Vremi Dehumidifier Moisture Maniac 22 & 50 Pint
Pros
- Comes in Two Different Sizes - 22 & 50 Pint
- Can Handle Extreme Square Footage Areas - Up to 4,500 Square Feet
- Ideal Dehumidifier for Basements or Other Large Open Rooms Such as Offices
- Good Price Point for the Power That You Get With This Dehumidifier
- One Year Manufacturer's Warranty from Vremi
Cons
- Delivery Issues - Product Should Be Shipped Upright
- Reports of Failures Out of the Box
- Mold Can Grow Inside The Dehumidifier It Not Cleaned
- Some Users Have Complained on the Operating Noise Level
- Product is Manufactured Overseas
For many the basement is a key part of the home. This is especially true if you have a finished basement. You get all of that extra square footage for an entertainment area, a guest room, a kid’s play area, or even a man-cave. Even if the basement isn’t finished though it is still where you store most of your belongings. One of the worst things that can happen to a basement is excess water. Now, in some cases this excess water could be from a severe rain storm that blew by and some of that rain made it’s way into the basement. In other cases though it could be that you have excess humidity in your basement. A lot of times this is easy to tell. You may notice a damp or mildew like smell when you are in your basement. Or, you may see some water droplets on the windows or alongside the walls. In extreme cases you may even see standing water.
Having excess moisture or humidity in your basement and your home can cause a lot of problems. You see, this excess humidity can lead to a breeding ground for a variety of allergens such as dust mites, fungus, dust, and even mold. In some cases the mold can get bad enough that you start to notice it growing on the walls, floor, and everything else. I’ve seen extreme instances where mold can actually begin growing on curtains, bedspreads, and even your clothes. These allergens can not only cause visual discomfort but can also affect breathing ability, especially for those with asthma.
If your basement, or other area of your home, is experiencing symptoms like I mentioned above then you need a dehumidifier. A dehumidifier will do just that. It will remove the humidity from your room or home until the desired humidity level has been reached. In this article we are going to take an in-depth look at one of the dehumidifiers that are currently on the market place today. Today’s product is from a company named Vremi. Their product, known as the Moisture Maniac, comes in two different sizes. The first size comes in at twenty-two pints and the other at fifty pints. I also have to say that I just love that product name. Moisture Maniac. Hah. It definitely sticks in your head.
Without further ado though, let’s dive in and see if this is the right dehumidifier for you.
Vremi
Before I purchase or review a product, especially a more expensive one, I always like to take the time and do some research on the company and the brand that is behind the product. In a lot of cases you can find out a lot about the product itself by doing this research. Say for example, a new product came out from Frigidaire. I would be more then comfortable purchasing the product because it has the Frigidaire name associated to it that we are all familiar with. It builds confidence.
The Moisture Maniac dehumidifier comes from the company known as Vremi. This company is still VERY new and was difficult to find a lot of information on it. Here is what I have found though. The company was founded in 2016 by Jordan Nathan, a recent college graduate. The company focuses on kitchen cooking ware and appliances, but over the past few years they have also branched out to more household appliances like dehumidifiers. They are based out of New York City but their manufacturing is done overseas. I know that to some of you it matters if the product is made within the United States and in this case it is not.
During the short three years that this company has been around they have launched over one-hundred and fifty products and have sold their products in over one-million customer homes. They offer warranties and full customer support on their products. I will say that I am a little hesitant purchasing a product from such a new company, but the upside here is that this company is still hungry and wanting to prove themselves against the competition. So, you may end up getting over the top customer support when compared to other companies.
Product Features
Alright folks so now that we’ve got our introduction and company research done let’s take a look at the product itself. In this section we are going to take an in-depth look at all of the various features that this dehumidifier comes with. At the end of this segment you should be very familiar with the machine and what to expect when you purchase. The first thing that we need to look at is exactly what size of dehumidifier that you need. In the case of the Moisture Maniac there are two different models to choose from. There is the twenty-two pint and then the fifty pint. As to what unit you need it is going to depend on how large of an area that you need to dehumidify. The twenty-two pint system can dehumidify rooms up to fifteen-hundred square feet where as the fifty pint appliance can dehumidify rooms up to forty-five hundred square feet. This larger model would be great for very large and wet basements or for a large open room such as an office or other commercial building. Also, the ‘pint’ rating that you see on these units is a measurement of how much water each of these units can remove from a room each day.
One thing I will say that it is not a big deal if you go over your square footage needs. For example, if you need to dehumidify a twelve-hundred square foot basement then it’s not a big deal if you purchase a fifteen-hundred square foot dehumidifier. Just keep in mind though that the larger the capacity the more expensive the machine is to purchase to operate. So, try to find the perfect size for your application. It is also wise to go up in size if you are working with a very damp room. The dehumidify will have to work harder to remove all of the excess moisture and a larger machine will perform better.
Now that we’ve selected the size of appliance you need we can begin to look at the other various features that these units contain. As you can see in the image there are a variety of options and notifications to take notice of when operating your dehumidifier. A good portion of these are alerts for your benefit and are not necessarily customization features. You have a clean filter alert, a water tank full alert, a defrost alert, and on/off signal. These allow you to easily identify if anything is wrong with the unit.
There are a few options here though that are worth noting. The first is that when turning on your dehumidifier for the first time you’ll notice that it starts in ‘Continuous Mode.’ When this mode is on it will not let you manually set the desired humidity level. Instead, the machine determines which is best for your home. If you’d like to set your own levels though then simply turn off the ‘Continuous Mode,’ and customize the level as you see fit. Once you’ve done this it’s as easy as adjusting the number to your desired humidity. (The left and right arrows on the display will allow you to do this.) There is also a ‘turbo’ mode on this unit that increases the speed of the fans which in turn increase the amount of moisture removed. It should be noted that turbo mode isn’t meant for long term use and will cause the machine to be louder then it was before. You are also able to set a timing cycle with this unit by clicking on the ‘timer’ button this will give you a twenty-four hour on/off cycle that will save you from constantly running the machine.
A lot of folks may not know this, but dehumidifiers are basically small air conditioners. You see an air conditioner actually removes humidity from the air as well. This is why your central air conditioner’s evaporator (The part above your furnace.) will drain water through a hose to your basement floor. This is the removed humidity. This is also why your basement can sometimes flood if this drainage pipe is clogged. The only main difference between an air conditioner and a dehumidifier is that the dehumidifier actually warms the air back up before it expels. All of the same parts are there though including refrigerant.
Because dehumidifiers are the same as air conditioners you can also run into very similar problems such as the coils on the evaporator freezing. I won’t get into the technical reasons as to why this can occur, but it can happen and when it does your dehumidifier will freeze up and no longer work as intended. The good news here is that the Moisture Maniac comes with an automatic defrost feature. When this feature is engaged it will turn the air conditioner part of the dehumidifier off and just run the fan. This will cause the ice to melt on the coils over time and result in the system running again. A word of caution here though, if this keeps occurring then you may need to deep clean the dehumidifier to prevent future occurrences.
Again, going with the similarities of air conditioners, dehumidifiers need a way to drain the water they take in. This is done either through a removable water tank or through a drainage hose attachment. The Moisture Maniac comes with both options. The smaller twenty-two point system comes with a one gallon water tank and the larger fifty pint system comes with a one point eight gallon water tank. When these tanks are full the system will automatically shut off to prevent water overflowing out of the appliance. There is also an LED indicator that will tell you if the unit is full.
The other option, which I am a big fan of, is getting a garden hose and installing it to the side of the dehumidifier. Then lead that hose to the same drainage area that your air conditioner drains to in your basement. This will allow you to continuously operate the appliance without having to watch the water levels. This is gravity fed and will only really work if the dehumidifier is in your basement.
Along with emptying the water tank there is another routine maintenance that needs to be done and that is cleaning. The outside of your unit should be kept relatively clean. There is also a filter that on the top of the unit that will have to be removed and cleaned on a monthly basis. Please note that it is best not to clean this filter with water but instead to shake it out. If you use water then you could damage the anti-bacterial mesh.
Two more points and then we can look at the Pros and Cons of this appliance. The Moisture Maniac comes with built in wheels and a handle. This makes it easy to move around your home. Overall the weight of the appliance isn’t too bad either. The larger model weights around fifty pounds whereas the smaller is only about thirty-five pounds. It requires a standard 110/115 volt three pronged plug-in and has a six foot lone power cord.
Pros
Most of the Pros of this product are already mentioned in the Product Feature section of this article. That being said, there are a few points I’d like to make before we move onto the Cons section. The first is that both of these dehumidifiers are Energy Star certified with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The Energy Star program is designed to evaluate various appliances and determine if they meet the EPA’s efficiency standards. An Energy Star appliances is on average about fifteen percent more efficient then a competing machine. This means that you are getting a very efficient and low running cost appliance.
The other point I’d like to make is that these units come with a one year manufacturer’s warranty from Vremi. This will ensure that if anything does go wrong with the appliance within the first year that you are covered. Vremi also has a customer support e-mail for other questions or troubleshooting. This e-mail is support@vremi.com .
Cons
Every product, no matter who makes it, will have drawbacks. That’s just how it is. That being said, it was difficult to find specific cons on these products. Instead, nearly all of the complaints that I read through were towards the delivery of the product. Remember before how we stated that dehumidifiers are very similar to air conditioners and refrigerators? Well, just like with refrigerators you cannot turn or ship a dehumidifier upside down.
Just a few days ago I was helping my father move a refrigerator and we were very careful not to tilt it too far. The reason for this is if the refrigerator or dehumidifier is upside down or tilted too far then the oil can drain out of the compressor. Without proper lubrication your compressor will fail and the compressor is by far one of the most important components of your air conditioner, refrigerator, or dehumidifier. Many folks have reported premature failures of their dehumidifiers… but this is most likely due to them turning on the product right away after it being upside down. If the product did arrive upside down then turn it right side up and then wait for quite a while, maybe even a day. Then, start your dehumidifier up and you shouldn’t have any issues.
Noise
Throughout my research one common complaint that I saw over and over again the noise level on these units. Users have said that they can be quite loud, even louder during turbo mode. Some have equated it to that of a white-noise machine. If you are using it in a bedroom you may have trouble sleeping otherwise it shouldn’t be too bad and I would imagine that you would grow used to the noise just like you do with a refrigerator running in your kitchen.
Cleaning
One of the main objectives of a dehumidifier is to lessen the possibility of mold growing within your home. But, what happens if the very thing that is supposed to be preventing the mold starts to grow mold itself? Well, this problem has happened to a lot of folks. Some may argue that this is a manufacturing defect and others would say that the consumers who had this problem didn’t take care of their dehumidifier in the first place.
A dehumidifier needs to be cleaned regularly. That means checking and cleaning the filter. The filter is located at the back of these machines as shown in our previous screenshot. Again, I couldn’t find this information to be one-hundred percent sure, but most of these dehumidifier filters come with what’s known as an anti-bacterial mesh. This mesh aims at preventing bacteria. If you attempt to clean the filter with water then you risk washing away this protective coating. Instead you should either try to shake it out or use a low powered vacuum with a hose attachment. This will clean the filter and still protect your coating. It’s not just the filter though that needs to be cleaned. Ensure that the machine itself is as clean as can be and if you began to suspect mold growing within it then take it apart and try to identify the culprit area. When dealing with water day in and day out there is always a chance that some could spill and get isolated within the machine only to stay there and become stagnant. This is a prime candidate for mold growth. This is why you need to stay vigilant and ensure the unit is as clean as it can be.
Conclusion
Well folks after reading through this article? What do you think? Is this the right dehumidifier for you? I can tell you that after doing my research on this product I am more then comfortable recommending it to you. Throughout my research I found very few cons, but just to be thorough let’s take a look at the facts on Amazon.com. As you all know Amazon contains a host of customer reviews. In the case of the Moisture Maniac There are over seventeen-hundred ratings and nearly all of these are five stars. Yes, that’s right, this product has a five star rating on Amazon.com as well.
If you would like to purchase this product, or learn more about it, then please click here to be taken to Amazon. Lastly, if you find that you have more questions or think you may need a different dehumidifier please visit our dehumidifiers buyer’s guide.