Kenmore 50701 70 Pint Dehumidifier

by Brian
(Boston, MA)

I recently purchased the Sears Kenmore 50701 dehumidifier, which is the 70 pint model without the pump or the remote display. Those two features are on the 90701. The cost differential between the two models was only about $50, but I had read a lot of reviews complaining about the pump failing, and I don't need the pump so I bought the cheaper model.

I have owned this dehumidifier for about a week now, so the jury is out as far as its longevity is concerned.

The device has brought down the humidity in my basement from 75% to 45% in about 3 days, and it is now holding at about 42%. It seems to work well for pulling out the moisture. I have simply let it run in "Auto" mode, which is automatic fan speed and 50% humidity setpoint. That is the default when I turn it on.

This is running in a brand new basement that is about 1200 square feet. The basement has no problem so far with standing water, just humidity.

This unit seems to be one that runs the fan continuously, which had me confused for a few days, thinking that it might be malfunctioning. But I think it is just supposed to work that way. The user manual is vague on the topic. It does not seem very loud to me, but then it is running in the basement so we don't have to listen to it all day.

For the first few days, I emptied the bucket, but then I plumbed it into my sump hole, and the sump pump takes care of pumping the water out of the basement. So now it runs trouble free without intervention on my part. I do not remember that the bucket was terribly difficult to get in and out, but then I only did that for a couple of days. The entire device is made of plastic and appears to be somewhat fragile, although I have had no problems with anything breaking so far.

The "plumbing" into the sump is a cheap garden hose that I bought at Sears when I bought the appliance. I bought the cheap hose because it is light, and I was not sure how much weight would be supported by the plastic hose fitting on the unit.

I have not yet cleaned out the filter, so I don't know how that works yet.

You can see in one of the photos the stand I built to elevate the device as recommended by the Sears salesman. The stand is about a foot tall. The other photo shows the hose connection on the back of the unit.

I bought the 5 year extended warranty on it because of its reputation for breaking down. I bought this one instead of shopping around because I needed a dehumidifier ASAP, and this one was available.

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This review has now been updated with new information. Click on Brian's dehumidifier review update to see what's new.

Kenmore Elite Dehumidifier 70 pint model 251.99701801

by Frank
(Marlboro, MA)

Purchased two units. One in 2009 and the other in 2010. Both lasted less than one year before the compressor lost fluid and so stopped removing water from the air. Unit works great when it was working, but the reliability is not there. Don't buy this unit.

Kenmore 35 Pint Dehumdifier Model 511000

by Tom
(Holyoke MA)

Never owned a humidifier before. Purchased at Sears.

Unit defective out of the box: whenever the (quite noisy) compressor started, the entire unit shut down within ten seconds as if someone pulled the plug. Returned next day for refund.

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Webmaster's Comment

Dehumidifiers of all brands, even the very best, can be defective at the time of delivery and isolated incidents of this type should not damn an entire range if, in general, models within that range perform well.

The current Kenmore range does not have an outstanding record however. In many dehumidifier reviews by consumers complaints are made that suggest that build quality may not be quite what it should be.

For the record there are also significant numbers of consumers who are more than satisfied with their Kenmore Dehumidifiers but it is the balance between positive and negative reviews that leads us on this site to withold our recommendation from this brand.

The dehumidifiers we do recommend are listed, with brief descriptions, on this page from which you can click on the links to see our full reviews of any models that interest you.

If you are considering a Kenmore Dehumidifier, or you have one already and are not entirely happy with it, you may like to consider one of our five recommended brands as an alternative.

Tom (Webmaster)

Kenmore 580.5435515700 switches off after running for two minutes.

by Jon
(White Plains,NY)

Can anyone tell me why my dehumidifier cuts out/shuts down/stops working after almost exactly two minutes? Have had this unit for about 2.5/3 years.

Sears tells me that I can take it in and they will look at it for $35 and put that money towards repair. Seems like a fuse/breaker automatically shuts it down at the two minute mark. Any help would be apppreciated.

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Webmaster's comment.

There are a number of reasons why this may happen and an electrical fault is one possibility.

As you have operated the dehumidifier for 2 to 3 years it is unlikely to be connected to the way you use the appliance or the conditions, particularly the temperature, in which it is operated.

Two items you could check, if you haven't already, are the air filter and the evaporator (cold) coils.

If the filter is dirty and air flow is restricted this could cause the dehumidifier to over heat and shut down shortly after being switched on. I would be surprised if you were not already in the habit of cleaning the filter as recommended but I have mentioned it to be on the safe side.

A second possibility is that the evaporator coils are dirty. Particles carried in the air that are small enough to pass through the filter will stick to the evaporator coils. The dirt degrades the performance of the dehumidifier but this seems to me a less plausible cause of the particular symptom you describe.

The evaporator coils may be cleaned with warm water containing a mild detergent but great care needs to be taken. The coils are delicate and easily damaged; they are also sharp and may damage you!

The use of water to clean the interior of an electrical appliance has its own risks if the proper precautions are not taken. The dehumidifier must be disconnected from its power source and should not be reconnected until you are certain that the interior has completely dried. The drying process may take days, rather than hours, in a warm room.

If you have ensured that both the filter and the coils are clean you will have completed the only simple maintenance that may solve the problem.

Other possibilities include the failure of a part in the dehumidifier and among the most likely culprits are the humidity control and the humidity sensor. If the dehumidifier "thinks" that relative humidity is at or below the level you have set with the humidity control it will switch off the compressor shortly after sampling the air which would explain your dehumidifier's behaviour. It may be "misled" if the humidity control is not communicating your chosen setting or if the humidity sensor is misreading the level of relative humidity.

A fault in the refrigeration system, typically leaking refrigerant, could be the cause but this more usually results in the dehumidifier continuing to run but no water being collected in the pan, or drained if you are using continuous drainage.

I am sorry to say that anything but the simplest repair is likely to prove expensive, due mainly to the cost of labor. It is quite possible that the cost of the repair could be so high as to make replacement of the dehumidifier more attractive than repair.

I hope other visitors will be able to contribute some additional thoughts but I felt it might be helpful to set the ball rolling with a few of my own.

Tom (Webmaster)

Kenmore 25804 Dehumidifier

by Paul C.
(Toronto)

Purchased spring 2008 lasted only to summer 2011. Freon (coolant) leaked and computer went at the same time. It was a convenient machine by its features and was maintained as per manual.

Condensate pump had filter that clogged fall of 2010. While part was inexpensive, $7 to replace part, entire housing had to be removed.

Original purchase price $299, in August 2011 Sears was selling them for $229 not returnable.

Estimated cost to replace computer part $150 Labour $75, coolant $85 and labour $150.

Very disappointed in product.

Kenmore 25850

by Don
(Ontario, Canada)

Purchased the unit just over one year ago and at first it seemed to function properly. Recently, I noticed that the unit was running but not extracting the humidity despite the fact that the air was noticeably humid in the basement.

Out of frustration, I purchased another brand and once I set it up, I immediately noticed that it started to remove the misture that the Kenmore model was not extracting.

I purchased this unit based upon reports from Consumer Reports leading me to question the testing process. The Kenmore unit was easy to use but lacks the durability. I would not recommend this unit unless the durability could be assured.