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Whole home dehumidifiers
Posted on 1/7/26 at 1:19 pm
Posted on 1/7/26 at 1:19 pm
I currently have two portable dehumidifiers in my house - one in my living room area, and one in my bedroom.
They work as advertised, and really help bring down and maintain the humidity levels in these areas. My house typically sits around 50 to 55 % humidity in the summer months.
I am exploring a potential new build and am curious about a whole home dehumidifer and what that entails. What are some things to consider and/or avoid?
They work as advertised, and really help bring down and maintain the humidity levels in these areas. My house typically sits around 50 to 55 % humidity in the summer months.
I am exploring a potential new build and am curious about a whole home dehumidifer and what that entails. What are some things to consider and/or avoid?
7
Posted on 1/7/26 at 2:40 pm to Will Cover
Installation: Insist on a "Dedicated Return to Supply" configuration. It operates independently of your AC and is far more efficient. Avoid "Return to Return," which often forces the main AC blower to run needlessly.
Fresh Air: Duct a fresh air intake directly to the dehumidifier. This filters and dries outdoor air before injecting it into your airtight home, improving air quality without adding humidity.
Sizing: Get a professional load calculation. Oversizing causes "short cycling" (reducing lifespan), while undersizing means the unit runs 24/7 without reaching your target.
Controls: Integrate the dehumidifier into your main smart thermostat (e.g., Ecobee, Honeywell) rather than using a separate wall controller.
Access: Plan the location carefully. If the unit is buried in a hard-to-reach crawlspace or attic corner, you will neglect the required 6–12 month filter change.
Fresh Air: Duct a fresh air intake directly to the dehumidifier. This filters and dries outdoor air before injecting it into your airtight home, improving air quality without adding humidity.
Sizing: Get a professional load calculation. Oversizing causes "short cycling" (reducing lifespan), while undersizing means the unit runs 24/7 without reaching your target.
Controls: Integrate the dehumidifier into your main smart thermostat (e.g., Ecobee, Honeywell) rather than using a separate wall controller.
Access: Plan the location carefully. If the unit is buried in a hard-to-reach crawlspace or attic corner, you will neglect the required 6–12 month filter change.
Posted on 1/7/26 at 2:46 pm to AaronDeTiger
Does a dedicated return to supply configuration conflict with ducting a fresh air intake?
No, they do not conflict. In fact, most high-end whole-home dehumidifiers are specifically designed to handle both simultaneously. Combining them is considered the "gold standard" for air quality in new, airtight homes.
How They Work Together
In this setup, the dehumidifier acts as a "mixing box" for your home's air. It has two separate inlets that merge into one treatment chamber:
The Dedicated Return: Pulls stale, humid air from inside your home (usually from a central hallway).
The Fresh Air Intake: Pulls fresh, but potentially muggy, air from outside through a small 6-inch duct.
The Combined Process
The Mix: The "stale" indoor air and "fresh" outdoor air meet inside the dehumidifier.
The Treatment: The unit filters the combined air (usually with a high-efficiency MERV-13 filter) and removes the moisture from both sources at once.
The Delivery: The now-clean, dry air is pushed into your HVAC Supply Plenum. From there, it uses your existing vents to distribute that fresh, dry air throughout the whole house.
Why This Is the "Gold Standard"
Positive Pressure: By forcing outside air into the house, you create "positive pressure." This slightly "inflates" your home, which naturally pushes indoor air out through tiny gaps, preventing dust, pollen, and humidity from "leaking" in through the walls.
Smart Ventilation: Most systems use a motorized damper on the fresh air line. If it’s 95°F and 90% humidity outside, your smart controller can tell the damper to stay closed so you aren't fighting a losing battle, while still running the dehumidifier to dry the indoor air.
Pre-Conditioning: You never dump raw, humid outside air into your house. It is always dried and filtered before you or your AC ever "see" it.
Important Component: The Backdraft Damper
When using this configuration, your installer must include a "backdraft damper" on the dehumidifier’s supply line. This is a simple one-way flap that ensures when your powerful AC fan kicks on, it doesn't blow air backward into the dehumidifier.
Would you like me to recommend a few specific models that are known for having this built-in fresh air capability?
Yes
For a new build, you want a unit that is specifically marketed as a Ventilating Dehumidifier.
Here are the top three brands and models for 2026 that specialize in this configuration:
1. Santa Fe Ultra Series (The Professional Choice)
Top Model: Ultra98 or the newer UltraV155.
2. AprilAire E-Series (The Reliable Workhorse)
Top Model: E100 or E130.
3. Honeywell Home DR Series (The Tech Integration Choice)
Top Model: DR90A3000 or DR120A3000.
No, they do not conflict. In fact, most high-end whole-home dehumidifiers are specifically designed to handle both simultaneously. Combining them is considered the "gold standard" for air quality in new, airtight homes.
How They Work Together
In this setup, the dehumidifier acts as a "mixing box" for your home's air. It has two separate inlets that merge into one treatment chamber:
The Dedicated Return: Pulls stale, humid air from inside your home (usually from a central hallway).
The Fresh Air Intake: Pulls fresh, but potentially muggy, air from outside through a small 6-inch duct.
The Combined Process
The Mix: The "stale" indoor air and "fresh" outdoor air meet inside the dehumidifier.
The Treatment: The unit filters the combined air (usually with a high-efficiency MERV-13 filter) and removes the moisture from both sources at once.
The Delivery: The now-clean, dry air is pushed into your HVAC Supply Plenum. From there, it uses your existing vents to distribute that fresh, dry air throughout the whole house.
Why This Is the "Gold Standard"
Positive Pressure: By forcing outside air into the house, you create "positive pressure." This slightly "inflates" your home, which naturally pushes indoor air out through tiny gaps, preventing dust, pollen, and humidity from "leaking" in through the walls.
Smart Ventilation: Most systems use a motorized damper on the fresh air line. If it’s 95°F and 90% humidity outside, your smart controller can tell the damper to stay closed so you aren't fighting a losing battle, while still running the dehumidifier to dry the indoor air.
Pre-Conditioning: You never dump raw, humid outside air into your house. It is always dried and filtered before you or your AC ever "see" it.
Important Component: The Backdraft Damper
When using this configuration, your installer must include a "backdraft damper" on the dehumidifier’s supply line. This is a simple one-way flap that ensures when your powerful AC fan kicks on, it doesn't blow air backward into the dehumidifier.
Would you like me to recommend a few specific models that are known for having this built-in fresh air capability?
Yes
For a new build, you want a unit that is specifically marketed as a Ventilating Dehumidifier.
Here are the top three brands and models for 2026 that specialize in this configuration:
1. Santa Fe Ultra Series (The Professional Choice)
Top Model: Ultra98 or the newer UltraV155.
2. AprilAire E-Series (The Reliable Workhorse)
Top Model: E100 or E130.
3. Honeywell Home DR Series (The Tech Integration Choice)
Top Model: DR90A3000 or DR120A3000.
Posted on 1/7/26 at 2:58 pm to AaronDeTiger
Great information, thank you.
Do you have a recommended brand? And installer (BR area)?
Do you have a recommended brand? And installer (BR area)?
This post was edited on 1/7/26 at 2:58 pm
Posted on 1/7/26 at 3:59 pm to Will Cover
quote:do you empty the canister or did you run a line? i want to run a line but i dont want to keep the window open.
I currently have two portable dehumidifiers in my house - one in my living room area, and one in my bedroom.
Posted on 1/7/26 at 4:00 pm to CarRamrod
I empty the canister. Right now, it's 1 x every couple of days. But when it is really humid outside, I empty the canister 2 x daily - just to ensure it runs throughout the night when I am sleeping.
Posted on 1/7/26 at 8:19 pm to Will Cover
quote:
Will Cover
This is one of the better short (7 min) install videos of a whole house dehumidifier in New Orleans - “This Old House” segment.
Whole House Dehumidifiers are more common in humid areas of the USA that have much longer spring and fall shoulder seasons than we do in the Deep South where HVAC have long run times much of the year.
Posted on 1/7/26 at 9:13 pm to CrawDude
Great video, thank you for sharing
Posted on 1/7/26 at 10:16 pm to Will Cover
I thought about doing the same and bought a portable to try. It's in an upstairs room near a supply for the AC. It has a built in pump so I do not need to empty it. Has reduced humidity 5-10% in house.
Posted on 1/8/26 at 7:47 am to Will Cover
Nothing really to add here, except to say that I also run a portable dehumidifier. It’s not nearly enough to affect the entire living space, so I keep it in my master bath. The only downside is the heat that it generates in the hotter months.
Posted on 1/8/26 at 12:56 pm to Will Cover
If you are building a new house, your HVAC system should be designed properly for the house and as such keep the humidity down in the range you listed without needing a whole home dehumidifier.
Posted on 1/8/26 at 1:16 pm to FieldEngineer
quote:I do this as the master is on the end of a long run and I just don't feel like it's involved in the whole A/C system as much as it should be.
I keep it in my master bath
Posted on 1/8/26 at 1:24 pm to AlxTgr
Same here. I want to add a return in there one day, depending on what my AC guy says about it.
Posted on 1/8/26 at 7:26 pm to FieldEngineer
Over the past few months my hygrometer has been in the mid 60's. Presently, right at 70! This number has me concerned. With the nicer weather the house doors have been open more thann normal.
I don't own a dehumidifier so am thinking about getting one. Recommendations? If it's only good for a room should I target a whole home unit?
Thanks, in advance.
I don't own a dehumidifier so am thinking about getting one. Recommendations? If it's only good for a room should I target a whole home unit?
Thanks, in advance.
Posted on 1/8/26 at 7:36 pm to Bayou
Mine is about a third of the size of a dorm fridge. No clue what the brand is. It’s probably good for 800-1000 sq ft, maybe less.
This post was edited on 1/8/26 at 7:38 pm
Posted on 1/8/26 at 7:54 pm to Bayou
quote:
Recommendations? If it's only good for a room should I target a whole home unit?
For my living room, I have a Hisense that I purchased from Lowe's.
For my bedroom, I have a Kesnos.
Amazon - Kesnos
Posted on 1/8/26 at 9:04 pm to Will Cover
I have an Ultra Aire 98h that I had installed in the attic to combat my humidity issues. I installed a new dedicated return and piped it in to the supply side of my ductwork. It worked to bring my humidity down.
Since I remodeled and added sqft we split up square footage and added a unit. I used a manual j and d calc along with my AC guys know how and did not need the unit anymore. Now, sealing all of the top plates and penetrations definitely helped tremendously. My house stays around 45 to 55% humidity year-round.
With that being said, I have the dehumidifier, custom pan with drain and all thread with mounts to put in someone's attic over their unit from the rafters if anyone's interested. I don't think I will need it anymore.
Since I remodeled and added sqft we split up square footage and added a unit. I used a manual j and d calc along with my AC guys know how and did not need the unit anymore. Now, sealing all of the top plates and penetrations definitely helped tremendously. My house stays around 45 to 55% humidity year-round.
With that being said, I have the dehumidifier, custom pan with drain and all thread with mounts to put in someone's attic over their unit from the rafters if anyone's interested. I don't think I will need it anymore.
Posted on 1/9/26 at 9:07 pm to Will Cover
Had a whole home dehumidifier installed when we built in 2021, along with a 2 stage 5 ton AC.
I don't like it, it uses significantly more energy than I thought it would, and it wasn't installed well, the 2 stage AC keeps the humidity in check. I am going to pull it out and seal it off before the summer comes.
I don't like it, it uses significantly more energy than I thought it would, and it wasn't installed well, the 2 stage AC keeps the humidity in check. I am going to pull it out and seal it off before the summer comes.
Posted on 1/9/26 at 9:19 pm to Maillard
Maillard, interested in some more details about the dehumidifier
Posted on 1/10/26 at 8:58 am to Ontopofit1
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