Abestorm FAQs

A dehumidifier helps maintain humidity and moisture in your crawl space. It takes in the warm, moist air, and lets out dry air. Dehumidifiers are the most efficient way to maintain moisture and humidity in your crawl space. When a crawl space gets too humid or the moisture levels are too high, it can cause a lot of damage such as mold, wood rot, and even termite infestation; all of which can make their way up to the rest of your home.

Yes, if you've got damp problems. Broadly speaking, cheaper models have fewer features, a smaller tank capacity and may not be as efficient at water removal. Pricier models typically have a better water-removal capability, higher energy efficiency, more features and a larger tank capacity.

A dehumidifier works by drawing warm air currents into its coils via a fan. The warm air contracts as it’s fed through the refrigerated coils of the machine, and condensation is left inside the dehumidifier.
As this condensation collects, one droplet of water at a time, it falls into a storage tank attached to the dehumidifier. Cooler, drier air is then released back into your home through the other side of the machine.
Your dehumidifier should be able to bring the moisture in the air down to a relative humidity of 30 to 50 percent. Many dehumidifiers come with a meter that measures the relative humidity where it’s placed in your home, and you can set the humidity to the percentage you desire.

The best place to put a dehumidifier is in the location closest to the source of the moisture. In multi-level homes, this means that dehumidifiers should most often be placed in basements or upstairs close to the stairs to your basement. This is because the basement is the most humid place in your home.

A crawl space dehumidifier with a pump can transport the collected water over a longer distance. In contrast, one without a pump uses gravity to drain the water into the collection tank.

If used properly, a crawl space dehumidifier can easily last for around 3-5 years. The timeframe may increase or decrease depending on the workload and on the care taken of the device.

Regular crawl space dehumidifiers are designed to work at temperatures above 65 degrees. However, LGR (Low Grain Refrigerant) models are proficient in working under 65 degrees and are best suited for cold areas.

As long as the dehumidifier you choose is large enough for the area it is working in, and there are no specific damp problems, then a dehumidifier will normally reduce the humidity to the chosen level within a few days to a week.

Dehumidifier energy use is rather low. An average small 30-pint dehumidifier uses 300W of energy. An average big 70-pint dehumidifier uses 700W of energy. Essentially, a dehumidifier draws much less electricity than a water heater, an air conditioner, and even a hair drier.

The cleaning scope of an air scrubber also goes beyond the capabilities of competing devices. While an air purifier is limited to airborne particles, some whole-home air scrubbers can kill germs on surfaces like doorknobs or countertops. These air scrubbers release particles that travel through your home, attract the germs off of surfaces and pull them back through the HVAC system to be filtered out of your indoor air.

Air purifiers simply draw air in from your indoor space, filter particles and other air pollutants from that air, and then circulate purified air back into the room.

There’s no humidifying or dehumidifying mechanism in most air purifiers.

In some cases, air purifiers can help reduce humidity by removing moisture from air as it passes through the filters. But they’re not as effective as dehumidifiers for this, and too much moisture, over time, can damage filters.

That said, air purifiers are also good tools for allergy and asthma treatment because they can remove airborne pollutants that can trigger respiratory symptoms.

The standard goal with an air scrubber is to have an average of 6 air changes per hour. However, the number of air changes per hour should really be defined by the environment you're working with.

This is basically down to the size of the room and how wet it is. But in general you will find most dehumidifiers on our site are classed by house size to make the job easier for you to choose. For instance our smallest dehumidifiers are ideal for anything up to a 3 bedroom house. Our larger units are ideal for homes with up to 5 bedrooms. In general terms we would always recommend that you err on the side of caution and if in any doubt buy a dehumidifier a size larger than you may appear to need. Larger dehumidifiers remove more water per energy pound spent and run for fewer hours in a given space than smaller ones. The energy saving will almost certainly be greater than the difference in purchase price.

An air scrubber can remove mold spores as long as it has a real HEPA filter and enough air flow. Many air scrubbers are for gas removal A real HEPA air purifier is generally a better solution for mold removal.

Generally a relative humidity of 50% is comfortable for your home. This will protect your home and belongings, prevent mold growth and control the dust mite population. There is no real need to reduce humidity below the 45-50% mark. To do so will simply cost more in energy while serving no useful purpose.

Poor indoor air quality can pose a threat to you and your family’s well-being. Thankfully, air scrubbers help clean your space so you can breathe, sleep and live easier.

Whether you’re looking for a portable air scrubber or a whole-house model, air scrubbers are an invaluable investment that keep you and your loved ones comfy at home.

Air scrubbers remove a variety of pathogens and contaminants, including mold. They can also remove allergens like dust mites, pollen, and mold spores. According to Honiron, air scrubbers are capable of removing 99% of these airborne particles.

Thankfully, both varieties of air scrubbers are relatively quiet. Most whole-house models measure under 20 dB, the approximate volume level of a soft whisper. However, some portable models can get up to 60 dB, about as loud as a restaurant conversation, when running at their highest settings.

Manufacturer rebates 
Rebates from your utility company
DIY installation 
Find an HVAC installer with a competitive rate
Purchase an ENERGY STAR certified system to minimize energy costs

When you walk into your home, you want it to smell clean and fresh. Moisture in the air tends to hold and trap odor, Bautista says. A dehumidifier will dry out the air and take away this moldy scent.

Most air purifiers on the market are designed to remove large dust particles from the air. Many feature mechanical filtration, which is a method of capturing pollutants on filters. Either the particles are meant to stick to the filter or be trapped within the filter fibers.

Ozone will eliminate the odor, and it will kill/stop the mold spores from sprouting, but it is not a viable option for getting rid of all of the mold. To completely get rid of the problem, you'll need to first clean/take out any surface where the mold is present and then use ozone.

When inhaled, ozone can damage the lungs. Relatively low amounts of ozone can cause chest pain, coughing, shortness of breath and, throat irritation. It may also worsen chronic respiratory diseases such as asthma as well as compromise the ability of the body to fight respiratory infections.