Setting up a grow tent is a great way to add a wider variety of plants and produce to your indoor plots. However, a humidifier is an essential part of this set up to keep your house and plants free of mold and mildew. However, what is the best dehumidifier for grow tent setups?
After looking at ten different great products, the absolute best is the Pro Breeze FBA_PB-03-US. This model features the latest technology, a variety of adjustable settings, and enough power to treat the entire grow tent without leaving some of your plants untreated. It has all of the most important features a dehumidifier of this classification could possess and is even affordable for the average gardener.
Sound like a lot? It is. However, we’ve done the leg work for you, breaking down tons of these products to help you make the right choice for you. We’ve selected our top-ten and provided in-depth reviews for each one and the reason we like them more than most of the competition. Considering crucial features such as coverage area, dehumidification performance, tank capacity and dimensions. If you still need a bit more information before making the final decision, we have a detailed buying guide to help you determine what matters most to you and your home grow setup.
More features: Built-in Thermo-Electric Cooling Technology (Peltier)
Hauling in our top prize, this Pro Breeze Peltier dehumidifier does an exceptional job at a good value. Certainly, the best mini dehumidifier for grow tents, this device is also an excellent fit for a ton of other small spaces, including garages, basements, or even RVs. However, as a grow tent dehumidifier, this appliance truly excels. It takes up a small amount of space – it only takes up less than half a square foot of space. However, it can dehumidify a room up to 220 square feet – and that includes ten-foot ceilings that you don’t normally have in a grow tent.
That means this small device packs a big punch, pulling up to 18 ounces of water out of the air per day. Even better, the Pro Breeze dehumidifier has a 52-ounce tank, meaning that if the device is operating at maximum capacity 24 hours per day, you’ll still only have to remove the tank every three days or so, making it a relatively low maintenance decision as well. All of this power and function comes in a small package that is lightweight and easy to move around from place to place if that’s important to your setup at all.
On top of performance, this particular machine also excels in efficiency. Utilizing the thermo-electric cooling Peltier technology, this dehumidifier runs on an extremely low level of energy. Even better, the machine runs with such a low amount of noise that the manufacturer calls it whisper quiet. This makes it an excellent choice for a home grow tent in a small space because the dehumidifier won’t cause a distraction to the rest of your life. All told, between a compact device that packs a big punch with a ton of energy efficiency, this one earned our top spot by a hair over some of the competition.
More features: Cooling circulation system; Smart memory
If you are looking for an easy to use machine, it’s hard to beat the Ivation Small-Area Compact Dehumidifier. It is designed for a small space and works well for a grow tent. While the item doesn’t specify a particular amount of space it is designed to work in, the fact that it pulls over a half a gallon of water out of the air per day shows that it packs a punch. This makes it our winner for the Best Dehumidifier for an Indoor Grow Tent designation.
One of the few hassles that running a dehumidifier is emptying the tank. However, this is one area that the Ivation dehumidifier can truly shine. While it does include a tank, measuring a pretty hefty three liters, it also includes a continuous drain hose. That means that instead of having to empty the tank, this dehumidifier can passively empty into a water basin, sink, tub, or even just out a window. This removes the need to every empty the tank, making it one of the most low-maintenance options, although it obviously requires a nearby and convenient spot for the hose to drain.
On top of this exceptional feature, it has a bunch of nice features. It dehumidifies without using moving parts, which allows it to operate at exceptionally low volume without any squeaking or blowing air that you often find in other dehumidifiers. This device also features a humidity sensor that detects the moisture in the air of the grow tent and turns itself off and on automatically, to ensure you get the humidity balance you are looking for in your hydroponic system. It also is an energy-efficient dehumidifier, allowing it to run on a much lower amount of electricity than other more conventional dehumidifiers while still packing a punch.
More features: 4- and 8-hour timer settings; additional automatic shut-off
While it didn’t earn our overall top award, the Pure Enrichment Deluxe Dehumidifier still earned the Customers Choice award for ease of use and effectiveness. This is one of the smallest dehumidifiers we reviewed, measuring just 1 foot tall and taking up just over a third of a foot of your grow tent space. Just because it’s small doesn’t make it weak. This device can work for a space up to 225 square feet, pulling out 20 ounces of water from the air every day with the 1.5-liter tank only requiring emptying every few days.
One of the features that makes this a top choice for the customer is the sleek design. So many dehumidifiers have a very spartan look while this device is actually fairly pleasing to look at. The design is more than simply attractive – it has smart features like a transparent water tank that makes it easy to visually see when a tank is full and needs to be changed, which should only be about every three days.
As for the usage of the machine in general, it’s fairly efficient and customizable. It includes two distinct speed settings that allow you to change the rate of dehumidification, which can be helpful for grow tent setups. The device can be set to automatically shut off after 4 or 8 hours, to help conserve power or make the process more cyclical. In addition, there is a safety shut off that allows it to shut off as soon as the tank is full and prevents any overheating. Because it takes up such a small space, it is a great fit for small grow tent operations without taking away too much of the space needed for actual growing. A sleek design houses an effective machine making it one of the best-rated dehumidifiers for grow tents.
More features: Whisper quiet and energy-efficient
There are portable dehumidifiers, and then there is the RINKMO Portable Dehumidifier, one of the best mini dehumidifiers for a grow tent that we tested in our study. Its sleek circular design measures up over a foot tall and under .4 square feet of a footprint. When it comes to being able to pack a punch, it’s all about a smart design, which this dehumidifier definitely has. Despite its small stature, this can work for a grow tent that covers up to 215 square feet of space and pulling out a solid twenty ounces of water every day. However, where this one stands out from other mini dehumidifiers is the large tank. It can hold a whopping 81 ounces of water, meaning you can go over four days without emptying the tank.
In addition to performance, this device is also fairly easy to use. It has a touch control panel with an easily legible three buttons to set the desired humidity and the timer you may want to set up. The LED display makes it easy to visually see the humidity level from a distance. As befits a device designed to work in small spaces, it runs quietly, below 40 decibels, which is compared to the average volume of a famously quiet library. With all this, it also runs on an energy-efficient and cost-saving level, making it a stellar choice.
The portable nature of this makes it not only a great choice for grow tents but will fit with plenty of room for other situations, including closets, RVs, and basements. When you include the fact that it weighs less than 8 ounces, it’s easy to call this an exceptionally portable machine that works brilliantly.
More features: Screen Touch Control; water Full Indicator
This dehumidifier earned our designation as the Best Rated Dehumidifier for a Grow Tent measuring 2’ by 4’ because it worked exceptionally well in a small space with a lot of nice features that you don’t normally see in such a small appliance. An exceptional jump off the page feature is the fact that this product is compatible with a drainage hose. This means that you can hook up a compatible hose to the device to support continuous and passive draining of the tank. That makes this low maintenance, easy to set up, and something you can set and forget far more effectively than most other machines in the space. If you don’t have a convenient way to set up this drainage hose, the dehumidifier still includes a 60-ounce tank, which is pretty generous compared to other options.
From a dehumidifying perspective, this machine pulls out a competitive 20 ounces a day, which is comparable with most of the other options on the list. The easy to read display will show you the current humidity by default. However, with a long press of the timer button, the device will also use in a built-in thermometer to give you the current temperature, which can be convenient in the temperature controlled environment of a grow tent. The timer is set for 24 hours, which gives you the control to get the system you want on an energy-efficient basis.
This is a great setup for the smaller grow tents because it is effective, uses a low amount of space, and can passively drain, helping you make the most of the space you have for your indoor grow operation. This is a very solid choice that will do the job of dehumidifying without a lot of extra attention from you and fit the space you have without a problem.
More features: Large air inlet
Dehumidifiers are not known for being particularly attractive machines, not exactly the peak of product design. However, the LATITOP Small Dehumidifier earned our Best Design award because it actually makes a dehumidifier that isn’t an eyesore to customers while still doing an admirable job of removing the moisture for the home hydroponics setup. It looks sharp, sleek, and clean with the front-facing design. However, this isn’t just a pretty package; it even packs a pretty solid punch. It pulls up to 23 ounces of moisture out of the air every day, in a space that measures up to 300 square feet, making it one of the biggest spaces covered by any of the best rated dehumidifiers for grow tents that we reviewed.
One of the significant areas of note for this dehumidifier is the fact that it has a large air inlet that helps it quickly and efficiently dehumidify the space. Just like many of these top of the line dehumidifiers we reviewed, this device doesn’t use a traditional compressor, which enables it to run quietly and effectively. This one will operate at about 45 decibels, which is comparable to bird calls. The tank holds over 65 ounces of water, meaning it will need to be changed about every three days, which keeps it fairly standard for many of the products in this space.
One of the common fears with grow tents is the propensity for flammability in such a confined space. This dehumidifier stands out because the AC adapter that provides the power for the appliance is safety certified and made with flame retardant materials. Another good safety feature is that the dehumidifier will automatically shut off when full, preventing overheating. Both of these will help ensure that this machine will run safely and effectively, all on top of its great design.
More features: Compressor based dehumidifier contains a pressurized refrigerant
EVA-DRY makes some of our favorite miniature humidifiers on the market, perfect for home growers who are just getting started. There are actually two sizes available that you can select from to help get the right setup for you. The one we review here is EVA-DRY Edv-2200, which is good for about 270 square foot of grow tent space. However, there is also a smaller option; the Edv-1100 covers about half the area. Both of these dehumidifiers do an admirable job and work fairly similarly, so the biggest thing is determining your space requirements.
The EVA-DRY devices both use the Peltier technology that allows these machines to run effectively and quietly at the same time. The higher capacity 2200 model pulls about 20 ounces of moisture out of the air every day. The tank is a fairly substantial 67 ounces, allowing you to go almost 3.5 days between tank emptying’s when running at maximum capacity. The appliance itself is definitely small and compact. It only has a footprint of .4 square feet and stands just a bit over a foot tall. This makes it easy to store out of the way while it does the job of keeping your grow tent at the desired humidity.
This appliance showcases lots of the standard safety features. If the tank fills up, it will automatically shut off to prevent any problems caused by overheating. There is a nice feature that comes along with this as well – there is an easy view indicator light that makes it easy to know if the tank is full without having to physically check the tank. The Peltier dehumidifying technology also makes it so that it is an energy-efficient device and runs quietly. Not the flashiest device out there, but it is portable, quiet, and effective. A solid choice.
More features: Smart LED Display; upgrade UV Light
Our pick as the Best Rated Dehumidifier for Grow Tents measuring 3’ x 3’ x 6’, this dehumidifier is a sensational option for your setup. Ideal for spaces up to 269 square feet, this appliance is tall and skinny, making it a good physical fit for the taller grow tent options, helping to maximize the floor space available. From a dehumidifying perspective, this does an admirable job. The device will extract up to 17 ounces a day of moisture from the air while the tank holds 68 ounces, meaning you can go up to 4 days between tank emptying’s. This is one of the longest times of any device we tested, making it one of the most low maintenance appliances around.
One of the things that really makes this stand out is the fact that it includes an ultraviolet light, which helps for air purification as well as dehumidification. The UV light will actually help remove formaldehyde, dust, smoke, and bacteria from the air, which can help improve the air quality in your grow tent in a massive way. The UV light doesn’t come on by default, but all it takes is a simple long press of the power button to kick on the UV light.
Another standout feature is that this dehumidifier comes with a very solid 15-month warranty, allowing you over a year of use with full confidence in the product. This device is also considered energy efficient and quiet, which makes it so that the device can run 24 hours a day, if needed, without adding insane costs or an annoying noise level. Also, this appliance has an easily visible LED screen that makes setting your desired humidity easy as well as quickly view the environmental humidity at a glance. Easy to use and effective dehumidifier.
More features: Automatic shut-off
We gave this Rendio product the award for the Best Dehumidifier for a 4×4 Grow Tent for a few reasons. It is not the highest performer in terms of dehumidification or tank size, but it does a very solid job for this grow tent set up. Technically, this appliance can be used in spaces up to 270 square feet, but we think that the performance for this device is a better fit for the 4×4 grow tent set up. It pulls in less than 17 ounces of moisture per day, which is a bit lower than some of the other options on this list. In addition, the tank is smaller than some of its competitors, measuring up at 51 ounces. That means that the longest you can go between tank emptyings at full capacity is three days.
Like several of its competitors, this dehumidifier uses the Peltier technology that has no moving parts. That means the Rendio product runs competively quietly and efficiently, from an energy perspective. It also features some of the standard safety features found in its competitors. Once the tank fills up, the dehumidifier will shut off automatically to prevent any issues caused by overheating. To make it easier, the control panel includes a yellow indicator light that will turn on when the tank reaches capacity.
This dehumidifier may not jump off the page in any one category, but it is still an exceptionally solid device. It pulls a fair bit of moisture with a decent sized tank and runs quietly and efficiently. It may not be the top of the field for a grow tent dehumidifier, but it certainly gets the job done. It is an exceptionally reliable appliance. It’s not the flashiest, but it is effective at a good price. There’s not a lot to complain about here.
More features: Compressor free, no chemicals, no moving parts
It’s nothing fancy, but the Aflioa Electric Dehumidifier earns our Budget Pick for a good reason. It does the job you need in a small package at a good price. It may not have some of the bells and whistles that other dehumidifiers have, but you get a functional machine at an affordable price. In fact, in a few areas, this dehumidifier excels and is one of the top in the class at the core job of pulling moisture out of the air.
From a pure dehumidifying perspective, this device pulls a whopping 26 ounces out of the air in a day when running at maximum capacity. That actually is among the tops of any of the grow tent dehumidifiers that we tested in our research. Going along with that is a 68-ounce tank, which means you have to empty the tank about every 2.5 days. That’s the shortest amount of time between tank emptying’s of maximum capacity that we have on this list, but if you are spending a lot of time tending to your grow tent, this can be an easy trade off to make. This also is easy to clean, with a quick and removable filter, which can help keep this device running well and running for a long period of time.
As for some of the other standard features, this Afloia product is fairly competitive. It utilizes the same quiet Peltier technology that makes this machine comparable to the dull noise of a library, easy to run at all hours. The dehumidifier will turn off when the tank fills up. This doesn’t have a ton of unique settings, but it is a simple push button to turn the device off and on. Lastly, for the reliability, you get a 2-year parts replacement service to help boost your brand confidence. A strong contender, especially given the affordable price point.
In this section, we will go through everything that you need to know to find the best dehumidifier for your grow tent possible. We have also taken the time to answer several frequently asked questions, so be sure to read through those as well if you have any further questions.
It may seem unusual to say that you need a dehumidifier in your grow tent. After all, water is essential to a healthy hydroponics growing environment (why, “hydro” is even in the name!). While that is true, on the other hand, moisture can also be the bane of the existence of a grow tent environment. With all the water present in a grow tent, it makes sense that a lot of water can be found in the air, particularly when you consider that grow tents are generally small, enclosed spaces. This moisture in the air can lead to a host of plant-ruining issues. Excessive moisture in the air can lead to mold or root rot, which can decimate any crops you are trying to grow in your setup. A dehumidifier is an absolutely essential component of the setup because it can help ensure that the air in your grow tent has a healthy balance of moisture without unnecessarily exposing your crop to the dangers of moisture related conditions.
Features to consider while choosing a dehumidifier for growing tentThere is no clear and obvious answer when you are trying to pick the right dehumidifier for your grow tent. Depending on your setup and needs, you may point yourself in different directions. There are a few top factors to consider when picking the proper dehumidifier for your needs.
The first is the coverage area, which is simply the amount of space that a dehumidifier can effectively control the air’s moisture content. Another factor that can be important is the amount of moisture that a device can actually pull out of the air in a day, called the dehumidification performance. This may require some advanced knowledge of your grow space set up, but you want to ensure that your dehumidifier can actually keep the amount of water in the air under control. While it doesn’t directly impact performance, another thing to consider is the capacity of the tank. How much water the tank can hold is directly related to how frequently you have to empty the tank. A smaller tank means more work, while a larger tank is something you don’t have to babysit quite as frequently.
A few other things should be considered, especially given the special requirements of a grow tent. When dealing with limited floor space in a grow tent, the footprint of the device can be a crucial factor in helping determine how it will fit in your setup. There are other optional features and considerations that can make a dehumidifier easier to use and a better fit for you as well.
Coverage area is essentially the amount of space that a dehumidifier can effectively control. Since we focused on space efficient dehumidifiers that could fit into a grow tent, the products we examined for this test ranged from an effective coverage area of 150 square feet to up to 300 square feet, a record set by the LATITOP Small Dehumidifier, which is a great fit for any larger hydroponic setups. This may sound like a lot of space, especially given that many grow tents are under 100 square feet. However, one thing to consider is that since moisture control is imperative for a grow tent setup, and you don’t necessarily want to be pushing the limit on coverage area. Ensuring that your dehumidifier can adequately function to keep your grow set up at the right humidity is essential, so leaving a little bit of cushion is probably a smart choice.
Dehumidification performance may sound like another word for coverage area, but this is actually a fairly distinct measurement. Instead of a measurement of effective space, the dehumidification performance is actually the physical amount of moisture that the dehumidifier can extract in 24 hours if operating at maximum capacity. While most of these are fairly consistent and competitive across the board, we did have a clear winner for this is the Ivation Small-Area Compact Dehumidifier, which pulled an outstanding 67 ounces per day of moisture out of the air in a day. This is an outlier for the smaller dehumidifiers, with the next best actually belonging to our Budget Pick, the Afloia Electric Dehumidifier. Some crops and setups will generate more moisture than others, so getting a handle on just how much moisture you’ll need pulled out of the air is a smart thing to keep in mind when selecting the best dehumidifier for your grow tent set up.
It doesn’t directly impact the performance of the device, but the tank capacity does impact how much maintenance the product will need to keep operating.
As the dehumidifier pulls moisture out of the air, it deposits it in a tank. Once the tank is full, the machines will generate shut off, to prevent any possible damage due to the dehumidifier overheating. If the tank is full, the dehumidifier cannot operate, which means that any moisture will remain in the air. The more frequently this tank needs to be emptied, the more attention you’ll need to give it. Tank size isn’t always a direct correlation for this number. The best way to look at this is to consider the amount of time you can go between tank emptying’s when the machine is operating at its maximum capacity.
The leader in this space is the Pin-1 Dehumidifier, which can go about four days between emptying’s at maximum capacity. Of course, some of these machines also have the opportunity to employ passive emptying, which totally negates this factor, something we’ll consider more in extra features.
Grow tents offer unique problems when it comes to space. Generally, because you don’t want whole sections of your house dedicated to your growing operation. When it comes to dimensions, that makes one of the most important things to consider the footprint of any dehumidifier you are thinking of. This is the amount of square foot space that the dehumidifier takes up. Most of the appliances we considered for this test fall into the miniature category, knowing that the idea is getting the most bang for your buck, when it comes to space in your grow tent. While most of these come as very small, the leader for the smallest footprint is the Pure Enrichment PureDry Deluxe Dehumidifier, which took up just about one-third of square footage, which is an incredible fit for many grow spaces. In general, a dehumidifier that is tall and skinny will fit in a lot of spaces very efficiently.
Another thing to consider, if you’ll be changing the layout of the grow tents on a higher frequency, could be the weight. The more portable of the device, the easier it is to move around to optimize your layout. However, since most grow tent setups will be fixed for good periods of time, the footprint is generally the best consideration.
Many people who put the effort into setting up a successful indoor growing operation know that micromanaging can produce big results. Knowing the little details of your space can be the difference between a good crop and a great crop. Monitoring humidity or maintaining humidity can be a big part of this success. A dehumidifier with a built-in humidistat (the tool that measures humidity in a space) can serve a couple of big purposes. It can make it easy for you to walk by and check the humidity in your grow tent without a lot of effort. Even better, some of the best rated dehumidifiers for grow tents can actually have a setting for the desired humidity you are trying to maintain and automatically turn off and on to maintain that moisture level. A great example of that is the Ivation Small-Area Compact Dehumidifier, which will automatically monitor humidity.
Most of the top dehumidifiers that we examined for grow tents use Peltier technology for its dehumidification without a compressor. This offers a ton of benefits. First, it’s energy-efficient, which means that the dehumidifiers will run at a low cost of operation, which is nice since you will likely be using the appliance on a regular basis. Another positive is that it runs very quietly, something that you can run day or night without disrupting your daily life. However, perhaps the biggest advantage to the technology is that it involves almost no moving parts, which limits the amount of wear and tear that can occur. Even boosting this confidence is that many of the dehumidifiers include warranties to help you know that your product is backed by the manufacturer. The best warranty in our top list that we examined belongs to the Afloia Electric Dehumidifier, our Budget Pick, because it includes a 2-year parts warranty that leads the pack. While these devices are all fairly reliable, getting a little extra security never hurts and should be considered.
There are a few bells and whistles that can make the difference when you are making the decision for the best dehumidifier for your grow tent setup. Perhaps the most beneficial is the inclusion or availability to set up a drainage hose for passive draining. With this setup, you will no longer need to empty the tank. Instead, the hose will just automatically remove moisture from the machine. This does require an appropriate place for the hose to drain out, such as a sink, tub, or even out the window. However, this can be a huge boon that makes your setup low maintenance.
Another interesting feature is the ultraviolet light that you find in the Pin-1 Dehumidifier. In addition to dehumidifying, the ultraviolet light helps purify the air, which will remove unhealthy particles from the air, which can make it better for you to breath when in the setup and better for the plants as well.
Other features you may want to consider are multiple speed settings (some dehumidifiers only have on/off buttons), easy LED controls, built-in timers for use, and easy settings to tell when a tank is full, including indicator lights or transparent tanks.
Just like any device, maintaining a dehumidifier will prolong the usefulness and life of the machine. There are a few essential things that will help you get the most use out of your machine. First off, only use the machine when necessary. You want to hit the desired humidity and maintain it, rather than running constantly. Reducing the use will reduce the wear and tear and prolong the life. Another thing to do is to maintain the filtration system. Most dehumidifiers have a filter that helps keep unhealthy particles out of the air. You can occasionally replace the filter per the manufacturer’s instructions. However, regularly cleaning the dehumidifier can be a smart idea, as well. Also, you’ll want to clean out the tank on occasion, simply with soap and water. The tank can quickly gather mold and mildew particles that the dehumidifier pulled out of the air. Keeping the tank clean keeps the dehumidifier operating properly. Another thing to consider is the placement of your device. For maximum efficiency, you want proper space for air intake and exhaust. Keeping the dehumidifier six inches away from any walls or other solid surfaces will let your dehumidifier get maximum efficiency and keep it running in top shape.
While all of the dehumidifiers we examined were solid and effective, we certainly had a few items that stood out to us through our rigorous testing. Earning our overall top pick was the Pro Breeze FBA_PB-03-US. With a small footprint, solid tank capacity, and dehumidification ability and a great value price point, this took our top prize, albeit by a narrow margin. For bigger setups and ease of use, the large Ivation Small-Area Compact Dehumidifier was a leading contender. It was one of the few dehumidifiers that fits in a grow tent that includes a drainage hose that can allow for passive draining. In addition, this dehumidifier pulled more moisture out of the air than any other of our top options for grow tents. Lastly, our Consumer’s Choice pick was Pure Enrichment PureDry Deluxe Dehumidifier. This had one of the smallest footprints and was an excellent choice for compact grow tent spaces. The margin between these three top choices was very small, and any of them would be a fantastic addition to your grow tent space.
