Soleus Air CFM-40 E 40-Pint Dehumidifier with Humidistat
Saturday, October 9th, 2010 at
7:47 pm
Soleus Air CFM-40 E 40-Pint Dehumidifier with Humidistat
- 40-pint dehumidifier with removable reservoir tank; optional continuous-drainage port
- Full-bucket indicator alarm; automatic shut-off prevents overflow; washable air filter
- Adjustable humidistat; whisper-quiet operation; automatic defrost
- Built-in wheels and carrying handle provides easy portability
- Measures 14-1/2 by 10-1/4 by 21 inches (WxDxH); backed by 1-year warranty
The first portable dehumidifier on the market, weighing less than half that of other models. It has built-in wheels and a carrying handle, allowing it to be transported with little effort. With 40 pint large capacity front removable water bucket.
Rating: 
(out of 550 reviews)
Frigidaire 70-pint Dehumidifier
- Smells Fresher Washable filter keeps your air smelling fresh. Plus, the dehumidifier prevents odors that result from mold, mildew and bacteria.
- Improves Home Environment Protects your home from mold and mildew caused by excess moisture – and helps eliminate bacteria in the air that can make breathing difficult.
- EffortlessTM Clean Filter Our anti-microbial filter cleans the air, removing harmful bacteria and alergens.
- EffortlessTM Humidity Control Allows you to control the exact percentage of humidity in your room.
- Energy and Cost Savings The unit operates at a low temperature – using less energy and saving you money.
Rating: 
(out of 8 reviews)
Tagged with: 40Pint • CFM40 • Dehumidifier • Humidistat • Soleus
Filed under: Basement Dehumidifier Reviews
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Review by B. T. Denyer for Soleus Air CFM-40 E 40-Pint Dehumidifier with Humidistat
Rating:
I installed this unit in my basement about 8 months ago, and it has been working flawlessly ever since.
Things I noticed:
If the power goes out, the unit will NOT turn back on automatically (as some other units do.)
If you want to use the continuous drainage (which I highly recommend) via a hose, you have to punch out a plastic disc on the side of the unit. I would have designed a screw-type plug that was replacable, but they didn’t think of that. Anyway, once you punch the quarter-size disc out it’s out forever.
If you choose to use the continuous drainage feature, you will need to pick up a hose with an inner diameter of 15mm (.59″ or just over half an inch.) I went to the local DIY center and found some clear tubing that has worked well.
The unit can operate down to 2-degrees C (36-degrees F), which will be great for continuous operation in the garage to keep the tools from rusting.
Has three fan settings: med, high and quiet. “Quiet” really is quiet, and could probably work just fine in a bedroom. Though, it does warm the room it’s in. How much it warms it depends on the humidity setting.
Four settings: The humidty level (humidstat) can be set to “continuous dehumidification” (which is the default setting), 50%, 60% and 70%. The fan will continue to run but the dehumidification processor will turn off when it reaches the selected humidity level. Cool. I mean, that’s when the fan will just blow room-temp air.
A full drainage tank will stop the unit and illuminate a “tank full” indicator light.
The unit is not that heavy — maybe for some, but not nearly as heavy as some people make it sound. It’s 30.8 pounds.
According to the instructions: You will need at least 21 cm (about 8 inches) of clearance in front, behind and side to side. Air blows out of the top of the unit, so you’ll need to make sure it’s clear as well.
There are movable louvers on the top to direct the air straight up, 45-degrees or almost straight ahead.
Power consumption: CFM-25E is 220W // CFM-40E is 330W
I highly recommend this model dehumidifier.
***15-month UPDATE: It is still working like a champ! We haven’t had one single problem with it, and I don’t foresee ever really having one in the near future. I’ve been running this thing nonstop and it has only required me to clean the filter on the back (which takes 5 minutes.) It has remained as quiet as the day I bought it. It’s awesome!
Review by Justin Wolf for Soleus Air CFM-40 E 40-Pint Dehumidifier with Humidistat
Rating:
I purchased this dehumidifier for mainly basement use, but wanted one quiet enough for use upstairs if needed. And, boy is this thing quiet. My refrigerator is louder. I also own a Fedders 45 pint unit and a Whirlpool 65 pint noise maker. The Fedders (Maytag) was the quiet champ untill I purchased the Soleus Air CFM-40E. The Whirlpool removes an amazing amount of water, but can be heard UPSTAIRS when running in the basement. So it is used only when needed. The Soleus Air is so quiet I have to go down the basement stairs and visually check to see if the unit is on. Can’t say that for many dehumidifiers. My only complaint is that the fan is always on, even when it has reached the set humidity level. This prevents the short cycling the others do, on for 2 minutes off for 2 minutes or so, but I think prevents an Energy Star certification. At 2.9 amps it draws significantly less than the Fedders 5.6 amps and the Whirlpool’s 7.9 amps.
The Soleus Air works great (so far) upstairs in the spring, when it is cool but damp, like the weather this week. Here in Wisconsin it is in the 60′s but rainy, so the house is humid. Running the central air is not necessary since the house is not hot. So I use a dehumidifier, which makes the house seem less clammy. I would recommend the Soleus Air CFM-40E to anyone who is looking for a small, really quiet, relatively light, medium capacity (40pint) dehumidifier that simply does what is supposed to do (remove water from air) with out excess noise.
*******3 Year Update******
This dehumidifier has been working flawlessly for 3 years of nearly constant use. Other than cleaning the filter and the occasional collection tank clean out, maintenance has been minimal. I still can not get over how quiet this unit is, and it has not gotten any louder with age. I highly recommend this product, yes it is not cheap, but it works really well, and is very well built. Highest possible recommendation.
Review by Patrick Smyth for Soleus Air CFM-40 E 40-Pint Dehumidifier with Humidistat
Rating:
I currently have 5 dehumidifiers in different locations, and this one is the strikes the best balance of efficiency, reliability, effectiveness, and quietness. There are other models that can pull more moisture out of the air more quickly, but they are invariably much louder and MUCH more expensive to run.
Review by John for Soleus Air CFM-40 E 40-Pint Dehumidifier with Humidistat
Rating:
I tried a Haier 65 pint and it was louder on its low setting than this one is on its high setting. The Haier also started short-cycling after about 5 days of operation. After that bad experience, I spent a couple of hours reading every review of dehumidifiers I could find, and decided to go with the Soleus based on the fact that it was supposed to be the quietest. WHAT A HUGE IMPROVEMENT over the Haier!
I would give this model 5 stars, but it has these “deficiencies” when compared to other models:
1. No temperature and humidity display. Ok, I agree, it doesn’t affect the operation, but it’s one of those things I did like about the Haier. Granted, on the Haier, all the display did was show me that the thing stopped working.
2. The hose connection needs to be punched out and is not a threaded connection for a garden hose, although my garden hose slips over the connection just fine when I cut off the hose end.
3. The unit does not return to “on” after power goes out. I really wanted this feature so that I could put the unit on a timer to run for x hours every day.
4. It’s not Energy Star rated. It is only 330W though, which is much less than other similarly sized models.
In summary: Don’t waste your time with all the other models available. The Soleus works fine and I can’t hear it in the next room even when the fan is on HI.
PS: Look around and you may find a deal like I did. I paid just 139 at a big box.
Review by Shady Ave Reader for Soleus Air CFM-40 E 40-Pint Dehumidifier with Humidistat
Rating:
(November 2006) I joined one of the other reviewers in apologizing for being compelled to praise a dehumidifier. When our loud old humidifier finally died, I spent many frustrating trips buying and returning louder replacements (think of a 747 jet at take-off) dehumidifiers to various big-box stores.
Then I found the Soleus. It was quieter (I guess maybe 30-40db), as efficient, and smaller than anything else we could find on the market. When I plugged it in, I frankly did not think it was running – as it was that quiet. Despite its silent running it filled the bucket faster than any other one I had tried. It was also more energy efficient than the other standard brands. Even if the bucket empties slightly different than standard dehumidifiers, it could hardly be simpler.
I do agree there is an inconvenience when one has to return larger items like this from mail order and not a store. However, making returns to Home Depot or Lowes is no picnic either these days. But in this case, I would urge folks to take the chance if you cannot find it elsewhere.
I would say if you have no concern about the noise, one could go with other models. However, if you have to live in proximity to the dehumidifer – this model ought to be at the top of your list.
—-
(December 2007) To update the original review, 1 year later, the dehumidifier was still working quietly. Although when the temperature was below 60(F)degrees it lost efficiency and would ice up. However, most dehumidifiers do not work well in cold temperatures.
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(May 2008) – Well the icing up eventually caused the thermostat to blow (or vice versa) and the unit died in May 2008. It would only run on continuous mode but then would ice up making it non-functional. I could not blame cold temp any longer as the basement was now 70 degrees. Thus the unit lasted about 18 months. While I was disappointed (and would remove a star or two if Amazon would let reviewers do that), I had to say it was very good when it worked. I replaced it with a more traditional noisy dehumidifier, since I did not want to buy a humidifier every year and a half. The new one worked fine but noisily. I had to admit that I missed the quiet of the Soleus.
My comment at the time: If you want to take the risk and it works you probably will have the quietest dehumidifier on the market. But it might not last judging from my own experience and what I see from other reviewers.
Epilogue – Well the noisy replacement (Danby) died in January 2009. (To their credit Danby provided a full refund). I had, however, hated the loud noise of the Danby, so I gambled again on the Soleus. I decided NOT to revise my prior review until I had at least 6 months of operation on the Soleus to report on. Now, 8 months later, it is still working flawlessly filling a full pan of water every 24 hours, sometimes faster. It is still whisper quiet. One change I have made, is to be sure to turn it off when the relative humidity gets low, i.e. I turn it off if in a 24 hour period I don’t see water collecting in the pan. Given my jinx with dehumidifiers, I did something I never ever do, I bought an extended warranty for it. So knock wood, I once again have a functioning dehumidifier, and one that can be in the same room with me and I can still hear the TV or stereo.
Review by Brianne M. Bell for Frigidaire 70-pint Dehumidifier
Rating:
I purchased this product over 3 months ago now. It has ran great and continues to keep my basement free of dampness. The dehumidifier ran continuously for nearly a week before it cleaned out the humidity from my 40×30 unfinished basement (with little to no furniture), but now it runs only three to four times a week for about 2 hours at a time and I empty it only 1-2 times a week. The container that collects the water is difficult to remove at first, but if you read the manual (and press the sides together)the machine is a fabulous addition to your home!! It IS loud, like other reviews are confirming; however, for me- hearing it run is a reassurance that it is working! And it is not so loud that you can not mask it. Reusable filter is great, but needs cleaned often (if it runs often). Also the efficiency on this unit is SO eco-friendly… my electric bill only went up $15 for the first month of use (and it ran for over a week continuously! I emptied it daily!) GREAT PRODUCT!!! STRONGLY RECOMMEND for large basements with dampness problems!
Review by Paul D.M. for Frigidaire 70-pint Dehumidifier
Rating:
I’ve owned four dehumidifiers over the years from kenmore and LG. All were extremely noisy and broke after a couple years.
This is by far the best dehumidifier I’ve owned. I’ve been using the frigidaire about 18months now. It’s chassis is plastic (very rugged) which seems to contribute to it’s low noise. It just sounds like a fan is running – there is no compressor buzz to speak of. The fit and finish is the best I’ve seen — the bucket is very strong, tight fitting and well designed (it has a float to disable dehumidifier and a built in splash cover when carrying a full bucket). It fills up the bucket in about 12 hours and my humidity is about 50% for what it’s worth.
The only possible problem is that it short cycles (turns on/off too often and too quickly) if I set a desired humidity level. It pulls water out of the air quickly so that it’s probably oversized for it’s room size / humidity levels (I knew this when selecting the 70pint version). Nonetheless, I would expect there to be a timer to prevent short cycles. It’s possible compressor is rated for the short cycles…just something to note. I just run it once a day on continuous until bucket fills up, so it’s not an issue for me.
I’m giving it 5 stars because the build quality and noise levels are so much better than anything I’ve owned in the past (and it dehumidifies as expected). Short cycles are more of an observation, your mileage may vary. Finally a dehumidifier that does not shake and rattle and just sounds like a fan!
Review by Cute Chihuahua for Frigidaire 70-pint Dehumidifier
Rating:
This dehumidifier works well and will easily remove an entire tank (17 pints) of water from the air in about 20 hours. I have owned it for a couple of weeks now and have let it run nonstop without any problems. It’s rather loud but it’s fine for our basement. It has a large 17-pint reservoir or you can hook a hose up to it and it will drain continuously. It has a high and high setting and different modes for constant operation or a thermostat so you can set it to certain humidity level. Many people say that it blows lots of hot air but it is rather cool air that is expelled from ours. It’s strong enough that you could almost use it as a fan. Overall I would consider this a good buy.
Review by Celeste T. Snyder for Frigidaire 70-pint Dehumidifier
Rating:
This unit runs rather quietly, which is a plus. It is very effective and I like the washable filter. It seems like a quality product and has done a good job removing humidity from my entire basement, which is rather large. I’ve had dehumidifiers in the past that die after a relatively short time period, so I hope that this one lasts but it’s too early to say for sure.
Review by Theresa L Traum for Frigidaire 70-pint Dehumidifier
Rating:
Quite satisfied with product. Bought two because basement is over 3000 sq ft. With very humid summer, home was smelling musty and some mold starting to show up. Put one at each end of finished basement and was emptying 2 and 3 times per day for about a week. Left one at continuous filtration and one at 50%. Now air smells fresh and no more mold showing up. The air feels better! Still have to manually empty every couple of days but this model allows you to hook up to a hose and drain if it is near a floor drain. I don’t have a nearby floor drain so wasn’t something I could take advantage of now. The unit exhaust fan puts out considerable heat which seemed counter productive to keeping the house cool in the hot humid summer months. Now with fall setting in it makes the basement rooms where they are a lot more inviting. Makes a fan noise when running but quickly becomes a background noise (like a furnace fan) that blends into the background. Wish I would have put these in the house years ago when I first moved to WI. Having never lived in anything but a very dry climate I had no idea this was a home management tool that was mandatory!