EcoAir | DC18 Compact Dehumidifier | 18 Litres per Day | Electronic Control | 3.5 L Water Tank | Active Humidistat | Laundry Mode | Clean Filter Indicator | Auto Defrost

Having reviewed several options to reduce the humidity and damp in our flat, I went with the EcoAir DC12. There are a plethora of devices on the market, both passive and active. The difference really comes down the speed at which the device can extract moisture from the air, the level of control you have over the settings, robustness and filtration levels. So how does this rate? Very well. We have a 2 bedroom flat and the windows were almost completely covered in condensation. Wiping them down or opening the windows worked okay, but the air was still very humid and a quick google on humidity levels will show you this isn't a healthy way to live whilst indoors. This unit works very quickly. Upon switching it on, the device showed an 80% humidity level. Given that humidity monitors can run into the £1,000's it's probably a rough estimate. Even so within 30 mins, the first trickles of water poured into the catchment tray and within 90 mins the humidity levels fell to 50%. You could tangibly feel the difference in the air quality and we were able to reduce the thermostat by 2 degrees C. So, despite this unit using energy, it's probably already paying for itself. The unit feels robust and is easy to use. Noise levels are similar to an oven fan running. Neither is quiet, but on the lowest setting its mostly unobtrusive, the higher setting sounds like a normal desk fan running and is quite obvious. We set the device to run for 2hrs each day, which does a good job of keeping the humidity down and the windows clear. Overall this seems a great device and relatively inexpensive when considering the improvements it has made to the air quality. My only gripe is it doesn't seem to be able to get the humidity​ level down below 50%, but given how humid the flat gets, I suspect any device would struggle and even at 50% things feel so much better. I'd definitely recommend this to anyone else in the same situation.

Brilliant compact dehumidifier, works really well. I have now owned the unit for over 6 months.I bought this mainly to dry clothes in the house over winter as I don't have a tumble dryer and drying them on the airer with the window open took days. I now use this in a small room and shirts are dry in 2-3 hours and jeans dry in 8-10 hours. Also makes the room FEEL a lot warmer (although technically it isn't).The unit is really easy to use, with an on/off button, a button to switch between 2 speeds, +&- button to set desired humidity (note: keep pressing - until CO shows for continuous/clohes drying use), a button to reset the 'clean filter now' light, and a button to operate the timer.The timer is rather basic. Press the timer button while the machine is off and it will turn on automatically in 2 or 4 hours and stay on. Press the timer button while the machine is on and it will turn off automatically in 2 or 4 hours and stay off. I'm pretty sure it says not to use a timer plug with it in the instructions however it does pick up where it left of when power goes off and comes back on (which it frequently does in our house!) so I don't see a reason not to....maybe ask an electrician to be safe first.The continuous drainage pipe is ridiculously short and quite stiff, you will need an extension unless you can sit it on the side of the bath (It wont reach over a bath wall if it was on the floor right next to the bath - not that I think it would work if it was at that angle anyway), just a word of warning if that was how you were planning to use it, although even when drying clothes I find the tank only needs emptying once a day at most and is really easy to do.Bottom line: I would wholeheartedly recommend this unit to anyone, it runs quietly, doesn't take much space up, although heavy it is easy to move around (has both handles and wheels) and I haven't seen any significant increase in electric usage since I've had it (much cheaper and kinder to clothes than a tumble dryer). Also it looks a lot nicer than some others on the market so I don't mind leaving it out!

After a patch of plaster in a newly plastered room was taking an age to dry out and I started noticing patches of mould around windows and a damp feel to the house. I decided to get a dehumidifier. I originally looked at the DC12 but this was offered as a newer version, considering it could extract 6 litres more per day for only £10 more it seemed to be worthwhile buying the DC18. You can definitely tell it's working, I was emptying the tank every couple of days for the first few days so it was taking several litres out of the air quickly. It felt noticeably less damp in the house, it also seems to feel warmer overall and seems to heat up faster when the heating comes on, perhaps this is due to there being less damp air in the house. Also; condensation builds up less and the mould has not returned since being cleaned off and having this running and the plaster quickly dried out with the dehumidifier on. I now just set my target humidity and leave it on and it turns on automatically as and when required. The timer and laundry dry options are very useful. As well as being effective the unit is also styled well, much better looking than most other dehumidifiers on the market and doesn't look too out of place in a modern styled house. The carry handles make it easy to manovrer around, power cable is a decent length, emptying the tank and cleaning the filter is also very easy. The controls are also simple to understand and use. The dehumidifier feels well made and solid, no flexi plastics etc. Everything seems to click into place with a reasuring click and so I think it should stand the test of time. Eco air also supply a reasonable warranty with this too for extra peace of mind.Bad points: Quite loud, although it has a lower fan speed which is supposed to be quieter, I find it is the compressor that makes a pulsing sound as it runs that is the main source of the noise. And I don't believe the lower fan speed reduces the speed / noise of the compressor. If you have it in a hallway or landing you probably won't notice it too much if you are in the living room etc during the day, but on a night when everything is a lot quieter I find it is too loud to keep running overnight.A slight gripe is that the buttons produce a loud beep when pressed, and when the water tank is full this produces a loud alarm, if you were running this overnight and the tank filled, the alarm would probably wake you up. Would be ideal if you could turn the beeping down or off.Another slight gripe is that there is no on board storage for the continuous drain fitting and hose, personally I usually put all the bits I'm not currently using in a drawer somewhere, but then when I need them I can never remember where I've stored them. So having all fittings stored on board is always a plus from me.But overall a high quality dehumidifier that works very well, is easy to use and well styled.