The air quality and makeup in your home are a couple of the most important elements to consider for overall comfort. Just try to get a good night’s sleep in a hot, humid room, and you will be newly committed to creating the right environment. I tested the TOSOT 20 Pint Dehumidifier to see if it could keep my home’s air comfortable. I kept the TOSOT 20 Pint Dehumidifier in my bedroom on continuous use. My bedroom is not extremely humid except after I take a shower. I could hear the dehumidifier kick on once the steam from the hot shower made the air more humid. It only took around thirty minutes for the air to go back to its usual 40 percent humidity. Using a dehumidifier can be helpful not just for your air quality but also for the longevity of your air conditioning system. An A/C has to work harder to keep the temperature of humid air down, which will put more wear and tear on the system. The humidity level in my home is comfortable enough for me, but bringing it down even a little can be great for the lifespan of my air conditioning. Given how expensive it is to replace an air conditioning system, the small investment in the dehumidifier is worth it, in my opinion. The display light on the dehumidifier is bright and right on top. It was bright enough that it illuminated my bedroom when I was trying to sleep. I covered it with black electrical tape, but this did mean that I wasn’t able to view the humidity level. This was the biggest detractor when using the dehumidifier in my living spaces. You can run the dehumidifier in target mode or continuous mode. In target mode, you can choose to set the humidity level, and the dehumidifier will turn off once it reaches that level. This is best if you want to just maintain comfortable air quality. When using the TOSOT 20 Pint Dehumidifier in my bedroom, I set a target of 50 percent to start. I bumped it down to 40 percent, and the unit only had to turn on occasionally to keep the room at this level. The continuous mode works well if you have an unusually humid or wet room that you want to dry out. When the water heater in my garage leaked, this unit came in handy to dry out the space in less than a day. I mopped up the standing water, so all the dehumidifier had to do was get the residual water out of the air. This drastically cut down on the time that it took to clean everything up and reduced the chance that items stored in my garage would be damaged or grow mold. The TOSOT 20 Pint Dehumidifier was most useful in my garage. During heavy rains, my garage gets very humid, especially in the Spring, when the temperatures start to get higher as well. The TOSOT 20 Pint Dehumidifier brought the humidity level in my garage from around 75 percent to 50 percent. As I expected, the garage door had to be closed for the dehumidifier to be effective. This meant that I had to empty the water pan afterward. If you have a utility sink or drain in your garage, it would be easier to set up a continuous drain with a hose. This dehumidifier works on spaces up to 1500 square feet, according to TOSOT. To be most effective, you will need to keep the air flowing between the spaces. Closed doors will inhibit its ability to monitor the humidity in the air. It promises to remove up to 20 pints within 24 hours. I never had that much water to clean up but found that it dried out my garage within 24 hours easily. You will need to closely monitor how full the water pan is if you are using it with a high amount of humidity. The ideal use for the TOSOT 20 Pint Dehumidifier is as-needed, in my opinion. If you have constant humidity, you’ll find that you need to empty the water pan often or set up the TOSOT 20 Pint Dehumidifier with a hose close to a drain. You can use a standard 3.75-inch garden hose but will need to provide it yourself. If this is your case, I would recommend an installed home dehumidifier instead of a portable unit. The price is good for the TOSOT 20 Pint Dehumidifier (it retails around $170) and comparable to most similar units on the market. I liked that I did not need to purchase additional filters and could instead remove and clean the one that came with the dehumidifier. The company’s customer service is excellent, and I’ve been happy with other home products from TOSOT. The excellent reputation for high quality and responsive customer service is enough to make me recommend the TOSOT 20 Pint Dehumidifier over its competitors offered at a similar price point. This is not the most attractive or modern-looking appliance out there. Given that I used it as needed and it wasn’t out all the time, the bulky, industrial appearance didn’t matter to me. If you need to use a dehumidifier all the time, I would again recommend installing a house system instead of opting for a smaller unit like the TOSOT 20 Pint Dehumidifier. You could look into a larger dehumidifier from TOSOT to use in larger rooms. The same model comes in a 35-pint, 50-pint, or 50-pint with pump version. All of them can be used as portable dehumidifiers and moved from room to room as needed. The customer service from TOSOT is great. The larger models work very similarly to the 20-pint version. If you choose the 50-pint model with the pump, it also includes a thin hose for pump operation. All of them have the option for continuous use, but you will need to provide your own garden hose to drain.
How much room does this dehumidifier take up?
The dehumidifier itself doesn’t take up that much space—about the same as a space heater, air purifier, or similar appliance. But you do need to leave at least 18 inches of clearance on all sides to keep it from overheating or working inefficiently. I would have liked to have it situated out of sight or at least tucked away behind a more attractive piece of furniture, but the clearance requirement meant that the dehumidifier needed to stay more prominent in my bedroom. Because I used this on an as-needed basis, it wasn’t a huge issue to have it closer to the middle of the room when it was in use. When I used it in my garage, it was even easier, but I did need to connect it to an extension cord to reach the outlet, which was behind a storage rack. The power cord is only 6 feet long, which wasn’t long enough to get around the bulky items in my garage. If you do use an extension cord, make sure that it is grounded and can handle the extra electrical load from the dehumidifier.
Is this dehumidifier loud?
The TOSOT 20 Pint Dehumidifier runs very quietly. My air conditioning system, washing machine, and dishwasher are all louder than this dehumidifier. One of the best features of this dehumidifier is how quiet it is when in use. TOSOT advertises that the peak sound level is 48 decibels. When I ran it in my bedroom, it did not keep me awake even when it kicked on.
How often do I need to drain the water?
The frequency that you need to drain the water in the TOSOT 20 Pint Dehumidifier will depend on how much you use it, the humidity level that you set it at, and how much moisture is in the air in your home. Fortunately, you can check using the display window on the front of the unit. The water pan has a 20-pint capacity. TOSOT advertises that the dehumidifier can remove that much water from the environment within 24 hours. If you live near an ocean or in a hot, humid climate, you may reach that level quickly. Other factors that might require more frequent draining of the water pan include when there are heavy rains or storms.
Can I use this dehumidifier during a storm?
Yes, this is a great dehumidifier to use during heavy rains and extreme weather. The TOSOT 20 Pint Dehumidifier comes with a power outage restart. If you lose power to the unit, as you might during a storm, it will automatically restart and revert to its set humidity level or mode once power is restored. If you have this unit set up to remove water from a damp room, such as a garage or basement, you can set it to continuous run and be reassured that it will work as long as there is power. You could even use it with power from a generator to make sure that it always works, even in the harshest weather conditions.
How do I clean the filter?
When it’s time to clean the filter, an indicator will light up on the top of the unit. I always like these kinds of reminders, since it is easy to forget to do otherwise. You will need to clean the filter after around 250 hours of use. All you need to do is remove the filter from the front by opening the access tray, removing the water pan, and pulling the filter down. Then rinse it with water and mild soap, let it dry completely, and reinstall. You do not need to replace the filter with a new one. It is important to let it dry completely so that it does not interfere with the sensors inside the dehumidifier.
TOSOT 20 Pint Dehumidifier vs. The Competition
For another reliable dehumidifier option, consider the TaoTronics 6L Dehumidifier It works very similarly to any of the TOSOT options, comparable to the largest version. It does look a little bit more modern and has a sleeker profile. Because I don’t have dehumidifiers out in my home all the time, the look was not a huge factor for me. The TaoTronics retails for around $253. If you plan to use your dehumidifier for large spaces or commercial use, the Colzer 232 Pints Commercial Dehumidifier combines the portability of smaller units with the high capacity of an installed system. It retails for around $1,100, and it removes up to 29 gallons of water in a day but will need to be drained and set up for this kind of capacity. You can move the dehumidifier if needed. It may not be the best if you need to move it often, especially if you are going up and downstairs since it is pretty bulky. The TOSOT 20 Pint Dehumidifier is easy to use and can be set for your exact preferences, making it a great addition to your home’s environment. While it’s not the most attractive appliance available, it is a great price and works efficiently for small-scale needs.
