Review on ALORAIR Commercial Dehumidifier: 180 Pint Large Capacity Crawl Space Dehumidifier for Water Damage Restoration, Basements, Warehouse & Job Sites - With Pump Drain Hose, 5 Years Warranty, Red by Heather Wilkinson

advantages - works. Really good, much more energy efficient than consumer units, quiet, good condensate pump. Cons - poor packaging, heavy, not silent. Type. The box store item is made in China and is disposable. They work for the most part, but if you're dealing with a humid environment like a basement where you have trouble controlling the humidity, I think this device is a big step up in terms of price and features. I waited over 6 weeks for this thing to work before writing anything. I was a little suspicious knowing it was made in China with limited US customer support. So far he's worked like a champ. I have moisture issues because there are other issues I need to address. But now I need to remove moisture from the air. The air in my basement was 65% before I got this, but I thought it was 50% (my digital meter wasn't working). The built-in humidity sensor appears to be fairly accurate. I have about 1200-1500 square meters in a raw basement. I set this to 50% and let it do its thing. It worked for almost 24 hours straight and reduced the humidity to 50%. Much more convenient! After the first 24 hours, he continued to work about 12 hours each day to maintain humidity. I'm guessing it draws 4-5 gallons of moisture a day, but I don't know for sure since it runs down my drain. I only know the execution time. So far it has accumulated almost 1000 hours and works perfectly. I love it and hope it lasts a long time. The condensate pump inside is very quiet, the compressor is very quiet, but the fan is not quiet! There's a lot of air circulating, and this noise isn't due to the fan motor (that part is quiet), it's simply air turbulence. That would not be ideal in a finished living space. It's a bit like an 8-inch desktop fan that turns on in "turbo mode." It is energy efficient, drawing a total load of just over 5 amps during operation. Current versus a box store to remove the same water content (but I don't have exact measurements to confirm). And the lower humidity is felt throughout the house, although it works in my basement. I find I no longer lower the thermostats to take the moisture out. I'm leaving the thermostats 2 degrees higher this year (and that's coming from someone who can't live without air conditioning and hates summer humidity). In terms of cost, it's expensive. We all wish it was cheaper, but it does what it says on the tin. The alternative from a well-known American company is almost twice as high and looks identical at first glance. Who knows what's in there? But I can't spend like 2 thousand dollars on another brand, that's all. I found something else between $200 and $300 box store units and this one. I would be thrilled if there was something in the $500-$700 range. This device is heavy - about 80 pounds. The packaging it comes in is mediocre at best. One star deducted for that. They could do better here, especially considering the weight (you know what shipping companies do with heavy packages!). The redemption is that the plastic body is very strong. There is an air filter grille on the rear wall, which is easy to damage during transport. I was lucky enough to get one without damage. One more thing about the weight. Be smart. Use a cart or ask for help. I didn't do this when I moved it outside in, I was in a hurry. Big mistake! But once you put it back in place, hopefully you won't move it again. So there's no reason to deduct a star here, just be aware that it's too hard. Customer service seems to suck. I'm not deducting a star as I didn't have to contact them, but read the other reviews and make your own decision here. I believe them and this is an expensive device. The last thing I want to point out is that it's somewhat modular, which is a little reassuring when you're spending that kind of money. Things break, even if they are of high quality. It seems that the condensate pump can be easily replaced, the control panel too. I'm not sure about the fan. So if you can contact US customer service and they have the parts, you can probably repair/replace these items yourself if you feel comfortable enough. If the compressor or the coils fail, it's game over. So far I have no regrets. If it doesn't justify itself in any way, I'll definitely post an update. Otherwise, you can assume that he faithfully fulfills his duties, and I live comfortably. Edit 9/2019 - 1300+ hours on device. Houston, we have a problem! Lately I have noticed that the device runs more hours per day. And we are at the end of summer, when there is little rain and temperatures are moderate (at least outside). So he should work less, but he doesn't. I scrolled through the menu and saw that the incoming air was about 71°F and 60% RH and the outgoing air was 74°F and 52% RH. When it was new I remember the exhaust was in the 20's. I need to check the filter and maybe open up the unit to make sure nothing is blocking the airflow. Otherwise, it's time to check the support team. Update 1/2020. I contacted support after the problem started in September. First they asked me to replace the humidity sensor, which I was fine with if it solved the problem. Unfortunately that didn't happen (but I guess they ruled out an easy fix before we did our utmost to send it in for repair) and I contacted their support team. They asked for photos and other proof of purchase, serial number etc and asked me to let it run overnight. The next morning I discovered that the rear coil behind the air filter was covered in ice so they said they would contact me after reviewing the materials I sent. It took several weeks before they got approval from the manager to replace the device with a new one. I want them to give their customer support an opportunity to honor the warranty instead of delaying the process that requires 'approval'. After approval, however, I received a new device a few days later. They emailed the UPS label, so I exchanged the old unit in the box the new unit came in and shipped it back. It was as painless as I expected. I haven't used the new device yet, the rainy season was long gone when I replaced it. I hope the new one works better. Edit 7/2021 - The replacement device sent to me worked perfectly for the whole of 2020 and half of 2021. Everything is fine! Status 9/2021 - The replacement device failed just like the original. . Freezing of the heat exchanger, prolonged operation time, inability to remove moisture from the room. Haven't contacted the manufacturer yet, just disappointed that a $900 device has such poor reliability. These units work great... works so far but I've had 2 units in the last 1-2 years before they failed. I would suspect it's a refrigerant leak since the coil is iced up. Meanwhile, my inexpensive conventional dehumidifier that I left as a backup has worked for 8-9 years (well, about 5-6 years of actual performance) so far. This is how storage boxes win in terms of durability.