Crawl space dehumidifiers are vital at controlling humidity in the crawl space and the rest of your home and I am listing 5 features every dehumidifier needs. Many homeowners are looking for the best features without wasting money on unnecessary bells and whistles. I have put together a list of some of the top features we like to see on dehumidifiers. These features will help keep your home dry while also informing you and making the dehumidifier easier to operate. Many years ago we installed a brand of dehumidifier that used knobs to regulate moisture levels. The dehumidifiers worked fine but guessing which knob setting is best is confusing. These knob control dehumidifiers are still used today by many crawl space repair contractors. The best way to ensure accurate humidity levels without confusion is through digital controls. These digitally controlled dehumidifiers take the guess work out of keeping your crawl space or other parts of the home dry. Crawl spaces sit low and a condensate pump is needed to push the water to ground level. Once the water reaches ground level it can then drain properly away from your foundation. A dehumidifier with an internal condensate pump is a feature that can be a problem when the pump fails. Notice I say when, not if. Many of the pumps installed inside dehumidifiers are cheap plastic and one of the first parts to wear out. The solution is replacing the entire dehumidifier or sending it in for repair. Either way, your home is left unprotected. Installing an external condensate pump will keep this from happening and keep your home dry. Air filters are features used in many dehumidifiers to protect them from being exposed to debris that can harm the machine. Some manufacturers take it a step further and install filters that can assist in catching smaller air pollution particles. The dehumidifiers that offer better quality filters will assist in keeping your home less dusty. Improving indoor air quality is part of the dehumidifiers job by lowering high humidity levels. Helping to remove dust is an added bonus you will appreciate while keeping your home dry. Drop us a line today for a quote! When purchasing an item that could potentially last 10 years or longer, energy efficiency should be top of mind. Many smaller less pint removing dehumidifiers use more energy than commercial grade models. The savings in up front cost could be quickly diminished in electricity usage. Make sure you choose a dehumidifier that focuses on power to remove water and energy efficiency to keep your home dry. Most smaller less expensive dehumidifiers only carry a 90-day to 1-year warranty. Many commercial grade dehumidifiers carry a 5-year plus bumper-to-bumper warranty. The Aprilaire E Series even gives a 5-year warranty to the external condensate pump when purchased from our DIY store with the dehumidifier. Warranty replacement issues can cost more just like energy efficiency can over time. A $300 dehumidifier that fails every 15-months can cost $1200 versus an Aprilaire E70. Plus the added headache of swapping the dehumidifier every 15-months. Ensuring you choose a better warranty ensures better quality parts were used in making the dehumidifier. A longer warranty and better quality dehumidifier will help keep your home dry. Do you need help with mold removal, crawl space encapsulation, crawl space insulation, vapor barrier, waterproofing, or controlling humidity in your crawl space and you live in Georgia, Delaware, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Ohio, or Kentucky? If so, please contact us to schedule your assessment. Also, let us know in the comments below if you have an idea for a new blog topic. Perhaps you'd like to tackle your own crawl space repair. Visit our DIY Store. Contact us if you need help fixing your crawl space or yard drainage by clicking here. Learn about Crawl Space Ninja Franchise opportunities.
5 Features Every Dehumidifier Needs
Feature 1 - Digital Controls are Vital
Dehumidifier Feature 2 - External Condensate Pump
Dehumidifier Feature 3 - Air Filter
Ready to find out more?
Feature 4 - Energy Efficient
Dehumidifier Feature 5 - The Warranty
What Next?
We received a quote from a local agency on encapsulating our crawlspace. It came in very high – around 15k. I know at some point I’m going to have to bite the bullet and have that done but we can’t swing it right now.
I am wondering in the short term is the following steps advised. (Currently our crawlspace humidity in the summer is between 70 and 80%.)
Number one. Seal off all of the ventilation windows with foam insulation and your recommended airtight tape.
Number two. Purchase an April Aire dehumidifier with a pump and try to bring the humidity down that way. Currently there is a vapor barrier down but it is not taped up to the wall and the seam tape isn’t present.
Thank you for your time. I’ve enjoyed your videos and blogs.
Hi Brian, what you laid out is exactly what I’d recommend as the first steps. If possible you may want to consider using an exhaust fan in one of the vents blowing out just to address any potential soil gases that may build up by sealing all vents. Here are links to each of the products mentioned on our DIY store in case you decide to tackle this yourself.
Dehumidifier (Not sure of the size of crawl space but under 2000 sq feet and crawl space is not chopped up in sections, the E070 should work) – https://diy.crawlspaceninja.com/aprilaire-e070-dehumidifier/
Condensate pump for dehumidifier – https://diy.crawlspaceninja.com/condensate-pump/
Active Ventilation System for blowing air out – https://diy.crawlspaceninja.com/lomanco-pcv1-foundation-vent-fan/
Foamboard to place in open vents – https://diy.crawlspaceninja.com/foundation-vent-covers/
Spray foam starter kit to seal vents – https://diy.crawlspaceninja.com/spray-foam-insulation-kit/
Hope that helps and thank you for your support watching our videos and reading our blogs.
Do the Aprilaire dehumidifiers have a connection to recharge the refrigerant instead of replacing the machine? The Sanidry Sedona units I have now both read “low refrigerant” and I’m told they cannot be repaired & must be replaced.
Hi Don, we reached out to AprilAire and spoke with their technical support team and here is what they told us – AprilAire dehumidifiers use a closed refrigerant system, meaning they cannot be recharged/refilled. Like Sanidry, the whole unit would need to be replaced.