If the integrity of your crawlspace has been compromised by high humidity levels, the best crawl space dehumidifier will help you restore the abnormality. Waiting for more days, the accumulated moisture may cause damages to your building foundation. Apart from damages, allergens such as black or pink molds and mildew live happily in favorable moisture environment, not to talk about crawling areas of a house which is generally known to be humid. Take a look of what high moisture levels can result to in crawl spaces so that you can be ready to tackle the dangers on time:
- Structural damages – Water starts eating into the foundation gradually and over time, if no measure is taken leads to building collapsing.
- Molds growth – This is not only a concern for crawl space or home basement but anywhere high humidity is found, molds spread faster. Dark or blacks spot on building walls and floors, are signs of mold infestations.
- Pest dwelling – Your crawl space will be taking over by pests that lives in moisture surroundings and their activities are done secretly but become visible after they’ve finished their havocs.
- Unpleasant odors: Accumulated humidness oozes bad smell. For instance, soak your clothes on water then come back after some days and perceive the cloths, you’ll discovered the bad odor coming out. This same scenario is traceable to building crawl sections housing high humidity.
Alternative to basement or crawl space moisture removing is to encapsulate your crawl space but before doing this, you need to dry the space first. This is where the need to investing on a dehumidifier to dry out crawl space sets in before moving to the secondary method of closing up vents that’s had been allowing moisture to enter your crawls.
What Size of Dehumidifier for Crawl Space?
Calculating crawl space size may not be feasible as there is no standard measurement. Every building crawling areas size varies but the best you can do is to focus on the Pint and Coverage Limit of the dehumidifier you want. It is not ideal to use a whole house dehumidifiers for crawl area installation – these types have low pint capacity.
So sizing a unit for moisture in crawl space under house dehumidification, we recommend a device that can collect from 80 pints per day. Also the square coverage shouldn’t be less than 1000 ft2. This unit is one of the with lowest coverage machine reviewed which will be good for those looking for an affordable product.
1. AlorAir HD55 Basement/Crawl space Dehumidifiers Removal
This Alorair is the first runner up best dehumidifier for crawl space dehumidification in this article. The energy efficiency rating has made it climb higher in the listing. Seeing that users can remove more moisture for hours and still pay less electricity bill, we however, saw it economical for you to own a heavy duty dehumidifying appliance of its kind.
This Sentinel HD55 commercial grade dehumidifier is not only restricted to crawling space application. It can be used in warehouse, industrial settlement, shops, garages and other water flood places.
In crawl areas measuring 1,300 sq. feet, Aloirair HD55 effortlessly get rids of moisture up to 55 pints per day. If you have damper crawl space with lower temperature – no worries at all, Sentinel is ruggedly built to work in areas as low as 36 degrees. The internal corrosion technology protects the unit from humidness.
Wrapping up this Aloirair crawl space dehumidifier – if you are battling with molds/mildew growth, sticky emanating smells or rusting, once again Aloirair will remove the excessive moisture in less than 30 minutes.
- Automatic humidistat regulate
humidity level - Energy star appliance grants hours of
humidity removal while paying less
- Nothing on this earth is 100 %
reliable – so far it’s really hard on our part of any drawback. Nevertheless,
we may say installation cost that will be involved and the amount of pints it
collects.
2. Dri-Eaz PHD 200 Commercial Dehumidifier with Pump
Proceeding in this discussion is Dri-EAZ PHD 200 model. This unit can be install right underneath your house crawl section where humidity has be causing havoc in order to eliminate the menace. Although it’s a crawlspace unit but commercially designed for different environments dehumidification such as utility rooms, shower rooms, unfinished basement etc.
While the first products lacks pump system – Dri Eaz commercial dehumidifier has a pump system which mean more power for faster moisture removal and also dumping the condensation farther away from your house.
The PHD 200 is capable of sucking out 74 pint per day at 80°F (60% RH) while 120 pints/day at 90°F (90% RH) (AHAM) in crawl spaces of 2,000 square feet. The combine power of filter system provides clean fresh air to breath whenever you enter your crawl. This device also featured 6 years warranty on compressor and coil. In addition 1 year on parts and labor warranty.
- Automatic pump system
- High daily output extraction
- Forever warranty
- Durable
- Made in USA
- Pricey
- Filter needs replacement regularly
3. Aprilaire 1830 Basement Pro Dehumidifier, 70 Pint Dehumidifier for Basements up to 2200 sq. ft.
Aprilaire strikes the third position which is one of the most popular dehumidifier for crawl space on the market. To use this unit, you need to connect apprilaire 1830 to HAVC system. This unit can be used for homes and basement – the design distinguished it from the rest of the dehumidifiers in the list.
Besides most units installed on HAVC are generally use inside the house as such you can purchase Aprilaire 1830 for an entire house moisture extraction instead of investing on separate single rooms unit. It can extracts up to 70pts daily and works effectively in coverage’s not exceeding 3,800 square feet.
The price is good, no doubt but so far, apprilaire can’t perform well in temperature below 500 F. As such if your basement/crawls is a pool of moisture with lower temperature < 50 – you may be disappointed in its performance.
- High coverage area
- Defrost control function
- Automatic humidity control
- Powerful MERV filters
- Costly
- Noise level
- Not suitable for temperature below 50
degree
4. AlorAir Basement/Crawlspace Dehumidifiers 198PPD
In this article we’ve able to look at 3 crawl space water removal dehumidifiers above, here is another product which is from the AloirAir Company. Everything about this particular model is senior than previous Aloir Air units. For instance, the coverage area of 2,600 sq. feet is higher compared to AlorAir HD55 model of 1,300 sq. feet.
Although both have the same number of warranty years but still, HD190 comes featuring a remote controlling system the former lacks. The condensation pump in this Aloirair basement crawl space device humidity removal effectively empty moisture far from your house foundation. As such water won’t return back to your crawl space.
Although this best dehumidifier for crawl space is built to run in low temperature below 37 degrees – peradventure temperature falls below than expected, the HVG defrosting is available to protect your dehumidifier. With this fourth position you’ll able to withdraw crawlspace moisture up to 90 pints per day whereas with HD150, you can only extract 55 pints daily.
- Handle for carrying
- Remote monitoring
- Automatic defrosting
- Extracts 90 pts in 24 hours
- Withstand low temp. down to 36
- Expensive
5. Dri-Eaz Revolution LGR Commercial for Industrial, Compact, Crawlspace and Basement Drying
Wrapping up the best dehumidifier crawl space take us to Dri Eaz Revolution LGR. This Revolution is designed to collect 17 gallon daily i.e. 80 pints moisture which makes it the third highest condensation removal on this list.
With the large coverage capacity of 7,000 square feet, makes F413 not only powerful for crawl or basements use but also nice bet for industrial moisture removing.
Unfortunately this product is quite expensive. But owing to its quality features, durable nature and performance, these are just the accusing reasons for the high price tag.
Furthermore, number of numerous complain from different users on leakages which is questionable. Nevertheless, these draw backs still not enough to displace it on the consumers reports list as one of the best rated crawl space dehumidifier.
This unit working at very low temperature with auto humidity controlling plus other top most features, we however support the ministry of this device being our best priced dehumidifier on this discussion.
- Portable and lightweight design
- Large coverage space
- Extreme temperature operation
- Equipped with quality air filter
- Forever limited warranty
- Costly
- Complains on leakages
What Are The Features To Consider When Buying A Crawl Space Dehumidifier?
If you have a wet crawl space and you are looking for ways to get rid of the moisture, you are in the right section that answers this question. Getting rid of moisture in the crawls section involves dehumidification. However to embark on this process you need a dehumidifiers specifically designed for crawl spaces.
Fortunately you saw some of the top brands in our reviewed but that’s not enough to decide. There are other important things regarding the most suitable model for your house. Besides many of the crawl space moisture removal machine comes with various features that needs to be judged carefully which are listed below.
Dehumidification Rate
Justifying this, we can say how powerful the device in removing moisture from your crawl is. Simply, see it as the square footage of your crawl section in which a dehumidification system is rated in pints levels.
Recall, in our review, we mentioned some units featuring 70 pints and 90 pints respectively – this is what dehumidification rate mean – Unit with 70 pints takes out the same amount of moisture per day likewise 90 pints. However the cycle of removal is usually in 24 hours basis. The higher the number the more sufficient moistures to pull out.
Sound Level
This may not be as weighty like when shopping for indoor model. But since you want to install it underneath your house – you don’t need a noisier unit that may end up disturbing the whole family. A sound level of 50DbA is not bad for a dehumidifying unit for crawl drying.
Draining Option
Since crawl areas is not a place you frequent most times, as such any best crawl space dehumidifier should possess a good continuous draining outlet. If you’re to pick a unit, purchase a model that allow for easy access of the drainage option. If possible look for unit that includes the drain hose alongside to save you extra money of buying a hose separately.
Energy Star Rating
The integrity of the crawl under your house determines the life span of your building. Supposed it has been flooded, it means you need to dehumidify for hours getting moisture suck out and in doing this will require electricity. In this view, you need to be more practical ensuring you choose an energy star model for you to pay less electric bills.
Automatic Restart
A dehumidifier that should be installed in this kind of places should come with an auto restarting function. There can be power outage any time, if this happens, auto restart function restarts the appliance once power is restored while maintaining your initial settings. This however, saves you the stress of going up and down to turn on the appliance in such situation.
Temperature Operation
There are two vital things to note such as temperature and auto defrost function. Not all appliance can work efficiently in low temperature. For instance, if the temperature in the space below your building is as low as 36 degrees F, a model with 48 degree Fahrenheit won’t be suitable.
On the other hand, auto defrost protects the internal coil and components from humidity build up. Both mention specification are essential for crawl or basement dehumidifying system if you want efficiency to be delivered by the device.
Humidistat
Sure the focus is to remove humidity but doesn’t mean it should be over dried. Remember, low humidity causes wall to crack, wooden furniture to split and others. Because of this, you have to keep the crawl space moisture moderately.
Shopping for a crawl space dehumidifier with digital humidistat automatically regulate the moisture level. In the sense, if an ideal humidity level is reached, it shut down immediately.
Recommended Crawl Space Dehumidifier
What Is The Ideal Humidity For Crawl Space?
Moisture control is way to prevents mold growth, pest infestation and rot activities. This can be achieve by maintaining the right humidity levels in the crawl space under house. To understand this, relative humidity (RH) is the amount of water in air compared to the quantity it can retain at specific temperature.
If warm air goes into your home crawl space, it cools down which increases humidity levels. The end result which is high RH% can leads to energy lost, mold, and mildew and pest attraction.
For mold to start developing, a relative humidity of 70% is required but this is an estimated level. Other factors like relative humidity of the crawl space atmospheric air to the relative humidity level outside can also cause some molds to grow at a level below 70 percent.
To avoid structural damage, it is crucial to keep an eye on your crawl space. Nevertheless, a relative humidity of 50% should be maintained throughout the year which is the ideal humidity level for crawl space and basement as well.
What Is Crawl Space Encapsulation?
If humidity is yet to enter your crawl space, then encapsulation is the best way to protected under house space. Tightly sealing the crawl area prevents vapors coming in and as such keep crawl space moisture free and also from pest.
Encapsulation require you installing moisture barrier system and sealing crawl space openings. This can be done in the absence of moisture. If humidity is present already, you need to install a dehumidifier in your crawl space to remove the water before encapsulating the crawl space.
How to Get Rid Of Moisture in Crawl Space?
Molds in crawl space is a consequences of too much moisture presence. When you notice this ugly development, nobody should tell you – dehumidification is what you need do.
To get rid of the moisture, proper steps needs to be taken. Firstly, you need a crawl space dehumidifier. After shopping for the appliance, you need to install it unless the model you bought is a standalone unit requiring no installation.
Nonetheless, installation should be done in a place where there is ventilation to avoid overheating. Also ensure the drainage hose should be well fixed and extended to where you want the condensation to be dump.
If all things are in place, follow the manufacturer manual to set the level of humidity range you want in your crawl space. Once the preset humidity level is attained, the machine will turn off.
Take note, not all appliance comes with this function. For you to access this functionality, you need to look for a dehumidification system with automatic humidity control.
Final Verdict
High moisture in your crawl overtime leads to foundation damage and when this happens, your building will be affected. Possible effects maybe building collapse. Investing in the best crawl space dehumidifier won’t cost you much than allowing your house to be wrecked by excessive moisture. All what you need to know about crawls space and dehumidifiers has been discussed. Your choice for this appliance matters – because of this, choose wisely in order to keep your crawl space dry.