One of Aprilaire’s newest dehumidifier models – the 1850 – has been climbing the charts, so we decided to give it a shot and review it here.
We are ardent fans of Aprilaire dehumidifiers and have used their various models for ages. The company is leading the way with some of the best units in the market.
Since they entered the dehumidifier market in 1954, they have remained ahead of the pack in terms of quality.
From our test, we found the Aprilaire 1850 dehumidifier to tick most of the right boxes, albeit not without its share of limitations.
In any case, we feel that the appliance has earned them many praises it continues to receive from experts and customers.
In the Aprilaire 1850 Dehumidifier reviews below, we share the specific details that make this unit a good buy even though it is one of the more expensive options in the market. In case you are wondering what a dehumidifier does, check it here.
Aprilaire 1850 Dehumidifier Reviews (Powerful Whole-House Dehumidifier)
The Aprilaire 1850 dehumidifier is a high-efficiency, high-capacity dehumidifier capable of removing up to 95 pints (12 gallons) of water from your basement, crawl space, and whole homes every day.
It is ideal for dehumidifying large indoor spaces with high levels of airborne moisture – up to 5200 square feet.
Why it is good, at a glance
It is low maintenance and has a built-in humidistat with easy-to-use push buttons and easy-to-read LCD screen, removable air filter, adjustable outlet options allowing you to use the side or top for discharging moisture, 5-year warranty, auto-restart feature, and auto-defrost function for safety.
-
Aesthetics and design
The Aprilaire 1850F dehumidifier is not much of a contestant for aesthetics. It more of a functional metal box lacking in the sleek finishing found on most portable dehumidifiers and other indoor air care units.
As a worthy trade-off, the less-than-sleek body has a robust construction that helps prevent leaks and will last for many years to come. It also comprises corrosion-resistant aluminum coils – all manufactured in the United States.
The unit measures 27.5 by 12.5 by 14.5 inches and weighs some hefty 70 pounds. Unfortunately, it has no castors since it is designed with a more permanent installation in mind.
We found this to be a sort of design flaw since you might want to move it around during installation, in which case casters would come in handy.
It comes with a washable filter, a 5-foot drain tube, and threaded, barbed fitting for drain connections. You will not have to empty any catch basins from time to time as this unit has none.
You simply need to connect it directly to a drain and leave it to do its work. Since the air filter is removable and washable, it means you can keep it clean to guarantee clean indoor air free of contaminants like dust mites, mold spores, and dust.
We love how low-maintenance this dehumidifier is. The filter requires cleaning or replacement only once a year, and there are no messy water tanks to empty.
It features a state-of-the-art control panel that you can mount on the side or top for easy access and convenience. The panel comprises push buttons and an LCD screen for increased ease of use.
-
Performance and efficiency
Let the simple look of this dehumidifier not deceive you, though. The sturdy steel body is encased in a powerful mortar capable of extracting up to 95 pints of moisture from an entire 5200 square feet area per day.
With such power, the machine will keep any home sufficiently dehumidified and comfortable irrespective of size. It is such an ideal dehumidification solution if you live in a place that experiences high humidity.
Despite its mammoth moisture removal capacity, the unit runs on decently low energy consumption, so it will not throw your bills through the roof.
You should be happy to know that the Aprilaire 1850 is an energy-star-rated appliance. Notice that only a few highly energy-efficient dehumidifiers in the whole-house category have this rating.
The Aprilaire 1850 95-pint dehumidifier is designed to operate independently or alongside the central air conditioning system.
Read more: Dehumidifier vs. Air Conditioning: Which One Is Better?
As such, it offers great installation versatility, so you can choose the configuration you are most happy with. In addition, it boasts automatic moisture sensors that ensure the unit remains off when the target humidity has been reached.
The sensors stay active and constantly check the air hour after hour for any indoor air moisture content changes. This intelligent operation helps cut energy and operation costs by a significant margin.
The machine will not waste energy. Instead, it will stay off to save power and kick in and run only on demand when the humidity levels start to rise.
-
Set-up and use
The unit comes with an intuitive and easy-to-use display, so you will not require any special knowledge to set it up and use it – especially since your purchase comes with a detailed user manual.
There are no catch trays on this appliance, which contributes to making it easy to set up. All you need to do to drain the condensate is set the dehumidifier over a floor drain or connect it to one using the 5-foot hose that comes with it.
Because the unit has an innovative drain port in its construction, condensate water will flow out into the drain continuously with the help of gravitational force.
Read more: Choosing a Window Dehumidifier to Remove Condensation.
Next, level the unit, plug it in and set your desired humidity using the easy-to-use display. With that, your part is done. You can leave the dehumidifier to do its work now.
Dehumidification will kick in automatically when the device senses any humidity level above the target you have set.
The device has a built-in humidistat allowing you to set your desired humidity level and let the dehumidifier do the rest for you.
Because the unit has an intelligent auto shut-off and restarts feature, you do not need to manually switch it on when humidity is high and back off then the target is reached. Instead, it will do all of this by itself.
-
Safety and maintenance
The 1850 95-pint dehumidifier requires very little work from you. It is a low-maintenance machine that only requires you to take out and clean the air filter at least once a year, and that is it.
While cleaning the filter helps to check the drain tube and port for any debris and flush them out accordingly.
That said, you may want to install the dehumidifier somewhere that allows for easy access because you will need to reach it and remove the filter occasionally for cleaning.
In terms of safety, the unit has an auto-defrost feature for protection. Ideally, a dehumidifier needs to stop cooling the evaporator coil from time to time to allow the ice to melt before it can continue removing water from the air.
This feature is called auto-defrost. Your unit will have a defrost light that comes on to indicate when the defrosting cycle is active.
Close Alternatives of Aprilaire 1850 Dehumidifier
In the spirit of variety, let us look at some close alternatives you may consider.
If you wish to have the same features and functionality as the Aprilaire 1850 but with the added advantage of castors for easy movability, the Aprilaire 1852 would be a good buy. It too is a 95-pint commercial dehumidifier suited for crawl spaces, basements, whole homes up to 5,200 square feet.
This is a smaller but very powerful dehumidifier capable of pulling 90 pints of water from the air per day. Like the Aprilaire 1850, it is energy star listed, has a five-year warranty, and auto defrosting feature. And, it covers up to 2,600 square feet of high-humidity areas.
Final Thoughts
After reading Aprilaire 1850 Dehumidifier reviews, we hope you share the same sentiments that the unit is definitely worth considering all the great features it embodies.
The unit is way more powerful than its predecessors; it is relatively quiet for its size and small enough to fit in a small installation space.
If you’re looking for a high-efficiency dehumidifying unit that won’t run up your electricity bills, proceed to Amazon and get yourself the Aprilaire 1850 now and start saving.
