I just purchased a 50 pint Frigidaire dehumidifier for a 1400 square foot basement that is dry but occasionally gets a bit too humid. It sucked the humidity down from 65% to 52% in no time, but it won't pull it down any lower even if left to run constantly.
A few thoughts about your comment.
If your dehumidifier is running constantly and filling the bucket it is likely that the capacity of the unit is too small. This would not be surprising as 1400 square feet is a large area for a 50 pint dehumidifier.
If your basement has a nine foot high ceiling, as some homes do, the capacity problem will be worse. Dehumidifier capacities (room sizes) assume a standard eight foot ceiling. That extra foot equates to a further 175 square feet compared with a "standard" room size. Most basements have a ceiling height of 7'10?or less, less still if finished.
You do not say what the typical temperature is in your basement. As you have bought a dehumidifier during the summer months temperature is unlikely to be the explanation but, if the temperature is typically below 65F the dehumidifier will spend a lot of time defrosting and will not be fully effective. As the fan continues to run while defrosting it may not be obvious when the dehumidifier is not extracting water.
If the dehumidifier is not collecting much water, and temperature is not an issue, the unit is probably faulty and should be repaired or returned.
Finally, if the basement is not fully enclosed, an open doorway from the basement to the ground floor of the house for example, the dehumidifier is attempting to control humidity in areas beyond the basement. Relative humidity will equalize within any given area, like air pressure. If relative humidity in the house is higher than in the basement moisture will move from house to basement, defeating the efforts of the dehumidifier.
Returning to my first point, the most likely explanation is that the capacity of the dehumidifier is too low. A 70 pint unit should be more effective and will be more energy efficient. As you have only just purchased the dehumidifier you may be able to persuade the vendor to exchange your model, plus the price difference, for a 70 pint unit.
I can't guarantee that the 70 pint model will be fully effective. 1400 square feet is about the limit for a 70 pint dehumidifier but the fact that a 50 pint model has controlled humidity to 52% suggests that a 70 pint unit will be sufficient to reduce it below 50%. There is no advantage in going below 45% so a 70 pint model is likely to solve your problem.
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