I have an ~700 sq. ft. basement with 80%+ relative humidity in the summer. Every Sears, Lowe's, local appliance store dehumidifier I've bought has failed in a few years. Does anyone manufacture a heavy-duty portable dehumidifier that will last awhile?

Also, anyone have any comments on Thermastor Sante Fe products? I was looking at their compact unit to hang between the floor joists but wondering if it was oversized for my application. I intend to use the basement as a workshop until I can get a dedicated shop built and don't want my hand tools and cast iron machine surfaces rusting.

Your going to have problems out of all of the portable dehumidifiers after a few years if you use them a lot. Check the warranty.

5 years seems to be tops for refrigerant system warranties on dehumidifiers. I went with the Santa Fe Compact unit and it seems to be doing a good job although the larger classic model may have been a better choice as it could probably have done the whole house. The unit ran for about a half hour initially before liquid water started draining out of it. The relative humidity dropped from 88% to in the low 70%s in the hour or so I hung around and watched it. Unit ran straight for a couple days, but after a week r.h. is in mid 40%s and dehumidifier is cycling on and off. One section of my basement has a gravel floor. I think I need to at least put a vapor barrier down and eventually concrete it to reduce the dehumidifier's run time. Unit is quieter than I expected too. Happy camper. :)