Dehumidifiers / AprilAire E070 70-Pint Crawl Space / Whole-House Dehumidifier vs AlorAir Sentinel HDi90 Crawl Space Dehumidifier (built-in pump)
AprilAire E070 70-Pint Crawl Space / Whole-House Dehumidifier
$1441.00
VSAlorAir Sentinel HDi90 Crawl Space Dehumidifier (built-in pump)
$1147.11
AprilAire E070 70-Pint Crawl Space / Whole-House Dehumidifier vs AlorAir Sentinel HDi90 Crawl Space Dehumidifier (built-in pump)
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.
Wins overall by 0.4 points
Quick Verdict
The AlorAir Sentinel HDi90 Crawl Space Dehumidifier (built-in pump) takes this by a clear 0.4 points. The cold-crawlspace answer: 33.8°F, hot-gas defrost, 6-year cover, no ENERGY STAR listing. The AprilAire E070 70-Pint Crawl Space / Whole-House Dehumidifier only makes sense if it wins on a category you care about more than the total.
The AprilAire E070 70-Pint Crawl Space / Whole-House Dehumidifier and AlorAir Sentinel HDi90 Crawl Space Dehumidifier (built-in pump) are both current-generation dehumidifier models, and the AlorAir Sentinel HDi90 Crawl Space Dehumidifier (built-in pump) is $293.90 cheaper than the AprilAire E070 70-Pint Crawl Space / Whole-House Dehumidifier ($1,147.11 vs $1,441). On Quietness, the AprilAire E070 70-Pint Crawl Space / Whole-House Dehumidifier leads (6.5 vs 3.5/10) — measured dB where published, weighted by where the machine actually lives — a 58 dBA crawlspace unit under a floor is fine, a 54 dB cube next to a desk is not. On Cold-Room Performance, the AlorAir Sentinel HDi90 Crawl Space Dehumidifier (built-in pump) leads (9.0 vs 6.5/10) — what happens in a 50-55°F basement, garage or crawlspace. Compressor coils frost below roughly 65°F and auto-defrost buys back the coil at the cost of runtime; desiccant rotors and hot-gas-defrost units do not care. The single most common mis-buy in the category. On Drainage & Tank Practicality, the AlorAir Sentinel HDi90 Crawl Space Dehumidifier (built-in pump) leads (8.5 vs 7.0/10) — tank volume measured against daily output, whether a hose is in the box, whether gravity drainage needs the unit propped up, and whether there is a real pump and how high it lifts. Overall, the AlorAir Sentinel HDi90 Crawl Space Dehumidifier (built-in pump) scores 7.1/10 across our 8 scoring categories versus 6.7/10 for the AprilAire E070 70-Pint Crawl Space / Whole-House Dehumidifier. Below, we break down the full spec sheet, category-by-category scores, and exactly who should buy which one.
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Spec | AprilAire E070 70-Pint Crawl Space / Whole-House Dehumidifier | AlorAir Sentinel HDi90 Crawl Space Dehumidifier (built-in pump) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $1441.00 | $1147.11 |
| Release Year | 2019 | 2019 |
| Rated Capacity (and Which Standard) | 70 pints/day at 80°F/60% RH, and 53 pints/day at 73°F/60% RH — AprilAire publishes both. The headline 70 is on the AHAM/pre-2019 condition, so this is NOT comparable to a modern 50-pint portable's DOE rating, and it is not 40% more machine than one either | 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 ( pints/day) | None — the E070 does not appear in the ENERGY STAR Certified Dehumidifiers database. Only the E080, E100 and E130 are certified. For reference, ENERGY STAR rates the E080 at 65.00 pints/day under Appendix X1 against AprilAire's own 80-pint headline, and whole-home units are tested at 73°F/60% RH rather than the 65°F/60% RH used for portables — a third rating point in the same category | 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 |
| Technology & Refrigerant | Compressor (refrigerant), R32, 5.4 amps at 120V, 200 CFM at 0.0 in external static pressure, energy factor 2.1 L/kWh at 80°F/60% RH and 1.8 L/kWh at 73°F/60% RH | 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 | 50°F to 104°F for dehumidification (40°F to 140°F in ventilation-only mode). That 50°F floor is better than a 41°F-rated portable in practice but worse than the AlorAir's 33.8°F — for a genuinely cold crawlspace the AlorAir or a desiccant is the safer choice | 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 | Sources conflict by a factor of two: AprilAire's own shop page says "whole houses up to 2,200 sq. ft.", the Amazon listing says "up to 2,800 sq. ft", and amgair.com's spec table for the same model says 4,400 sq. ft | 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 water tray. This is a plumbed appliance | 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) | Gravity drain only, with a barbed fitting and 10 ft of tubing included. There is no pump, so the unit must be sited above a drain or paired with a separate condensate pump. That is the practical difference between this and the pump-equipped AlorAir | 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. amgair.com markets this model as "Most Efficient | Energy Star Rated"; the E070 is absent from both the ENERGY STAR Certified Dehumidifiers list and the ENERGY STAR Most Efficient list. The E080, E100 and E130 above it are certified and are Most Efficient | 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, because there is no ENERGY STAR entry. At 5.4 A / 120V (about 648W) and crawlspace duty cycles, budget for something in the region of the E080's certified 632 kWh/yr — roughly $107/yr at $0.17/kWh | 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 | 53 dBA ducted (AprilAire) | <58 dBA (AlorAir). Loudest here, which is acceptable under a floor and not in a bedroom |
| Warranty (incl. Sealed System) | 5 years on parts and the sealed system, per AprilAire and its dealers. This is the single strongest warranty position in the comparison alongside the AlorAir, and it is the reason the price is what it is | 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 AprilAire dehumidifiers | No CPSC recall found for AlorAir |
| Warranty | 60 months | 72 months |
| Colors | White | Blue |
Category Scores
Capacity-Claim Honesty
The AlorAir Sentinel HDi90 Crawl Space Dehumidifier (built-in pump) leads clearly here, 7.0 against 6.0 — a 1.0-point margin on this category's trap dimension. Since the DOE changed the test condition from 80°F/60% RH to 65°F/60% RH in 2019, the same machine that was a '70 pint' is now a '50 pint' — and manufacturers freely mix the two scales, plus a third 'saturation' figure taken at 95°F/90% RH. A high score means the pint number on the box matches the DOE Appendix X1 figure the manufacturer filed with ENERGY STAR. A low score means the marketing number is measured somewhere the buyer's house never is.. If that is what you are buying for, the AprilAire E070 70-Pint Crawl Space / Whole-House Dehumidifier does not close the gap elsewhere.
Moisture Removal
The AlorAir Sentinel HDi90 Crawl Space Dehumidifier (built-in pump) leads clearly here, 9.0 against 8.5 — a 0.5-point margin on 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. If that is what you are buying for, the AprilAire E070 70-Pint Crawl Space / Whole-House Dehumidifier does not close the gap elsewhere.
Cold-Room Performance
The AlorAir Sentinel HDi90 Crawl Space Dehumidifier (built-in pump) leads clearly here, 9.0 against 6.5 — a 2.5-point margin on what happens in a 50-55°F basement, garage or crawlspace. Compressor coils frost below roughly 65°F and auto-defrost buys back the coil at the cost of runtime; desiccant rotors and hot-gas-defrost units do not care. The single most common mis-buy in the category. If that is what you are buying for, the AprilAire E070 70-Pint Crawl Space / Whole-House Dehumidifier does not close the gap elsewhere.
Drainage & Tank Practicality
The AlorAir Sentinel HDi90 Crawl Space Dehumidifier (built-in pump) leads clearly here, 8.5 against 7.0 — a 1.5-point margin on tank volume measured against daily output, whether a hose is in the box, whether gravity drainage needs the unit propped up, and whether there is a real pump and how high it lifts. If that is what you are buying for, the AprilAire E070 70-Pint Crawl Space / Whole-House Dehumidifier does not close the gap elsewhere.
Running Cost
The AprilAire E070 70-Pint Crawl Space / Whole-House Dehumidifier leads clearly here, 4.5 against 4.0 — a 0.5-point margin on the kWh/yr on the ENERGY STAR certification and what it costs at the meter. On a machine that runs most of the year this dominates total ownership cost — often a third of the purchase price annually. If that is what you are buying for, the AlorAir Sentinel HDi90 Crawl Space Dehumidifier (built-in pump) does not close the gap elsewhere.
Quietness
The AprilAire E070 70-Pint Crawl Space / Whole-House Dehumidifier leads clearly here, 6.5 against 3.5 — a 3.0-point margin on measured dB where published, weighted by where the machine actually lives — a 58 dBA crawlspace unit under a floor is fine, a 54 dB cube next to a desk is not. If that is what you are buying for, the AlorAir Sentinel HDi90 Crawl Space Dehumidifier (built-in pump) does not close the gap elsewhere.
Build & Warranty
The AprilAire E070 70-Pint Crawl Space / Whole-House Dehumidifier leads clearly here, 9.5 against 9.0 — a 0.5-point margin on coil and cabinet construction, filter grade, and above all the warranty on the sealed system — the compressor is the part that fails and the part most portables cover for only twelve months. If that is what you are buying for, the AlorAir Sentinel HDi90 Crawl Space Dehumidifier (built-in pump) does not close the gap elsewhere.
Value for Money
The AlorAir Sentinel HDi90 Crawl Space Dehumidifier (built-in pump) leads clearly here, 6.5 against 5.0 — a 1.5-point margin on purchase price plus multi-year electricity against verified pints removed and how long the warranty protects the compressor. If that is what you are buying for, the AprilAire E070 70-Pint Crawl Space / Whole-House Dehumidifier does not close the gap elsewhere.
Best For
Choose the AprilAire E070 70-Pint Crawl Space / Whole-House Dehumidifier if…
- • Quietness matters most to you — the AprilAire E070 70-Pint Crawl Space / Whole-House Dehumidifier scores 6.5/10 here (measured dB where published, weighted by where the machine actually lives — a 58 dBA crawlspace unit under a floor is fine, a 54 dB cube next to a desk is not).
Choose the AlorAir Sentinel HDi90 Crawl Space Dehumidifier (built-in pump) if…
- • Cold-Room Performance matters most to you — the AlorAir Sentinel HDi90 Crawl Space Dehumidifier (built-in pump) scores 9.0/10 here (what happens in a 50-55°F basement, garage or crawlspace. Compressor coils frost below roughly 65°F and auto-defrost buys back the coil at the cost of runtime; desiccant rotors and hot-gas-defrost units do not care. The single most common mis-buy in the category).
- • Drainage & Tank Practicality matters most to you — the AlorAir Sentinel HDi90 Crawl Space Dehumidifier (built-in pump) scores 8.5/10 here (tank volume measured against daily output, whether a hose is in the box, whether gravity drainage needs the unit propped up, and whether there is a real pump and how high it lifts).
- • Value for Money matters most to you — the AlorAir Sentinel HDi90 Crawl Space Dehumidifier (built-in pump) scores 6.5/10 here (purchase price plus multi-year electricity against verified pints removed and how long the warranty protects the compressor).
- • Capacity-Claim Honesty matters most to you — the AlorAir Sentinel HDi90 Crawl Space Dehumidifier (built-in pump) scores 7.0/10 here (this category's trap dimension. Since the DOE changed the test condition from 80°F/60% RH to 65°F/60% RH in 2019, the same machine that was a '70 pint' is now a '50 pint' — and manufacturers freely mix the two scales, plus a third 'saturation' figure taken at 95°F/90% RH. A high score means the pint number on the box matches the DOE Appendix X1 figure the manufacturer filed with ENERGY STAR. A low score means the marketing number is measured somewhere the buyer's house never is.).
- • You want to spend less — it's $293.90 cheaper.
Pros & Cons
AprilAire E070 70-Pint Crawl Space / Whole-House Dehumidifier
Pros
- +5-year parts and sealed-system warranty on a US-built unit, against 1 year from every portable here
- +Publishes capacity at two conditions (70 ppd at 80°F, 53 ppd at 73°F) instead of only the flattering one
- +MERV 8 washable filter means it is doing air cleaning as well as drying, unlike the mesh screens on the portables
- +No tray to empty and corrosion-resistant coils designed for years of crawlspace duty
Cons
- −amgair.com sells it as "Most Efficient | Energy Star Rated" — the E070 is in neither ENERGY STAR list; the E080 above it is
- −"70 pint" is an 80°F/60% RH figure. Cross-shopped against a 50-pint portable it looks like 40% more machine; measured at the same conditions it is not
- −Coverage is published as 2,200 (AprilAire), 2,800 (Amazon) and 4,400 (dealer) sq ft for the same unit
- −Gravity drain only — no pump, so a crawlspace without a low drain needs a condensate pump on top of the $1,441
- −50°F dehumidification floor is not low enough for the coldest crawlspaces, where the AlorAir's 33.8°F or a desiccant wins
AlorAir Sentinel HDi90 Crawl Space Dehumidifier (built-in pump)
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
Shop by Need
FAQs
Is the AprilAire E070 70-Pint Crawl Space / Whole-House Dehumidifier or AlorAir Sentinel HDi90 Crawl Space Dehumidifier (built-in pump) better overall?+
Based on our 8-category scoring, the AlorAir Sentinel HDi90 Crawl Space Dehumidifier (built-in pump) comes out ahead overall. See the full breakdown in the scores section above — the right pick still depends on which categories matter most for your use case.
Which is better for Quietness, the AprilAire E070 70-Pint Crawl Space / Whole-House Dehumidifier or the AlorAir Sentinel HDi90 Crawl Space Dehumidifier (built-in pump)?+
The AprilAire E070 70-Pint Crawl Space / Whole-House Dehumidifier scores higher on Quietness (6.5/10 vs 3.5/10) — measured dB where published, weighted by where the machine actually lives — a 58 dBA crawlspace unit under a floor is fine, a 54 dB cube next to a desk is not.
Which is better for Cold-Room Performance, the AprilAire E070 70-Pint Crawl Space / Whole-House Dehumidifier or the AlorAir Sentinel HDi90 Crawl Space Dehumidifier (built-in pump)?+
The AlorAir Sentinel HDi90 Crawl Space Dehumidifier (built-in pump) scores higher on Cold-Room Performance (9.0/10 vs 6.5/10) — what happens in a 50-55°F basement, garage or crawlspace. Compressor coils frost below roughly 65°F and auto-defrost buys back the coil at the cost of runtime; desiccant rotors and hot-gas-defrost units do not care. The single most common mis-buy in the category.
Which is better for Drainage & Tank Practicality, the AprilAire E070 70-Pint Crawl Space / Whole-House Dehumidifier or the AlorAir Sentinel HDi90 Crawl Space Dehumidifier (built-in pump)?+
The AlorAir Sentinel HDi90 Crawl Space Dehumidifier (built-in pump) scores higher on Drainage & Tank Practicality (8.5/10 vs 7.0/10) — tank volume measured against daily output, whether a hose is in the box, whether gravity drainage needs the unit propped up, and whether there is a real pump and how high it lifts.
Which is better for Value for Money, the AprilAire E070 70-Pint Crawl Space / Whole-House Dehumidifier or the AlorAir Sentinel HDi90 Crawl Space Dehumidifier (built-in pump)?+
The AlorAir Sentinel HDi90 Crawl Space Dehumidifier (built-in pump) scores higher on Value for Money (6.5/10 vs 5.0/10) — purchase price plus multi-year electricity against verified pints removed and how long the warranty protects the compressor.
Is the AprilAire E070 70-Pint Crawl Space / Whole-House Dehumidifier worth the price difference over the AlorAir Sentinel HDi90 Crawl Space Dehumidifier (built-in pump)?+
The AlorAir Sentinel HDi90 Crawl Space Dehumidifier (built-in pump) is the cheaper option at $1,147.11 versus $1,441. Whether the pricier model is "worth it" depends on how much you value its lead in Quietness.
Which is better suited to my use case?+
The AprilAire E070 70-Pint Crawl Space / Whole-House Dehumidifier is the better fit if you mainly care about crawl-space or basement. The AlorAir Sentinel HDi90 Crawl Space Dehumidifier (built-in pump) is the better fit for cold-spaces.
What's the warranty on the AprilAire E070 70-Pint Crawl Space / Whole-House Dehumidifier vs the AlorAir Sentinel HDi90 Crawl Space Dehumidifier (built-in pump)?+
The AprilAire E070 70-Pint Crawl Space / Whole-House Dehumidifier ships with a 60-month warranty; the AlorAir Sentinel HDi90 Crawl Space Dehumidifier (built-in pump) ships with a 72-month warranty. Always confirm current terms on the manufacturer's site before buying.
Should I wait for the next model instead of buying either of these?+
If either model is more than two years old, a successor may be close — check the "Latest Model" link on each product page. Otherwise, both are current, well-supported options and there's no strong reason to wait.
Cheaper Option
AlorAir Sentinel HDi90 Crawl Space Dehumidifier (built-in pump) — $1147.11
Premium Option
AprilAire E070 70-Pint Crawl Space / Whole-House Dehumidifier — $1441.00
Specifications and prices for both products last verified . Scores are calculated from published specifications — see how we compare products.