Bought the unit, and after using it 5-6 times, it quit working. The light on the power supply kept blinking on and off. No help from the manufacturer. No oil needed, all the parts in the unit worked fine. Save your money and buy a different product.

This unit works well in a small confined area, such as under a stariwell or a closet. The dehumidifyer ran for almost a year before I needed to re-oil the unit as has been previously mentioned. The fix is so easy, it should be included in the product manual. The reservoir is small and it is easy to forget about it when it is running. Another fix that has been mentioned is drilling a hole in the removable reservoir and gluing a line in so that it can drain into a larger container or even into a drain. I did this and now the dehumidifyer sits on a 5 gallon bucket. I figure by the time it fills the bucket I need to 'check the oil' anyway. The dehumidifyer is efficient enough that when it is damp it can fill in as little as two to three days.

I have the MDH-W which is the upgraded version of this unit. Since there is no motor or compressor, I am wondering why people are oiling their units or complaining about motor failure?

The unit is comprised of 2 major components:
Peltier thermo-electric junction unit
90x90 CPU fan, yes, that's right. It's a DC brushless fan typical size of CPU PSU's.

The air intake port leads to the cold side of the Peltier, and the exhaust vents vent out the hot side of the Peltier.

Confused?
Basically it works on the same principle as taking out a COLD beer can or soda can and setting it on the table. Notice the condensation forming on the outside? Think of the peltier junction (cold side) as the cold beer can. Water droplets form and are collected in the reservoir below the unit.

Pros: advertised as 95W power consumption, which translates to an extra $6 USD or so per month in electricity. No compressor, rotating parts, etc... other than a cheap 90mmX90mm CPU fan which can be bought for about $3-$20 depending on how quiet and how much airflow you want.

Cons: It is still too noisy to put in your bedroom as it sounds like a noisy computer. It collects water very slowly, about 4 oz per 12 hours.

It worked great....while it worked. The motor died after about 6 - 8 months.

[...]

Knowing that the unit will most likely need a little oil tune-up now & then, and I can do that on my own like the others (not difficult even for the mechanically challenged), I bought the unit. Since owning it, it has performed flawlessly and effortlessly draws the moisture from my closet. I empty the container regularly (every 4-5 days). I just love it! It's small size, portability, and price make it a convenient little unit. It's worth the nuisance of having to add a little oil every now and then. 4 stars is my highest rating, I'd give it a 5 if I didn't have to oil it. No more mold in my closet, leather items stay beautiful!!
[...]

This product works well for small rooms- I got it for a bedroom and it works very well

The size is great. I bought it for a damp walk-in closet. Around day 4, it stopped. I checked the plugs, emptied the reservoir, plugged it in ... nothing. Checked them again, plugged it in and it started up. OK! Three or four days later, it stopped again and I have been unable to get it started. I was debating going to the expense of sending it back to Windchaser, but after reading all these reviews, I think I'll just cut my losses and look for another manufacturer.

When you look at those tv or magazine ads and everything seems bigger than it really is in reality, thats what you should expect here. This is really for a small room and is a little bigger in height than a 12 inch ruler, or maybe 1 and a half. Otherwise it is a good product and works.

The machine worked for about four months, then the power supply went out. It took 2-3 months to finally get the company to send a new power supply (for which I had to pay $5), and the machine STILL doesn't work. No one any longer answers their customer service line. They say to send an e-mail--to which there is never a reply--or to call back later. A total rip off. Buyer beware. Amazon should be ashamed for even selling this device.

For a bathroom or kitchen, as suggested by the manufacturer? Put the money toward a 30-pint or larger unit.

Can't give it less than 3 stars because it does work - just not fast enough to do the job in any space larger than a closet. Which is why it turned out to be $50 wasted, for me.

Bought my Wind Chaser, in spite of the negative reviews I'd read concerning bearing problems, thanks to others, who'd written in a simple way to remedy that problem. I absolutely LOVED this little guy, (he was perfect for my small living room), & looked forward every few days, to finding out how much unwanted moisture I'd captured. After only a few months of use, however, I noticed the machine was not running. I turned it off, then back on, & it ran fine for a few more days, then cut off again. This time, turning it off then back on, didn't help. I never heard bearings, or any noise that wud have indicated problems. I miss my little WC, but even tho now priced $10 less than I paid, wont ask for another faulty product.

After about 6 months, I noticed the fan was starting to make a lot of noise. I read the one review that describes how to oil the fan and took the unit apart, oiled the fan and it no longer worked at all! I took it apart again and when I put it back together, it worked. I have no idea why it didn't the first time.
Now, it appears to work perfectly; the fan hums like it did before it needed oiling. I have been extremely satisfied with its removal of moisture from our tiny darkroom these last 6 months. I will post another review if this is not a permanent (6 month) fix.

My WindChaser died as well after 6 months of use. I tried taking it apart and oiling as others have suggested but that only fixed the problem for about a week. Don't but this item!!!

This was a great deal on Amazon (still love you guys) because it is compact & worked great UNTIL the motor went after 6 months.. you have to pay to ship it back to manufacturer, pay to have it repaired, and pay to have it shipped back. Warranty not worth it.. too much out of pocket.

My first Windchaser Mini Dehumidifier died after 6 weeks. After sending the people at Windchaser my purchase receipt and a ten dollar replacement fee, they sent me a replacement mini dehumidifier. This second dehumidifier died after 3 weeks. Once again, I sent the people at Windchaser my proof of purchase and waited to receive my replacement dehumidifier--hopefully one that wasn't defective. Two months went by with nary a word. After repeated emails to customer service asking where my replacement dehumidifier was, someone from Windchaser wrote back to say "If I see your proof of purchase, it'll get done. Otherwise, it won't." That's it--end of message. As of this date I have not received a replacement for the faulty dehumidifier, nor have I received any further word from "customer service."

Unless you want a lot of headaches from faulty products and rude customer service, I suggest buying another product.

I would not recomend this to the junk yard. As a matter of fact i would give it a negative 5 stars. And not returnable!!!!!! AMAZON.com is scamming people with this one!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I bought two of these the same day to use in different bathrooms. Worked fine for about four months then they both broke down within two weeks of each other. I'm not inclined to buy another.

Really pulled the water. Had to constantly keep watch because reservoir would fill up in a few days and then shut off. Decided to make a modification so the reservoir would automatically drain. Worked great, but motor died in less than 6 months. Bought two. Both died about same time. Strange huh??

I would go back to manufacturer, but they probably would say it was because of my auto drain modification. I doubt it. In fact, I think they should create a model that does drain through tube outlet so you don't have to constantly check it. We stored clothes in storage closet and went away for 8 months. Our house sitter checked regularly, and then it just stopped!

I took a chance and bought this item even after I read all the negative reviews. And, just like the others, my unit worked GREAT in my basement office for about a month and then died. I will try the fix described by the other reviewers, but potential buyers beware - this thing is a piece of junk!

I purchased this mini dehumidifier knowing full well that there was a problem with the fan and a simple fix. Well, after about 6 weeks of use keeping a spare car dry, the power supply just died. This company has a serious quality control problem and I would suggest that all Windchaser products be avoided.

I've purchased three of these mini dehumidifiers in the last year and the first two quit working within six months. I'm in the process of trying to get replacements since they were purchased for my mother and she has enoyed them while they worked; however, I'm not sure whether I need to return them to Amazon or directly to WindChaser so it's taking some time.

I read all the reviews and decided to give it a shot. Broke after 2 months. Tried the repair method suggested by other reviewers. Didn't work, and I was confident I followed the suggestions exactly. The worst part is that the thing got REALLY hot when it broke and I think it could have caused a fire if I left it much longer (It was only off a few hours). Even when it did work it only took a few shot glasses of water out of the air every day- maybe 4-5 oz tops. Junk junk junk

I bought this item last spring, and it worked perfectly for about 4-5 months. Then it went kaput, as mentioned in several others' reviews. I was about to toss it and write a nasty review on this site, when I happened to read the suggestions of Glcokshot and Vfern. And the unit now works! Follow everything they say exactly, and you will be fine. As Vfern mentioned, it takes a few minutes once you close the unit to get it working again - for me, it took about 10 minutes.
Many thanks!

I bought this to help with the humidity problem in the bathroom. I picked it because the description said that it was small and I have a small bathroom. The unit itself is small but the adapter is almost the size of the unit, so in reality the dehumidifier is twice as big as it is advertised. I think this is deceptive advertisement because this small detail about the adapter size is not stated anywhere. The adapter also gets very hot. The unit produces a lot of noise for such a small appliance. The unit did not work very well at removing water and I returned it. I bought calcium chloride pellets instead and they work great. They remove water, do not take much space, do not use electricity and do not break! It's a winning combination for me.

Against the advice of so many of the reviewers, I bought this item because I wanted something smaller than a full-sized dehumidifier for a basement bedroom that we keep closed at all times, and I couldn't find anything else. I hoped I'd be one of the lucky ones who got one that kept running, but that was not the case.... it quit working after only one month.

However, I called the customer service number on the back of the manual, and I was quite pleased with their service. Though it took 6 weeks to receive it, I was given a replacement at no cost and without having to send the original unit back.

I came here yesterday to write the above review, but first read through some of the others. After reading "Vfern's" review, and then "GlockShot's", I decided to try the 'fix' on my original unit. Lo and behold, it worked! So now I have 2 working dehumidifiers! And if this 55-yr.-old woman can fix it, most anybody can.

On another note.... I let the first unit fill completely before emptying it, to make sure the shut-off switch worked. It did not, and I had water on the floor. The second unit has not been running long enough to see if it works, but I would suggest keeping a close eye on the water container when it gets near the top until you know it shuts itself off!

It does not remove as much water as I'd like it to at cooler temperatures, but it definitely makes an improvement in the room. At this point I am satisfied with my purchase, even though it's been a bit of a hassle to get this far.

Works okay for a small basement room. Sucks 1 tank full of water each week, approximately 1/3 cup of water everyday. But it died after working for 2 months. Now I wonder if I should spend $30 ($15x2 way) to get the warranty replacement. I don't think it's worth it as I saw many users reported the same problem I am having. There were almost no negative feedbacks at the time I brought this damn thing. Now you are warned, do yourself a favor, stay away!
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I changed my opinion as of 6/7/2005. Consider it's price, I would give it a 3.5 star if I can change the rating. Summer finally came and I am moving back to the basement. I fixed the darn thing today. It's easier than I thought. Unscrew the 4 screws on the back, 2 screws on the bottom, tilt case upwards to release it from the 2 small tab-locks on the bottom. After opening the case, unscrew 4 screws on the fan mount, lift up the fan mount, release the 2 tab-locks on the side of the fan mount to pop open the fan mount so that you oil the fan from the inside by the rim. Before you oil it, try to turn the fan to feel how tigh it is so that you can compare after oil it. Peel the silver stick half up to the small oil plug in the middle. Add 3 drops of 3in1 household oil. Rotate the fan back and forth a few times so that the oil can spread inside. Now reassembling the dehumidifier and turn it back on, you may hear some fun noise the first time you turn it on. Just leave it on for a few minutes, then turn it off, wait couple of minutes and try again. It should return to normal (quiet) after a few times. Works like new for me!

I purchased this mini unit for a slight mildew problem in a couple of my closets. I moved the unit between closets for about two weeks, then left it in the biggest closet to run continually for the last 8 weeks of its life. It did a great job at first, but was not too quiet. Since it was in a closed closet it didn't bother me too much. The first sign it was giving up its life was that the motor got quieter. After a week of this the unit would no longer turn on or pull moisture from the air, despite the power block and top of the unit becoming heated. The power block got so warm during operation that I was almost afraid to leave it in the closet where it was in close proximity to fabric.

There is a 1 year warranty, but to get warranty service you must pack up the unit and send it along with $15 to Marina del Rey, CA. Since I'm fairly close I plan to call them to see about bringing my unit in to save the fee. I really don't want another one of these things, but it would appear I'm stuck with a replacement instead of a refund.

**UPDATE!!!**

This is a revision to my review. I tried the fix that GlockShot mentions in his review and it worked like a charm. If I could I would upgrade my rating from one star to three, because as I said in my initial review, the unit functions great, while it's working.

I'm not mechanical and I was able to fix it, so I'm guessing most others can too. The only thing that took me a while to figure out was that to get to the bearing he mentions, you need to peel a silver label off of the fan blade to access the little rubber stopper that covers the bearing. True to his word, I applied a few drops of household oil, rotated the fan blade to disperse the oil a bit, closed the unit up, and it worked again like a charm!! Note that it took a few minutes for the fan to start working--it didn't do so right away. I'm guessing that the oil needs to heat up or something?
True, it's lame that we as customers need to open up the unit (essentially voiding the warranty, I assume), but it's a much easier and cheaper fix than sending the unit back to the manufacturer, and certainly better than adding it to a landfill.
Thanks, GlockShot!!!

I checked here and read the reviews before purchasing. I'm the eternal optimist, thinking a few critics had just gotten a bad apple. Well, I got one too. This little maching worked great for about a month...then it completely died. To send it back they charge $15 plust postage (each way). Listen to to critics. Don't take a chance. Buy one of the big ones and just do it right from the start (like I didn't do).

I bought this to go in a small block room in the back of my house. It's airtight to make it fireproof and I was having a lot of problems with moisture from the concrete in the blocks that is still curing. The house was only about 4 months old. I bought the WindChaser and that thing really works. For the first week or so, I had to empty it every day. After that, the room started to dry out so I only have to empty it about every 3 or 4 days or so. About 2 months after I started running it, I noticed that it sounded a little funny so I turned it off. After about an hour, I turned it back on and the fan wouldn't run. I opened it to see what might be the problem since, it is a pretty simple design and there isn't much to go wrong. The fan is a standard 3 or 4" brushless 12v dc, very similar to what is probably circulating air into most computer cases. The lubricant on the bearings had dried out causing the motor to stop. I suppose from the moisture or heat?? Anyway, I pulled the bearing cover off (just a small piece of rubber that snaps over it), and a couple of 3 in 1 oil did the trick. I think it actually works better now! Compared to the cost of the larger one's,the space savings, and the noise of the large one's, having to oil the motor once was a small price to pay. This thing really is a great item. Not quite as quiet as they advertise, but nothing you wouldn't get use to in an hour or two. About like most small air purifiers.

I bought this to help out our water damaged house. We have a lot of water and over night it only got out a little tiny bit of water. We are taking it back today.

I was really happy with this item when I got it. I lived in an apartment that had all kinds of moisture and mildew problems. The dehumidifier was pulling about a cup of water out everyday which I was really happy about. But alas, after only about 2 weeks it stopped working completely. Looks like other reviewers have had similar longevity problems with this item so I'd have to conclude that this is not a well made product.

I bough it for my walk in closet and was pretty excited as this Mini Dehumidifier did a good job at first. After a bout 3 weeks it started to make a humming noise and finally gave up. I don't particularly want to deal with Wind Chaser customer service after reading some reviews here but looks like I have to. Stay away from this product.

Worked great and I loved it the first 6 months I had it. Then one day it just died and there is no resuscitating it. Cannot find any information about this company on the web to try and use the warranty.Buyer beware!

Had the unit in my 35 ft boat for about a year. Worked pretty well until today. Now broken. Will prob move up to one of the large units. Wish there was something between this unit's capacity .8 and the home units 25.

From our seaside retirement home: Our pc and washer/drier share a small space. To alleviate a very real humidity problem and to prolong the life of our machines, during a recent trip to the U.S., I ordered and brought back one of these little gems. It does an excellent job. Before you blow your stack should it fail you (The first time it happened to us, I was ready to throw it out the window), switch outlets. Why/how this works? I don't know, but on two occasions (Power failures are frequent occurances here), we discovered this simple solution.

I used this dehumidifier for a few months and it just stopped working. I recommend you pay a little extra for a better quality product.

We have used our Windchaser, mini dehumdifier now for around 9 months and NO problems. We keep it running 24/7 in our 25' travel trailer while its in storage and it makes a HUGE difference. You do have to remember to empty it about once a week here in Texas. I will probably modify the holding tank with an aquarium drain valve and let it drain into our gray water tank so we don't have to remember to dump it.

I was looking around for a little dehumidifier to put in 2 closets where we have a mold problem. We have an older house and the walls are just brick & plaster, so the insulation is poor & the outside walls in the closet get condensation on them & then a nasty black mold grows. We bought 2 of these & they've been running for a few months with no problems. They fit easily in the closet, they're not much bigger than a large shoebox. They're really pretty simple, there's just the little solid state cooler with big heat fins which the water condenses on & a fan to move the air over them. The first week we pulled a couple of pints out of each closet, now that they're mostly dry it's down to maybe a cup or so a week. The fans do make a little noise, so I wouldn't want them right in the room with me, but with the door shut I can barely hear it. The power supply is a big brick which stays pretty warm, so the closet is noticeably warmer than the room. I'm happy, and assuming they keep going through next winter I imagine our mold problem will be contained.

For the techies out there... This dehumidifier is an overgrown peltier chip, two big heat sinks, and a fan for forced air. 13vdc @ 5A input. Nice form factor, effective. I might build this guy a big brother one day.

Needed a small dehumidifer for a camper, this lightweight and small dehumidifer fit the requirement. I would recommend this for anyone that needs a small dehumidifer for a camper or small area.

I cannot speak to the product's longevity as I have only been using it for about a week. I can speak to its effectiveness, however: This thing works much better than I expected it to. Though the description and product manual refer to small spaces such as bathrooms and closets, this thing really is powerful enough to use in a smallish apartment, taking it from room to room. (It is very light and portable.) I have been struggling with moisture problems (condensation on the insides of my windows) for quite some time. This mini-dehumidifer dries out my living room such that the moisture on my windows is gone within a couple of hours. If I leave the unit on, the moisture doesn't even form in the first place.

My previous solution was to run my forced air heater to the point that my apartment was very, very warm. Not only was that uncomfortable but it was also expensive in terms of electricity costs. This little dehumidifier uses very little power so it shouldn't create too much of a spike in my energy bill.

As to the "quiet operation," I suppose if one lives in a rural area with low ambient noise, one might find the white noise put out by this unit a little disappointing. To put it in perspective, however, just imagine the amount of noise put out by a SMALL fan. That's how much noise this thing makes. It is really very unobtrusive.

As to someone else's unit only running for four months, I hope I have better luck than that. If I encounter what I deem to be an early product failure, I will report back here. I will say that the manufacturer's warranty is pretty much a joke: They want the consumer to pay $15 for return shipping. This means that after paying to ship the product to the manufacturer and paying this service fee for its return, the consumer has spent over 1/3 what it would cost for a new unit from Amazon. What's worse is that the warranty states that it does not cover a malfunction due to normal use. I've never heard of such a thing in a warranty. I'm not even sure what WindChaser would repair under warranty if they refuse to repair or replace an item that breaks under normal use.

Addendum submitted on 3/12/05:

I was thinking about getting another one of these so I was checking out the reviews. I'm surprised that so many people have purchased this product and had it fail so quickly. I've had mine for over one year now and it still works. Perhaps part of the problem is the intensity of use. I do NOT run my unit 24/7. There are many days that I do not turn it on at all because I don't need to. I would guess that the longest I've ever run the thing continuously is about 48 hours. I'm guessing that this product simply fails early if it is used continuously (ie, it probably isn't built to withstand that sort of duty cycle). The only problem I've noted with mine so far is that the fan is sometimes noisier when I first turn it on, but the sound returns to normal within less than a minute when that happens.

I bought this item for my bathroom. I have an old house (cir. 1930) that does not have insulation. Therefore, I would have "wet walls" where mold would grow. I put the unit in the bathroom to test it and it works like a champ. I have since bought 2 additional units (one for the bedroom and one for the living room) and couldn't be happier. While the motor on the unit runs 24/7, it creates "white noise" and within a few minutes I don't even hear it running. I would definitely recommend this product to anyone with a small space who is constantly battling mold and mildew.

I bought this for my boat, located in Florida. It is small and quiet, however, it is not effective as the temperature drops. It is best, according to its specs, at 86 degrees F. Well, at that temp I have the AC on to dehumidify and cool. As the temperature drops below 80 it works less and less to the point of being useless at 60 degrees. Even with optimal conditions, do not expect it to dehumidify a boat. It is too small.

I wanted a small and quiet dehumidifier for our camper trailer that we are living in while building a house. Full size dehumidifiers are too loud (and too big) for such a small place and WindChaser is small. Not as quiet as I was led to believe, but it works. No more wet windows in our bedroom even in our cool NW weather. I'm thinking of buying one more for our living area. I would have given this 5 star except they should have listed the db's so I could have known what to expect with noise. It doesn't bother us sleeping but I can't hear the coyotes howl anymore at night. It's a little louder than our computer.

Mine broke after 4 months. Considering that approximately for an extra $100 I can buy a full size, more durable humidifier, I won't buy this product anymore. This product feels cheap, made of cheap plastic and noisy.

Works nicely, easy to use.Only complaint, no humidity sensor, just on/off switch.

The Windchaser Mini is good for small, relatively enclosed spaces. Just keep in mind that the picture is a little deceiving; it's about 1/5th the size of a regular dehumidifier. If you have just a small room with a mosture problem and don't want to spend $200 for a regular dehumidifier this is definitely what you want. The only down side is the small tank which has to be checked reasonably frequently depending on the level of humidity.