Vremi 'Moisture Maniac' Review

This dehumidifier can only be called “blocky”. Still, due to sucking in air from the rear and blowing it out the side, it doesn’t have a somewhat unattractive, dust-gathering grille at the front like the Frigidaire and therefore seems a little more polished.

This arrangement does have one drawback: since you don’t want to block the air intake, the manufacturer suggests leaving at least 8 inches of free space between it and the wall, making it more difficult to fit this beast into small rooms.

Though it’s no more difficult to use than the Frigidaire, it actually allows better control. Novice users can simply set the machine to the “Comfort” setting. This takes the current temperature into account and adjusts humidity so that the apparent temperature seems pleasant to most people. If you like, you can also manually set a relative humidity level of between 25% and 85%.

Everything You Need in a Workaday Dehumidifier

The Vremi is supplied in models intended to handle spaces of 1,500, 3,000 and 4,500 square feet respectively. You can connect a drain pipe, though like in those cases it drains only by gravity. The removable water tank is slightly smaller than that of the Frigidaire, though the difference is practically negligible.

This bucket is also not quite as thoughtfully designed as that of the Frigidaire range, but this shouldn’t result in too many spills. In terms of portability, the lightest, 30-pint model weighs 33 pounds while the heaviest tips the scales at 42. A recessed handle on either side makes it easier to pick up this machine or roll it along the floor.

Unfortunately, the Vremi shares one limitation with all compressor-type units: they’re inherently less portable than Peltier designs, and not just due to their weight and bulk. Just like refrigerators, they have to be stored upright for at least one hour after being jostled or tilted in transit. Waiting much longer, i.e. overnight, for the coolant to settle is highly recommended if it has actually been turned on its side, as might well happen while being transported by car.

Additional Features

Compared to the Frigidaire, this machine does produce a noticeable murmur. Still, since it’s white noise, this isn’t terribly disturbing except when trying to sleep right next to it. You can reduce the sound level by switching off “Turbo Mode”. When activated, this boosts the airflow speed in order to dry out a muggy room more quickly or take care of a larger space without using an additional fan.

It will automatically shut off once the tank is full rather than dripping onto your floor. It will also inform you, via the ultra-simple control panel, when it’s time to clean the dust filter by running a vacuum over it.

Another useful feature of this dehumidifier is its auto-defrosting coils, which just means that the compressor turns off when ice forms on the heat exchanger. Meanwhile, the fan remains running to melt off the frost, improving efficiency.

A Couple of Limitations

When working at its hardest, the Vremi pulls almost 8 amperes of electricity. If you use an extension cord, you should really make sure that it’s rated for this kind of current.

Like similar products, it contains a programmable timer to tell it to stop or start working. Unfortunately (though in keeping with the idea of an easy-to-use interface), you can only tell it to shut off or turn on after a few hours. There’s no way to tell it to run automatically during certain periods; you can only ask it to maintain the relative humidity at some level. Fortunately, it remembers this setting and will resume working after a power outage.

It is also Energy Star rated and won’t have much of an impact on your utility bills, even if you let it run constantly.

Note: If this product interests you, also take a look at the very, very similar option from hOmeLabs that we featured on our best dehumidifier page.