Review for the 20lt model:
I placed it in a basement/warehouse of 115+ sq.m. and within 2 days it reduced the humidity from 65-70% to the limit of 55% with a steady consumption of ~3.5kWh/day (it is connected to a smart Tapo socket). Only in the first 24 hours it struggled a bit and consumed 5-6kWh. It seems to draw a steady power of 240-250w whether the UV is activated or not. The wifi consumes less than 5w, however, if someone doesn't use it properly, they should turn it off using the relevant button as over time they will save something. Measured with at least 5 hygrometers from different manufacturers placed in various locations, which have variances of up to 5% between them, but the reduction in humidity is noticeable overall, as observed in all the hygrometers.
When it reaches its limit, it stops and if I understand correctly, it starts again only when the humidity increases by about 3-4%. However, there have been times when I set it at 55%, it reduced the humidity to 53% and continued to work normally (i.e. at 250w).
In theory, the humidity can go even lower, but I haven't tested it yet. With the limit set at 55% and the current humidity, my tank fills up about 2 times per day, so I will install a drain pipe to send it directly to a drain (note that it doesn't have a motor for water outlet, so the last part must be drained based on the slope of the pipe only). The package also includes a drain pipe of about half a meter (I don't remember the exact diameter, I think it is mentioned in the manual and it is around 14mm or something like that). The tank also has the disadvantage that its lid doesn't close tightly and it leaks from everywhere, so during emptying, the water cannot come out from a specific point. Practically, water runs from the upper edge from all sides and you need to be careful not to make a mess when emptying it.
It is definitely not silent. There is a constant humming throughout the space and when it starts or generally increases its speed, for a few minutes it sounds like the characteristic sound of old refrigerator motors. Also, sometimes it rattles loudly. It doesn't bother me in the basement, but I would never leave it in the living room or bedroom, especially during quiet hours. It makes much more noise than a typical air conditioner or air purifier, etc.
On the plus side, the pre-installed plastic feet can be replaced with wheels (included in the package). The connection and use with wifi are simple, but the Ewpe application is simply unacceptable (possibly the worst of the dozens of similar ones I have tried over time). Most of the time, it returns a timeout error the first time until it manages to connect to the device, it cannot connect to Alexa (the last step always fails even when the relevant skill is enabled), it doesn't send notifications when the tank is full, etc.
Overall, it seems to do the job and is worth its money, however, it can be improved.
ps: I see in the reviews photos with the back of the device almost stuck to the wall. I hope that is not its permanent position because the dehumidifier draws air from the back and the manual recommends a distance of at least 35-40cm both from the back and from its left side, which is the air outlet.
UPDATE after 3 months of use: It does what it's supposed to do. Likewise, it makes noise. I am still trying to understand the difference in settings between High and Low fan, as they practically make almost the same noise and burn almost the same wattage (maybe High burns about 10% more, at most). Generally, I always have it on High and running for 12-18 hours a day, burning over 100-110 kWh per month. I haven't experienced any disconnections from the wifi, although the Ewpe app always times out after 30" before it manages to connect on the second attempt.
But what I really haven't understood is how it starts and stops on its own:
- If you set it, for example, to a humidity level of 55% and it has stopped earlier on its own, then usually it will only start again when the sensor reaches 60%.
- With the same humidity setting, it usually stops when it reaches around 51-52% and often not even then. Because I have been using it exclusively with the internal tank, at some point it would fill up, and the device would stop working for hours (before reaching 51-52%), and once I emptied the tank, the device would start again on its own. So far so good. The problem was that it would do this even when it measured the humidity at 53-54%, which is below the 55% that I have set. It shouldn't start in that case.
- Lately, I have connected it to a drain. Although its setting is still at 55%, it practically never stops working. It reduces the humidity to 47-50% according to 4-5 hygrometers scattered in the room, but the dehumidifier itself never shows below 52% and obviously, for some inexplicable reason, it doesn't stop. When I tried to increase the setting to 60%, the humidity in the basement exceeded 65% before the device started, so I didn't try it again.
Since the Ewpe app doesn't seem to have a schedule or timer on (only timer off), I had to set a program through Alexa so that it flashes for a few hours a day either automatically or with voice commands. Luckily, at some point, the relevant Ewpe skill of Alexa was activated without me having to do anything (previously it would fail at authentication). So far, I have only done it based on time, but I will try to do the same based on humidity percentages, which Alexa seems to read. So I will be able to turn it on automatically if it reaches, for example, 58% and also turn it off if it drops to 53%. We'll see.