How much should I spend on a dehumidifier? How much does a dehumidifier cost?
When you live in a place like Florida that has humidity almost throughout the year, you need to run a dehumidifier almost daily. You would think that buying a dehumidifier is as simple as picking the one that is most reviewed online. However, the cost of dehumidifier will figure a lot in your calculations.
So, how much should I spend on a dehumidifier? The cost varies, mostly depending on the size. For example, a mini dehumidifier price can cost anywhere from $25. A portable, low cost dehumidifier costs from $40. A large room portable dehumidifier for 1500 square feet can cost $170 and higher while a basement dehumidifier costs $800 and more while a crawl space dehumidifier price starts from $1000. Furnace and central dehumidifiers also called whole house dehumidifiers will cost between $1000 and $3000 without the installation cost.
As you can see from the prices above, what we are trying to say here is that there is a dehumidifier for every budget.
Budget is not the main consideration if you have got a problem of high humidity. Rather, you truly want to consider the space that you need to dehumidify.
You also have to consider whether the dehumidifier can handle the humidity level in your place.
How much should I spend on a dehumidifier? Different types
There is no standard price for dehumidifiers. However, there’s a dehumidifier price range that is generally accepted for different sizes.
Dehumidifier sizes start from as small as desktop sizes to monstrous crawl space sizes as well as industrial dehumidifiers.
Keep reading to see what you can expect to pay for any dehumidifier.
Crawl space dehumidifier cost
The crawl space dehumidifier cost varies widely. However, first things first, what is a crawl space?
A crawl space is the space between the house and the wet earth. It acts as the buffer zone that prevents the house wall and the wet earth from coming into contact with each other.
However, the vapor from the earth is still able to escape and get into your house and raise the indoor humidity level tremendously.
Therefore, you need a unit that is a real work horse to dehumidify the crawl space. You can try the Aprilaire crawl space dehumidifier on Amazon.com, which comes in models that can dehumidify 2800 to 7200 square feet.
The cost of these dehumidifiers ranges from $1000 to $3000 without the cost of installation.
Cost of dehumidifier for basement
How much does a dehumidifier cost if you need it for the basement? Well, this depends on many things but the chief one is the size.
Tell you what, with as little as $200, you can buy a dehumidifier for under house that can dehumidify a space of about 2800 square feet. However, this is a portable dehumidifier which means you always have to empty it when full.
If you live in a place like Seattle with a lot of humidity, you need a whole house basement dehumidifier. The cost of this one can range from $1200 to $1900.
Instead of trying a portable dehumidifier for a basement that gets really humid, just go for a whole house dehumidifier for basement. You can also use the same units that are used for crawl spaces.
One of the most popular basement or crawl space units that you can get is the 95-pint Aprilaire 1850 Pro Dehumidifier on Amazon.com. It can dehumidify spaces of up to 5200 square feet. However, for such a dehumidifier, you will have to pay for professional installing a dehumidifier in crawl space.
Whole House Dehumidifier Price
The whole house dehumidifier comes at almost the same as the cost of dehumidifier for basement. However, having said that, there is an extra fee to be paid, that of installation.
Also known as a central unit or a furnace dehumidifier, you can expect the price range to be between $800 and $1300, of course, without the installation cost.
This unit is attached to your house’s HVAC system, to the return duct work. However, the installation technician may advise you to add a new return duct work for the dehumidifier especially if you run an old HVAC system.
A good choice for a whole house dehumidifier would be the 120-pint AlorAir Sentinel HDi120 that you can buy on Amazon.com. It can dehumidify a space of up to 3300 square feet. Considering that the average American home size is 2600 square feet, this unit is perfect for your home.
Portable dehumidifiers: Cost of a dehumidifier
How much do dehumidifiers cost? Here, we are talking about portable dehumidifiers that come in all sizes and costs.
They can range from mini units that you can use on your desk, in a small bedroom at night and some, even in the kitchen. You cannot use such units in places that experience a lot of humidity many months of the year.
There are also some big, portable dehumidifier units that you can use in big spaces. Some portable dehumidifiers can do less than 20 pints, which means you would need to empty the tank too often. Some can do over 70 pints.
If you decide to go with portable units, you will have to move them from room to room or you would need to buy a unit for each room. Choose one with an auto off function so that it stops drawing more moisture from the air once it is full.
It is best to buy a 70-pint unit such as the KESNOS DEHUMIDIFIER on Amazon.com. It can dehumidify spaces of up to 4500 square feet.
This unit also has hidden wheels and handles so moving it from one room to another is so easy.
Installation cost of dehumidifier for basement & other spaces
For the central unit/whole house, crawl space and basement dehumidifiers need to be installed by a technician. Therefore, when considering how much is a dehumidifier, you also need to consider the cost of installation.
The installation cost starts at $1500 for a whole house dehumidifier. For a crawl space unit, the installation cost starts at $1500 and for a basement unit, the cost starts at $1300.
So that you do not pay too much, it is best to hire a technician from your zip code, town or city. If you hire from too far, the transport costs will be transferred to you.
In addition to the dehumidifier price and installation cost, there is also the cost of maintenance. Again, this will be done by a technician so you have to factor it in.
Dehumidifier pay monthly
If you are truly strapped for cash, you can get a used dehumidifier for sale, which will be cheaper and might still be in superb condition. One of the best places to get used dehumidifiers for sale is eBay.com.
But that is not what we are about here when we talk about dehumidifier pay monthly. This is about the cost to run dehumidifier. Powerful dehumidifiers for large basements and crawl spaces can add quite a bit of money to your electricity bills.
Smaller ones such as mini and portable dehumidifiers do not consume too much energy and therefore, you will hardly notice the extra pay especially if you do not run them daily.
Final Thoughts on how much should I spend on a dehumidifier
How much should I spend on a dehumidifier? It depends on your needs entirely. It can be anything from $20 to $3000. The bigger it is, the more it will cost to buy, install and run.
The good thing is that there is something for any budget.
If you live in a place that has high humidity throughout the year, you need a big basement, whole house or crawl space dehumidifier installed and maintained by a professional.