a shower. Plus, my condo (1200 sq ft) uses an old “chilled water” A/C system, so it relies on cold pipes full of condensation and then blows air across it to spread the cool, moist air around. It’s moldy, wet, and nasty.

For the last 2 years, I’ve been using a Fedders 30 pt dehumidifier. I dragged it out of storage a few weeks ago in preparation for the summer. I cranked it up and was instantly reminded of why I didn’t like it. It sounds like a platoon of M-1 Abrams tanks is circling in my living room. It’s so loud that when it’s running, it’s impossible to have a reasonable conversation within 25 feet. No joke.

So I did some research and found out that most reviews (professional and consumer) claim that Danby and LG models perform very well and run quietly.

I’m happy to say that it is nice and quiet. It’s about half as loud as the Fedders unit which, admittedly, is sold at a much lower price point. But for me, I’ve learned not to be penny wise and dollar foolish. If you can’t stand to be around a unit when it’s running, it’s not worth paying anything for it.

And my new Danby works very well wicking the moisture from the air. And the air filtration system is a nice bonus, too. I just adopted two kittens, so that filter will be working hard for a living sucking up fur and dander. I haven’t yet had the need to use the humidifier function, but I’ll be happy to have it in another 7 months or so.

Final note – I’m pretty amazed by how nice it was to deal with Sylvane. It’s my first time purchasing something from them, and it’s been a really good experience. I can’t remember the last time I said that about a purchase. The sales rep on the phone was helpful and smart, and no kidding, this thing arrived in two days using free, standard shipping. Nice!

Danby PHD Silhouette DHCC6020 3-in-1 Dehumidifier - (view product information)

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