Best Basement Dehumidifiers with a Built-In Pump
Written by the Dehumidifier for Basement editorial team and reviewed for source accuracy. — last updated August 2026. Editorial policy · Report an error
Quick answer
If your basement has no floor drain below the unit, buy a dehumidifier for a basement with a pump and compare lift height first: the Whirlpool WHHD501PAW (16.4 ft) and GE ADHE50PWF (16 ft) push water highest, while the Midea Cube 50-Pint is the common all-round pick.
Green — a dehumidifier is likely the right solution
Based on the symptoms this page covers, a correctly sized dehumidifier is usually the right fix. No structural or water-intrusion repair is normally required.
This is a spec-based comparison — we have not lab-tested these units. Capacity, coverage and lift-height figures come from manufacturer documentation and retailer listings, and prices move constantly, so we link out to the retailer rather than publishing a number that goes stale.
Why a built-in pump matters in a basement
In most basements the drain is not conveniently below the dehumidifier. A gravity hose only works when water can fall the whole way to the outlet, so if your nearest destination is a laundry sink, a utility tub, a window well or a discharge point outside, the water has to travel uphill — and only a pump can do that. A built-in pump lets the unit run unattended instead of shutting off every time a 1–2 gallon bucket fills, which in a damp basement can be twice a day.
The single spec to compare is pump lift height: the maximum vertical distance the pump can push condensate. Measure from the unit's outlet to the rim of your sink or the window opening, add slack for the hose run, and buy a model rated above that number. Fifteen feet covers almost every basement-to-first-floor run; a short hop into a nearby utility sink needs far less.
Basement dehumidifiers with a pump compared
| Model | Typical price | Capacity | Coverage | Pump lift height | ENERGY STAR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Midea Cube 50-Pint (MAD50PS1QWT) | About $300 (typical range $245–$330) | 50 pint | Up to 4,500 sq ft | Standard built-in pump lift | ENERGY STAR certified |
| Frigidaire 50 Pint Built-In Pump Dehumidifier | About $279–$329 | 50 pint | Up to 4,500 sq ft | Standard built-in pump lift | ENERGY STAR certified |
| GE 50 pt. Built-in Pump (ADHE50PWF) | About $289–$309 | 50 pint | Up to 5,000 sq ft | Up to 16 ft vertical lift | ENERGY STAR certified |
| Keystone 50-Pint Built-In Pump | About $280–$300 | 50 pint | Up to 4,500 sq ft | Standard built-in pump lift | ENERGY STAR certified |
| Whirlpool 50-Pint Built-In Pump (WHHD501PAW) | About $300–$330 | 50 pint | Up to 3,000 sq ft | Up to 16.4 ft vertical lift — the highest here | ENERGY STAR certified |
Source: Manufacturer documentation and current retailer listings, checked August 2026
Model-by-model: the honest trade-off on each
Midea Cube 50-Pint (MAD50PS1QWT)
- Price
- About $300 (typical range $245–$330)
- Capacity
- 50 pint (current DOE test procedure)
- Coverage
- Up to 4,500 sq ft (manufacturer claim)
- Pump lift height
- Standard built-in pump lift (manufacturer does not publish a headline lift figure)
- ENERGY STAR
- Listed as ENERGY STAR certified
Trade-off: It is the pick most review sites converge on, and the folding cube body stores flat in the off-season — but the pump lift is only a standard figure, so if your laundry sink or window is more than about a storey above the unit, the GE or Whirlpool are the safer choice.
Frigidaire 50 Pint Built-In Pump Dehumidifier
- Price
- About $279–$329
- Capacity
- 50 pint (current DOE test procedure)
- Coverage
- Up to 4,500 sq ft (manufacturer claim)
- Pump lift height
- Standard built-in pump lift
- ENERGY STAR
- Listed as ENERGY STAR certified
Trade-off: Wi-Fi and app control are genuinely useful when the unit lives behind stored boxes — you can see the humidity reading without walking down the stairs — but app control adds nothing to drainage performance, and you are paying part of the price for it rather than for lift height.
GE 50 pt. Built-in Pump (ADHE50PWF)
- Price
- About $289–$309
- Capacity
- 50 pint (current DOE test procedure)
- Coverage
- Up to 5,000 sq ft (manufacturer claim)
- Pump lift height
- Up to 16 ft vertical lift
- ENERGY STAR
- Listed as ENERGY STAR certified
Trade-off: The 16 ft lift and the largest stated coverage in this group make it the one to buy when there is no floor drain anywhere near the unit — the cost is a full-size cabinet that is harder to tuck into a tight utility corner than the folding Midea.
Keystone 50-Pint Built-In Pump
- Price
- About $280–$300
- Capacity
- 50 pint (current DOE test procedure)
- Coverage
- Up to 4,500 sq ft (manufacturer claim)
- Pump lift height
- Standard built-in pump lift
- ENERGY STAR
- Listed as ENERGY STAR certified
Trade-off: Its built-in hygrometer tracks closely with a separate meter, which is unusual at this price — but owners consistently describe it as the loudest of the five, so it belongs in an unfinished utility area rather than under a bedroom.
Whirlpool 50-Pint Built-In Pump (WHHD501PAW)
- Price
- About $300–$330
- Capacity
- 50 pint (current DOE test procedure)
- Coverage
- Up to 3,000 sq ft (manufacturer claim)
- Pump lift height
- Up to 16.4 ft vertical lift — the highest here
- ENERGY STAR
- Listed as ENERGY STAR certified
Trade-off: It pushes water higher than anything else on this list and the humidistat is adjustable in fine steps, but the stated coverage is 3,000 sq ft — a third less than the GE — so it is the wrong unit for a large open basement even though it is the right one for a deep, tall-lift stairwell run.
How to choose between them
- No drain anywhere near the unit, water has to climb to a first-floor sink: GE ADHE50PWF (16 ft) or Whirlpool WHHD501PAW (16.4 ft).
- Large open basement over about 3,500 sq ft: GE ADHE50PWF, which claims the widest coverage at 5,000 sq ft.
- Typical 1,500–2,500 sq ft basement with a sink close by: Midea Cube 50-Pint or the Frigidaire pump model.
- Tight budget, unfinished utility space where noise does not matter: Keystone 50-Pint.
- Finished basement with a bedroom above: avoid the Keystone; see the quietest units.
Check capacity against your square footage before you check the pump — a pump on an undersized unit still leaves the room damp. Our sizing guide sets the pint class, and where to place a dehumidifier in a basement determines how far the pump actually has to lift.
Installing and maintaining the pump
Tools needed
- Vinyl tubing sized to the pump outlet
- Hose clamp or zip ties
- Bucket of water for the test run
- 1Measure the liftTape-measure from the pump outlet up to the drain point and confirm it is below the model's rated lift height.
- 2Route the tubingRun tubing with no sharp kinks and no long horizontal sag — sag holds water and encourages slime buildup.
- 3Secure both endsClamp the tubing to the barbed outlet; pumps run under pressure and an unclamped hose will pop off.
- 4Test before you walk awayPour water into the reservoir, confirm the pump kicks in, and check the whole run for drips.
- 5Flush twice a yearRun diluted white vinegar through the line to clear biofilm — a clogged line is the most common pump 'failure'.
🔴 Get free quotes from local waterproofing and mold professionals
Describe the problem and a local, licensed contractor can give you a free on-site estimate. No obligation. Quotes come from independent contractors; we do not perform waterproofing, inspection or remediation work ourselves.
Demonstration form — no lead provider is connected yet, so nothing is transmitted or stored when you submit.
Need help setting up the right solution?
Enter your ZIP code to find local professionals who can help with dehumidifier installation, drainage, indoor-air quality or humidity control.
Service type: Drainage
No obligation to hire.
You will continue to Thumbtack to view professionals serving your area. This link takes you to an external service marketplace. Availability and provider qualifications vary by location.
Frequently asked questions
How high can a dehumidifier pump push water?+
Residential built-in pumps typically lift 10–16 feet. The Whirlpool WHHD501PAW is rated to about 16.4 ft and the GE ADHE50PWF to about 16 ft, which are the highest in this comparison. Measure from the unit's outlet to the drain point before you buy.
Do I need a pump if I have a floor drain?+
No. If a floor drain or sump sits below the unit's drain port, a plain gravity hose is simpler, silent and has nothing to fail. See gravity-drain models and the continuous drain setup guide.
Can a pump dehumidifier also drain by gravity?+
Yes. All five models here have a standard gravity outlet as well, so you can bypass the pump entirely if a lower drain is available.
Are pump models louder?+
The pump itself only runs in short bursts and is not the main noise source. Compressor and fan noise dominate — among these five, owners most often describe the Keystone as the loudest.
Do pump dehumidifiers still have a bucket?+
Most keep an internal reservoir that the pump empties automatically. You only empty it by hand if you choose to run without a drain line.
Is a built-in pump better than an add-on pump?+
A built-in pump is tidier and controlled by the dehumidifier itself. An add-on pump costs less than replacing a working unit and can be serviced separately — see condensate pump setup.
Keep reading
Sources and methodology
Guidance on this page is drawn from federal agencies and industry standards bodies rather than our own laboratory testing. We do not test appliances in a laboratory and we do not publish product measurements we did not obtain from the manufacturer or a government listing.
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency — Mold Course & moisture control guidance (keep indoor relative humidity 30–50%)Used for: Target indoor relative humidity range and mold-growth conditions. Last verified 2026-07-29.
- U.S. Department of Energy — Energy Conservation Standards and Test Procedure for DehumidifiersUsed for: Why capacity ratings changed: the current federal test procedure and its rating conditions. Last verified 2026-07-29.
- ENERGY STAR (EPA) — ENERGY STAR Certified Dehumidifiers product finderUsed for: Certification status, Integrated Energy Factor (IEF) values, and sizing guidance for dehumidifiers. Last verified 2026-07-29.
- Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers (AHAM) — Dehumidifier certification program and sizing guidanceUsed for: Capacity-by-condition sizing ranges and certified capacity verification. Last verified 2026-07-29.
- U.S. Energy Information Administration — Electricity explained — Electricity prices and factors affecting pricesUsed for: Default electricity rate used in operating-cost estimates (2025 annual average). Last verified 2026-08-12.
Written by the Dehumidifier for Basement editorial team and reviewed for source accuracy. Last updated August 2026. Found an error? Report it through our corrections policy.