ALORAIR 113 Pints Crawlspace Dehumidifier for Commercial, Sentinel HD55

I have a shallow/short crawl space (think 22'-24' inches max height) under a 1950's single story ranch home in Texas. I was on the fence about which route to go to address moisture but ended up at partial encapsulation and adding (this) dehumidifier. I say partial because I haven't insulated the walls yet and holy moly this has been a labor intensive journey that I was not willing to pay $15-$20K for. The labor is where the cost is at and this has tested my resolve. I went with this one(HD55) because there was no condensate pump which seem to fail well before the units do based on hours of reading reviews. In March I paid right at $500 after taxes (I've seen the price jump a bit now). I've added a VCMA-15 Little Giant stand alone pump that feeds into my HVAC condensate drain line, about a 9 foot run which has given me no issues and which adds more reliability. I've added a water alarm in the pan I keep the pump in and the dehumidifier sits about 8 inches above to gravity feed into the pump. I ran a dedicated 20A duplex outlet into my space to feed the unit and pump. I have two Govee smart plugs that connect to wifi and tell me the energy use of each and that I can remotely control in the event of failure. I have a tight opening that I didn't care to enlarge at 12 ¼ x 16 inches, this unit fit perfectly through it. It's absolutely miserable to crawl into and work down there but man, the savings and feeling of doing it yourself (clearly I don't value my time). But again, I'm not paying 5 figures on something I can do, I'll spend it elsewhere. My original crawl was a dirt floor and 5 foundation/perimeter vents with a decimated 6 mil barrier covering about 25% of the floor. That had the humidity at 99% in the crawl space in the summer and not too much better in the winter. I was getting ridiculously high humidity inside the house and the wood moisture readings from the joists were unacceptable. Building science has changed significantly since my home was built, yours too. It was due time to address the moisture. This unit became a necessity. I added a perimeter drain in my backyard (you need to address where the water is coming from first). I sealed the vents, I laid down a 10 mil vapor barrier and wrapped all of the 25 pillars (miserable work). After sealing up about 95% and leaving room along the walls for insulation I added this (the HD55). After letting it run for 3 days the humidity is now at 56% (i have the unit set at 50%) and it has run the entire time (which I completely understand and don't fault it for doing so). I have the humidity monitored by wifi Govee sensors that I placed down there 6 months ago, they're more accurate than the unit's internal humidistat but within an acceptable margin. This unit has been a workhorse so far. I am hesitant to give it five stars off the bat and leave y'all feeling like this is the best because of the other reviews regarding longevity but it has been a five-star experience in the time I've owned it. I've relied on the reviews others have left here so it's only fair to do my part. I will update this accordingly. I have'nt finalized the placement yet. I have it in a central location without the ducting (be aware the manufacturer specifies only 6 foot of ducting may be added), so I've held off thus far and it seems convectively fine where it is at it's current angle. Given the headroom I have I was initially going to mount it with 3/8 threaded rod with horizontal brackets that accept all thread but for now I have it 8-9 inches up on a leveled stack of insulation board I cut to fit the width/length of the unit, there are zero stability concerns and it sits plum level. If you are here I'd imagine you are facing high humidity somewhere in your home and you are going to do the DIY route - I admire that and have chosen the same. That said - would an April air unit have performed better, probably but not by much. But they have their limitations too and suffer all of the same reliability issues, probably at less frequency but I couldn't justify the $1,700 upfront cost. I may reevaluate my stance on that after the peak of this summer or the next. But for now, this unit has proven to be more than capable of a tight/shallow 1,600 foot crawl space at removing gallons of water in the air. Quite amazing when I think about it more. Would I like more features and an included remote, of course. But the $100 they charge for the remote is absolute bull 5hi7. A smart plug and wifi hygrometer is the same and less expensive. But at this price point, I am pleasantly happy, so far. The unit seems well put together and fits into my opening. It is a slight hum that you'll barely hear above and soon not notice at all. Best of luck on your moisture removal journey. Ultimately, if I pay hundreds for anything, I expect it to last - you and this company will hear about it if it doesn't. But so far I am content and imagine you will be too. I just checked on the unit and didn't bring my phone down to take pics but I'll upload some later of the actual unit. I did add the "results" from the hygrometer and a pic to show you the constraints. Regarding efficiency I've uploaded a pic from the smart plug showing the electrical use - it'll end up being about $20 a month if it works as much as it does daily (it won't have to maintain that usage 24/7) but I am showing you the peak. (Edit from 18 months later - ZERO problems and it's still humming along. I'm happy.

I encapsulated our crawl space years ago and put in a dehumidifier afterwards. That dehumidifier died a little over a year ago, so I replaced it with this one. Easy set up and ran nicely right out of the box. I purchased the optional remote for it which is really nice. Now I can just go into our laundry room and see what the humidity and temperature at any time. The humidity was at 77% when I turned it on and after about an hour it was down to 52%. This should do wonders for the musty smell down there.

In spite of some problems that I initially encountered, I believe that for its operating capacity the Alorair H55 (Blue) Sentinel dehumidifier is one of the best products on the market place today. Why do I think this dehumidifier is so good? To be honest my past experience with the entire dehumidifier manufacturing industry has not been a happy one. In the past 10 years I have bought (and obtained through warranty exchanges) over 8 dehumidifiers. I have a relatively small encapsulated crawl space (1,400 SF) which I kept dehumidified using residential 35 Liter per day units. The units that I bought were manufactured by Frigidaire, Friedrich, and Hense. They are all junk! They are designed to fail within 12 to 24 months. Although one would think with the vast choice with the plethora of various manufactures of residential dehumidifiers that quality would vary; having removed the cover off of these failed units it appears that the functioning components (compressor, condensing, and evaporating coils) are all the same and probably come from the same factory located somewhere in China. Why do they fail within such a short period? Bad design. (1) The evaporator coils operate under high pressure 410 Freon, with thin walled copper tubing (environmental and energy efficiency improvements), packed with aluminum cooling fins for condensing room humidity, all held together with carbon steel plates on the ends of the coil unit. The high pressure Freon environment within the thin copper tubing fails within 24 months due to formicary corrosion caused by the dissimilar metals (aluminum, copper, and carbon steel) in contact in a damp environment setting up a corrosion voltage differential on the evaporator coil. (2) Placement of the humidity sensor directly in contact with the evaporating coil in the upper corner, insures multiple and repeated false starts for the dehumidifier compressor. When the unit shuts down after reaching proper humidity levels, the evaporator coil is still wet, and as it drys out the humidity released will send a false signal that the room humidity is too high and thus trigger the unit to start up. Worse when moisture evaporates, the resulting water vapor is lighter than air and rises and triggers the sensor. Excessive cycling on and off results. Lastly it is impossible to repair the units when they fail. They are intended to be disposal products. When I hauled them off the the landfill (as hazardous waste) it was shocking how many failed dehumidifiers were stacked together at the landfill. I finally decided to quit buying junk and started researching crawl space dehumidifiers. Most crawl space dehumidifiers are overpowering for my needs (100 ~ 200 pints per day). The Alorair HD55 is one of the smallest crawl space dehumidifiers on the market. And it is a quality design. This unit has a coated coil (in which the aluminum fins and copper tubing are coated) and is held together with stainless steel plates all of which protects against premature evaporator coil failure due to formicary corrosion. Secondly the humidifier sensor is separated from the evaporator coil and is located on the lower end of the unit to minimize triggering by evaporating moisture from the evaporator coil. Additionally a remote controlling sensor is available as an option with a 25 foot cable to enable full separation from the senor from the evaporator coil. The unit has a MERV 8 removable filter to keep the coils clean. It is very quiet when operating. The only way for me to tell if the unit in the crawl space is running, I have to put my ear against the floor to hear it as the sound is too faint. Additionally, I highly recommend the hanging unit when installing. The rope system minimizes the conduction of vibration, and it raises the unit to get more height when running the gravity drain pipe. Additionally operating the unit directly below the floor joists is more efficient as humidity rises and can be more effectively removed during operation, than if the unit is located on the crawlspace or basement floor. Another plus is that while the humidity sensor operates to the nearest 5%, the actual humidity setting can be set within 1% intervals. I have a separate hygrometer sensor in the crawlspace which measures humidity within 1% intervals. This unit is able to keep a steady humidity level of 41% with a variation of only 1 % +/- when using the remote controller and keeps a steady 40% with no variation when using the sensor on the unit. None of the other junk units that I used to own could keep a steady humidity level, as they operated with variations of +/- 5% at a 45% setting. Yes I did have some problems as the first unit delivered failed almost immediately It is not clear whether the unit was defective or whether it was damaged in shipment. I suspect that damage in shipment is a common problem. The support staff was very responsive and arranged to get a replacement unit shipped to me in two days. I was also given a return label for me to ship the defective unit back at no cost. Replacement unit is running great. I would highly recommend that you save the shipping box for any future returns. In spite of this I still recommend this unit.

Purchased the HD55 in December, ran it for a week and it makes great Ice! My Shop is 1728sq ft, outside temp has been averaging 48°, inside shop temp is 55° since I prefer a cooler shop, the Humidity is at 72% since my Wal-Mart no name 70 pint dehumidifier died. It lasted 3 years then quit working, but kept my shop at 45-51% humidity without issue. I decided to invest in a commercial model and chose the HD55 since it was at a sale price, advertised to pull 113 ppd and 5 yr warranty. I am sooooo disapointed in its performance as a dehumidifier it is beyond words! The main complaint for me (and many others from the reviews) is that the evaporator coils ice up constantly and it goes into auto defrost more than it dehumidifies. Once this happens it doesn't pull moisture, although Aloair claims this is normal and part of the operation. This is partly true, but when it ices up so much that you cannot pull out the filter to access the evaporator coil, I got to believe this is NOT supposed to happen to this extreme. After running for a week, the best the HD55 "Commercial" unit can maintain is 54% humidity!!!!! So I am either going to return it and go back to a no name 70ppd Wal-Mart unit or keep it and buy a smaller dehumidifier to work in tandem since this Commercial rated Chinese model doesn't perform near what it is rated for. Oh, for the good old days of made in USA products, you could buy with confidence! My suggestion is to just buy the cheap "non commercial" Dehumidifier since they are all made in China too! Too bad, really wanted to love this unit and have years of trouble free performance. Hope this review helps others to make a decision. Should Adorair contact me to replace this unit and make this customer happy, I will consider updating my review to reflect any change in experience, but from reading other reviews Adorair lacks in Customer service, so I doubt that will happen. UPDATE - Aloair offered me a refund and would provide me a prepaid shipping label and offered an apology. They also offered to send me a new Controller Board and Humidstat if I was willing to open the unit and install the parts myself (Aloair sent NO installation instructions). I am handy mechanically so I opted to give this a try. Don't try this yourself if you are not mechanically inclined as there is a VERY large Capacitor just above the Controller Board and it holds a high energy charge to kick start the Compressor and can cause a nasty shock if you are not careful!! After installing the parts, the unit does not grow ice over the filter and coils as it did when I originally got it. The performance did not change and does not get the humidity below 54%. It does not perform any better IMO than a non commercial 70ppd department store Dehumidifier. I added another star on my rating because my experience with Aloair customer service was above average and they responded quickly to my messages. Not sure if the Compressor is made by GREER or not, but be aware Greer makes many components for Chinese made Dehumidifiers and they are in the process of a lawsuit for faulty units that overheat, catch fire and have killed several people. Don't take my word on it and do an Internet search and educate yourself on the lawsuit. Also be aware the HD55 ( Powder Blue colored unit) is NOT Energy Star certified and will use more electricity in operation. The HD55s (White colored unit) IS Energy Star certified and will be kinder on your pocketbook! Although they are very expensive, the Aprilair units are made in the USA and I suspect may be better performing units, not sure if they use Chinese parts in the construction or not, so do a little research before buying ANY Dehumidifier! Hope this review helps others as the Dehumidifier market is rabid with false performance and elaborate marketing claims aimed to confuse potential buyers. The manufacturers like to use the Dept of Energy 2015 specs (No longer valid) and like to advertise the saturation specs for 95% humidity (Higher ppd per day numbers) instead of the current AHAM rating at 65% humidity (Average humidity in USA) which is more accurate and "curiously" is half the ppd numbers of 95% saturation. This done to confuse buyers but is NOT considered false advertising!! Buyer beware! UPDATE: The Alorair dehumidifier has been running 24-7 since my purchase and still occasionally forms a sheet of Ice blocking the radiator and has to be shut down for a few hours to clear the ice. But, I must say it is still working after all this time AND running 24-7, so as far as longevity goes it is still doing its job........most of the time. I am upgrading to 4 stars to be fair and Alorair did reach out me and sent a replacement controller (Didn't fix issue) and offered a refund of the unit during the course of ownership.

Revised: It's now October 4, 2024. The Alorair Sentinel HD55 (Blue) that I purchased in September 2022 bit the dust. It's been in my basement doing a good job of dehumidifying until I went down this week and saw ice so thick on the coils that I couldn't remove the filter (which I change every 4 months). I unplugged and defrosted it and then started it back up again. Same story...it iced up. I contacted Alorair Support and provided them with photos, and I did the diagnostics they requested. Their response: My team has reviewed your claim and suspects the issue may be related to the refrigeration. Based on the purchase date of the machine, we can offer the following options: 1. You can ship the machine back to us for free inspections and repairs. If the machine is deemed beyond repair, we will replace it at no cost. Since the machine is beyond the first year, you will need to cover the shipping costs to and from our facility. 2. As an alternative, you have the option to purchase a replacement unit for $(350). This will not require you to return the existing machine, but the warranty will carry over from the original unit. My choice is to pay for shipping, which will be expensive given the weight of the unit or pay $350 for a likely refurbished unit. Honestly, not thrilled with either option since this unit should have lasted longer than 25 months. I don't think I can recommend this dehumidifier given the expense and lack of longevity. ***Original review*** I purchased the Alorair Sentinel HD55 (Blue) in September 2022 because I wanted a dehumidifier that would last longer than the Frigidaire FFAD5033W1 that died with less than 2 years of service. My basement humidity was in the 60% - 70% range and I had mold growing everywhere. The Frigidaire unit worked fine for a while until it just didn't. It showed an error code and it would run, but no water would discharge from the unit. It was dead! Glad I bought the extended warranty from Asurion. To be fair, the Frigidaire only has a one-year warranty and it isn't realistic to expect much more than that from a non-commercial unit like that. The Alorair Sentinel HD55 works very well. My basement is about 34' x 23' or roughly 782 sq ft. The humidity is now 45% down there. I like the HD55 because it works! The desired humidity can be dialed in using the digital adjustment and it takes care of the rest. I also like that it came with a suitable length of drainage hose so I can send the condensate into my sump pump. I added a hose clamp to the drainage hose so it won't come loose. What I'm not so crazy about. It's a bit on the noisy side and the replacement air filters are expensive, IMHO. Four filters for $70 seems like a lot to me. The HD55 runs pretty much constantly and I can hear it all the time as a low background sound. I don't have a decibel meter, but it's a significant noise source when I'm working in the basement. I don't have it connected to any ducts, which probably would help to reduce some of the noise. Overall, I'm happy with how well the HD55 is performing and would recommend the product despite the noise and filter issues. I do recommend the extended warranty. The Asurion warranty returned the cost of the unrepairable Frigidaire unit to me, in the form of an Amazon credit, less the cost of the warranty itself. I applied that credit to the HD55, which I hope will last much longer.

I have updated my review to reflect the positive communications I had with Alorair. I have always appreciated the equipment, which I find to be excellent. I initially had some non-technical support issues, but they have been successfully cleared up. During the whole process, my equipment has been running very well. My unit is is my sealed crawlspace and keeps the humidity in the low 50's% range, where I want it. Bottom line- unit is top-notch, with a great warranty.

These are great units with a company that stands behind their product. I have purchased two of these units and they have worked very well in my two older houses. After almost one year in service, one of the units stopped working. I reached out to Alorair Customer Support and Stela guided me efficiently through the process to work with the engineers to help me isolate the issue. They sent me a new part with clear instructions for replacing it and it worked perfectly. Stela's responsiveness to my emails and questions demonstrated a commitment to their products. Everyone knows that sometimes things fail, however great companies help their customers and deliver on service and Alorair is one of those companies. I would recommend these units to others.

I've got a sealed crawlspace under my home that needs dehumidification. I bought this unit because it is short (not a lot of height in the crawlspace) and had a ducted option, which helps me circulate dry air around several large obstructions in the space. The unit was double boxed (dehumidifier w/ 4 foam corner brackets in a box, then that box was padded and inside another box). There was a hole punched in the outer box during shipping, but the inner box was still intact and undamaged. The unit itself was in perfect condition and started right up. The funnel piece where you attach the ducting (not required) was interesting. I expected that the ducting would go OVER the plastic funnel and would be secured using a band clamp. Instead, you have to use expandable ducting with a wire spiral in it and the ducting then screws INSIDE of the funnel piece. It attached nicely (luckily I had the right kind of ducting) and it worked well. Here's the duct kit that I bought, which I would order again: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07WNK7N7F/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 The unit felt very industrial and was well made. I opened it up and took a quick look around... components were well made and electrical connections were solid. The filter is easy to remove and reinstall after cleaning. The controls were intuitive. I also bought the additional remote control (on a 25" wire, provided with the unit) and was happy with that (allows me to check on the humidity level and change settings without crawling on my belly to get under the house). It makes a bit of noise (It's got a fan moving a lot of air, so that's to be expected), but it was quieter than I had anticipated and I was happy with the sound (I can't hear it in the house, even when standing 2-3 feet above the unit (it being in the crawlspace right under the floor I was standing on).