70-Pint or 50-Pint Dehumidifier? What the DOE Rating Change Actually Means
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You don't choose between a 70-pint and a 50-pint rating on the number alone, because the US Department of Energy changed the test procedure that produces that number. A dehumidifier labeled 50 pints today was tested under the current procedure; an older unit labeled 70 pints was tested under the prior one, at different conditions, so the two figures are not measuring capacity the same way. What matters is sizing to your square footage and dampness level using a current-procedure rating, not chasing the old bigger-sounding number.
You don't need to hunt for a '70-pint' dehumidifier instead of a '50-pint' one because those two numbers were generated by different test procedures and don't measure capacity the same way. The US Department of Energy's test procedure defines how many pints of water a unit removes per day, normalized to a set ambient temperature and humidity, and that procedure has been revised over time - so an older rating and a current rating aren't necessarily the same measurement scaled down. Size to your room and dampness level using a current-procedure rating, not by comparing old and new numbers against each other.
Based on the federal test procedure that defines the rating, not on independent measurement of any specific unit.
What actually changed
The pint number on a dehumidifier's box isn't a raw measurement of how much water it can physically pull out of the air in your specific basement. It's a result of a standardized lab test defined by the US Department of Energy, run at fixed temperature and humidity conditions. When that test procedure changes, the number a given machine produces can change even if nothing about the machine itself changes. That's the situation here: units on shelves now are rated under the current DOE test procedure, and older units - or older listings still showing legacy numbers - were rated under a prior one. A '70' from one procedure and a '50' from the other are not on the same scale.
So what should you actually check?
- Confirm the pint rating you're looking at was measured under the current DOE test procedure - listed here as capacity_pints_doe2019 on each product - rather than relying on an older number you remember from a prior purchase.
- Ignore the manufacturer's square-footage claim on the box; work from your room's actual size and how damp it is.
- Check tank size and whether continuous drain is an option, since that determines how often you'll be emptying it, independent of the pint rating.
- If the space is unheated, check for automatic defrost - a dehumidifier that ices up and shuts down doesn't help you no matter what its pint rating says.
Size My Air sizes dehumidifier capacity at 10 pints per day per 500 sq ft of moderately damp space, multiplying by 1.3 for very damp conditions, 1.6 for wet, or 2.0 for standing water, and scaling for ceilings taller than 8 ft. That basis puts a 50-pint, current-procedure unit at roughly 1,500-2,500 sq ft depending on dampness - nowhere near the 4,500-5,000 sq ft printed on the boxes of the units below.
We don't have a published conversion factor between older and current DOE test procedures, so we can't tell you what an older unit's rating would translate to under the current procedure, or vice versa. If you're replacing an older unit and want a like-for-like comparison, size to your room with the calculator above rather than trying to match the old number.
Three current 50-pint options, compared
All three of these carry the same current-procedure 50-pint rating. Since the rating itself won't differentiate them, the choice comes down to tank size, footprint, and whether the space gets cold.
| Product | DOE test-procedure rating (pints/day) | Tank size (gal) | Width (in) | Continuous drain | Manufacturer sq ft claim | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frigidaire Frigidaire 50 Pint Dehumidifier with Wi-Fi | 50 | 2.7 | 24.25 | Yes | 4500 | Check price |
| Midea Midea 50 Pint Dehumidifier | 50 | 1.6 | 15.43 | Yes | 4500 | Check price |
| GE GE 50 Pint Dehumidifier | 50 | — | 14.4 | Yes | 5000 | Check price |
Best for a damp basement without a drain hose
Frigidaire Frigidaire 50 Pint Dehumidifier with Wi-Fi
Not for anyone trying to cover the 4,500 sq ft on the box - Size My Air's basis puts a 50-pint unit closer to 1,500-2,500 sq ft depending on dampness. Good if you want the biggest tank of the three so it needs emptying least often.
- Tank Gallons
- 2.7
- Washable Filter
- true
- Continuous Drain
- true
- Wifi
- true
Best for a narrow stairwell or tight corner
Midea Midea 50 Pint Dehumidifier
Not for going long stretches unattended - the 1.6-gallon tank is the smallest of the three, so plan on hooking up a continuous drain rather than relying on the bucket.
- Tank Gallons
- 1.6
- Energy Star
- true
- Continuous Drain
- true
Best for an unheated basement or garage
GE GE 50 Pint Dehumidifier
Not for anyone chasing the 5,000 sq ft claimed on the box - that's the most optimistic of the three claims and the furthest from what Size My Air's sizing basis would support at 50 pints/day. Good if the space gets cold enough that auto-defrost matters.
- Auto Defrost
- true
- Auto Restart
- true
- Tank Pints
- 15
Once you've confirmed the rating is a current-procedure number, these are the things that actually decide which 50-pint unit fits.
Room size and dampness, not the box claim
Manufacturer square-footage claims on all three units run well above what a 50-pint capacity typically covers under Size My Air's sizing basis.
What to look for: Measure your room and rate its dampness (moderately damp, very damp, wet, or standing water), then run it through the calculator above.
Tank size vs. continuous drain
A small tank in an unattended space means either frequent emptying or a mandatory drain hose setup.
What to look for: Check tank_gallons or tank_pints, and confirm continuous_drain is supported if you don't want to check the bucket daily.
Cold-space tolerance
A dehumidifier that ices up in an unheated space stops removing moisture regardless of its pint rating.
What to look for: Look for automatic defrost if the room isn't heated.
Footprint
Basements and utility closets are often tight on floor space.
What to look for: Compare width and depth in inches directly - the three units here range from about 14 to 24 inches wide.
Bottom line
Don't treat '70 pints' as strictly more capacity than '50 pints' unless you know both numbers came from the same DOE test procedure. For anything on the market now, check that the rating is the current-procedure figure, then size it to your room's square footage and dampness with Size My Air's calculator rather than the number on the box or the manufacturer's coverage claim.
The short version
- The US Department of Energy's test procedure defines dehumidifier pint capacity, and that procedure changed - so pre-change and post-change pint numbers are not directly comparable.
- A 50-pint rating on a current product is not automatically 'less dehumidifier' than an old 70-pint rating; it was measured differently.
- Manufacturer coverage claims in square feet (often 4,500-5,000 sq ft on these three units) run far ahead of what Size My Air's own sizing basis supports for that pint capacity.
- Size My Air sizes capacity from your room's square footage and dampness level, not from the pint number on the box.
- All three products referenced here carry the same current-procedure 50-pint rating; they differ mainly in tank size, width, and cold-space features.
Sources
- Dehumidifiers — ENERGY STAR
That dehumidifier capacity is measured in pints per 24 hours, and that the capacity needed depends on the size of the space and the conditions in it.
- Energy Conservation Program: Test Procedure for Dehumidifiers — US Department of Energy (Federal Register)
That a dehumidifier's capacity is defined by federal test procedure as the volume of water in pints removed from ambient air per day, normalized to a standard ambient temperature and relative humidity.
- A Brief Guide to Mold, Moisture and Your Home — US Environmental Protection Agency
That indoor humidity should be kept below 60 percent, ideally between 30 and 50 percent relative humidity.
- Guide to Air Cleaners in the Home — US Environmental Protection Agency
That a portable air cleaner should have a clean air delivery rate (CADR) large enough for the size of the room, that a higher CADR filters more particles and serves a larger area, and that most portable air cleaners carry a CADR rating on an AHAM label.
- Guide to Air Cleaners in the Home (room sizing) — US Environmental Protection Agency
That the room area should be compared against the maximum recommended room size on the packaging; that an open floor plan means considering the entire space the cleaner would serve; and that ceilings above 8 feet mean sizing up.
- Guide to Air Cleaners in the Home (furnace filters) — US Environmental Protection Agency
That a furnace or HVAC filter should be rated at least MERV 13, or as high as the system will accommodate, and that a dirty or overloaded filter does not work well.