Dehumidifier With or Without Pump: Differences Explained

What is the difference between a dehumidifier with a pump and without one?

When you go out to buy a dehumidifier, you will find so many options out there. Some are big, and some are small. Some are also whole house dehumidifiers that are integrated into the furnace.

If you are dealing with a lot of humidity at home, you will probably be considering buying a dehumidifier with an internal pump and a drain hose.

Too much humidity will cause mold, which will in turn cause mold toxicity symptoms in your family. And hospital bills!

Read: Why is my dehumidifier blowing cold air?

So, what is the difference between a dehumidifier pump vs no pump? The dehumidifier with a pumping kit clears water automatically through a hose connected to the kitchen sink. The dehumidifier with a built-in pump is best for continuously dehumidifying large spaces.

If you use a dehumidifier without a pump in a large space, you will have to manually empty the dehumidifier tank manually when it is full. This means you have to stop the unit first, remove the bucket, and pour out the water.

Read: Can you use dehumidifier water to water plants?

Dehumidifier with Pump Vs No Pump: Main Differences

Dehumidifier with Pump Vs No Pump: Main Differences

If you live in a humid state like Florida, you really do need a large dehumidifier. More so, you need one that has an internal pumping mechanism. It will automatically pump the water outside your house, or through the sink waste pipe.

Here are the main differences between a dehumidifier pump vs no pump:

1. The pumping unit can push water vertically

The pumping operation is electric, so this unit can drain water vertically without missing a beat. These units can push water to a vertical height of up to 15 feet.

If you need to dehumidify the basement and push the water up a hose outside the house, get a unit with a built-in pumping kit.

A unit without a pump cannot pump water vertically. You can only connect it with a hose, so the water can flow with gravity.

2. There is no reservoir to empty and no downtime

If a dehumidifier lacks a pump, the bucket has to be emptied manually. You’ve got to remove it, empty the water into a tank or pour it outside, and then return the reservoir.

This is hard work. It also wastes precious time and can even make the humidity to rise again.

If the reservoir fills up when you are not home to empty it, the dehumidifier automatically stops drawing moisture from the air.

In places that have high humidity, such as Seattle, this will not help much to keep the relative humidity to the required level of between 30 and 55 percent. However, you can buy a bigger unit to work in a small space.

3. The pumping unit uses more electricity

Because of the pumping action, the dehumidifier with a built-in pump consumes more electricity because it does more work.

When you have to drain water over a long distance vertically, the pump consumes more electricity. In our article on do dehumidifiers use a lot of electricity, we said a unit could use $0.16 to $3 daily.

If it has a pump and you use it more often, it can even use more than $3 a day.

If cost is a concern for you when it comes to dehumidifier pump vs no pump, go for one without.

4. Units with pumps are costlier

The TOSOT 50-Pint with Internal Pumping costs up to $300, sometimes more. In most cases, similarly sized dehumidifiers would cost at least $50 less.

This might not apply to all brand names, but it is something to consider.

70-pint dehumidifier with pump

70 pint dehumidifier with pump

If you have had flooding in your basement, you need a high-capacity dehumidifier. You could go with the Frigidaire 70-pint dehumidifier. It is one of the best dehumidifiers for mould.

If your basement is a bit deep and there’s a vertical height to overcome to drain the water, a unit with a pump can do great.

A dehumidifier with a pump will pump water out on its own. Therefore, you do not have to be there to empty the bucket manually.

Today, you can order a dehumidifier that has an integrated pump. There are many of them on different online marketplaces.

To cut to the chase, you can order the 70-pint Honeywell dehumidifier with integrated pump on Amazon.com. It is a high-capacity unit that has a huge space rating of 4000 square feet. This is indeed perfect for a large basement.

Like other Honeywell humidifiers, dehumidifiers, diffusers, and Honeywell air purifiers, this one also comes with a limited warranty of 5 years. Therefore, it is almost a risk-free buy!

15-foot hose drain hose and other features

It is an auto-drain dehumidifier, so you can connect the drain hose to the kitchen sink or out the window.

Even if the water has to go vertically, the in-built pump is going to kick in and pump the water upwards. For this, it comes with a 15-foot hose.

This is different from the basement dehumidifiers with drain hose only (without pump) since they come with a 6-foot drain hose mostly.

Once you set this unit up, it operates pretty hands-free. You can even travel and leave it to lower the humidity in your house appropriately when you are away, to protect your leather items and electronics.

It comes with a digital humidistat. This monitors the humidity level. If it rises above the set threshold, the dehumidifier starts automatically to draw moisture from the air.

There are other 70-pint or higher capacity dehumidifiers with built-in pumps. Some are from Midea, AlorAir, VellGoo, IVATION, Waykar, TOSOT, and Black + Decker. You can check all of these on this page on Amazon.com.

Lowes dehumidifier with pump

Lowes dehumidifier with pump

Lowes has grown from the first hardware store in North Carolina to become a big brand in the USA and the world for different types of appliances and other things.

Thus, like Amazon.com, it is a good online marketplace where you can get some of the items that you want. If you want a dehumidifier with a pump, you will find them from 50-pint capacity to higher.

You will also find some dehumidifiers on Lowes that you cannot find on Amazon.com. For instance, they have the XPOWER Extreme 85-Pint 2-Speed Dehumidifier with a built-in pump. It is big, it is a high-quality unit and it will last a long time.

This is a very expensive dehumidifier for basements and crawl spaces. It is also available in a pack of four. Such a purchase would be good for large use in hospitals, schools, ships, and yachts. Otherwise, it is not possible to find the need for four dehumidifier units all at once.

Overall, there is a Lowes dehumidifier with a pump for just about any budget, any use, and anyone. When you get to their site, you can browse through the different units they have on sale, comparing features, warranties, and other things.

Remember to check whether the unit you want is available for delivery service or pickup because some are not.

Remember, runaway humidity in your basement, attic, bedroom, and other spaces will breed mold. It will then mature and start to spread mold spores all over your home. These can cause serious respiratory illnesses.

GE dehumidifier with pump

GE dehumidifier with pump

When looking for the best dehumidifier with a pump, you will find one or two from GE Appliances ranking high on the list.

GE Appliances has been in business for more than 100 years. This brand name is renowned for making high-quality, advanced, and futuristic appliances for humidity control, kitchen, and others.

It is also possible to buy some of their dehumidifiers, such as the 50-Pint GE Energy Star Portable Dehumidifier from Amazon.com. It is so sleek in design and it comes with advanced features such as a built-in pump.

In addition, this is an affordable dehumidifier with a pump. Others that we have mentioned here cost more than this. Since it is also Energy-Star rated, you’re going to save money. It is very efficient!

To make your work easier, the dehumidifier comes with a 16-foot drain hose. However, if you do not have very high humidity in the house, you can still use it as a small portable unit without the need for the pump or the hose.

It comes with a full bucket alarm, so you know when to empty it. Also, it automatically stops working moisture when the bucket is full.

It has a defrosting function, a three-speed fan, and LED digital controls. This is easily one of the easiest dehumidifiers to operate.

When the filter is dirty, the dehumidifier alerts you. It also has convenient features such as pocket handles for easy transport.

Dehumidifier drain hose maximum length

For a dehumidifier with drain hose alone, without a pump, the length is usually 6 feet. Experts advise that the length of the hose should not exceed 5 feet.

If it is longer than that, the pressure will be low and it might not dispose of the collected water easily.

With such a dehumidifier, you would have to place it on the kitchen counter, so that the hose can reach the sink.

You can also place it on a table close to the window so that the drain hose disposes of the water outside. However, remember the best position for a dehumidifier is a foot or more away from walls or furniture.

When it comes to dehumidifiers with pump, most of them come with drain hoses that are 16 feet long. However, you can extend your drain hose to make it longer.

You can watch the video below to see how to use a dehumidifier with a garden hose:

You can also attach a garden hose to the dehumidifier and the pump will still do a great job of disposing of the water. However, built-in pumps might also have a limit. Even if you have to extend, do not make the hose extra long.

What is a continuous drain dehumidifier?

What is a continuous drain dehumidifier

A continuous drain dehumidifier means that the unit is connected to a drain hose. This is just another name for a dehumidifier with a drain hose and/or pump.

The hose takes the water away when the condensate pan gets full. Therefore, you do not need to empty the bucket.

A continuous drain dehumidifier works with a drain hose as well as a pump. Well, some just have the drain hose and not the pump.

Such units will drain the water well when the drainpipe has a vertical inclination. The water flows out through gravity. If the hose is bent, it will not drain the condensate and the dehumidifier will stop working.

A dehumidifier with a built-in pump such as the few that we have looked at here is also a continuous drain type. They can drain the water vertically easily and over long distances.

Dehumidifier with pump vs without: FAQ

If your mind is still not made up about buying the dehumidifier with a built-in pump, this section on the frequently asked questions might help you:

How does the pump on a dehumidifier work?

If it has a built-in pump, all you have to do is connect a hose to the port that is designed for just that. You can then direct the hose to a sink or point it out the window. If it does not have a pump, you can buy an external condensate pump and connect it easily so that it pumps water out automatically.

Read: How do I stop humidifier white dust?

Do I need a pump with my dehumidifier?

If you are running a dehumidifying unit in the basement where you need to pump the collected water vertically, you need a unit with a pump.

If you live in a place with high humidity and you have to dehumidify daily, you need one with a pump. Finally, if you will not be present to empty the reservoir manually, you need a unit with a built-in pump.

What’s the best dehumidifier with a pump?

The TOSOT 50-Pint unit with internal pump and Energy Star rating has a space rating of 4500 square feet. It is also affordable. You can order it on amazon.com. You might also try the Frigidaire FFAP5033W1, which is good enough but with a smaller space rating.


Can you drain a dehumidifier into a condensate pump?

If you have a dehumidifying unit without an internal condensate pump, you can buy an external condensate pump separately and use it to drain water from your unit.

What is a condensate pump in a dehumidifier?

Just as its name suggests, this is an internal or external pumping kit that allows automatic drainage from the dehumidifier even when there is no gravity. You can use any length of drain hose to drain the water where you want.

Please check out my short article on: What do the symbols on my dehumidifier mean

Wrapping Up: Dehumidifier Pump Vs No Pump

What is the difference between a dehumidifier with a pump and without one? We have looked at a few of them in this article.

While you will spend more on electricity bills if you use the dehumidifier with a condensate pump, it is worth it.

If you live in a place with minimal humidity, where you just need to dehumidify a few hours a week, a regular, portable unit will work just fine.

Also Read: Can a dehumidifier dehydrate you?