About The Author: Travis Baugh is a Digital Brand Marketing Manager for Bryant, where he creates clear, helpful content to guide homeowners through heating, cooling, and indoor air quality decisions. His goal is to empower readers with the knowledge they need to choose the right comfort solutions for their home—confidently and comfortably.
How to Choose the Best Dehumidifier for Your Home
By Travis Baugh
Choosing the best whole-home dehumidifier is crucial for maintaining a comfortable and healthy home environment by controlling indoor moisture levels. The right unit prevents mold, eliminates odors, and improves air quality. Bryant whole-home dehumidifiers are engineered to deliver superior performance and reliability.
This guide will walk you through the key factors to consider when selecting the best dehumidifier for your home, ensuring you invest in long-term comfort and value.
What Factors Should I Consider When Choosing the Best Dehumidifier?
To choose the best whole-home dehumidifier, you should evaluate its capacity, energy efficiency, installation type, drainage options, maintenance needs, and noise level. Matching these features to your home's specific requirements ensures optimal performance and comfort.
- Capacity: The dehumidifier's capacity is measured in pints of water removed per day. You should match this to the size of the area you need to dehumidify. Larger homes or damper areas, like basements, require units with a higher capacity.
- Energy Efficiency: An energy-efficient model will reduce electricity consumption, saving you money on utility bills. Look for dehumidifiers with an ENERGY STAR® rating to ensure you are getting a top-performing, efficient unit.
- Installation Type: Whole-home dehumidifiers can be installed directly into your HVAC system for seamless, whole-house operation or used as standalone units. A ducted system is ideal for homes with existing ductwork, while a standalone unit works well for homes without ducts or for treating specific areas.
- Drainage Options: Consider the convenience of drainage. Some models feature a built-in pump or use gravity drainage for automatic water removal. Others require you to empty a water tank manually. An automatic drainage system offers a more hands-off solution.
- Maintenance and Filter Cleaning: Look for models with washable, reusable filters and easy-to-clean components. This reduces the time and effort required for regular upkeep, ensuring your unit runs efficiently.
- Noise Level: Dehumidifiers produce noise during operation. If your unit will be located near living spaces, look for models specifically designed for quiet performance to maintain a peaceful home environment.
What Are the Benefits of Using a Dehumidifier?
A dehumidifier offers significant benefits, including preventing mold and mildew growth, reducing musty odors, and improving overall indoor air quality. By removing excess moisture, it creates a healthier and more comfortable living space.
- Prevents Mold and Mildew: High humidity creates a breeding ground for mold and mildew, which can harm your health and damage your home. A dehumidifier removes this excess moisture, making the environment less favorable for their growth.
- Reduces Musty Odors: Musty smells are often a direct result of high humidity. By lowering moisture levels, a dehumidifier helps eliminate these unpleasant odors, leaving your home smelling fresh.
- Improves Indoor Air Quality: Excess humidity promotes the growth of allergens like dust mites and mold spores. A dehumidifier helps reduce these allergens, making the air easier to breathe for everyone, especially those with allergies.
Learn more about dehumidifier benefits.
Where is the Best Place to Install a Dehumidifier?
The best installation location for a dehumidifier depends on whether it is integrated with your HVAC system or used as a standalone unit. For standalone use, basements, crawl spaces, utility rooms, and attics are ideal locations to combat moisture at its source.
HVAC Integration
For whole-home humidity control, installing a dehumidifier directly into your HVAC system is the most seamless option. This approach ensures the unit works in tandem with your heating and cooling system to manage moisture throughout the entire house.
Standalone
If you install a whole-home dehumidifier as a standalone unit, consider placing it in one of these common problem areas:
- Basement: Often the most humid part of a house, a basement is a prime location. A dehumidifier here can prevent mold, musty odors, and potential structural damage from excess moisture.
- Crawl Spaces: Installing a unit in a crawl space is highly effective at reducing moisture and preventing issues like wood rot and mildew.
- Utility Room: Placing the dehumidifier in a utility or mechanical room allows for easy access for maintenance, especially if it integrates with your HVAC system.
- Attic: In warmer climates, attics can suffer from high humidity. A dehumidifier can prevent condensation that leads to mold growth and insulation damage.
Why Choose a Bryant Dehumidifier?
Bryant Performance™ Series whole-home dehumidifiers represent over a century of innovation and quality in home comfort. Designed for versatile installation and reliable performance, they offer an exceptional solution for achieving healthier indoor air.
- ENERGY STAR® Recognition: The Bryant DEHXX dehumidifier was recognized as "Most Efficient of ENERGY STAR® 2024," signifying it represents the top tier of energy-efficient products.
- Various Sizes: Our units are available in two sizes to fit your home's needs, removing up to 80 or 100 pints of moisture per day.
- MERV 8 Filter: Each unit includes a MERV 8 filter that captures airborne particles like dust, pollen, and mold spores, improving air quality without restricting airflow.
- Easy-To-Use Control: An intuitive LCD control on the unit and compatibility with wall-mounted controls make it easy to set your preferred humidity level.
- Zoning Capable: Bryant dehumidifiers allow for targeted humidity control in different zones of your home, saving energy and improving comfort where it's needed most.
- 5-Year Warranty: Our dehumidifiers come with a 5-year parts limited warranty, providing peace of mind and protecting your investment in long-term comfort.
Find the Best Dehumidifier with a Bryant Dealer
Connect with a local Bryant dealer to find the best dehumidifier for your home. An expert can assess your space and recommend the ideal solution for optimal comfort and air quality. Schedule an appointment today to create a healthier, more comfortable indoor environment.
Explore Bryant Dehumidifiers
Choose a Bryant dehumidifier to effectively control excess moisture in your home, improving comfort and air quality. It helps prevent mold, mildew, and musty odors while reducing allergens, making it ideal for areas with high humidity. With energy-efficient operation and quiet performance, a Bryant dehumidifier works seamlessly with your HVAC system to maintain optimal humidity levels. Durable and reliable, it ensures a healthier and more comfortable living environment, providing year-round moisture control for your home.
Learn More
- Discover the benefits of a basement dehumidifier
- Learn the ins and outs of humidity control
- Understand when to use a dehumidifier
- Explore Bryant dehumidifiers
