Dehumidifier made in USA

[Andrew Pitonyak]

I was not aware that this model existed...... Last time i did an in-depth look at dehumidifiers, the primary advice provided was to look at the manufacturers warranty period because it tells you much about their expectations. In other words, a unit with a five year warranty is more likely to last longer than one with a one year warranty.

I opted for a Danby because it had a two year warranty when all the others had only a one year warranty.

The Danby has a digital display that shows the current humidity and for setting the target humidity. I can ste the range that I desire and I have feedback on how well it is working. Just because a unit appears to function and is pulling some water from the air does not mean that it is properly working. You can obviously achieve some of this by placing an external device that shows the current humidity.

Be sure to clean your air filter. I failed to do this with one unit, the filter plugged. This prevented air flow to the coils, so the unit worked like crazy with little effect. Running the unit continuously causes extra load on the compressor so it fails sooner and the electric bill is higher. Live and learn. Oops! There was an impressive load of "stuff" on that filter when I figured out where it was.

One thing I don't like about the Danby is that the fan run continuously. The stated reason is that it needs to move air over the sensor so that it has a better idea of what the actual humidity in the room is.

The Danby has a digital thermometer. Nice.

I expect that the Danby is not made in the USA, but, when I had a question about the unit, I was able to call and speak with a human in Findly Ohio.

[Brian Elfert]

Be careful with John Deere stuff at Home Depot. It is not the same quality as the "real" John Deere stuff. There are even rumors that those mowers are not even made by John Deere. I know that MTD makes a lot of the cheap riding mowers now days, but by no means all of them. MTD has about a dozen brand names and they make mowers for Sears too. MTD also owns Cub Cadet.

[Mike Cutler]

John;

I have a Maytag washer and gas drier that I purchased in 1988. Both are still going strong, look great, and have required very little service. Proudly made in USA in Iowa.
I also own a SAAB that I have had for 20 years with 201,000 miles on it. Still going strong and still fun to drive.
I have a John Deere lawn tractor made in 1988 that still looks like new and runs like a champ. Back in 1988 when I bought it, it seemed like a lot of money, but after all these years of providing good service and requiring very little maintenance it seems like a bargain. I know it saved me a lot of money not having to pay a lawn service to cut my grass and blow the snow out of my driveway.
I like to buy things that are well made and then take good care of them to make them last. I just hope that there are some companies out there who are intent on building products that can reliably go the distance.
The quality is remembered long after the cost is forgotten......and you can quote me on that one!!!!!!!

Mike
I hear where you're coming from, and know that you probably take a lot of flak for your position.
I gave up on buying the cheaply made mid range stuff also, and boy do I take some grief for it.
We're remodeling the kitchen and the appliances are Sub Zero, Viking, American Range, ASKO, GE Monogram, Bradford White, so naturally all of my friends are calling me a snob ( In good fun though), but I'm just tired of playing repairman on the weekends, or when I get home. I just don't want to do it anymore. I also have a John Deere Tractor for plowing and mowing.
You may try to find a DH unit that is more commercial in nature. It seems that some of the top manufactures have kept their commercial lines in the US, or under tighter quality control when it is being built overseas. The consumer stuff is getting pretty junky though.

Hey, I have a '95 saab 900se that finally blew up at 310,000 miles. Need any spare parts?

[Kevin W Johnson]

Let me start by saying I don't fault you in looking for the quality DH. But this is an example of what I dislike in the current manufacturing scheme we see today. A cheap DH is $200-$250 or so. The unit you purchased is $1049? Why does it take $800 more to make a presumedly quality unit? To use quality materials in place of the cheap, shouldn't raise the unit cost anymore than 100% (including inceased profit) which would result in a $500 unit.

It seems to me, companies/stores want good money for junk, and extreme money for anything considered high quality.

[John Coloccia]

Actually, I think $1000 for a dehumidifier that lasts is quite a good price. If I could get 10 years out of it, that's $100 a year. I'll take it. I'm spending more now on junk that dies ever 18 months, but unfortunately a lot of the higher end units die prematurely too. I'll be looking into Aprilaire for when my current one dies. I'd never heard of them.

[Joe Isley]

I had Aprilaire humidifiers on my propane house furnaces that lasted about 15 years without any problems. So, maybe their dehumidifiers are just as good.

Joe

[Rick Moyer]

Be careful with John Deere stuff at Home Depot. It is not the same quality as the "real" John Deere stuff. There are even rumors that those mowers are not even made by John Deere. I know that MTD makes a lot of the cheap riding mowers now days, but by no means all of them. MTD has about a dozen brand names and they make mowers for Sears too. MTD also owns Cub Cadet.

although this is off the OP thread topic I felt I should respond to this:
The "box store" JD's are the same ones that John Deere sells (and manufactures). They are however low end products compared to their better models. the box store models are LAWN tractors, with transmissions adequate for flat lawn mowing, not suitable for heavier duty work like ground-engaging implements or very heavy towing. The LAWN tractor models LAxxx and Dxxx are suited for mowing and are made by Deere and are the same sold by Lowe's OR a John Deere dealer. If you need/want a better tractor you should consider a GARDEN tractor which will have a sturdier build in both frame and tranny. Repeating; The box store John Deere's are made by John Deere, just not the same quality as their better models.

[Kevin W Johnson]

MTD has also set about putting distance between the relationship of owning Cub Cadet. I remember when Cub Cadet was proudly listed on MTD's site as one of their brands. A visit to their site now shows no evidence of Cub Cadet.

[Mike Archambeau]

Mike
I hear where you're coming from, and know that you probably take a lot of flak for your position.
I gave up on buying the cheaply made mid range stuff also, and boy do I take some grief for it.
We're remodeling the kitchen and the appliances are Sub Zero, Viking, American Range, ASKO, GE Monogram, Bradford White, so naturally all of my friends are calling me a snob ( In good fun though), but I'm just tired of playing repairman on the weekends, or when I get home. I just don't want to do it anymore. I also have a John Deere Tractor for plowing and mowing.
You may try to find a DH unit that is more commercial in nature. It seems that some of the top manufactures have kept their commercial lines in the US, or under tighter quality control when it is being built overseas. The consumer stuff is getting pretty junky though.

Hey, I have a '95 saab 900se that finally blew up at 310,000 miles. Need any spare parts?

Wow getting 310,000 miles out of that Saab is a great service life.

We updated our kitchen appliances about 8 years ago. Subzero refridgerator, viking gas cooktop, and Wolf double ovens. They have worked flawlessy and we have spent nothing on repairs. We also purchased a Bosch dishwasher, that did require a repair but it was a no charge repair and the repair person was the most professional repair person who has ever set foot in my house. Quality stuff!

[Mike Archambeau]

although this is off the OP thread topic I felt I should respond to this:
The "box store" JD's are the same ones that John Deere sells (and manufactures). They are however low end products compared to their better models. the box store models are LAWN tractors, with transmissions adequate for flat lawn mowing, not suitable for heavier duty work like ground-engaging implements or very heavy towing. The LAWN tractor models LAxxx and Dxxx are suited for mowing and are made by Deere and are the same sold by Lowe's OR a John Deere dealer. If you need/want a better tractor you should consider a GARDEN tractor which will have a sturdier build in both frame and tranny. Repeating; The box store John Deere's are made by John Deere, just not the same quality as their better models.

I asked my local John Deere dealer how he felt about the big box stores selling John Deere. He smiled and said that the extra advertising that is being done to promote the Deere brand has helped his business and that it has helped his parts business in a big way. He also said that it has helped him sell some Garden tractors after he showed the buyers the difference between the lawn tractors and garden tractors. The takeaway for me is that John Deere seems to have found a way to keep their full line dealers happy while still having a presence at the big box store.

I asked him how many of the tractors that John Deere sold 20 years ago are still around and he said most of them are still running. About the only time he sees them discarded is when people run them out of oil.....oops. Sounds like JD built them to last.

[Brian Elfert]

although this is off the OP thread topic I felt I should respond to this:
The "box store" JD's are the same ones that John Deere sells (and manufactures). They are however low end products compared to their better models. the box store models are LAWN tractors, with transmissions adequate for flat lawn mowing, not suitable for heavier duty work like ground-engaging implements or very heavy towing. The LAWN tractor models LAxxx and Dxxx are suited for mowing and are made by Deere and are the same sold by Lowe's OR a John Deere dealer. If you need/want a better tractor you should consider a GARDEN tractor which will have a sturdier build in both frame and tranny. Repeating; The box store John Deere's are made by John Deere, just not the same quality as their better models.

I never specifically said John Deere didn't make these. I said I read rumors they don't make them. I do read a great many complaints about the Home Depot John Deere products. No doubt some of the complaints are simply due to the volume of these products sold. Considering I have about 1/8th of an acre of grass I don't have a riding mower, but I keep up on them because I would like to move to a larger rural lot.

[Brian Elfert]

Sub-Zero, Viking, and the like make good stuff, but I could probably replace all of my appliances every two years for a long time for what the high end stuff costs. All of my appliances are 10 years old now and none are in need of replacement yet. I bought mostly middle of the road appliances. Not cheap junk, but nothing too expensive either.

If I actually liked cooking and did a lot of it I could possibly justify the high end appliances. Buying high end because you like to cook and the high end stuff works better makes sense to me. It doesn't make sense to me if you buy high end appliances just for fewer repairs and longer life. Most of the people I know with high end appliances tend to remodel their kitchens fairly often and replace the appliances long before they need replacement because they want new with a new kitchen.

[Larry Edgerton]

MTD has also set about putting distance between the relationship of owning Cub Cadet. I remember when Cub Cadet was proudly listed on MTD's site as one of their brands. A visit to their site now shows no evidence of Cub Cadet.

There is a huge difference between the HD Cub Cadet zero turn and the commercial zero turns sold by a real dealer. One example is the deck. Mine is welded plate steel, very heavy and the ones at HD are stamped steel. The dealer pointed out a raft of differences when I bought mine. It was more money.

When I bought my tractor I could not find one made in the USA. I ended up with a 45hp New Holland assembled in Georgia. The diesel motor was made in Japan though, not China. Has been good so far.

I grabbed some Fiskars pruners the other day without looking. Got them home and my wife pointed out they are made in China. Opps......Gotta watch these days.

John. There are dehumidifiers made for water damage cleanup that are industrail strength. Not pretty, but made to last. You may want to check that out. I see them come up for sale used occasionally.

Larry

[Brian Elfert]

When I bought my tractor I could not find one made in the USA. I ended up with a 45hp New Holland assembled in Georgia. The diesel motor was made in Japan though, not China. Has been good so far.

If it was made in Georgia isn't that made in the USA? If everything on/in the product has to be made in the USA you're going to be looking long and hard for an item like a tractor that doesn't have any foreign parts. It is fairly rare to find any product that doesn't have foreign parts unless it only has a few parts. Even a lot of American made stuff has foreign steel in it. There is at least one American company that make tools that specifically uses only American made steel, but that is fairly rare. Stanley makes some tools in the USA, but most of them say "Made in the USA with global materials".

[Matt Meiser]

My JD dealer won't sell the 100-series tractors. Too many repairs. Thats why they picked up Husqvarna. They are selling a lot of tractors to people who bought 100 series tractors at Lowes and Home Depot a few years back. Its an easy sell to show them the differences between the mass market stamped steel and plastic tractors and the "real" John Deere and Husqvarna lines they carry.

My JD compact tractor was made in Japan. As I understood, that's because compact tractors were a Japanese invention due to their terrain, etc. They just got adapted to US use. And of course Kubota which was was of the first on the market in the US is Japanese.