We Rate and Review All Crawlspace Dehumidifier Brands. » Crawlspace Dehumidifier Product Reviews

Customer Complaint Reveals Incredible Dehumidifier Performance in Severe Conditions

info — Thu, 09 Aug 2007 20:29:04 +0000

To give you an idea of the power of our Dri-CrawlSpace^®, listen to the results one of our customers had when he unknowingly created a worst case scenario for his dehumidifier.

A customer in Colorado called to complain that his unit was running too much and rarely shutting off. He also felt it was going into defrost mode too often. Our representative named Rod spoke with him. The customer said he was trying to achieve 35% RH and was only able to maintain 45%… plus, he installed a fan to blow outside air into the crawlspace!

This should throw an immediate red flag for anyone who has read through our website or spoken with one of our engineers.

Here’s why… Not only do you need to keep your vents closed, you definitely do NOT want a fan sucking outdoor air into the crawlspace. Furthermore, you should only need to maintain 50-55% Relative Humidity to eliminate mold growth, wood rot and other moisture issues.

This is like setting your refrigerator at the lowest setting and running it with the door open! When we told this story to one of our engineers at the factory, his response was, "Our units are not designed to dehumidify the entire state of Colorado." What’s really amazing about this phone call, is that even with a fan pulling unconditioned outside air into the crawlspace, our unit was still able to maintain an incredible 45% RH!

How Can You Tell the Best Crawlspace Dehumidifier From All the Rest?

chuck — Wed, 08 Nov 2006 19:59:41 +0000

Choosing the correct dehumidifier for your crawlspace can be so confusing because there are many different brands, types and sizes of dehumidifiers. When dealing with crawlspace moisture, it is important to choose a unit that is made specifically for use in crawlspaces.

The unique thing about your crawlspace that makes it completely different from any room in you home, is that humidity levels are always greater down there and temperature is always colder than any other room above in the main part of your house. That’s why you find mold growing down there before you see it anywhere else in your home. The colony starts below your house and sends its spores airborne, to float up, into and throughout your home until they find a moist place to grow. Drying out crawlspace moisture with the correct dehumidification equipment is the most direct way to solving many air quality issues in your home. And because of the unique conditions in your crawlspace, only a unit specially equipped will function properly down there.

We performed a study to determine the BEST VALUE in the product class of crawlspace dehumidifiers. We compared products side-by-side in simulated crawlspace conditions.

At the conclusion of our testing and product reviews, we chose to produce an unmatched line of crawlspace dehumidifiers, custom made to our specifications that will provide ideal performance in your crawlspace environment. We call these the Dri-CrawlSpace^® COMPACT and Dri-CrawlSpace^® PLUS available only on this website from OscarAir. The primary difference between the two models is the amount of moisture they can remove from the air. The Dri-CrawlSpace^® COMPACT can pull 31 pints of water per day from the air, while the Dri-CrawlSpace^® PLUS can remove 51 pints per day. Refer to the chart on our blog “How to Size a Crawlspace Dehumidifier” to determine the right size unit for your crawl space. For further help choosing the proper equipment, sign up to receive a FREE REPORT that “reveals 7 things you should know before buying any crawlspace dehumidifier”.

As you may have learned from our series of informative blogs, the American Lung Association and the American Medical Association recommend that your home maintains a relative humidity level of 30% – 50%. Using a properly sized dehumidifier with a vapor barrier will protect your health from mold and dust mites and will protect your home from the devastation of wood rot and termites. The Dri-CrawlSpace^® COMPACT and Dri-CrawlSpace^® PLUS are heavy-duty, all-weather dehumidifiers built to withstand harsh environments. These innovative units offer durability, reliability and simplicity of operation beyond any other crawlspace dehumidifiers on the market.

Features of the Dri-CrawlSpace^® COMPACT and Dri-CrawlSpace^® PLUS include:

Tested in our North Carolina engineering facility before shipment
Small size & weight allow for easy installation in tight spaces
Hot gas defrosting allows operation to 33 degrees Fahrenheit
Coils are enclosed in an epoxy-coated heavy-gauge metal case
Extra long 20 foot power cord
Integral dehumidistat provides control
Simple set-up and operation, plugs into standard household 115 volt outlet
Washable filter
Provides strong airflow, 200 CFM and 350 CFM respectively
All units use R-22 refrigerant
3 year warranty on compressor

The following chart provides specifications for each unit:

Specifications	Dri-CrawlSpace^® COMPACT	Dri-CrawlSpace^® PLUS
Compressor	Rotary	Rotary
Refrigerant	R-22	R-22
Airflow	200 CFM @0.00 ESP	350 CFM @ 0.00 ESP
Amps	3.5 amps	4.2 amps
Electric Supply	115v, 60Hz, 1 ph	115v, 60 Hz, 1 ph
Power Cord – 115v	20 foot grounded plug	20 foot grounded plug
Condensate Drain	3/4″ Male Pipe Thread	3/4″ Male Pipe Thread
Filter size	11″ x 11″	11″ x 11″
Operational Temperature	33 degrees F Min. to 90 degrees F Max.	33 degrees F Min. to 90 degrees F Max.
Capacity – Pints Per Day	35 PPD	50 PPD
Hertz	60Hz	60Hz
Watts	483 watts	403 watts
Kilowatts	.483 kW	.480 kW
Kilowatts / Pint Per Day	0.009 kW/ppd	0.0115 kW/ppd
Liters / kilowatt-hour	2.04 L/kWh	1.72 L/kWh
Width	13.8″	13.8″
Height	16.5″	16.5″
Length	23″	23″
Weight	60 lbs.	62 lbs.

Optional parts available include:

Condensate Pump – remote mount, 120v w/24 VAC safety lockout. Includes transformer, relay, terminal rail, mounting hardware and 25 foot drain tubing
Insulated Duct Adapter – supply and return allow use of 8″ round ducting
Line Voltage Humidistat – choose between remote wall mount or remote duct mount

High quality commercial grade crawlspace dehumidifiers like the Dri-CrawlSpace^® COMPACT and PLUS when used in crawlspace conditions, will outperform any Energy Star rated appliance grade dehumidifiers found in local retail stores. Those cheap units are not made for harsh crawlspace demands and environments. Their compressors will become over-worked and will cause your electric meter to spin fast enough to slice ham. To make sure you are getting a unit that will work in your crawlspace, check the operating temperature. Don’t be fooled by dehumidifiers that advertise Energy Star efficiency at 80°F. Go with a dehumidifier built for low temperatures found in crawlspaces. And here’s the kicker – our Dri-CrawlSpace^® units come with a performance guarantee. If it does not solve your humidity problem, you get 100% of your money back. Just call 1-800-564-0667 to activate your Performance Guarantee. A technician will revue your situation to ensure you are getting the right equipment and give you your activation code. Then order your unit online by clicking BUY-NOW in the menu above.

Choosing a Crawlspace Dehumidifier

info — Sat, 21 Oct 2006 20:55:16 +0000

On the crawl space dehumidifier product comparison chart below, we have provided some of the results of our product research. The top two Dri-CrawlSpace^® Dehumidifiers were custom made for OscarAir to achieve a level of performance where other products fell short. Both Dri-CrawlSpace^® units are available to the public by clicking on “Buy-Now” in the navigation at the top of this page.

Crawlspace Dehumidifier	Airflow	Pints/Day	Energy Star	Operating Temp	Weight	Size	Price
Dri-CrawlSpace^® PLUS	350 CFM	50 pints	Application Pending	33°F – 90°F	62 lbs	16.5″H	$1097
						13.8″W
						23″D
Product Review: This thing has got a lot of power. Can handle a damp, musty 2,400 ft² by 3 ft tall crawlspace. Will work in all seasons, down to freezing point. Energy efficient, yet effective balance of 50 pints per day with high 350 CFM airflow works ideally in a crawlspaces. Pints per day is determined by size of the compressor and cooling coils. Grossly oversized pints per day and compressor found in competitors generally leads to an unnecessarily high electric bill. Before choosing a unit, check the dehumidifier size chart to determine your crawlspace’s pints per day requirement.
Dri-CrawlSpace^® COMPACT	200 CFM	35 pints	Application Pending	33°F – 90°F	60 lbs	16.5“H	$747
						13.8″W
						23″D
Product Review: Lightweight & small footprint makes installation easy in narrow crawlspaces. Coil Defrost allows year round operation. Minimum operating temperature is critical because the crawlspace is always colder than the house above yet rarely drops below freezing due to geothermal heat in ground and heat from house above. Airflow and pints/day capacity appropriate for most crawlspaces up to 2000 ft². Price per capacity is best value available.
Santa Fe Advance	240 CFM	90 pints	YES	55°F – 95°F	71 lbs	19″H	$1149
						14.5″W
						33″D
Product Review: Better suited for basements, not crawlspaces. Very large cabinet, nearly 3 feet long, requires 2 people to install in a crawlspace. Will not fit in most crawlspaces when mounted correctly on cinder blocks. Freezes over and shuts down in colder conditions experienced in crawlspaces.
Santa Fe HC	250 CFM	135 pints	No	56°F – 100°F	99 lbs	18.65″H	$1550
						20.75″W
						33″D
Product Review: Cumbersome is an understatement for this enormous dehumidifier. Designed as a whole house, ducted unit, Santa Fe HC is better suited for basement installations where there is more space and temperatures stay above 56°F. Pints per day capacity is grossly overpowered for a crawlspace of almost any size.
CSB Sani-Dry	240 CFM	90 pints	Yes	55°F – 95°F	71 lbs	19″H	$1450
						14.5″W
						33″D
Product Review: Same machine as the Santa Fe Advance. This label is only sold by contractors as part of an encapsulation system. Contractor pricing is more expensive than buying direct from factory through a wholesaler such as BPA.
Ebac CD30	170 CFM	17 pints	No	33°F – 90°F	55 lbs	12″H	$869
						12″W
						22″D
Product Review: Water removal capacity is pretty low, making this unit only useful for extremely small spaces. When it comes to value per dollar, the Ebac CD30 is not quite up to par with the lower priced, more powerful Dri-CrawlSpace^®COMPACT.
Ebac CS60	360 CFM	56 pints	No	33°F – 90°F	63 lbs	13.25″H	$1500
						13.75″W
						20.25″D
Product Review: Coming in at nearly the most expensive crawlspace dehumidifier on the market, the Ebac CS60 tested pretty well, compared to lower priced units… except for the Dri-CrawlSpace^® PLUS With similar capacity, higher efficiency and better price, the Dri-CrawlSpace^® PLUS stacks up as a better value and better choice.

Prices shown were found through internet sources as of December 2006.