Aprilaire Avis 4

I bought the AprilAire E100 because I was told — repeatedly — that AprilAire was the gold standard. The brand that lasts 10+ years easily. Worth the premium price. I believed it.
The unit was professionally installed and received professional maintenance for its entire life. I did everything right.
It died at 6 years.
I called a technician out to diagnose it — $100 out of my pocket just to confirm what I already suspected. Then I called AprilAire directly, because I thought: surely a company that markets itself as a premium, long-lasting product would want to stand behind it. Maybe a goodwill gesture. Maybe a discounted repair. Something.
Nothing. Not even a conversation. Just a $2,000+ replacement quote and a shrug.
Six years. Professional installation. Professional maintenance. This is what "best in the business" gets you.
I'm not buying premium AprilAire again. And I'll be making sure everyone I know who asks about dehumidifiers hears this story before they spend their money.

I purchased an Aprilaire e100 dehumidifier from this company based on their promises of reliability and longevity. I was told that parts typically last well beyond five years, yet one of the major components failed after just two. While the part was technically covered under warranty, I was shocked to learn that labor costs—which are substantial—are not included.
The company acknowledged that this type of failure is uncommon, but they still refused to offer any goodwill support or flexibility to help cover the unexpected cost. In my view, a warranty that only covers the part while leaving the customer on the hook for labor offers little real-world value.
This experience was frustrating, costly, and completely undermined the trust I had in this brand. I will not be purchasing or recommending their products in the future. Customers should be aware that if something goes wrong—even far earlier than expected—they may be left to deal with the consequences alone.

The build quality really seems to have declined. My last unit lasted only two years.

Filters are also crazy expensive

A professional HVAC company installed an Aprilaire 600 in my home in May 2020. We used it for one season and replaced the water panel with genuine Aprilaire media after 6 months (when the display was flashing). Then it stopped working shortly after. I did some research online and figured it had to be the solenoid. I contacted Aprilaire to ask their techs and one of them told me that it was not the solenoid because that part is "bulletproof." I continued to troubleshoot and ended up calling a vendor that Aprilaire recommended and they came out and confirmed it's the solenoid. I had to pay for that service call/diagnostic. I then asked Aprilaire to please send me a new solenoid under the circumstances and they have refused to do so and have not apologized for the false information they provided. Please beware that these systems are simple but the parts will fail and the onus is on the consumer even under warranty to pay for diagnostics and pay for new parts. I showed them a receipt for installation and they said I have to contact that installer and ask them to come and to order the part (very time-consuming). It's ridiculous! Just send a replacement for the defective part--the system is under warranty.