Industrial Dehumidifier

[konakings]

Hey Guys, Long time lurker and had a question for any of the HVAC guys on here.

Im looking at buying an industrial dehumidifier for my setup. To spare everyone the details, the whole house dehumidifier seems to be the right fit for my space.

Found the Williams Air Sponge and wanted to see if anyone could give me a professional (or experienced) opinion on it. Or maybe recommend a different unit. Looking for at least 130 pints, and top of the line.

Here is the info for the air sponge


It can be mounted on the ceiling and ducted wherever. Auto drain shutoff, and one of the less expensive models.

There is also the Hi-E Dry 100 which comes highly recommended. But it is a floor unit and I would prefer to ceiling mount. It is almost a $1,000 more and 30 pint less capacity, BUT it consumes WAY less electricity which considering it will be running 24/7 may be a conscious thought for me.


Thanks in advance for any qualified opinions or recommendations. I sincerely appreciate it, and want to give big ups to everyone here at THC farmer! I find this forum to be one of the best on the web, which is a tribute to the vibrant community that has been fostered here.

Cheers and Happy New Year!

 

[Asbestos4u]

I looked over both the ones you have listed, but cant seem to find out how many amps the one from Home-D uses. I would also like to know how much heat they are putting out.

 

[deacon1503]

Check out the Ideal Air units distributed by Sunlight Supply; up to 180 pints. Beyond those id say Dri-Eze, and then Santa Fe.

 

[konakings]

Thanks for the suggestions. I checked out Santa Fe, and it looks like they make their high end units under a different name... Hi-E Dry is the industrial end of Santa Fe dehumidifiers.

I still like the air sponge design. Mostly because the exhaust can be ducted (so I can have multiple exhaust points in my room) and it can be ceiling mounted saving me precious ground space. The best question that was brought up is how much heat they produce. Thanks for your time everyone. Ill update with pics and my review once I get it.

 

[treebark1950]

I currently use the Santa fe max dry, and that sucker is freaking awesome! It was about 2k but it outputs very little heat, is quiet compared to others I've seen and distributes the hot air on both sides of the unit which is kinda nice.

It sucks water out of the air big time, 150 pints, and only draws about 7 amps!

I'm really glad I bought this one over others. For my application it was compact enough to hang from my ceiling, well from the main truss. It's oddly shaped compared to some I have seen.

I looked at so many but bang for the buck and energy wise it was the best option and I'm glad I went with that one.

My 2 cents

 

[TrichromeFan]

Man, I was just looking at something similar for my room. This one is a 135pt per day from aprilaire. Found it on Ebay for 1650. I'm gonna stuff it above the room and duct it through the ceiling. It has 8" flanges for in and out. I have never used this type of unit, but I am done giving up floor space for my current two dehueys. Whaddya think?

-TF

 

[treebark1950]

My biggest beef with aprilaire is they aren't energy efficient.

That 135 unit says it draws 14 amps, that's twice that of the Santa fe and less pints per day.

I love my Santa fe's!

 

[TrichromeFan]

Which Santa Fe model are you using? I see the classic, but it is only rated at 100pts per day.

-TF

 

[sdgrower]

IME Hi-E Dry's are the way to go. The key is that they stay efficent down in the lower temperature ranges. Most other "rated" dehumidifiers only perform at the "peak saturation" level. I have used the Hi-E-Dry 100 for over a year with no problems.
:animbong:

 

[treebark1950]

The Santa fe max dry dual xt. It's one baD dude. Its a true 150 pints at 60% saturation and 300 at 90 which doesn't apply to us farmers.

It's considered an industrial dehumidifier. I have a buddy who has one in a 30k op and it keeps up with any setting he puts it on, it does run pretty much the entire night cycle.

My room is half his size and the thing hardly runs but when it does it brings the humidity down very quickly, if I want 10% or 50% it will do it with ease.

 

[TrichromeFan]

Good stuff man. I am only running a four lighter. Based on what you are saying, it sounds like the classic should handle my room well. Anybody running the classic out there?

-TF

 

[treebark1950]

For something like a 4 lighter I'm sure the classic would be more than enough, but if u have the space and cash I'd go ahead and get the max dry. You can't go wrong either way. For me the classic would prolly work in my smaller 7k room but it has a max dry in it as well. I have 3 of them.

Cheers

 

[TrichromeFan]

Thanks man. I gotta get my mind made up on which model so I can get my next round kicked off!

-TF

 

[treebark1950]

I checked out your room in your sig and I would do the max dry if it will fit. Overkill, in a way, but to me its nice to have too much, and terrible to have too little, and if were already talking 1200 plus for the classic, the 1940 Max Dry isn't that much more. Just depends on how you look at it.

I hoisted mine about 6 feet off the ground, and placed it in the middle of my walkway in my room, I can walk underneath it without hitting my head most of the time. Compared to the 2 dehuys I see in the pics, the Max Dry will blow those out of the water!

In my old old rooms, I ran 2 Fridge-air 70 pints and they drew like 6-7 amps each and almost had to run 24/7. I dumped those two and switched out to the max dry and i never had a humidity problem again.

I'm no expert by any means but I can just tell ya what I have learned by running different types.

I've used the Max Dry in 7k-16k rooms and I just really like them.

Cheers bro

 

[Space Cab]

Know there was more hee before the changes. But have you put to use your airsponge ?

 

[Papa]

Thanks man. I gotta get my mind made up on which model so I can get my next round kicked off!

-TF

TF, what did you end up getting and how do you like it?

 

[HumboldtDr]

I've had my Santa Fe classic for 3 years. No issues, runs the whole dark cycle. Every day for 36 months. I live on the northern coast and my room never gets above 45%, even on a cool day where my room is below 60. I checked it this am at 8, and my room was 59 and 41% RH. The last week, I like to drop the temps and my Santa Fe keeps truckin. Also, you cant beet the fact that that badass unit draws the same amps as a small Ace Hware unit.

Also, if you get the Santa Fe, you can buy a 100$ pump that mounts easily to the back and will pump your waste water 20ft in any diection(including up!). Plus, Santa Fe has been doing this forever, I would assume their customer support will be sufficient.

 

[chrometrichs]

I like the ideal air 180 pint units....truly an industrial unit....

 

[oscar169]

I like the ideal air 180 pint units....truly an industrial unit....

I tried to get one of the new Ideal Air 180s but sunlight supply was out of them & they were having some type of problem with the units. Have you had any problems with your yet ?

 

[rick ratlin]

not sure what the problem is, but I do know the next release of units will have a higher price tag.