Crawlspace dehumidifier - horizontal form factor

[Donald]

I have an Aprilaire dehumidifier that keeps stopping. I need to shut it off for 5 min and turn back on. It's not that old.

My crawlspace is more like a slither space. Definitely need a horizontal form factor dehumidifier.

I would buy another Aprilaire but they are 2x or 3x what others are for similar rated dehumidifier. Most companies that do crawl space encapsulation install Aprilaire.

Considering: Moiswell.

Others I see on Amazon: Airecoler, Alorair.

Anyone have one of these other brands besides Aprilaire.

Might get two for redundancy.

 

[Rat407]

Call up Aprilaire. Ours went out and they helped me trouble shoot it over the phone. Easy fix and they sent me the parts for free.

 

[Kalle.J]

Wouldn't active ventilation be enough ?

 

[Donald]

Wouldn't active ventilation be enough ?

That was a big error in building construction with all the vents in crawlspace walls. Mine are all sealed.

With the outdoor RH at 65% you can use the engine of a 747 as a fan and will never get the RH of crawlspace to around 40% in the summer.

 

[zzyzzx]

Dig out enough room to put in a normal sized dehumidifier?

 

[Kalle.J]

Got it you live tropical

Atleast not as bad as this I guess.

 

[Donald]

Dig out enough room to put in a normal sized dehumidifier?

A normal form factor dehumidifier for a room is cheaper but will not last as long as a true crawl space dehumidifier from Aprilaire or Santa Fe.

 

[#18FAN]

I own a Moisture Medic
https://www.moisturemedic.com/

 

[JHZR2]

We bought a Santa Fe years ago, because it appeared to be the most energy efficient. They made various form factors.

 

[Donald]

Yesterday was the last day of Amazon Prime Days. I found an Aprilaire on sale for a few hundred off and bought it.

But I may add a smart outlet to power-cycle the current Aprilaire in some manner. I already have a RH sensor that is part of Smartthings.

 

[Donald]

Yesterday was the last day of Amazon Prime Days. I found an Aprilaire on sale for a few hundred off and bought it.

But I may add a smart outlet to power-cycle the current Aprilaire in some manner. I already have a RH sensor that is part of Smartthings.

Well for unknown reason my order for Amazon Prime Day did not take.

I have an E4 error code. Aprilaire says an E4 is likely the dehumidifier is low on refrigerant. And it's a sealed system. No one including Aprilaire can recharge the refrigerant. So you toss and buy a new one.

 

[RhondaHonda]

Do you really need 40% RH? I’d just get a $150 Costco one like I do and keep it around 50-55%. Nothing should grow at that level and you just buy a new one every 2-5 years.

 

[Donald]

Do you really need 40% RH? I’d just get a $150 Costco one like I do and keep it around 50-55%. Nothing should grow at that level and you just buy a new one every 2-5 years.

I suppose I could get a cheap dehumidifier every few years.

I think the SantaFe dehumidifier that was installed in my house when it was first built lasted close to 20 years.

 

[RhondaHonda]

I suppose I could get a cheap dehumidifier every few years.

I think the SantaFe dehumidifier that was installed in my house when it was first built lasted close to 20 years.

Oh that’s pretty good then. I was thinking a $2k dehumidifier wasn’t lasting any longer than a cheapo.

 

[Donald]

Oh that’s pretty good then. I was thinking a $2k dehumidifier wasn’t lasting any longer than a cheapo.

The only slightly annoying thing is the SantaFe dehumidifier is still in my crawlspace. Unsure exactly how to get it out. It's larger and heavy. My crawlspace entry is the size of a rectangular basement window. Not a door. I can barely fit through.

 

[Donald]

However I now have the dehumidifier plugged into a Smartthings outlet and have two RH sensors in crawlspace. I can monitor the RH and the wattage being used by the dehumidifier and can power it off and on. All from phone. If I see the RH rising I can check the wattage being used and if it appears to have shut down, I can power it off and wait 5 min and power on, see the fan come on (70 watts) then the compressor (677 watts). I can write a routine to automate that also.

However if the Aprilaire gets another E4 error code I can put the dehumidifier into troubleshooting mode and get some additional readings to go over with Aprilaire support. But need to crawl in to crawlspace to do that.

 

[Donald]

Oh that’s pretty good then. I was thinking a $2k dehumidifier wasn’t lasting any longer than a cheapo.

But as with anything you buy will a Santa Fe or Aprilaire last 20 years like the old one did? Or are newer ones built cheaper?

 

[Rat407]

Our Aprilaire is set at 55% humidity. Having it encapsulated, it's nice under there. LOL Now if I have to go under for some reason, like the wife wanting more outlets outside for Christmas decorations.

 

[Donald]

Our Aprilaire is set at 55% humidity. Having it encapsulated, it's nice under there. LOL Now if I have to go under for some reason, like the wife wanting more outlets outside for Christmas decorations.

I have your basic vapor barrier on the crawlspace floor. The dehumidifier gets it to around 40%. Hard to justify spending $12K to $15K on encapsulation when all it would get me is the dehumidifier running a little less.

 

[Donald]

Picked up a new Aprilaire 100 ppd for $850. Since it's a private sale, no warranty. But $1800 on Amazon.