Commercial dehumidifier?

[bzinsky]

I don’t know much about dehumidifiers. But I have a 4k sq ft basement that I’m only in about twice a year. I have 2 homeowner units right now I bought from home depot. They generally run 24/7. I don’t think they are designed for that.

I had one fail on me after 2 years and one after 3 years.

I’m thinking I should go with a commercial unit that will last longer.

I don’t want to run 220v. I just want to plug it in.

Wondering if you guys have any recommendations. Not trying to spend a lot of money. I’d like to keep it under 1k. I’m just trying to take the edge off the humidity, it’s not a finished basement.

Thanks in advance.

 

[jonshonda]

when I used the search function and typed in "dehumidifier", 51 different threads were found on GJ. Happy reading!

 

[Jackfre]

I guess your best source would be a Graingers or Johnstone Supply. I googled the term and came up with this one. I have no experience with this model, but know the company as i competed against them. They make good products. In my basement I suspended my dehu unit and let it gravity drain into the stand pipe for the washing machine. That eliminated the need for a pump.

 

[u3b3rg33k]

what are you looking to accomplish? lower TCO? a dehumidifier costs about $30/mo to run continuously. that's $360 a year.
lower purchase cost? I think resi units run about $200-300. a commercial unit will run you about $1200-1500.

you want one that costs less to run? get a residential whole house unit with a nameplate capacity of 100PPD or higher. the rules for those units requires them to produce more L/kWh. smaller units are exempt (that's why you don't see 100PPD units on the shelf at the store).

best way to get more life out of one? probably set it for 4 hours on/ 4 hours off vs continuous. or put it on a timer. cut your operating cost in half.

basement too wet for that? you probably need to put money into water diversion/sealing instead. $300 into white water barrier paint goes a lot further than $300 into running a $300 appliance.

 

[Stuart in MN]

They're not cheap but a very good commercial grade dehumidifier is the Hy-E Dry made by Thermastor: https://www.thermastor.com/commercial-dehumidification/

 

[brewchief]

Aprilaire 1830 or 1850, the 1850 is a decent bit louder then the 1830 if noise is a big concern.

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk

 

[u3b3rg33k]

the aprilaire 1830 is a 70 PPD model
the aprilaire 1850 is a 95 PPD model
the aprilaire 1870 is a 130 PPD model

per energystar:
https://www.energystar.gov/productf...mber=0&lastpage=0&brand_name_filter=Aprilaire

the 1830 produces 2.0L/kwh, the 1850 2.11L/kWh and the 1870 (the 130PPD model) produces 2.89-2.98 L/kwh.

that means the big unit costs about 2/3 as much to operate per gallon produced. if you're running it off a dehumidistat, then you want the big one. the price difference appears to be a couple hundred bucks, so the ROI is fast.

the best units out there are 4.2L/kWh, so they cost 1/2 as much to run per gallon produced.

 

[NORTON'S SHOP]

I have a Dri-eaz 1200. Bought it used for $400.00. I believe they list for over $2000.00 new. I love it! It will be the last dehumidifier you will ever buy.

 

[yeldogt]

bought mine from Sylvane .. they sell all the major brands. I like the santa-fe/ ultra-aire.

You need to get one that that's the correct size -- otherwise don't bother. They cost more vs what you want to spend.

The pro models have the capacity to remove the humidity .. not just manage it. They run continuously when first turned on and then cycle to keep things in check. They remove more water per KW. The small models with the tank are designed for small areas and just can't remove enough water fast enough for a large space.

 

[Eric29]

I bought a Santa Fe. Just a word of caution. My basement is much smaller than the suggested size for the dehumidifier I purchased. Despite that, I wish I had purchased a unit with more capacity. I think the company websites are pretty optimistic about the ability of their products to dehumidify basements and as a result, you may end up with a unit that runs constantly as I did.

 

[JimNC]

I have a Dri Eaz Revolution LGR, actually 2 of them. They work well, not sure about cost to operate per liter extracted. Have over 5,000 hours on each.

 

[u3b3rg33k]

I bought a Santa Fe. Just a word of caution. My basement is much smaller than the suggested size for the dehumidifier I purchased. Despite that, I wish I had purchased a unit with more capacity. I think the company websites are pretty optimistic about the ability of their products to dehumidify basements and as a result, you may end up with a unit that runs constantly as I did.

this is likely due to your choice of a refrigerant based dehumidifier and how they function. as the dewpoint drops, so does the efficacy of a compressor based dehumidifier. that 70LPD number is at 80F and 60% humidity. it's much, much lower (maybe 50% of rated capacity) when your basement is 68F and 50% humidity.

perhaps you want a lower power desiccant dehumidifier, and/or some water blocking paint for your walls.

 

[Jeepster04]

Were also looking for a good dehumidifier to use in a crawl space.

We were set on an aprilaire but after reading reviews it seems they last 2-3 years. They have a 5 year warranty on parts but Ive never heard of anyone servicing a small dehumidifier....

The sante fe units just have a knob that you turn with no way of knowing the RH setting. I suppose you could get something to monitor the humidity. A pro of this is it seems simple and maybe its more reliable than the digital units?? They get great reviews

Ultra air seems to get good reviews also but it may be more of a whole house unit that you hook up to your homes HVAC unit. Not sure why people need to do that? I suppose you could use it in a basement/crawl space and just leave the duct off of it... They also just have the knob to turn but you can buy remote Humidistat's for both the santa fe and ultra air units. One is $76 and is just the basic knob while the other is a nice digital unit that does more than we most likely need.

 

[yeldogt]

Were also looking for a good dehumidifier to use in a crawl space.

We were set on an aprilaire but after reading reviews it seems they last 2-3 years. They have a 5 year warranty on parts but Ive never heard of anyone servicing a small dehumidifier....

The sante fe units just have a knob that you turn with no way of knowing the RH setting. I suppose you could get something to monitor the humidity. A pro of this is it seems simple and maybe its more reliable than the digital units?? They get great reviews

Ultra air seems to get good reviews also but it may be more of a whole house unit that you hook up to your homes HVAC unit. Not sure why people need to do that? I suppose you could use it in a basement/crawl space and just leave the duct off of it... They also just have the knob to turn but you can buy remote Humidistat's for both the santa fe and ultra air units. One is $76 and is just the basic knob while the other is a nice digital unit that does more than we most likely need.

Have used the small Santa Fe unit in three houses --- one died (leaked) out of warranty and they sent me another unit no charge ... the replacement had the defrost sensor fail a few years later and they sent me the part and instructions ....again no charge. My other one is about 10 years old and never touched .... sold the house with the third. I have a larger Ultra air in the box for my new build and have used previously.

The Santa Fe and the Ultra Air units are the same .... there is also an April-air ..I always get them confused.

the knob for adjusting is not really and issue -- once you get it set .. I never touch it. They make a controller for the larger units that also does the humidity.

Some units don't have any humidistat -- they need the controller. The Santa Fe is designed to be self contained .. except for pump.