Product Review: CADPXS AppleAiro 180 Pint CrawlSpace Dehumidifier
Welcome to Refrigerant HQ, folks. Today, we would like to review the CADPXS AppleAiro 180 Pint CrawlSpace Dehumidifier. This compact unit claims to remove large amounts of humidity in larger areas of up to 2,300 sq. ft.
During the rainfall season, it’s normal for water to seep into your crawl spaces. Letting that water remain there for a long time, especially if you live in humid areas, can create a breeding ground for viruses, mold, mildew, and other air pollutants- especially those that need high humidity to survive. These air pollutants have devastating effects. For instance, the mold lands on your furniture, the viruses can cause respiratory problems, discomfort, odors, and the excess moisture eventually compromises the structure of your property.
Investing in a dehumidifier such as this one could provide the needed solution for removing mold, water damage restoration, and bringing back the comfort you need in your home. But does the AppleAiro perform as the manufacturer claims? I did my homework on this dehumidifier, and I found some interesting facts about it.
Read further to know more about the brand, its strengths, weakness, and what we think about it.
Brand
At Refrigerant HQ, we always urge our readers to always go for brands they recognize. However, in this case, you may wonder why I would decide to review a product from a brand with several negative reviews, especially when it comes to customer support.
CAPXS, as a brand, stands out in the commercial dehumidifier niche. We looked at several of their products before reviewing this product, and we can say that they produce compact devices. Most of their products are ideal for large commercial spaces and water damage restoration.
I also compared their commercial dehumidifiers with others from competing brands. They literally have most of the features that products from other outstanding brands would have.
However, the issue I have with the brand is their level of support. Although they promise to offer continuous support, some reviewers complain that this was not the case. They had to wait for so long before getting a reply.
Product Features
The first thing I usually consider when buying any dehumidifier is the pint value or the size of space it can dehumidify. It helps me know whether it will suit my needs or not. The CADPXS AppleAiro 180 Pint CrawlSpace Dehumidifier can remove up to 85 pints of water per 24 hours in normal conditions (according to AHAM) and 180 pints in saturated areas.
It also has an airflow capacity of up to 210 Cubic Feet per minute. With this amount of air going into the unit every minute, the humidity levels will drop instantly.
The unit’s physical attributes
It has a compact design, which makes it suitable for crawl spaces. The unit weighs 66 pounds and is 21.6 inches long, 12 inches wide, and 12 inches high. At the front, it has a MERV 10 air filter and an intuitive control panel. Buttons on the panel include on/off, Mode, drain, and set. It also has an LCD screen, which displays the humidity range and the inlet and outlet’s temperatures.
At the top of the unit, it has heavy-duty handles to enhance portability. The leveling feet at the bottom provide stability and you can adjust them to your preferred height.
The dehumidifier also comes with an internal condensate pump, allowing continuous water drainage from the unit. A drain hose will also be provided within the package.
Simple installation
The CADPXS AppleAiro 180 Pint CrawlSpace Dehumidifier operates as a freestanding unit only. Please note you cannot connect it to your ductwork.
Upon powering it on, the onboard humidistat will read the room’s humidity levels. You can then set the humidity range you want for the room. Use the programmable timer to set how you want the fan to run. It can be continuous or only when dehumidifying. If you set it to only run when dehumidifying, it will stop once the humidity reaches your desired level.
If you have issues with installation or setting it up, you can use the provided user manual for guidance.
Pros
Why should you buy or install the CADPXS AppleAiro 180 Pint CrawlSpace Dehumidifier? The device comes with all the features necessary to dehumidify a large and extremely wet area in your home or commercial space. Also, it should fit perfectly in your crawl space because of its size.
The dehumidifier can also work in a cooler environment since the operating temperature range is 33.8 to 104 degrees. If the coils start to freeze, the defrosting feature will warm them automatically.
We also appreciate this unit since it is easy to use and maintain. The unit comes with internal condensate pumps, which makes draining easy. Hence, you can place it anywhere. This may not be the case if you are using a dehumidifier that drains water using gravity. Also, the MERV 10 air filter is washable. It also prevents small air pollutants such as viruses from entering the unit while ensuring maximum airflow. Read this article to know why we recommend you to buy dehumidifiers with a higher MERV rating.
The noise level is less than 58 dBA, similar to a refrigerator. You will hear the fan rotating, but it’s not loud enough to distract you when watching a movie or sleeping.
Another feature I found interesting is the auto diagnosis system. The AppleAiro 180 Pint dehumidifier will display error codes if something is not functioning as it should. We love the feature since it ensures maximum performance of the unit at all times.
Cons
One of the challenges that is common to most buyers were complaints about the brand’s customer support. In case of break down, people felt frustrated because they couldn’t get the help they needed. They also said that the user manual was ineffective in providing a solution for their problems, especially when these error codes come.
The other problem I saw was this unit might not be durable. Some buyers stated that the unit breaks down after some time, even though it is effective.
I also didn’t understand the terms used for the warranty. CADPXS says they offer a bumper to bumper warranty, which is entirely unclear to many buyers. I also looked for this information on the website, and still, it was not clear enough.
Conclusion
In the end, you would like to have a dehumidifier that will help you achieve the levels of comfortability you need in a commercial or residential space. So, should you buy the CADPXS AppleAiro 180 Pint CrawlSpace Dehumidifier? Definitely, yes. It’s a perfect installation for very wet crawlspaces and ideal for water damage restoration since it can remove large amounts of humidity in a short time. However, it may not be ideal for whole-house dehumidifying since it only functions as a freestanding unit. Thus, it can only dehumidify one space at a time despite its large pint value.
Further, we find this unit easy to install, maintain, and the cost of running this unit is not high since it’s energy-efficient. Check out Amazon via this link for more information on this product (including the price).