Wall Mold & Misty Window is a Sign that Something Has to be Done
Of all the different air pollutants affecting allergy and asthma sufferers, mold is probably the last thing that is being considered by anyone researching for air cleaning solution in their homes.
But I think overlooking the problems related to mold and mildew is a serious oversight that needs to be corrected. Mind you that I’m not suggesting your home is prone to such issue. The point I’m trying to make is it is important that you understand the problem holistically.
Without the right understanding, any effort to improve your allergy and / or asthma symptoms can be compared to wrong prescription formulation. To me, this explains why even the highest rated air purifiers seem to work a certain group of people but not others.
In this discussion, I assume you have educated yourself enough. Based on your assessments, you think you might need a dehumidifier to complete your arsenal in a fight to improve the air quality in your home.
Today, we’ll focus our scrutiny on what appears to be the leading dehumidifier model – Frigidaire Dehumidifier. Let’s see what can we expect out of it. Let’s see if it is an investment worth making. Or it is better to place your bet somewhere else.
Noteworthy Features of Frigidaire Dehumidifier
Some Basic Features
First of all, be very clear of this. Frigidaire dehumidifier is no air purifier. It is purely a dehumidifier. So if you expect it to clean the air, you’re probably confusing the duty each of them is supposed to take care of.
On to the Frigidaire, it is probably at the limit to the maximum dehumidifying power any home dehumidifier machine is up to. The most powerful model is FAD704DWD which sucks and converts vapor up to 70 pints per day.
“How am I supposed to interpret the figure? Is that too powerful and an overkill for my room?”
I was asking the same question the first time I was searching for a dehumidifier. What I did was to dig through the manuals and hope to find the area coverage specification buried somewhere. But it was to no avail.
Most manufacturers do not include the area coverage as part of their specification. Based on my experience, such information can only be found from the reviews and feedback shared by owners. But still, that kind of number is only good as an estimate and not something to be taken for granted.
I found somewhere that 1,400 square foot the area that Frigidaire FAD704DWD is made for but I can’t confirm the number. I found In my case, I deployed my Frigidaire FAD704DWD in a 1,800 square foot room. On certain days, I have to dispose the water bucket 3-4 times but only about 1-2 times on average.
Unless you want to know how much vapor has been removed from the air, it is advisable to have the hose connected and channeled to proper drainage outlet. This will let you turn on the continuous mode without having to worry about overflowing bucket.
The bucket capacity of 16 pints. If I do my math correctly, 2 buckets would add up to around 30 pints or 14 litres. I would think the 70 pints capacity is more than what is needed. The smaller capacity model (Frigidaire FAD504DWD) seems to be powerful enough for my case. But since I’ve not tried it myself, I can’t say for sure.
Seamless Operation
One thing that many owners of Frigidaire FAD704DWD often rave about is the seamlessness or the amount of effort required to operate this machine.
First of all, there is the continuous operation mode. When operating in this mode, you can leave it running forever. But remember to activate the hose drainage outlet. If not, the built-in automatic shut-off intelligence will kick in the moment it detects that the bucket is almost filled up.
In addition, you can also set the humidity level that you want the Frigidaire FAD704DWD to maintain. You can set anywhere between 35% to 85%.
As always, the curiousity in me always prompts me to go the extra mile and do things that most folks wouldn’t. I bought a humidity monitor and was determined to see whether the humidity control is just an empty ol’ promise or it is a worthy feature.
The test that I did was really simple. I place the humidity monitor next to my Frigidaire dehumidifier. I set the humidity control setting to 40% and let it run. Why 40%? 50-55% IS the range of indoor humidity level that’s been recommended by experts. ASHRAE Standard 62-2001 recommends lower boundary of 25% and the upper boundary of 60%. 40% is within the comfortable range.
I noted the reading on the humidity monitor before the unit was started. The reading was 67%.
I left it running before checking the monitor reading at 4 hours regular interval. I took a total of 6 readings. The 6 readings are 57%, 49%, 47%, 44%, 46% and 43%.
It doesn’t maintain the humidity level at 40% exactly but quite close. It is not the best result that I had wished for but I think it is still good enough for most cases. After all, humidity level tends to fluctuate. I think the humidity control does its job quite effectively. This should free you up from having to constantly monitor and make the necessary setting adjustments.
Customer Service
If you go through the various dehumidifier reviews, you’d be forgiven to think that Frigidaire customer service is disastrous. You might even think twice or thrice about getting a Frigidaire dehumidifier.
I had the same issue when I was pondering about my dehumidifier purchase. But the lack of seemingly better alternatives back then prompted me to take the risk.
“Every product has its shares of disgruntled customers,” that was the consolation I kept telling myself then.
One year has since passed. I’m lucky that my Frigidaire FAD704DWD dehumidifier has been living up well. As I’ve not had to deal with Frigidaire customer service division, I can’t speak about it.
What I can say is I had taken on a gamble but things have so far turned out in my favor.
Is it a Worthy Investment?
I’m not the best person to decide for you if investing in a Frigidaire FAD704DWD dehumidifier is the wisest thing you should do. I’ve shared my experience and you’d be the best person to make such decision.
But if anyone insists for a recommendation, I would say my experience with this dehumidifer has so far been nothing but great. It is effective in doing its job. I had seen reduction in the amount of mold growing on my walls. I personally feel that the air that I inhale is no longer as stuffy as it used to be. That’d be the furthest that I can say.
