Waykar 80-Pint 5,000 Sq. Ft. Dehumidifier: problems, parts and running costs

Checked: 2026-10-05

Summary

Waykar’s 80-pint / 5,000 sq ft dehumidifier class is a certified R-32 compressor unit rated 80 pints a day at 95 °F / 90% RH, which is roughly 24-25 pints a day at the DOE 65 °F / 60% RH point, so size it on the DOE number. The recurring costs are small, about $46-52 a year in electricity, but the exact model behind the listing is unresolved and the documented failure mode is an E1 temperature-sensor fault. Below about $180 it is a reasonable buy for a basement or large room; above $250 the direct-list pricing is poor value.

Common problems and fixes

You may not know which model you are buying — the seed listing could not be tied to a single Waykar model number, and Waykar sells at least five near-identical 80-pint units (JD025CE-80, YDZ-80, CTH80A, CTH80B, CHWA80A/CHWA80B) that differ in tank size, noise, drain options, features and efficiency class. Read the model number off the nameplate before comparing prices, manuals or replacement parts. [1][2][3][4]
The 80-pint rating is not household capacity — 80 pints a day is measured at 95 °F / 90% RH, and the DOE 65 °F / 60% RH figure for the class is about 24-25 pints a day; a retailer listing in the class says “DOE 25 Pint”. Most “it isn’t collecting water” complaints trace to this rating gap plus cool, dry rooms rather than a fault, so check room temperature, lower the humidistat below the current room humidity, and reseat the tank so the float is not tripped. [3][6][8]
E1 temperature-sensor fault — a July 2025 customer review describes an E1 code defined as a defective temperature sensor, a replacement part that took over three weeks despite an overnight promise, the new sensor failing to clear the code, and support then suggesting the motherboard might be at fault. A separate owner reports a humidity sensor failing in an earlier, smaller Waykar unit. Register the product to secure the second warranty year, and use the 30-day return window if a sensor fault appears early. [1][3][5]
Noise varies by model within the same class — 40 dB on the CTH80B, 42 dB on the JD025CE-80 and 47 dB on the CHWA80A, so a “quiet 80-pint Waykar” is ambiguous and the seed’s “under 40 dB” claim is not matched by any of them. [1][4][6]
The ENERGY STAR tier is not a single fact — one 80-pint model is plain ENERGY STAR Efficient, another is sold as Most Efficient without a year, Waykar’s FAQ says its whole-house 80-pint unit held the Most Efficient 2023 label but not under the stricter 2025 criteria, and compiled data puts the Most Efficient 2025 units in the class at CHWA80B and CTH80D. Do not treat a Most Efficient badge as identifying this listing. [1][3][7]
Tank-full false shut-offs and early stops — the recurring symptom class “won’t turn on or shuts off early” is attributed to a misaligned tank float reading full, a restart delay after unplugging, and defrost pauses in cool conditions. Reseat the tank, wait out the restart delay and expect defrost cycles to pause collection. [3]
Slow output in a cool basement — compressor units are documented to operate from 41 °F to 95 °F with auto defrost cycling in cool conditions; a basement below about 60 °F underperforms the headline figure regardless of model, and auto defrost pauses collection. [3][7]
No instrumented independent test exists — no lab test of any 80-pint Waykar unit was found from the major US test outlets, so real-world drying speed is unsupported and the practical fallback is the 30-day return plus the registration-based second year. [3][7]

Parts and consumables

Replacement temperature sensor — a service part exists for Waykar JD dehumidifiers and is the documented fix for an E1 fault, but no published price for the 80-pint class was found. [3][5]
Washable air filter — included and rinsed rather than replaced on a schedule, so it is not a recurring consumable. [1][4]
Drain hose (3.3 ft) — included for gravity drainage; there is no built-in pump on these units, and the manufacturer cautions to tighten the hose valve securely to avoid leaks. [1][2][4]

Yearly running cost

About $46-52 a year at the 17.7 ¢/kWh US average, from a class estimate of 260-291 kWh a year, or under about $8 a month. The YDZ-80 manual adds a per-model anchor of 300 W input and an IEF of 1.57 L/kWh at 65 °F / 60% RH, consistent with a mid-range figure for the class. Waykar’s own claims that its Most Efficient unit uses 45% less energy, or up to 50% more than non-ENERGY-STAR models, are manufacturer lab claims rather than third-party measurements. A washable filter and gravity drainage mean no other scheduled consumable cost. [3][4][7]

When it is a good buy

The class sells for roughly $160 to $272 across retailers in October 2026. Discount and big-box stores are at the bottom: a retailer brand page listed an 80-pint “DOE 25 Pint” unit at $159.99 against a $271.98 reference, Best Buy listed a Waykar 80-pint / 5,000 sq ft unit at $169.99 and the CTH80B at $179.99. Waykar’s own store is higher: CHWA 80-pint variants at $179.99, $189.99 and $209.99, the CTH80A family at a $235.99 sale from $309.99, and the JD025CE-80 and YDZ-80 at $269.99 and $271.99.

At or below $180: reasonable. You get a certified R-32 80-pint-class machine with tank plus gravity drain, auto defrost, timer and memory restart for roughly the cost of a mid-range 50-pint unit from a better-tested brand.
$181-220: fair, and worth paying for the higher-IEF variants, CHWA80B (IEF 1.90) and CTH80D (IEF 1.85), or the 40 dB CTH80B.
$221-250: weak, because there is no independent test evidence to justify a premium.
Above $250: poor value for a roughly 25-pint-a-day machine with a documented sensor/board failure mode.

Named alternatives from the research, with what each is better for:

Midea — an independent site ranks Waykar behind premium names like Midea on measured moisture removal, so Midea is the better choice when you want published independent test data.
CHWA80B or CTH80D — the Most Efficient 2025 units in this class (IEF 1.90 and 1.85); the better pick within Waykar’s range when efficiency matters.
A commercial unit — the better choice for flood recovery, a crawlspace or whole-house use, since this class maps to an average basement or large room rather than a 5,000 sq ft open floor. [1][2][3][4][6][7][8]