Crawl Space Dehumidifier Recommendation needed

[frule]

I need to replace my crawl space dehumidifier and am looking for a recommendation as to which brand (main concern is reliability). The ones I see most often are Sante Fe and Aprilaire.

Can anyone give me any advice?

Thanks!
Fred

[fredhargis]

From what I've read, I doubt you can go wrong with either of those brands. If I have to get another one for my basement, it will be one of those.

[Snipe Hunter]

Have you covered the soil with sheet plastic and is it well vented? If so, have you tried a vent fan at one of the openings?

[frule]

It's a "closed" crawl space with vapor barrier.

[Snipe Hunter]

It's a "closed" crawl space with vapor barrier.

Wow. Why isn't it vented? Would it be fair to guess it isn't insulated either?
The biggest problem in using a dehumidifier in a crawlspace is that there is still no air movement so you only dehumidify the area around the dehumidifier. The worst part is that wet air gets stuck in the corners. Vents should be near corners.
 
This is the standard I am compelled to use when inspecting a crawlspace for proper venting.
National Association of Home Inspectors Standard.

[frule]

Wow!!!!! You need to read the link you sent me! It makes my point.

It is a closed (encapsulated) crawl space. It is not supposed to be vented...at all! If you are not familiar with this concept, you really need to research it.
I had mold issues when I bought this house. Had a company encapsulate it, remove all of the floor insulation (fiberglass) and insulate the side walls with foamboard.A good quality vapor barrier which goes  up the outer walls, all penetrations are completely sealed, etc. And a high quality dehumidifier is used.

You are wrong about the dehu....it easily kept the humidity at 45-50% year-round. It has no problem circulating the air in my 2600 sq. ft. space. If you have open vents in  the summer and the humidity is up, what happens? The warm, moist air goes into the crawl space......where it finds surfaces that are much cooler. Then you get condensation, extreme humidity and mold.

Think about it this way. If my now tight crawl space was considered to be a basement....which, for all practical purposes it is, would you allow it to have open vents so outside air could come in? no way.

As it is, my crawl space is around 65-70 degrees all year...and below 50% humidity. Rarely see any bugs, much less termite risk, no mold, no bad smell. Plus the air inside the house is drier. I though the floors might be cold with the floor insulation gone, but they are not. I'll never have a vented crawl space again.

[Snipe Hunter]

Okay. I didn't know you were doing this on purpose. I thought you had a moisture problem and I wondered why you didn't have venting.

"
"Think about it this way. If my now tight crawl space was considered to be a basement....which, for all practical purposes it is, would you allow it to have open vents so outside air could come in? no way."

Sure I would if the crawl space had a proper vapor barrier and proper insulation. It's done all over the country with no issue. We vent attics too and again, done properly, there is no problems.

[frule]

Typical Southeast US humidity here......so I do have a moisture problem. But enclosing the crawl space makes it possible to 
eliminate the moisture...and mold. Most builders still vent the crawls on new construction, here. But, those who know better enclose the crawl spaces. It's not cheap (part of the reason)........and most builders "do it the way they always have" is the main reason that they ventilate.

Thanks, 
Fred

[crokett™]

You have a sealed conditioned crawlspace. So do I. You say you are in the southeast but don't say where. I'm in NC. I don't have a dehumidifier in mine and don't have a moisture problem. I don't know anyone else in this area with a sealed and conditioned crawlspace that also has a dehumidifier. You shouldn't need a dehumidifier if the 'conditioned' part of sealed and conditioned is done correctly.

[Robert Adams]

Yup a crawlspace IS a basement just a very short one and should be treated as such. A crawlspace should almost never be vented. The dehumidifier is typically only required for the first weeks after encapsulating but good insurance afterwards. 

      I'm looking for a dehumidifier as well but they aren't as commonly available here as they are up north so few to choose from in stores. I need it for the inside of the house because it's so humid in the fall through spring. I am still running the ac just to try to dry it out in the house. Temps inside and out are fine but when you have the windows open at times it makes it soupy inside. It never dries out here in the winter it usually gets even wetter with higher humidity into the 80s and 90s....

      But my looking is most all are the same as there are only a few actual manufacturers. Buy the one you can get the cheapest that does what you want and try to get a cheap extended replacement warranty.