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Meaco Zambezi Dehumidifier Review

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Over the years I have been tracking my experience with dehumidifiers. My biggest complaint about dehumidifiers generally is they simply don’t hold up over the long term. Add to that how expensive dehumidifiers are and it can be frustrating to say the least. I have been chronicling my experience and also sharing how to buy a dehumidifier with an extended warranty.

Recently, a representative from Meaco reached out to me so I could do a Meaco dehumidifier review. I was previously unfamiliar with the UK based company but I was interested in checking one out for myself and putting it to the test for years to come. Meaco offers a 2-year warranty with their dehumidifiers which is in line or better than some of their competitors. A quick search for dehumidifiers on Amazon showed that some manufacturers only offer a one year warranty.

The unit I received for this Meaco review was the DD8L Zambezi. This is the 8 liter version that seemed to keep up with keeping our basement nice and dry during the humid midwest summer. It is capable of collecting 17 pints per day running at 650 watts. What sets this dehumidifier apart from many is the Zeolite desiccant material. This chemical absorbs odors from the air from items like cigarettes, cosmetics, etc.

Instead of using a compressor along with a cold surface like many dehumidifiers, a desiccant dehumidifier absorbs moisture via a desiccant wheel. In my experience, it is these compressor-style dehumidifiers that seem to break down after only 1 or 2 years. While the Meaco DD8L Zambezi is more expensive than most compressor dehumidifiers, it is a premium worth paying if it lasts for years to come. I will continue to update the bottom of this post with any updates. Other benefits of this desiccant dehumidifier are that it is lighter weight and quieter (39dB) than its compressor-styled counterparts.

Beyond the different approach to removing humidity, the Meaco dehumidifier looks and operates in a similar fashion. The DD8L Zambezi has a bucket for water collection with the option of connecting a drain hose. Other features include fan speed, timer, child lock, clock, laundry mode as well as a filter. It also has an ionizer function which according to their marketing materials is clinically proven to remove germs, bacteria, mold spores, and ticks from the air. One unique feature is the motorized rotating air deflector which allows you to direct the dry air coming from the unit.

Another thing that I really like about the Meaco dehumidifier is that there are ways to reduce energy consumption. In low fan speed, the dehumidifier uses 300 watts and in medium or high fan speed it uses 600 watts. You’ll also notice that Meaco uses elephants on their displays and it is also part of their branding. The company donates £2 to the David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation.

Conclusion

While it is too soon to say for sure whether the DD8L Zambezi is better than other dehumidifiers I have tried, I am happy with it so far. I will continue to report back on this DD8L Zambezi review and share it with readers whether it holds up over the long term. You can also read reviews over on the Amazon product page. Note that this is a product that is eligible for a protection plan when you purchase it from Amazon (currently $44.99 for 4 years and $33.99 for 3 years). This is something I always recommend.

Trading an iPhone for the Pixel 3a and What Case to Buy for Pixel 3a

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At the bottom of this post I recommend what case you may want to consider for your new Pixel 3a.

I wasn’t planning on buying a new phone this week. Then, as part of Google I/O the company announced a phone with a deal that could not be passed up with the introduction of the Pixel 3a and 3a XL. I’ve long purchased used iPhones which have resulted in incredibly low cost of ownership. I often justified my indulgence in iPhones by buying used. However, my iPhone 6s was finally showing its age and the battery life had severely decreased.

side note: Readers of this blog know I’m a huge fan of Ting and yes, the Pixel 3a can be brought to the network. I checked and am awaiting my new SIM card (it requires the Nano SIM C10). Google FI is also a fantastic option for those looking to save money.

Enter Google’s extremely tempting offer for the Pixel 3a

The Pixel 3a retails for $399 through the Google store. Clicking on special offers at the top of the Google Store you’ll see that with a purchase you also receive $100 to spend at the Google Store, note that this is not the same as Google Play.

So you’ll get to choose from a variety of different products including Google’s speakers, accessories, outdoor security devices etc. What’s more is the mention of trading in your iPhone. This is what put me over the edge. I was offered $252 for my iPhone 6s 64GB. So the real cost was $420 (after tax) – $252 credit to my credit card once I return my phone = $168. Not bad for a phone which boasts some really great features and this doesn’t include the $100 Google Store credit (we’ll probably opt for the $99 Google Home which will be a nice addition to our Google Home Mini).

I won’t get into all of the specs on the phone here but I’m looking forward to the improved camera which includes portrait mode and night sight. In addition the phone has a battery life of up to 30 hours and can provide 7 hours of use with a 15 minute fast charge.

After I purchased my Pixel 3a I set out to find a case. Even though many details of the phone were leaked there still were limited options for cases on Amazon. What options were listed, many had fake reviews. There is no way a phone case could have a legitimate review on launch day.

Sure, you can buy a Pixel 3a case directly from a case manufacturer but I refuse to pay full retail, which is often the case when buying direct. However, I found that Spigen, a reputable cell phone case company had several options that were going to be available shortly. It seemed like their cases were already on the way to Amazon’s warehouse as of this writing (May 9, 2019). Here is a link to all of the cases they are offering, both for the Pixel 3a and Pixel 3a XL. I like a little extra protection and opted for the $15.99 Spigen Tough Armor for the Pixel 3a which is a step up from their Rugged Armor variant. It is the two piece style cases I prefer which have a combination of TPU and polycarbonate. The case for my Pixel 3a is slated to arrive next Tuesday, May 14. I’m sure I’ll be much happier than if I were to have purchased any of the cases shown above and will update my thoughts on the case once I receive it. I hope this post helps others save some time as they search for a case for their Pixel 3a. I’ll also be adding the glass screen protector that I end up purchasing.

Update May 9, 2019: Just two days after ordering my Pixel 3a it has arrived! So far I am impressed, and am getting used to the differences between the Andorid and iOS. I used their built in tool and included transfer adaptor to transfer all of my data from my iPhone to my Pixel 3a. I can’t believe how easy they make it to transfer your data.

Update May 24, 2019: I received the Spigen Tough Armor case for the Pixel 3a and am very happy with it. It offers really great protection with the two layers and is not that much more costly than the cheap cases on Amazon. The rear stand is a nice feature and the case leaves plenty of room  around the headphone jack for bulkier headphones.

I also purchased and received the Sparin tempered glass screen protectors for the Pixel 3a. It looks like these have since been removed from Amazon but here is the link to them for the Pixel 3a XL. I liked the easy install process with the included stickers to act as hinges which avoids any fingerprints, the cleaning wipe and finally the stickers to remove any dust. I was able to get it attached with no bubbles. The one downside is the screen protector just barely covers the screen width which is good for case compatibility but bad if you don’t attach it perfectly. The set comes with 4 screen protectors but you may want to avoid this is if will bother you if your install isn’t perfect.

Review of LUX Products Geo WiFi Thermostat – Is it Worth It?

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It was finally time to replace the dinosaur. Our furnace was first installed in the mid nineties and it wasn’t the correct size BTU that we needed for our house. The fact that the previous owners used a wood stove in order to supplement the heat as well as the fact that we keep our house at 60 most of the time probably added to its longevity. However, it was terribly inefficient according to our HVAC contractor.

Once it was decided we were going to go ahead with a new furnace the conversation quickly turned to adding a WiFi thermostat. Our old turn dial thermostat was likely original and it served its purpose (It’s not hard when you leave the arrow pointed to “60” almost all of the time) We had been putting this upgrade off for years but it was finally time for a new one.

Note: If you’re interested in seeing the LUX Products GEO thermostat in action, be sure to check out the bottom of the page where I’ve included a short video.

Where to Buy the LUX GEO

My HVAC contractor was adamant that we not install a Nest since he refuses to work on houses with these installed, something about his aversion to technology. There is something to be said about installing the same types of devices over and over, making it easier and more efficient to serve your customers. This means we had two options, either a Honeywell WiFi thermostat or a LUX Products Geo and since our furnace was to be installed shortly there wasn’t time to order online – it had to be purchased locally. While we didn’t have much choice, I was ultimately swayed as the technician read to me on the box of the LUX Products GEO that it supported Google assistant. It also appeared to have a relatively simple interface which ended up being true. We paid $145 locally although it can be purchased much cheaper on Amazon. At time of writing the LUX Geo sells for $95 and you can purchase it from Amazon here.

Setting up your LUX GEO and Mobile App

While I didn’t have to worry about wiring it looked simple enough with the installation guide. We used the “C” wire installation guide. Once the Geo was wired up I went right to downloading the app and creating my account. The trickiest part of the process is getting the LUX Geo connected to your home WiFi network. The provided instructions were sufficient, although I did have to try it twice before it worked.

Here is a pdf of the LUX GEO installation manual for those who are curious

There is one thing to make sure you understand about the GEO that is easy to overlook in the instructions. The GEO should only be used with lithium batteries and there is a setting on the GEO to set your “energy profile”. Setting this up also effects the delay in the GEO responding from changes in the app as well as smart home devices like Google Home and Amazon Alexa. This is in order to save battery life.

Review of the LUX Products App

The “Geo” stands for geofencing, meaning that you can set a radius of your choosing around your house. Once you leave the specified area, the Geo will automatically set your temperature to a predetermined setting also called “away”. You can also override the away setting in the app. Below are a few screenshots from the LUX app on my phone. The first image is the screen where you can modify the temperature and settings. What I like most about this is the simplicity in being able to modify the target temperature. Digging into the settings you have the ability to set “Away Heat”, “Away Cool” and there is a separate section to modify the schedules at the bottom of the app. You’ll notice that my heat schedule is set to 60 degrees all of the time. This is typically what we keep our house at and then we override it if necessary. You’ll also notice the back button which allows you to access the geolocation settings. We have set a .5 mile radius around our house when our away settings will kick in.

Once the above settings are set there isn’t much else you have to do. If you like to look at your furnace runtime LUX Products has created a nice interface to do so. It is linked off of the main page at the bottom of the app (see above). It’s interesting to look at the differences of run time as it relates to the outdoor temperature and to see how long the furnace needs to run in order to achieve a target temperature.

If you don’t have your phone handy, all of these settings can be accessed and changed through the LUX Products login page. It also allows you to download additional data to dig into furnace runtime further.

LUX GEO Review Wrap Up

What I really like about the LUX Geo is the simplicity of the functions on the unit and the app. This is something that is definitely user friendly for those who are less tech savvy but still want the capabilities of a WiFi thermostat. It’s not going to ‘wow’ your friends with its capabilities or sleek styling and the quality of the LCD screen leaves a bit to be desired, but the value for the price and ease of use still make this a great choice. I view the LUX GEO as a minimalistic WiFi thermostat which has all of the features that most people would want. The wheel navigation works well and will be familiar for those with older thermostats. Check it out for yourself on Amazon.

Popular Rad Power Bikes Electric Bike Accessories

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I have been a proud owner of a Rad Power Bikes RadWagon since late April 2018. Since then we’ve put on over 1600 miles. One thing that is great about Rad Power Bikes is the community. If you haven’t joined the Rad Power eBikes Owners Group on Facebook or the Rad Power Bikes Unofficial Forum I highly recommend you do so. Any question you may have about your bike has already been answered in that group (use the search functionality). Over the months I’ve been a member I’ve decided to compile some of the popular accessories that I see people commonly put on their bike, whether it be a RadRover, RadCity, RadWagon or RadMini. Note that the below links are Amazon affiliate links where applicable. I will earn a small commission if you make a product purchase which helps run the site.

Note: You can also find common accessories for Rad Power Bikes here.

If you have any suggestions to add to the list please share them in the comments.

Be Seen/Bike Lights

Brightz WheelBrightz LED Bike Lights

When we adventure out past dark we like to have fun with it which also adds an additional layer of safety. These bike lights are pretty versatile given that they run on 3 AA batteries. I’ve seen both the green and blue lights and they look great. We haven’t tried to put them on the wheels since I think it is easier to wrap them around the bike with the battery pack in a rear seat bag. You can also purchase one set for about $15. While I am happy with these lights it remains to be seen how long they will last.

Custom Taylor 33 reflective rim tape


This stuff looks amazing in all of the pictures I’ve seen. It is primarily advertised as reflective tape for sport bikes, but it also works well on bicycles. You definitely pay extra for this brand but it seems like it is higher quality than other options. For the RadCity, RadWagon RadRover you’ll want to order the 22″ variety. You’ll want the 16″ for the RadMini. Note that this comes in multiple colors on Amazon.

Seat Posts

Cane Creek 3G Thudbuster

I don’t have any experience with suspension seat posts myself but I’ve seen the above mentioned several times.

Bike Seats

Sunlite Cloud-9 Bicycle Seat


By far the most often mentioned bike seat is the Cloud 9 made by Sunlite. I don’t have any experience with it myself but Rad owners rave about how comfortable it is.

Replacement Parts/Components

Tektro Disc Brake Pad

If you’re looking to save a few bucks on replacement brake pads for your Rad you can order the replacement brake pads through Amazon. As of writing, Rad sells these Aries brake pads for $13.00 on their website while they are around $10 on Amazon. I ordered these from Amazon for my Rad Wagon and they are identical to those offered by Rad Power Bikes. If you are replacing original brakes you may notice that the old ones are A10.11 as opposed to E10.11. The E10.11 are made of organic compound whereas the A10.11 are metal ceramic compound. Note that these took 12 days to arrive from the seller SpeedPark which is overseas, but Amazon also stocks them at time of writing. Be sure to check your bike on whether you need Aries replacements (rectangular) or Novela (circular) which are below.

Tektro Novela Brake Pad

These appear to be the same brake pads offered by Rad Power Bikes for the circular variety, again, at a cheaper price.

More coming soon!