Are you looking for the best crawl space dehumidifier? Crawl spaces are a dark and naturally humid area of any home, which makes these areas susceptible to moisture damage, mold growth, and musty odors. All of these issues can be remedied with the use of a dehumidifier, but it can be difficult to know what to look for during your shopping. Below, we list some tips for shopping for your new dehumidifier and and review a few of our favorites so that you can choose the best crawl space dehumidifier for your needs.
If you are in a hurry, then my top recommendation would be the AlorAir Basement / Crawl Space Dehumidifier. I’ll be reviewing that, and each of the following in detail this post. To know the exact price of each dehumidifier, click the “Check Price” button below each individual review.
Dri-Eaz Revolution LGR Commercial Dehumidifier
Aprilaire 1830 Pro Basement Dehumidifier
AlorAir LGR 85 Pint Commercial Dehumidifier
AlorAir Basement / Crawl Space Dehumidifier
MOUNTO Commercial Roto-Mold Compact Crawl Space Dehumidifier
What Are the Benefits of Using a Crawl Space Dehumidifier?
Because a crawl space sits under a home or building, it is a naturally cool and dark area. Unfortunately, this is a recipe for disaster when warm air enters the area. As warm air flows into the crawl space, it is quickly cooled and raises the humidity or the room.
A humid crawl space can quickly become moist and damp, creating the perfect environment for mold and mildew growth, rotting walls and building components, musty odors, and other moisture-related damages. Luckily, all of these issues can be avoided with the use of a crawl space dehumidifier.
The dehumidifier pulls moist, humid air into the machine, and the internal components cool and dry this air. It then recirculates the dryer air back into the room. Running a dehumidifier in your crawlspace is beneficial because it can eliminate moisture that has already begun to damage your crawlspace as well as maintain a dry environment going forward.
What to Look For When Buying a Crawl Space Dehumidifier
Not all dehumidifiers are created equally, and you want to be sure that you know how to shop for the best crawl space dehumidifier for your needs. It’s important to consider the below features when shopping:
- Size and Power: Two of the most important things to look at when choosing a crawl space dehumidifier are size and power. Crawl spaces are generally not very large areas, but they are a fair bit more humid than the rest of a home or building. Therefore, you want to choose a smaller dehumidifier for this space which features a level of power comparable to a larger, industrial option.
- Ease of Use: When buying a crawl space dehumidifier, especially for the first time, you will want to pay attention to how easy the product is to use. It is best to choose an option with a clear, readable display that will allow you to keep track of the relative humidity in the room and lets you know when the dehumidifier needs to be emptied before continuing use. Choosing an option with an automatic pump will make the dehumidifier easier to empty and maintain. Make sure that all operational components are clearly marked, easy to read, make sense to you before purchase.
- Automatic Restart Feature: This is an easy feature to overlook during your shopping, but choosing a crawl space dehumidifier with an automatic restart can seriously save you time and energy in an emergency. If a power-surge or complete power outage occurs, then a dehumidifier with this feature will immediately restart itself once power is restored. This significantly cuts down on how long your crawl space is susceptible to moisture damage and gives you one less thing to have to worry about.
What Is the Best Way to Use a Crawl Space Dehumidifier?
For the most effective way to draw general moisture out of your crawl space, it is best to place your dehumidifier as close to the center of the room as possible. This allows for humidity to me controlled equally throughout the room and lessens the likelihood of moisture collecting in one specific corner.
If you are trying to remedy an existing moisture, mold, or leaking problem, you may choose to to set up your dehumidifier as close to the problem area as possible. Once the water or moisture in that area has been dried, then the dehumidifier can be moved back to the center of the crawl space to maintain dryness throughout the room.
During operation, make sure that you are monitoring the relative humidity reading. An ideal humidity level year-round for your crawlspace in somewhere between 30% – 45%, so run your dehumidifier appropriately to maintain this reading.
As humid are is pulled through the dehumidifier, cooled, and dried, water will begin to collect inside. It is important that you empty the content of the dehumidifier every single day while maintaining humidity levels or several times a day while remedying excess moisture or water intrusion in the room. If the water is left to completely fill it up, then the dehumidifier will become less effective and eventually stop drying the new air it pulls in altogether
The Best Crawl Space Dehumidifier Reviews
Dri-Eaz Revolution LGR Commercial Dehumidifier
The Dri-Eaz Revolution LGR Commercial Dehumidifier is an excellent option for use in crawl spaces because it is small in size but features industrial power levels. Measuring 12.5″ x 21.5″ x 12.5″, it is small enough to fit comfortably in a small crawl space while still being able to pull in up to 17 gallons of water from the air a day.
This dehumidifier features a clear display screen that will show you the temperature in the room along with the relative humidity reading, making it exceptionally easy to keep track of and maintain these conditions as needed. You are even able to adjust the dehumidifier to keep a certain humidity level constant while in use. It also features an automatic pump, making it extremely easy to pump collected water out of the dehumidifier between uses.
- Quiet operation
- Can set to desired humidity level
- Clear, easy to read display
- Small size but industrial power
- Some reported issues with water disposal function
Aprilaire 1830 Pro Basement Dehumidifier
This Aprilaire dehumidifier has been built with durable and long-lasting aluminum materials, so you won’t have to worry about it corroding, rusting, or breaking down in even the most moisture-rich crawl spaces. Measuring only 25″ x 12.5″ x 14.5″, this compact dehumidifier fits perfectly in tight crawl spaces while leaving plenty of usable and walkable floor space. Although small, it is able to intake about 9 gallons of water per day.
While using the Aprilaire 1830, you won’t have to worry about pumping or draining the dehumidifier at all. It features an exit vent, which can be connected directly to a hose so that the empties water as it goes, without any extra effort needed from you. Alternatively, the dehumidifier could be placed directly over a drain in the crawl space floor for added convenience.
- No need to manually empty water
- Durable and long-lasting materials
- Compact size for tight spaces
- Noisy operation
- Relative humidity reading can be off by 10%
AlorAir LGR85 Pint Commercial Dehumidifier
The AlorAir dehumidifier is features durable rubber strips and casing, making it completely waterproof even in the event that is gets submerged. This makes it a great option for crawl spaces that are known to have leaks or flooding, as you won’t have to worry about damage and replacement. Adding to its durability, the dehumidifier also features epoxy-coated coils, which extends their lifetime and makes them exceptionally resistant to rust and corrosion.
This system is easy to operate with a clear display screen and touch-button controls. All you have to do is plug it in and set choose preferred humidity settings. It remembers these settings, so less work is required upon the following startup. This dehumidifier can be drained with a built-in pump that can be removed and lifted up to 20′, so you can dump excess water without having to move the entire unit.
- Extremely energy efficient
- Relatively quiet for a commercial dehumidifier
- Memory starting
- Easy to operate with touch-controls
- Heavy and difficult to relocate
AlorAir Basement / Crawl Space Dehumidifier
Featuring a hot valve defrosting system that makes the unit work effectively in cooler temperatures, this AlorAir dehumidifier works great in cold, dark crawlspaces where other options might not. Measuring only 19.2″ x 12.2″ x 13.3″, this is the most compact unit on our list and makes a great option for those who want to save space.
The display on this dehumidifier is larger than most, making it easy to navigate setting and read temperature, fan speed, and relative humidity. Even more conveniently this unit can be controlled with a remote control. You can set it up where it it out of the way of your walking path and still be able to control it with ease.
- Compact enough for extra small spaces
- Works efficiently in cool temperatures
- Remote control operation
- Large display screen for easy reading
- Some users have reported leaking units
MOUNTO Commercial Roto-Mold Compact Crawl Space Dehumidifier
The Mounto dehumidifier is another high-volume unit with the capacity to pull in 17 gallons of water per day. This makes it a great options for crawl spaces that are already experiencing the negative effects of moisture or water intrusion and need to be dried as effectively and quickly as possible.
With four simple buttons and a clear screen, it is easy to operate the Mounto dehumidifier and select the settings your prefer for either maintaining humidity levels or drying out a wet area of your crawl space.
- High-volume unit can intake 17 gallons of water a day
- Compact in size but operates with commercial power
- Easy to customize and monitor settings
- Not sold with an instructions manual
Air Control Guy Winner: AlorAir Basement / Crawl Space Dehumidifier
We hope these buying tips and reviews give you a good sense of what to look for while trying to choose the best crawl space dehumidifier for your needs. We recommend the AlorAir Basement / Crawl Space Dehumidifier as the best option because of its extremely compact size and durable, long-lasting materials.
If you liked this, you should also check out our latest reviews on warm mist humidifiers, desiccant dehumidifiers, and the overall importance of maintaining ideal indoor humidity levels.
For more like this, check out our latest posts on Humidity Control (Humidifiers & Dehumidifiers) and Air Purifying.
