I bought this dehumidifier for my basement which is 1,000 sq feet, unfinished with concrete walls. I needed a high capacity dehumidifier that would be very quiet since the concrete amplifies any sound from the basement to the rest of the house. I had a Whirlpool 65 pint dehumidifier for 2 years before this and could not stand the noise. I have run the Danby for a week and so far it has been great.

The functions on the DDR606 are very similar to other dehumidifiers I have seen. There are low and high manual fan settings, auto-dehumidify, and constant dehumidify (for when you want it to run constantly). There is a power button on the front panel, a nice option since you don't have to unplug the unit turn it off and thereby lose your settings. The front panel also has a small LED display showing the current humidity level. This also functions as the display for setting the desired humidity level. The size is similar to a small dorm refrigerator and it is somewhat heavy (more than 35 pounds) although the casters rolled easily on my concrete floor.

The best aspect of the DDR606 is how quiet it is. From my experience and research larger dehumidifiers (more than 60 pints capacity) seem to not be designed with noise reduction in mind. When operating, this Danby puts out a low pitch fan sound with a slight buzz from the compressor. To describe the noise level I would say it is somewhat louder than a "normal" refrigerator with more sound of air movement. The sound is not intrusive to my ear nor shocking when it turns on and off.

Water removal is through a tank mounted in the back and there is a knock-out where you can connect a hose. I haven't used the hose option yet but do plan on it. There is also a removable air filter that you can rinse in water. I haven't had to use this yet so can't comment on its effectiveness.

I have a humidity gauge in the basement and have noticed the Danby reads a bit higher. So, if you set the Danby to 50% I have found my humidity gauge will read 45%. I don't know which is more accurate and certainly don't mind a drier basement!



Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 240.00
Battery Life: N/A
Noise Level: More quiet than most