Crawl space dehumidifiers are necessary for homes with spaces vulnerable to humidity. If your home has a crawl space, you may not have given humidity a second thought. Such spaces separate your home from damp soil. They also give you easy access to your home’s plumbing system. But the question remains, why should you consider a dehumidifier for your a crawl space?
Here, we’ll tell you about the benefits of crawl space dehumidifiers. We’ve created a buying guide to help you decide as there are a variety of products available on the market today. Included in our guide is a breakdown of their strengths and weaknesses.
So, let’s dive deeper into the world of crawl space dehumidifiers.
Crawl Space Dehumidifier Benefits
For those who live in hot and humid climates, you may have a crawl space dehumidifier. Air in your crawl space impacts indoor air quality. The airflow that rises to the top of your house was generated at your home’s lowest levels. This means the moist air from your crawl space or basement circulates throughout your home.
Air Filter
You may have noticed musty odors inside your home, but did you know they carry harmful airborne particles? If you have vents, chances are your indoor air is not clean. A crawl space dehumidifier protects your health as it filters the humidity inside your home.
Dry, clean air reduces the risk of developing breathing problems. It also tackles dust mites and prevents mold. Not to mention, it’s priceless for those suffering allergies.
Home Protection
A regular dehumidifier helps preserve the integrity of your home’s structure. More than 28 percent of air humidity causes to wood rot. Condensation causes severe wood decay and is bad for your floor joists. If your house’s structure has a wood framework, it might fail in support your home. A crawl space dehumidifier prevents this as it maintains safe moisture levels.
Less humidity also translates as reduced risk of contamination. Termites and other humidity-loving organisms can thrive in a damp encapsulated space. Keep pests away to also ensure your home is not getting eaten from the inside out.
Lowers Household Expenses
Most crawl space dehumidifiers reduce your energy bills as you won’t need to run your conditioning unit as much. You can keep humidity levels below 60 percent (recommended value for comfort), at all times.
Signs You Need A Dehumidifier In Your Crawl Space
In hot and humid climates, excess moisture can circulate throughout your home.
Here are four signs that you need to a crawl space dehumidifier.
- Musty odors. Most often, it is the moisture in the crawl space that creates the perfect conditions for this to grow.
- Water pipes and other plumbing materials in the crawl space. Plumbing equipment contributes to condensation. Having a leaking pipe leads to humidity that can get out of hand if not handled properly.
- Your home’s structural integrity has signs of damage. From rotting wood to termites infestation, excess moisture can lead to serious damage. Other problems to look out for include rust, swollen floors, doors, and window frames.
- Breathing discomfort. You may experience headaches or allergies. There’s also a chance you could develop symptoms specific to breathing problems.
6 Best Crawl Space Dehumidifiers
The comparison table below gives you a quick overview of their most important traits. We also have a more thorough analysis, pros and cons, ready for your critical eye.
ALORAIR – 55 Pint
The ALORAIR Crawl Space Dehumidifier brings balance between performance and budget. Featuring a 5-year warranty, this unit promises to dry up your crawl space in no time. Capable of covering up to 1,300 square feet, it brings extra-comfort with the remote control.
The long-lasting epoxy coating and internal corrosion protection ensure the device’s durability. Thanks to the auto-defrost feature, it functions great even in temperatures as low as 36 degrees F.
Removing up to 26 liters of water a day, this ALORAIR model promises not to blow up your budget. Energy efficiency comes under the form of economical operation for this unit. Reduce your AC running time and increase comfort by removing excess moisture.
Pros:
- Durable design (epoxy coating)
- Auto defrosting feature
- Remote control
- Easy to assemble
- Protection against freon leakage
Cons:
- Only five years of warranty.
ALORAIR LGR 85 Pint
Beyond any doubt, the ALORAIR STORM LGR Extreme can dry crawl space in any condition. The unit’s design helps with water damage restoration in extreme cases like floods. Due to its waterproof design, the circuit board is protected from water damage. In saturation mode, it can remove almost 30 gallons of water per day. The model also includes a timer and digital humidistat control.
Compact and portable, it operates between 33 and 105 degrees F.
Pros:
- Efficient in water damage restoration
- High performance
- Portable (ridged handle)
- Compact, stackable, waterproof design
- LED display
- Built-in timer
- Digital humidistat control
- HGV defrosting
- Extra long cord (19.6 ft.)
- Durable epoxy coated coils.
Cons:
- limited warranty
Aprilaire 1820
Drying your home is easy with the Aprilaire 1820 Pro Dehumidifier. Equipped to cover an area up to 2,800 square feet, this device is from the nationwide leader in indoor air quality solutions. Aprilaire guarantees the unit can keep your space moisture-balanced. This unit can remove up almost 9 gallons of water a day from your crawl space.
Thanks to its reduced, compact size, it fits in tight spaces. The front-mounted control panel provides easy access to settings and information.
Pros:
- Durable structure
- Compact design
- Aluminum coils resistant to corrosion
- Easy installation and usage
- Front-mounted interactive display
Cons:
- 5-year warranty
- No remote control
- Requires 110V-120V AC single phase 60 Hz
Keystone
With its built-in pump, the Keystone 50 Pint Dehumidifier efficiently removes up to 50 pints of moisture from the air per day. The dehumidifier works quickly to absorb moisture out of a 4,500 square foot space to improve your air quality on many levels.
It allows you to drain out the water upwards from your crawl space or basement. The LED display, together with its automatic functions, make this model a worthy frontrunner. It features a 24-hour timer and a self-shut-off option when the tank is full.
Pros:
- LED display
- Removable dust filter
- Alerts for full tank/ clean-filter
- Automatic restart and shutoff
Cons:
- Only 90 days limited warranty
- Shipping issues
Dri-Eaz PHD 200
There will be times when you need professional dehumidification. For that, the Dri-Eaz PHD 200 Commercial Dehumidifier comes to the rescue. Ideal for basement, crawl space and even larger areas, it can remove almost 16 gallons of condensed water per day. You know you can count on its durability, when you see the warranty.
The polyethylene housing comes with a lifetime warranty. And the compressor and coils come with six year warranty, while the parts and labor come with a one-year warranty.
Thanks to the digital humidistat, you can control the humidity. Use it in your crawl space or wherever excessive moisture is problematic. Touch-pad controls, light display, and auto-pump-out system add to its selling features.
Pros:
- High performance in large areas
- Solid construction
- Lifetime warranty for housing
- Digital humidistat
- Built-in pump
- Touch-pad control panel
- Self-restart in case of power outage
Cons:
- Limited warranty for components
- Some clients accused malfunctions on the purge pump
- High-end product
ALORAIR – 90 Pints
When you want to go big, choose the ALORAIR Crawl Space Dehumidifier Sentinel HDi90. With an outstanding capacity, it can remove up to 25 gallons of condensed water a day. The unit works great in spaces up to 2,600 square feet. As the seven gallon counterpart, it features an auto-defrosting protection.
This means you can rely on the dehumidifier in temperatures as low as 36 degrees F. The Hot Gas Valve (HGV) system allows your device to operate for longer periods. The internal corrosion protection means oxidation will not be a concern. With easy to use controls that allow for emote access, you can adjust the settings from a distance.
Freon leaks are no longer a concern thanks to the Rare Earth Alloy Tube Evaporator protection. This feature preserves the coil’s heat transferability. Count on this dehumidifier to restart with the desired settings after a power outage. Energy efficiency is easily maintained with the automatic humidistat control.
Pros:
- Portable (built-in handles)
- Memory self-restart in case of power outage
- Remote control
- Outstanding capacity (94 liters per day)
- Auto defrost protection
- Coil corrosion protection
- Automatic humidistat control panel
Cons:
- 5-year limited warranty
- Some users accused leakages
Most Important Features Of A Crawl Space Dehumidifier
One more pit stop before revealing our favorite dehumidifiers. Before making a purchase, check out the specs, to make sure your choice matches your needs. Among the most important features, we mention the coverage area, size, safety features. Let us break them down for you.
Coverage
Depending on this indicator, you can estimate the unit’s performance in your space. You need to consider how large the surface is, but also the level of humidity. You want to choose a model that can dry out properly, even when moisture is above average.
Tank Capacity
According to the level of humidity in your area, your dehumidifier might get full pretty fast. If you’re on a tight schedule or you have your hands full most of the time, having to empty the tank can be quite tedious.
Size
This factor makes a difference for your comfort level. You don’t want to invest in a dehumidifier that takes too much of your crawl space. A unit too big will not only stick out like a sore thumb in a cramped space.
Safety Features
Beyond added comfort, a crawl space dehumidifier should take away, not add to your worries. The latest models include features that guarantee the product’s durability and safety. Consider what would actually make things better or easier for you.
Warranty
You can see this as the manufacturer’s promise that your investment is worthwhile. If you’re stretching your budget to get a particular model, you want to make sure it will not fail you in a few months. Most dehumidifiers come with a 5-year warranty, but some models offer a lifetime warranty.
Indoor Air Pollutants
Research has shown that 96 percent of homes tend to take at least one problem with indoor air quality. Since we tend to spend a lot of time indoors (and especially in the current global pandemic situation), we are exposed to air that can be more harmful than you think.
Indoor air pollution is a leading cause of death, claiming 3.8 million each year. Harmful pollutants that contribute to these numbers come from from cooking to using electronic machines. From carbon monoxide to aerosols, chances are there is something floating in the air inside your home that’s slowly killing you too.
The situation tends to become direr during the winter, when our windows are closed most of the time and whatever fresh air, we could get from outside is limited, trapping allergens inside the house.
In colder months, it’s important to open our windows as much as possible, allowing potential cooking fumes to go outside, but also decreasing the number of allergens trapped inside the house.
8 Tips On How To Take Care Of A Crawl Space Dehumidifier
If you aren’t sure how to take care of your crawl space dehumidifier, we can help. Although most crawl space dehumidifiers are low maintenance, this doesn’t mean you can neglect them.
Here, we’ll give you eight tips on how to take care of your commercial grade dehumidifier.
Manufacturer Guidance
Check the owner’s manual for information on installation, maintenance, and warranty conditions.
Clean Or Replace Air Filters
Depending on how dusty your crawl space is, a dehumidifier filter can become clogged. Its function is to trap harmful airborne particles so you don’t inhale them. A dirty or used filter will impact performance. Without scheduled cleaning, air will not move freely through the dehumidifier.
Unit Location
For your crawl space dehumidifier to perform at optimum levels, it should be free of obstacles near the exhaust and air intake valve. Access doors and windows should remain closed while your dehumidifier is operating.
The unit works best in encapsulated spaces, as other humidity sources are controlled. If extra moisture enters through a window, your unit will need to work extra hard. Consider the room temperature before installation. Some models can handle lower temperatures better than others.
Air Intake and Exhaust Grills
Keep the airways free of debris or dust. Use a vacuum brush to remove dirt from the grills. Do this every few months, depending on how polluted the air is in your space.
Wash Water Tank
Debris can make its way in the water container and become a mold hotbed. To prevent this, keep an eye on the tank and clean it periodically. Use soap or disinfectant to reduce bacteria.
Control Condensation
Though the outside of your dehumidifier is corrosion-protected, other components aren’t. Wipe away excess moisture from the control panel, for example.
Avoid Short Cycling The Compressor
Turning on and off the dehumidifier within a few minutes can cause damage to the compressor. The system doesn’t have enough time to balance the pressure within. This poses an overheating risk and can lead to a short-circuit. To prevent such problems, consider a model that features an automatic delayed start.
Frost And Ice on The Coils
Unless your dehumidifier has auto defrost, you’l need to watch out for ice accumulation. If temperatures drop, a frost layer could develop over the dehumidifier’s condenser. You’ll also need to inspect the coils often.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)FAQ
Do Dehumidifiers Work In Crawl Spaces?
Yes, they do, but you need to take into account that this might increase your electricity bill. A dehumidifier installed inside a crawl space might require maintenance and repairs, and you need to drain the collected water, otherwise it could flood the space.
How Much Is A Dehumidifier For A Crawl Space?
There are a many factors that influence the end price of a crawl space dehumidifier. A good unit will cost between $800 and $1,600, but it also costs calling in a professional to install this unit.
Why Are Cawl Space Dehumidifiers So Expensive?
Simply out: a crawl space dehumidifier requires more sophisticated components and engineering because it has to perform just like a regular dehumidifier, but has to come in a more compact size.
Not every crawl space can hold a dehumidifier. Units designed for this specific purpose need to be compact. This means that more technology has to fit in a smaller product, which leads to higher costs.
Where Should A Dehumidifier Be Placed In A Crawl Space?
The best place to install your dehumidifier in a crawl space is one where there is nothing blocking the airflow discharge. Concrete blocks are often the best place to install these units.
How Much Is A Dehumidifier For Crawl Space?
A reliable dehumidifier costs between $870 and $1,600, but if you want a superior model, be prepared to pay more.
Should I Run A Dehumidifier All The Time?
You should run your dehumidifier at least 12 hours a day. The more you run your dehumidifier unit the fresher it will be.
Crawl Space Dehumidifier Conclusion
As you’ve learned, crawl spaces pose a threat to your health and home’s integrity. Investing in a crawl space dehumidifier protects you and your home form excess moisture in humid climates. With your AC run you can save money by reducing energy bills a low-temperature operation AC functioning.
Compare, analyze and decide which crawl space dehumidifier is right for you. We are confident that the information included above gives you a comprehensive view. From main features to tips for maintenance, you can find it all here.
For more information, read this: best small dehumidifiers. If you need a unit for your basement or you desire a quiet dehumidifier, we can also help.
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