Our Top Picks for Each Category In 2023
Best for Small Grow Tents
Eva-Dry E-500 Mini
Dehumidifier
Best for Medium Grow Tents
hOmeLabs 50-Pint
Dehumidifier
Best for Large Grow Tents
Honeywell 70-Pint
Dehumidifier
Best for Largest Operations
Quest Dual 105 Overhead Dehumidifier
Grow tents and grow rooms are a fantastic way to grow most any type of plant in a carefully controlled environment all year round. That’s fantastic, but there’s a catch. Note the words “carefully controlled environment.”
- 1 Our Selection Criteria
- 2 Why Relative Humidity (RH) Matters
- 3 Temperature & Humidity
- 4 How to Calculate Dehumidifier Size For a Grow Room
- 5 Other Things to Consider
- 6 Best Dehumidifier For Small Grow Tents
- 7 Best Dehumidifier For Medium Grow Tents
- 8 Best Dehumidifier For Large Grow Tents Or Small/Medium Sized Grow Rooms
- 9 Best Dehumidifier For a Grow Room & Tent (Largest Operations)
- 10 Conclusion
- 11 Gone, But Not Forgotten
Plants that are growing in the great outdoors get light from the sun and water from rain. If you’re growing indoors, it’s on you to simulate the natural growing environment for your plants, or even better, to optimize it for the types of plants you’re growing. That necessarily requires active participation on your part to ensure that your plants are getting exactly what they need to thrive, and that you’re removing elements from your controlled growing space that could potentially be harmful to your plants.
Plants that are growing in the great outdoors get light from the sun and water from rain. If you’re growing indoors, it’s on you to simulate the natural growing environment for your plants, or even better, to optimize it for the types of plants you’re growing. That necessarily requires active participation on your part to ensure that your plants are getting exactly what they need to thrive, and that you’re removing elements from your controlled growing space that could potentially be harmful to your plants.
Among other things, it’s going to be on you to control things like:
If any of these elements are out of balance and not optimized for the types of plants you’re growing, you’re almost certainly going to be disappointed in your harvest.
Controlling for all of these factors is well beyond the scope of this roundup. Here, we’re going to be focused specifically on dehumidifiers and their ability to control the relative humidity of your growing space.
To that end, we’ve scoured the market on a quest to find the very best dehumidifier for a grow room on the market today and have found and declared a few different winners. Ultimately, we couldn’t declare a single winner because grow tents and rooms come in all shapes and sizes and what’s optimal for a 2’x2’ grow tent is completely inadequate to a 10’x10’ (or larger) room.
We'll announce the winners and their contenders, but first, let’s briefly discuss our selection criteria.
Our Selection Criteria
In evaluating products in the various categories above, we looked at a number of different things, including:
Each of these elements is important in its own way but taken together, they provide a good composite view of what each model is capable of and give us some understanding of each machine’s overall value to you, the grower.
Unfortunately, the perfect dehumidifier for a grow room does not exist. That’s because there are a number of important elements to consider, and each person is going to place a different level of value and importance on those factors than the next person will.
Why Relative Humidity (RH) Matters
No matter what you’re growing, plants need water. Relative humidity (RH) is the amount of moisture in the air. If the air is too humid, you’ll facilitate the growth of mold on your plants, which will kill them. Too little humidity and your plants won’t be getting the water that they need. Your goal, as a grower, is to find the sweet spot that keeps your plants happy.
The question, then, is what’s the sweet spot? The answer depends on a number of factors including what plants you’re actually growing and their relative age, but here are a few general guidelines you can use as a starting point:
Seedlings
Vegetating Plants
Flowering Plants
Harvesting
Again, treat these as general guidelines. The specific numbers will vary depending on exactly what it is you’re growing. The main point is simply this: Maintaining tight control over the relative humidity of your growing space is incredibly important, and the right dehumidifier for a grow room is critical to that effort.
Temperature & Humidity
Temperature is also a factor here because temperature and humidity go hand in hand. It’s not really possible to talk about one without at least making mention of the other. With that in mind, here are general temperature thresholds to keep firmly in mind:
Ultimately, these things matter because water is the means by which nutrients move from a plant’s root system and into the rest of the plant. Not enough water means that your plants will be starved for the nutrients they need, which is why you’ll see stunted growth.
The roots of your plants will wind up hoarding what water there is, which will overload them with an excess of nutrients that never make it to the rest of the plant. It also makes your plants more likely to be infested with spider mites and other insect infestations, and you may see a white, powdery mildew forming on them.
Conversely, as plants mature, exposure to too much water and humidity can lead to problems that are every bit as dire. Simply put, too much water will drown the roots of your plants, preventing them from being able to absorb gasses from the soil. At that point, it doesn’t matter how many other factors you get right; the show’s over.
How to Calculate Dehumidifier Size For a Grow Room
Whether your question is ‘What size dehumidifier do I need for my grow room?’ or ‘What size dehumidifier do I need for my grow tent?’ the answer comes down to how much water you’re feeding your plants on a daily basis and how many plants you’ve got. Those are the key pieces of information you’ll need when properly sizing a dehumidifier for your growing space.
Most gardening experts recommend 0.623 gallons of water per square foot per week. While this varies depending on exactly what you’re growing, it’s a useful benchmark and can give you some hard numbers to work with.
Start by figuring out how much growing space you have and remember that you may have more than you think. For instance, ostensibly, a 2x2 grow tent has 4 square feet, but if you’re planting in tiers and using the vertical space to get more plants in the tent, your effective growing space (and thus, your water needs) will be higher.
Remember, there are 8 pints to a gallon. Also remember that some plants wind up giving back almost all the water you feed them, while others (including most vegetables) tend to hold onto much of the water you give them. So again, it pays to have a deep understanding of what you’re growing and how much water they need to thrive.
Hence, the Formula - Dehumidifier Calculator For a Grow Room (Or Tent)
(Growing space in square feet * 0.623) = Weekly Water Requirement
Weekly Water Requirement/7 = Daily Water Requirement (in gallons)
Daily Water Requirement (Gals) * 8 = Pints of Water
With this last figure being the maximum extraction capacity you’d want to shoot for, and again, understanding that there’s runoff and other factors to consider which may shade your final figure. For instance, a single cannabis plant requires about 1.4 pints of water per day, on average—modified by local conditions--so if that’s what you’re growing, then your figures will be different.
Generally speaking, though, you want an extraction capacity equal to the amount of water you introduce into the system.
Your formula for how to size a dehumidifier for a grow room can get more complicated than this and try to take into account the amount of runoff that never actually makes it to the plants (and there’s always some). But where a dehumidifier’s capacity is concerned, you generally want to overshoot what you actually need by at least a bit.
There is a tradeoff, of course. If you wildly overshoot your extraction needs, then you’re paying a premium for capacity you’ll never use. On the other hand, if you cut it too close to the bone, then you’ll find yourself in a situation where your dehumidifier in a grow room is running all the time and struggling (or simply failing outright) to keep pace with the water you’re introducing, which means the humidity level won’t drop by the amount you’re hoping.
Worse, with the machine running on a constant basis, you’re introducing heat to the system, which could cause the temperature to creep up and out of your ideal band. That’s part of your challenge: Keeping all the factors critical to the success of your growing space in balance!
Other Things to Consider
What Can I Do If My Dehumidifier is Making My Grow Room Hot?
This is or can be, a genuine problem. After all, most dehumidifiers rely on motors to do their work and will give off heat. Your grow tent or grow room is a confined space, and absent a robust ventilation system; the heat will get trapped in the room and increase the temperature over time.
There are a number of possible fixes here if you start seeing this happening. These include things like:
Each person’s setup is different, and there’s no one right answer here. It comes down to experimentation and finding the best mix of technologies for you to keep the conditions inside your grow tent or room in balance.
What is the Best Place For a Dehumidifier in a Grow Room?
As with everything else, the answer is “it depends.” There are a number of factors to consider.
Check the Manual
First and foremost, you want to be sure that wherever you put your dehumidifier, you’re abiding by the manufacturer’s guidelines where proper ventilation is concerned. This varies from one unit to the next, so be sure to check your user manual for guidance. Generally speaking, you’ll want to allow at least 18” of clearance between the air intakes and the nearest wall or major obstruction.
Number of Dehumidifiers
In addition to that, there’s the question of how many dehumidifiers you’re deploying in a given space. If you’re just deploying one, then placing it in a central location inside the space is good, and placing it high is even better if the unit has a gravity drain. If you’re deploying several, then you’ll want to evenly space them and arrange them in such a way that you’re providing good, even coverage throughout the space.
Zones with Different Humidity Levels
Note that if you have an especially large grow room, you can, by strategically placing your dehumidifiers, create zones that have slightly different relative humidity levels. That’s useful if you’re growing plants in varying stages of maturation.
Dealing with the Extracted Water
Broadly speaking, dehumidifiers are designed around one of three basic strategies for dealing with the water they extract.
Reservoir
All dehumidifiers come with a reservoir or some means of trapping and storing the water they extract. The limitation with that approach is that you have to periodically empty the reservoir to keep the extraction going, which means babysitting the process.
Drain
Once you start looking at dehumidifiers that extract 30+ pints of water per day or so, you’ll start seeing many that come with a simple gravity drain system. These units still have a water collection reservoir, but they also come with a drain port.
Put a hose in the drain port and let gravity route the water through the hose and out of your life. Where you direct the water is up to you. A sink or tub drain, a rain collection barrel, your flower garden, wherever. That part’s up to you.
Obviously, there are some limitations to this approach, though. Gravity drains are a little fickle because, of course, the hose has to point “all downhill.” You can’t have it going down, then up, then back down, or winding around in circuitous paths, you’ve pretty much got to have a straight downhill path for the water to flow, which means you’ll probably need to set your dehumidifier high (on a shelf, or hang it some way or another) and let the water flow down and away.
Pump
The best dehumidifiers come with a built-in pump that will route the water out of the area and out of your life. These cost a bit more, but are a whole lot more convenient and give you a great deal of flexibility.
If you’re only extracting a few pints of water per day, there’s not much incentive to, nor gain in trying to reclaim that little bit of water to reuse on your plants. The more water you’re extracting though, the more attractive that option becomes.
Reusing the Extracted Water
If you decide you want to reuse that water, you’ll need to take a few precautions, though. Cheaper dehumidifiers tend to leach out copper and aluminum, and there’s a very good chance that over time, mold will start growing inside the system.
You can combat the first problem by investing in a higher-end unit and the second by regularly inspecting and cleaning your unit. Yes, it’s more expensive and labor-intensive, but if you’re extracting a ton of water and want to reuse it, that’s what it takes to make sure you’re not poisoning your plants!
Now that we’ve discussed the particulars in some detail let’s take a closer look at our winners in the various categories.
Best Dehumidifier For Small Grow Tents
Best Humidifier for Small Grow Tents | Eva-Dry E-500 |  Ivation GDM30 |  Gurin DHMD-310 |
|---|---|---|---|
Price | $ | $$$ | $$$ |
Overall Rating | 4.25 | 4.13 | 3.94 |
Pros | Incredibly inexpensive and long-lasting. Great for deploying in packs! Hands down the best cheap dehumidifier for a grow tent. | Uses extremely efficient Peltier technology. Auto shutoff prevents reservoir overflow. Better than average product quality for an import. Good reputation for customer service and support. | Uses extremely efficient Peltier technology. Auto shutoff prevents reservoir overflow. Gurin’s products are a cut above and the company puts some effort into customer service. |
Cons | Tiny. Individually they don’t absorb much water so you’ll need to buy at least three (fortunately, they’re a third the price of comparable dehumidifiers) | Peltier technology is very efficient, but slow. | Peltier technology is very efficient, but slow. |
Our Verdict | Highly recommended. They last up to ten years, making them a superb value. | In our view, this is the second-best mini dehumidifier for a grow tent. As long as you keep its inherent limitations in mind, we recommend it. | As long as you keep its inherent limitations in mind, we recommend it. |
Top Pick |
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Eva-Dry E-500
RATING | |
|---|---|
PRICE | $ |
Pros | Incredibly inexpensive and long-lasting. Great for deploying in packs! Hands down the best cheap dehumidifier for a grow tent. |
cons | Tiny. Individually they don’t absorb much water so you’ll need to buy at least three (fortunately, they’re a third the price of comparable dehumidifiers) |
oUR vERDICT | Highly recommended. They last up to ten years, making them a superb value. |
Second Place |
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Ivation GDM30
RATING | |
|---|---|
PRICE | $$$ |
Pros | Uses extremely efficient Peltier technology. Auto shutoff prevents reservoir overflow. Better than average product quality for an import. Good reputation for customer service and support. |
cons | Peltier technology is very efficient, but slow. |
oUR vERDICT | In our view, this is the second-best mini dehumidifier for a grow tent. As long as you keep its inherent limitations in mind, we recommend it. |
Also Good |
|---|
Gurin DHMD 310
RATING | |
|---|---|
PRICE | $$$ |
Pros | Uses extremely efficient Peltier technology. Auto shutoff prevents reservoir overflow. Gurin’s products are a cut above and the company puts some effort into customer service. |
cons | Peltier technology is very efficient, but slow. |
oUR vERDICT | As long as you keep its inherent limitations in mind, we recommend it. |
Our Winner – Best Dehumidifier For a 3x3 Grow Tent - The Eva-Dry E-500
Eva-Dry E-500 Dehumidifier
Eva-Dry E-500 |
|---|
Value |
Feature Set |
Ease of Use |
Brand Reliability |
Summary 4.25 The Eva Dry E500 is small, unobtrusive, effective. Recommended for anyone with modest moisture problems to deal with. These are fantastic. |
At first glance, the E-500 might seem like an unlikely pick to win top honors in this category. After all, it’s tiny, and it doesn’t extract much water. Appearances, though can be deceiving.
Cost-Effective
First and foremost, this unit costs about a third of what its peers will run you, so you can buy three for the price of one of any of the others. When you do, the amount of water extraction equals out. These little guys work fantastically when operated in packs! In fact, why the company doesn’t sell a 3- or 4-pack of these, we’re not quite sure.
Quality and Warranty
Second, the big problem with most of the low-cost, small-space dehumidifiers is the fact that they’re Chinese imports and made with lower quality components that just don’t last very long. Best case, you can expect them to provide about two years of service, and then you’re going to simply toss them out and replace them.
That’s not the case with the E-500. The simple heating element is the only thing that could be construed as a mechanical part, and it doesn’t move, so it’s not likely to break, and the silica beads that absorb the moisture can be used over and over again. That’s why these simple machines have an impressive five-year warranty and can last up to a decade.
Capacity
When you take that into account and factor in the money you’ll save by not having to purchase new mini-dehumidifiers every couple of years; it’s awfully hard to argue against these handy little units. The only real downside is that they can be easily overwhelmed. These aren’t the units you want if you have a medium-sized or larger grow tent, or even a modestly sized grow room.
On the other hand, if you have a musty closet, a bathroom that’s consistently muggy, or if you need a low-cost dehumidifier for a grow closet, these little units are worth double or triple their weight in gold. They’re simple, long-lasting, and effective. We recommend this model, provided you take care not to overwhelm it (which is fairly easy to do)!
In Second Place – The Ivation GDM-30
Ivation GDM30
Ivation GDM-30 |
|---|
Value |
Feature Set |
Ease of Use |
Brand Reliability |
Summary 4.13 A very basic, small capacity dehumidifier. Ivation GDM30 Dehumidifier is recommended for RV owners, indoor growers with very small grow tents or few plants that don’t require much water. Also good for smaller rooms with minor humidity issues. |
Design-wise, the Ivation GDM-30 is about as simple as it gets. It’s got a delightfully small footprint, is very lightweight, and only extracts a modest amount of water every day. It is a highly efficient little machine, though, utilizing Peltier technology to handle the moisture extraction function.
Without wading too deeply into the technical details, Peltier technology works by creating a temperature differential inside the Peltier module in the machine, and it is this differential that actually extracts moisture from the air.
As we said, it’s an incredibly efficient and effective design, but there’s a catch: It’s also really slow. Don’t expect to see immediate results if you buy this machine. It will get the job done, but it’ll do it at a snail’s pace, which is ultimately why it didn’t win top honors.
Ivation is a good company, and although they import their products from China for resale, the quality of their wares is generally a cut above from what you see from most Chinese imports.
This is a function of a few different factors working in tandem. First, the overall quality of Chinese manufacturing has been steadily increasing in recent years anyway. Second, Ivation demands higher quality from their manufacturers, and third, Peltier technology is simple, robust, and effective.
Even if the quality of the materials is somewhat low, the tech itself is rock solid.
Put those elements together, and Ivation’s mini dehumidifier is a pretty good little machine. Granted, it’s very easy to overwhelm a tiny unit like this, so it is at its most effective in small, tight spaces or tiny grow tents. As long as you’re mindful of this unit’s limitations, however, it will serve you well and reliably and is a very good dehumidifier for a small grow tent. On that basis, we provisionally recommend it.
In Third Place – The Gurin DHMD-310 Mid-Size Electric
Gurin DHMD-310
Gurin DHMD-310 |
|---|
Value |
Feature Set |
Ease of Use |
Brand Reliability |
Summary 3.94 The Gurin DHMD-310 is a smallish, easy-to-use dehumidifier. Recommended for anyone with a small growing space, a single room, or an RV, who finds themselves in need of a means of controlling humidity. |
Gurin is a smaller brand and not especially well-known, but they’ve been in the business for a long time, and they have a reputation for making consistently good products and for actually putting some effort into their customer service.
That’s noteworthy because so often, the smaller brands pay only lip service (if that) to the idea of customer service and support. Gurin goes out of their way to do a good job here and that, as much as anything, sets them apart and makes them well worth considering.
Both aesthetically and in terms of feature set, the Gurin 310 is virtually identical to the slightly more expensive Ivation dehumidifier we talked about just above, and like the Ivation, it utilizes Peltier technology to handle water extraction.
That’s both good and bad for the same reasons we discussed above. Good because Peltier technology is rock solid and reliable, which makes this little dehumidifier much better quality than you might otherwise expect. Not so good because it is slow. Like the Ivation, don’t expect this little guy to win any water extraction speed contests. You’ll be disappointed.
On the other hand, it’s quiet, efficient, and effective. If you’re only dealing with a small space and don’t have to worry about extracting too much water from the air, a little unit like this is perfect, and given Gurin’s reputation for quality and customer support, it’s a safe choice and an excellent budget option if you’re in the market for something like this.
A solid, small dehumidifier for a grow tent and a great alternative to the Ivation if that one doesn’t work for you for one reason or another.
Best Dehumidifier For Medium Grow Tents
Best Dehumidifier For Medium Grow Tents | HomeLabs 50 Pint Dehumidifier |  EdgeStar 50 Pint Dehumidifier |  Yaufey 30 Pint Dehumidifier |  Ivation 30 Pint Dehumidifier |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Price | $$$ | $$$$ | $$ | $$ |
Overall Rating | 4.44 | 4.39 | 4.31 | 4.25 |
Pros | Simple, rugged, robust design. Gravity drain. | One of a relatively few dehumidifiers in its size class that comes with a dedicated pump. Full-featured and offered by a company with an excellent reputation for customer service. | Surprisingly good quality. Full featured. Gravity drain. | Solid value for the money. Gravity drain and better quality than you might expect. Offered by a company with a good reputation for customer service. |
Cons | You’ll need to invest in a few extras to get full use out of it (extension cord, drain hose, and a hygrometer if you’re a grower). | Pricey, | Offered by a smaller brand, not as well known in the US. | Humidistat is not very accurate, which may be problematic for growers. Somewhat less energy efficient than many of its peers. |
Our Verdict | In our view, this is the best dehumidifier for a 5x5 grow tent. Recommended. | Recommended. | We regard this as being the best dehumidifier for a 4x4 grow tent, where 50 pints per day might be more than you need. | Provisionally recommended. While not best in class, this is a good dehumidifier for smaller grow tents |
Top Pick |
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HomeLabs 50 Pint Dehumidifier
RATING | |
|---|---|
PRICE | $$$ |
Pros | Simple, rugged, robust design. Gravity drain. |
cons | You’ll need to invest in a few extras to get full use out of it (extension cord, drain hose, and a hygrometer if you’re a grower). |
oUR vERDICT | In our view, this is the best dehumidifier for a 5x5 grow tent. Recommended. |
Second Place |
|---|
EdgeStar 50 Pint Dehumidifier
RATING | |
|---|---|
PRICE | $$$$ |
Pros | One of a relatively few dehumidifiers in its size class that comes with a dedicated pump. Full-featured and offered by a company with an excellent reputation for customer service. |
cons | Pricey, |
oUR vERDICT | Recommended. |
Also Good |
|---|
Yaufey 30 Pint Dehumidifier
RATING | |
|---|---|
PRICE | $$ |
Pros | Surprisingly good quality. Full featured. Gravity drain. |
cons | Offered by a smaller brand, not as well known in the US. |
oUR vERDICT | We regard this as being the best dehumidifier for a 4x4 grow tent, where 50 pints per day might be more than you need. |
Honorable Mention |
|---|
Ivation 30 Pint Dehumidifier
RATING | |
|---|---|
PRICE | $$ |
Pros | Solid value for the money. Gravity drain and better quality than you might expect. Offered by a company with a good reputation for customer service. |
cons | Humidistat is not very accurate, which may be problematic for growers. Somewhat less energy efficient than many of its peers. |
oUR vERDICT | Provisionally recommended. While not best in class, this is a good dehumidifier for smaller grow tents |
Our Winner - The HomeLabs 50 Pint Dehumidifier
hOmeLabs 50 Pint Dehumidifier
hOmeLabs 50 Pint Dehumidifier |
|---|
Value |
Feature Set |
Ease of Use |
Brand Reliability |
Summary 4.44 The HomeLabs 50 Pint Dehumidifier is an expertly designed medium-sized dehumidifier perfect for numerous applications. Recommended for anyone with a moderate humidity issue. Growers with small grow rooms or medium-sized grow tents. |
Our overall winner in this category comes to us from HomeLabs. While not a giant in the industry, they have an excellent reputation for both quality and customer support, and their 50-pint dehumidifier is full-featured and expertly designed.
Specifications
Before we dig into the specific features it has on offer, let’s begin by taking a quick look at the basic stats that drive and define this model:
One thing for growers to be mindful of here is the fact that this unit utilizes a bit more energy than many comparably sized units, and it will add some heat to whatever growing space you’re using it in. You’ll need to plan around that, and be sure to include some strategy for mitigating the heat.
If you don’t, you’ll find yourself in the unhappy position of solving for your humidity issue, only to discover that the temperature in your grow space is no longer ideal.
Power Cord
Also note that depending on the size of your grow tent or room and where you want to place the unit, you may have to break out a heavy-duty extension cord to get it where you want it, as the power cord is likely to not be long enough in a significant percentage of situations.
No Drain Hose
We’re actually fine with the fact that HomeLabs opted not to include a drain hose with this model because, in our experience, most companies that offer one tend to offer short-ish lengths of hose anyway, prompting you to have to go out and buy one long enough to actually be useful.
Humidistat
The built-in humidistat is fairly accurate, and you’ll find that the values displayed on the dehumidifier’s control panel track pretty closely to the values your hygrometer is reporting, and you’ll start seeing results fairly quickly.
Warranty
It’s an impressively powerful and capable unit with a 2-year warranty, which the company will extend by an additional six months if you register your product within 14 days of your purchase.
Quality
It’s worth mentioning that HomeLabs designs its products in the US and outsources manufacturing to China. The overall quality isn’t quite as good as you find in dehumidifiers manufactured in the West, but HomeLabs holds their manufacturer to high standards, and the quality is better than you typically see from Chinese imports.
Features
Feature-wise, you’ll find that is has the basics well-covered and includes:
Air Filter
It also comes with a washable filter that will help to clean the air, removing dust, mold spores, pet dander and the like. Just remember to pause the unit so you can wash the filter every couple of weeks, and it will serve you quite well.
For best results, you’ll want to mount this unit on a shelf or workbench to create some height, which will allow the gravity drain to function more effectively.
Capacity
If you opt not to make use of the gravity drain, the unit will require a bit more babysitting, and in high moisture environments, you’ll find that you have to empty the reservoir 3-4 times a day. That’s not bad, considering that some units on the market today are saddled with relatively small reservoirs relative to their extraction capacity and require you to empty it 8-10 times a day.
Overall, this is a super strong unit and an ideal choice for a 4’ x 4’ or 5’ x 5’ grow tent, or even a modestly sized grow room, depending on how many plants you’re working with and how much water you’re feeding them on a daily basis. It’s well-deserving of top honors here, and we absolutely recommend it.
In Second Place - The EdgeStar 50 Pint Dehumidifier
EdgeStar 50 Pint Dehumidifier
EdgeStar 50 Pint Dehumidifier |
|---|
Value |
Feature Set |
Ease of Use |
Brand Reliability |
Summary 4.39 The EdgeStar 50 Pint Portable Dehumidifier is a simple, effective design for hassle-free operation. Recommended for anyone with a moderate humidity problem. |
EdgeStar actually has a lot in common with our top pick. They’re a smaller American company that’s been in the business for a while and they’ve got a better than average reputation when it comes to both the quality of their products and the level of customer service and support they provide.
Also, like HomeLabs, they design their products here in the US, then outsource their manufacture to China to help keep costs low. In that respect, the same caveats we mentioned with HomeLabs apply here.
This particular model has a lot to offer and only narrowly lost out to the HomeLabs dehumidifier. Among other things, it has the distinction of being the only dehumidifier in this section of our review that comes with a dedicated pump, which makes it an extremely convenient, mostly hands-free unit that doesn’t require a lot of babysitting.
Specifications
Before we go further, let’s do a quick review of the unit’s basic stats. Here they are:
Power Usage
The big thing to talk about here is the power usage. This little unit uses an almost shockingly modest amount of power, especially given that it has both a compressor and a dedicated pump, and note that it uses significantly less power than our top pick. If temperature control and convenience are the main things you’re after, this unit could easily replace the HomeLabs dehumidifier as your top pick.
Drain Hose
A smaller point, but a very nice touch on the part of EdgeStar, is the fact that this one comes with a drain hose that’s long enough to be useful, so there’s nothing else you’ll need to buy to put it into service.
Smart Features
Feature-wise, this unit is identical to our top pick, with a two-speed fan, auto shutoff, and auto-defrost. It also comes with two modes of operation; you can either set the unit to run for X number of hours or set a target humidity level for it to reach.
Humidistat
The on-board humidistat offers about the same level of accuracy as the one on our top pick too, and it has the added convenience of having the dedicated pump, which isn’t nearly as fickle as a gravity-drain system.
Filter
In addition to that, it includes a washable filter so it returns air to the space you’ve got it in with fewer pollutants than were in it when it entered the machine. Given all that, you might wonder why this unit didn’t win top honors.
The answer comes down to two things. First, EdgeStar doesn’t have quite as good a reputation as HomeLabs (close, but not quite), and second, the addition of the dedicated pump adds significantly to the total cost of the unit. You’re paying a hefty premium for convenience, and not everyone is going to want or be able to afford that, which makes the HomeLabs offering slightly superior in our view.
Even so, if you’re looking for a great dehumidifier in this size range and you want one that has a dedicated pump, this is an awesome choice, and this model is well-deserving of a second-place spot in this part of our roundup review. It’s an excellent, highly convenient dehumidifier for a 4’ x 8’ grow tent with a high planting density, and could easily serve larger grow tents with lower plant densities and water use. We recommend it.
In Third Place - The Yaufey 30 Pint Dehumidifier
Yaufey 30 Pint Home Dehumidifier