Dehumidifiers / AlorAir
AlorAir Sentinel HDi90 Crawl Space Dehumidifier (built-in pump)
The cold-crawlspace answer: 33.8°F, hot-gas defrost, 6-year cover, no ENERGY STAR listing.
Overall score 7.1/10
Pros
- + 33.8°F minimum with hot-gas defrost — the only compressor unit here that genuinely earns a cold crawlspace
- + Publishes both saturation and AHAM capacity side by side instead of quoting only the flattering one
- + 6-year limited warranty (first 2 years full) against 1 year from every portable here
- + No bucket to empty, ever, and it can be hung off the joists out of the mud
Cons
- − amgair.com's listing calls it "Energy Star listed"; it is not in the ENERGY STAR certified database — only three other AlorAir models are
- − "90 pints" is an AHAM 80°F figure and is not comparable to the 50-pint DOE figures of the portables it will be cross-shopped against
- − Pump-only drainage means no fallback if the pump fails
- − <58 dBA and no published annual energy figure, on a machine that runs nearly continuously
- − Warranty is published as both 5 and 6 years for the same ASIN, and the stock filter is only MERV-1
AlorAir Sentinel HDi90 Crawl Space Dehumidifier (built-in pump) review: what the specs say
The cold-crawlspace answer: 33.8°F, hot-gas defrost, 6-year cover, no ENERGY STAR listing. At $1,147.11, AlorAir's 2019 model sits at the premium end of the category — the dehumidifiers we compare run from $46.42 to $1,507. It scores 7.1/10 overall, calculated from published specifications across 8 categories rather than from a subjective impression.
Its strongest showing is Moisture Removal at 9.0/10 — actual water pulled out of the air per day at a condition a home experiences, judged against the DOE-verified figure rather than the coverage claim on the box. The weakest is Quietness at 3.5/10, which is the trade-off to weigh before buying: if that is the specification you care about most, one of the alternatives below will serve you better.
Worth knowing before you buy: amgair.com's listing calls it "Energy Star listed"; it is not in the ENERGY STAR certified database — only three other AlorAir models are; and "90 pints" is an AHAM 80°F figure and is not comparable to the 50-pint DOE figures of the portables it will be cross-shopped against. Every specification on this page comes from AlorAir's own documentation or a verified retail listing — where a figure is not published, the table says so rather than estimating it.
Specifications and price last verified . Report an error
Full Specifications
| Rated Capacity (and Which Standard) | AlorAir publishes both numbers, which is more than most: "198 PPD at Saturation, 90 Pints (AHAM)". The AHAM figure is at 80°F/60% RH — the pre-2019 portable condition — so a "90 pint" AlorAir is NOT twice a "50 pint" Frigidaire; the two are measured 15°F apart |
| ENERGY STAR / DOE Verified Capacity | None. The Sentinel HDi90 does not appear in the ENERGY STAR Certified Dehumidifiers database — AlorAir's only certified models there are the Helios D35, Sentinel HD55S and Sentinel Pro35X. This matters because amgair.com's listing for the HDi90 states "Energy Star listed", which the database does not support pints/day |
| Technology & Refrigerant | Compressor (refrigerant), R32, 5.56 A at 115V, 210 CFM / 350 CMH, COP quoted by AlorAir as 2.69 L/kWh |
| Low-Temperature Operation & Defrost | 33.8°F to 104°F with automatic hot-gas defrost — the widest usable range of any compressor unit here and the entire reason it costs four times a portable. In a 45-55°F crawlspace this is the compressor unit that keeps working |
| Claimed Coverage | 2,600 sq ft (AlorAir and Amazon); amgair.com expresses the same machine as "up to 15,000 cubic feet" |
| Tank Capacity & Refill Interval | None — there is no bucket. It is pump-drained only, by design. That removes the emptying problem entirely and creates a hard dependency on the pump |
| Continuous Drainage (Hose, Gravity, Pump Lift) | Heavy-duty built-in condensate pump with drain hose. AlorAir publishes no lift height for the HDi90's pump. Pump-only means a pump failure stops the machine, unlike a bucket unit |
| ENERGY STAR Status | NOT certified — the HDi90 is absent from the ENERGY STAR database despite a retailer listing describing it as Energy Star listed |
| Annual Running Cost | Not published as an annual figure. At 5.56 A / 115V (about 639W) running the long hours a crawlspace unit runs, this is a several-hundred-kWh-per-year machine; AlorAir's 2.69 L/kWh COP is respectable but there is no ENERGY STAR kWh/yr number to check it against |
| Noise | <58 dBA (AlorAir). Loudest here, which is acceptable under a floor and not in a bedroom |
| Warranty (incl. Sealed System) | Sources conflict on length: AlorAir's own page and the Amazon listing say "6-Year Limited Warranty - First 2 Years Full Coverage"; a reseller listing for the same ASIN says 5 years. Either way it is the longest cover in this comparison and it does include the sealed system |
| Recall History | No CPSC recall found for AlorAir |
| Connectivity | Optional remote humidistat control (sold separately), Wi-Fi on the separate HDi90 WIFI variant |
| Material | Rotational-moulded polymer housing with a rare-earth-alloy tube evaporator (AlorAir) |
| Warranty | 72 months |
Compare AlorAir Sentinel HDi90 Crawl Space Dehumidifier (built-in pump) With
Cheaper Alternative
Honeywell TPFIT50PWK 50-Pint Dehumidifier with Drain Pump — $419.95
Premium Alternative
AprilAire E070 70-Pint Crawl Space / Whole-House Dehumidifier — $1441.00