We recently purchased an EcoAir DC12 Dehumidifer for our home! Our old EcoAir Dehumidifier finally packed in after nearly 6 years of pretty heavy use so it was time to invest in a new one.
We have been privileged to test and review a large number of different Dehumidifiers (see our Best Dehumidifiers article) and based on the knowledge we had gained, it was a very quick decision to choose this Dehumidifier. We knew it would be perfect for our home and circumstances.
Here’s why!
Functionality
The Ecoair DC12 has many feature that make it a great all-round dehumidifier for the home.
Water Extraction – the DC12 can remove up to 12 litres of water from the air per day. Take note of “up to” – 12 litres is for a room with 80% humidity and 30 degrees Celsius. Most rooms in the UK will not have 12 litres worth of water in the air to remove!
We have been using this Dehumidifier regularly now for a few months. We live in an old Victorian house with double glazing but we do have some dampness and general mustiness that is not uncommon with an old property.
We have found the water extraction excellent, especially compared with our old Dehumidifier. The good news is the 3.5 litre tank takes longer to fill than our old 2 litre one so we don’t have to empty it as often – don’t let this fool you into thinking it isn’t removing as much water!
Drying the washing – we do not own a tumble dryer and I for one do not like opening the windows too often. So how does the DC12 cope with drying the washing?
The DC12 has a special function for drying clothes washing. We have found that the Dehumidifier running next to our clothes airer will have the majority of washing completely dry in about 4 hours.
This doesn’t include heavier items such as thick tops or jeans which do take slightly longer.
This is fantastic for us as we can get two loads of clothes washing completed in a day or you can put it to dry overnight in another room and put your washing away in the morning.
Cost of Electricity – The good news is that it only uses approx. 220w on full power, this means a rough cost of 16 pence per hour the Dehumidifier is on. Compare this to the cost of 80-90 pence per hour for a tumble dryer!
Other features – The DC12 has a number of convenient features that are easy to use. You can put the Dehumidifier on a 2 or 4 hour timer, this makes the Dehumidifier cut off as soon as the time is up – handy if you want to watch how much you spend on electricity.
Automatic Shut off makes the machine turn off as soon as its tank is full.
The settings are saved on the machine from the previous use if you turn it off or experience a loss in power.
The handy continuous drainage function is great for those who don’t want to keep emptying the tank.
This function came very handy in our old house. We had a cellar that leaked when it rained heavily and was always quite damp. With the continuous drainage function, you can pop the tube onto the Dehumidifier and have it drain off into a bucket.
Especially useful if your house is particularly damp or you are in a flood risk area.
Click Here to see the price of the Ecoair DC12 on Amazon
Noise – most Dehumidifiers produce a similar level of noise, if they didn’t they wouldn’t be very good at doing their jobs. It is just the nature of the device. On the washing setting the machine operates at 43dB and 41dB on the regular setting. This is a comparable noise level to your fridge.
Added bonus – the DC12 comes with a 2 year manufacturers warranty from Ecoair.
Design & Portability
The DC12 is extremely well made, robust and as soon as you lay your hands on it you know it is high quality.
The Ecoair DC12 has a fantastic design. The simple curves and appearance of the DC12 make it look like a futuristic piece of equipment for the home!
The front is a simple white coloured plastic with the small Ecoair logo and gauge for how full the tank is with water.
To complicate it further with more fanciful design features would make it look too noticeable!
Either side of the Dehumidifier are two handles so that it can be carried around easily.
The convenient wheels on the base of the DC12 are an added bonus. When the tank is quite full of water it can be a little heavy to move it into different positions. The wheels let you simply glide it around wherever you want.
These work on both carpet and hard floors in our house.
Don’t forget the filter! The filter on the back of the DC12 prevents dust from entering the machine and causing damage. It is important to clean this filter approximately every two weeks to prevent the machine from stopping working. As this is a manufacturer guideline, by not following it you may also invalidate you warranty if it does break this way.
Is it packaged well?
The DC12 came delivered from Amazon in a nice sturdy box kept together with banding to prevent the box from splitting.
Inside the box, the DC12 is very well packed. Two wedges of polystyrene hold it together and inside the box it is sufficiently wedged to not receive any damage at all.
The sides of the dehumidifier are protected from any impact the box may receive as no part of the dehumidifier goes anywhere near the edge of the box.
With the superb packaging there is certainly no need to worry about ordering it online and it being delivered damaged!
Ecoair DC12 vs DC18, what are the differences?
The differences between the DC12 and DC18 are quite minimal. In terms of appearance they are both identical.
However, the DC18 has the ability to extract more moisture from the air when compared with the DC12. This comes at the price of a slightly heavier unit and a higher cost.
I would only really recommend choosing the DC18 over the DC12 if you have a particularly damp home or issues like damp cellars, flooding or a home without double glazing causing moisture build up and condensation.
Overall Opinion
After using this Dehumidifier for a couple of months we know we have found a winner! It is a good all rounder for the home and if you are looking for a Dehumidifier with a good capacity tank and some great features such as being able to dry clothes washing then this is the one for you.
If you want slightly more power, more extraction of moisture at a slightly higher cost, then the DC18 model is also fantastic. It is identical in appearance to the DC12.
Click Here to see the price of the Ecoair DC12 on Amazon
Click here to see the price of the more powerful Ecoair DC18