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By your situation

Basement Dehumidifiers: Sizing by Square Feet and Dampness Level

By iPickOne editorial team · Published · Reviewed

Short answer

Start with area and dampness: a 20 × 32 ft basement is 640 sq ft, so ENERGY STAR's chart for rooms under 2,000 sq ft says 20–30 pints per day if it is slightly to moderately damp, 25–40 if very damp and 30–50 if the walls sweat. Basements are usually cool and have no drain, so look for a stated low operating temperature and a confirmed pump: of the four models below only the Honeywell TPFIT50PWK is confirmed by its maker to have a pump (up to 15 ft of lift, 41°–90° operating range); for the others the pump is “not stated”.

Unfinished basement with a water heater, wooden stairs and a bare concrete floor
Photo on Pexels (free license). Typical product type, not a specific model.

Who should pick what

Side-by-side comparison

Basement-relevant fields for four dehumidifiers (ENERGY STAR data; pump from the maker page where one was read)
CriterionHoneywell TPFIT50PWKHisense ALDH50KP26hOmeLabs HME0089Honeywell TPFIT50WK
Rated capacity49.66 pints/day49.89 pints/day32.46 pints/day49.66 pints/day
Built-in pumpYes: built-in drain pump, drains vertically or horizontally up to 15 ftNot stated (the ENERGY STAR data has no drain field)Not stated (the ENERGY STAR data has no drain field)Not stated
Efficiency2.01 L/kWh2.01 L/kWh2.01 L/kWh2.01 L/kWh
Energy use516 kWh/yr526 kWh/yr343 kWh/yr (best in this row)516 kWh/yr
Connected (smart)YesNoYesYes
ENERGY STARYesYesYesYes

“Not stated” means the source we read has no figure. Capacity and energy figures are ENERGY STAR data on the current DOE test. Highlighted = best value in the row: highest CADR, IEF, CEER, run time or suction; lowest yearly energy use or weight. Sources for every figure are listed under “Sources” below.

At a glance

Yearly energy use, kWh: lower is cheaper to run

Honeywell TPFIT50PWK 516 Hisense ALDH50KP26 526 hOmeLabs HME0089 343 Honeywell TPFIT50WK 516

Water removed per day, pints

Honeywell TPFIT50PWK 49.66 Hisense ALDH50KP26 49.89 hOmeLabs HME0089 32.46 Honeywell TPFIT50WK 49.66

Efficiency (IEF), L/kWh: higher is better

Honeywell TPFIT50PWK 2.01 Hisense ALDH50KP26 2.01 hOmeLabs HME0089 2.01 Honeywell TPFIT50WK 2.01

How we compared: key criteria

  1. Dampness levelENERGY STAR's descriptions: slightly to moderately damp means the space feels damp with an intermittent musty odor (50–75% relative humidity); very damp means it consistently feels and smells damp with damp spots on walls and floors (75–90%); wet means walls or floor sweat or there is seepage (90–100%).
  2. Floor areaMultiply length by width: 20 × 32 ft is 640 sq ft. ENERGY STAR splits its chart at 2,000 sq ft, so most basements fall in the small-to-medium column.
  3. Cool-air operationENERGY STAR says frost can form on the coils below 65°F. Only Honeywell's pages give a range here (41° to 90°); a basement colder than that is outside the maker's stated range. For the others check the manual.
  4. Getting the water outPump: out a window or into a sink; hose: gravity to a floor drain or sink; bucket: manual. Only the TPFIT50PWK is confirmed to have a pump (up to 15 ft). Do not infer a pump from a model number.
  5. Pint rating and efficiencyThe pint figures are ENERGY STAR's current-test data, so they compare with each other. A pre-2019 “50-pint” is roughly 30 pints under today's test, per ENERGY STAR's table. Honeywell's pages print both 50 and 70 pints on separate lines without naming the test; we use ENERGY STAR's 49.66.

Our picks

Best fit: wet basement with no drain

Honeywell TPFIT50PWK 50-pint dehumidifier with built-in pump

  • 50pints/day
  • 516kWh/yr
  • 2.01L/kWh

Why we'd pick it: Built-in pump draining up to 15 ft, 41°–90° operating range, 51 dBA, 40.48 lb; ENERGY STAR data gives 49.66 pints per day at 2.01 L/kWh and 516 kWh per year.

Skip it if… your basement is only slightly damp, or a floor drain is within hose reach — the pump is the reason to choose this one. It has a 1-year limited warranty, and Honeywell's own store lists it as discontinued, so check the seller and stock on Amazon.

View on Amazon — Honeywell TPFIT50PWK 50-pint dehumidifier with built-in pump on Amazon.com

50-pint class: efficient, drain type unconfirmed

Hisense ALDH50KP26 50-pint dehumidifier

  • 50pints/day
  • 526kWh/yr
  • 2.01L/kWh

Why we'd pick it: 49.89 pints per day at 2.01 L/kWh and 526 kWh per year; ENERGY STAR lists it for the US.

Skip it if… you need to be sure of a pump: it is not stated in our sources, we found no Hisense US page, and retailer listings disagree. Its minimum operating temperature is not stated either.

View on Amazon — Hisense ALDH50KP26 50-pint dehumidifier on Amazon.com

Very damp, mid-size basement

hOmeLabs HME0089 32-pint dehumidifier

  • 32pints/day
  • 343kWh/yr
  • 2.01L/kWh

Why we'd pick it: 32.46 pints per day at 2.01 L/kWh and 343 kWh per year — fits the very damp row of ENERGY STAR's chart for a 640 sq ft space.

Skip it if… the basement is wet or you need a pump or a low-temperature guarantee: drain type and operating range are not stated in the data we read.

View on Amazon — hOmeLabs HME0089 32-pint dehumidifier on Amazon.com

50-pint class with a drain tube

Honeywell TPFIT50WK 50-pint dehumidifier

  • 50pints/day
  • 516kWh/yr
  • 2.01L/kWh

Why we'd pick it: 49.66 pints per day at 2.01 L/kWh; the maker page lists a continuous-drain tube, 41°–90° operating range and 39.38 lb.

Skip it if… you want a pump — the maker page lists none — or a current model: Honeywell's own store lists it as discontinued.

View on Amazon — Honeywell TPFIT50WK 50-pint dehumidifier on Amazon.com

Downsides and when not to buy

  • Sizing against ENERGY STAR's chart carries some uncertainty for a wet basement; ENERGY STAR says to oversize when in doubt.
  • A dehumidifier cannot fix water coming in. If you see seepage, treat the source as well as the air.
  • Maximum pump lift is stated only for the Honeywell TPFIT50PWK; for the others we have no figure, and both Honeywell 50-pint models are marked discontinued by the maker.

When the pricier option isn't worth it

A built-in pump isn't worth the extra money if a floor drain or sink is within hose reach: a gravity hose does the same job. A bigger pint class isn't worth it for a small, slightly damp room.

Who should skip this product type

Skip a portable unit if you want the whole house dried through the ductwork: ENERGY STAR says whole-home dehumidifiers are normally installed with the home's ducts by an HVAC professional.

Extra costs, installation and compatibility

Ongoing costs
Filters need cleaning (check each manual); a certified unit uses 20% less energy than a similarly sized conventional one, per ENERGY STAR, and the annual kWh estimates are in the table. We don't print running costs because they depend on local rates and hours.
Installation and space
Keep the unit where air can circulate and plan the hose or pump route to a drain, sink or window before you buy. Honeywell lists up to 15 ft of lift for the TPFIT50PWK; ask the maker for any other model.
Compatibility
The Honeywell pages list 6.6 A / 710 W and print no voltage; check the nameplate and your outlet. Honeywell sells the pump (PWK) and non-pump (WK) versions in the same 50-pint class — confirm the model name on the Amazon page before buying.

Frequently asked questions

How big a dehumidifier does a 20 × 32 ft basement need?

That is 640 sq ft. ENERGY STAR's chart for rooms under 2,000 sq ft says 20–30 pints per day if slightly to moderately damp, 25–40 if very damp, and 30–50 if wet.

Do I need a pump in a basement?

Only if there is no floor drain or sink within hose reach, or if emptying a bucket is impractical. Of the models here only the Honeywell TPFIT50PWK is confirmed to have one (up to 15 ft of lift).

View on Amazon

Links to Amazon.com are plain product links. We may earn a commission in the future if we join affiliate programs; this never decides what we recommend. Prices and availability change, so we don't print them — check the current details on Amazon. See our Affiliate Disclosure.

Research method, sources and review date

Research-based comparison: we compare manufacturer specifications, user manuals and published guidance, and note where a figure is a manufacturer claim. We do not test products in a lab. Capacity, efficiency and energy figures come from ENERGY STAR's certified-product data (queried 2026-11-06); pump, noise, weight and operating range come from Honeywell's product pages, which we read for the two Honeywell models only. Sizing guidance comes from ENERGY STAR. How we compare · Editorial policy

Sources

Last reviewed · Next scheduled review . Spotted an error? Tell us.

Update log

  • — Rebuilt (IPK-BUILD-5) around models confirmed to exist on Amazon.com. Figures come from ENERGY STAR certified-product data and, where we could read one, the manufacturer page; where a source does not state a figure we say so. Models not found on Amazon.com were removed from the picks.
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