AlorAir Sentinel HD55 Dehumidifier - Review 2023

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AlorAir Sentinel HD55 Dehumidifier
B01LWA8J37

I bought the AlorAir HD 90 in October, 2022, to replace a 10 yr old Santa Fe unit that died for my sealed 1500 sq ft crawlspace. I did a lot of research before buying this so hopefully it will pay off. In no particular order, here are some of my initial observations after running it for 6 weeks:

1. It appears to be made of good quality materials and it is definitely not underpowered for my purposes. I like the digital controls which my old unit lacked.
2. There is no drain tube included so I reused the flexible plastic line I already had, just make sure to loop the line over itself per the instructions (helps ensure proper discharge of water from the unit).
3. It was really easy to install, just set it in place, level it (a wrench does the trick), connect the power and drain lines, turn it on and set the humidity level. Took about a day to drop my humidity level from 80% to about 55% - just above what I had it set at. I did set the unit on some scrap 2x4 wood pieces to elevate it so it would adequately drain to the sump pit. Don't expect any unit to push water uphill to a drain or sump pit.
4. It is very quiet. I have it sitting under the living room and I never hear it running. It seems to be pulling about the same or slightly less power than my dead Santa Fe unit.
5. The exhaust fan on the unit is pretty powerful. I initially thought that I might duct the exhaust air away from the unit to increase circulation in my crawlspace which is only about 3 feet tall but the unit seems to have no problems keeping the whole area within tolerances.
6. I have a separate remote temp and humidity sensor set up about 15 feet away from the AlorAir unit. I recommend having one so you can monitor your crawlspace and verify that the unit is working properly. The unit seems to keep the humidity with a few degrees from what I set it at so I am pleased with that. The AlorAir unit says it will keep it within 5% humidity from what you set it at.
7. Lots of people seem to complain about the unit dying early in the one star reviews. While mine is new and working fine I will note that even if you were to buy this unit from a professional installer or specialist, they often do not service the units beyond basic diagnostics. So, when these spendy dehumidifiers quit working, you can often be left on your own unless regardless of the model purchased or who you purchased it from. I hope my unit lasts at least 5 years but time will tell.
8. Amazon advertises extended warranty protection for additional fee on this unit for up to 4 years which seems pretty good until you start reading the fine print. From my research, it doesn't seem like this unit qualifies as “houseware” and some customers who buy the Amazon warranties say that Amazon will offer these warranties on products that do not qualify. If your product doesn't qualify for protection then it seems like a crapshoot as if you can even get a refund on your warranty purchase. I skipped the extended Amazon warranty.
9. I bought this unit in part because unlike AprilAire and Santa Fe, you can install this yourself without voiding the warranty. Those other two units require a pro install. It is an expensive unit but I wanted something more commercial grade and hopefully long lasting since no one likes messing around in their crawlspace more than they have to.