Dehumidifier Size Calculator (Pints Per Day Sizing)

Base pints/day follows ENERGY STAR's own current dehumidifier buying guide directly (energystar.gov/products/dehumidifiers), which publishes 3 dampness bands (Slightly-to-Moderately Damp, Very Damp, Wet) with a published capacity range for spaces under and over 2,000 sq ft. This calculator turns that into a continuous formula — anchored at 300 sq ft (the range's low figure) and 2,000 sq ft (its high figure) — rather than treating any area beyond a fixed cutoff as an unchanged, silently-reused number, and floors the result at the officially-stated low figure for very small spaces. That base is scaled by a ceiling-height multiplier (1 + 0.125 x feet above 8 ft — an 8 ft room uses x1.0, a 12 ft room x1.5) and increased by flat add-ons commonly cited alongside AHAM-style sizing guidance (a separate convention from ENERGY STAR's own table): below-grade/basement space (+5), no vapor barrier on the floor (+5), regular occupancy by 3+ people (+5), a nearby laundry/dryer (+5), and a nearby indoor pool/hot tub (+15, the midpoint of that source's cited 10-20 range). The combined raw figure is rounded UP to a standard retail tier (22, 30, 35, 50, or 70 pints/day) — never down, and the SAME rounded-up number is used both for display and for choosing the tier, so the two can never look inconsistent with each other. A space too large or damp for any single portable tier is flagged directly rather than guessed at. This is a planning estimate — always verify your chosen product's actual rated capacity AND which DOE test-condition standard (pre- or post-2019) that rating uses before purchasing.