Humidity Control & Technology with Anden Indoor Dehumidifiers

In a recent interview with Randy Lenz, Anden’s leading Senior Applications Engineer, we discussed HVAC technology leading the indoor growing industry.  As their indoor humidity expert, he brings invaluable experience to the Anden team when it comes to helping growers and cultivators create near-perfect conditions for growth. As such, commercial humidifiers and dehumidifiers are an essential part of growing environment control systems.

“When we size a grow for dehumidification, we look at everything from the size of the room, the number of plants, water feed, lighting type, and HVAC type/tonnage to desired growing temperature and relative humidity to closely dial it in.”  With industry-leading technology in humidity control, your growing environment becomes stable, consistent, and optimal for growth.  You will see bigger crops, more vibrant colors, and happier customers.  Sometimes you already have the ag humidity equipment needed, and the extra boost can be achieved by better training and proper placement of fans, dehumidifiers, lighting, etc. – all aspects that we at MORR can help you with.

NEW TECHNOLOGY FROM ANDEN FOR COMMERCIAL INDOOR CROP PRODUCTION

“The Anden A710 is the industry’s first dehumidifier with patented Variable-speed, Low-Grain Refrigerant (VLGR) Technology, delivering maximum moisture removal for your investment.  The A710 is the best investment across all grow conditions compared to any dehumidifier available, removing 710 pints of moisture per day at 80°F/60% RH.”

The A710 has an EMC blower to maintain constant air flow across the coil and controls the speed of the compressor for optimal performance.  Controlling the compressor speed allows the  humidifier to run longer in low load conditions.  However, the VLGR technology, as opposed to the other dehumidifiers out there, is able to defrost at longer intervals.  For instance, instead of defrosting every 30 minutes at 60°F/50% RH, the A710 dehumidifier defrosts every 2 hours.  Meaning it can run longer and remove more pints of moisture – giving you the power to maintain tight control over vapor pressure deficit (VPD) in all grow conditions–especially during the crucial late flowering stage when other dehumidifiers can ice up.

THE ANDEN A710 OFFERS 3 IMPORTANT BENEFITS WHEN COMPARED WITH OTHER SIMILAR DEHUMIDIFICATION PRODUCTS

1. High energy efficiency from reduced power consumption during the low humidity, late flowering stage
2. Maximum VPD across all grow conditions
3. Greatest water removal for your investment as VLGR Technology allows the unit to safely operate on a 30-amp breaker

WHAT TO CONSIDER WHEN DECIDING BETWEEN ANDEN AND QUEST FOR INDOOR DEHUMIDIFICATION

At MORR, we offer full transparency and honest product evaluations.  It would be incorrect to claim that Anden is the product of choice for all farms all the time.  Therefore, let us explain why and when we like Anden products:

Anden and Quest are the two major companies specializing in small-scale dehumidification.  There are other products that offer significantly greater dehumidification, energy savings, and scalability but they are generally larger in size and cost.  Also, there are small portable dehumidifiers, mostly imported from overseas, for use in smaller areas but these units are generally not manufactured to a quality level appropriate for commercial crop production.  

Therefore, when suggesting Anden we are leaving other products out of the conversation and specifically speaking to facilities and cultivators that are attempting to decide between Anden or Quest.

When should Anden and Quest dehumidifiers be considered:

• Approximately 3,000 SF to 100,000 SF indoor farms
• Facilities that have many small rooms that cultivators specifically do not want to connect with a large scale industrial system
• Rooms that do not have space for larger footprint dehumidifiers.
• Cultivators that desire plug & play, simple options rather than  engineering, design, and sophisticated solutions

KEY SIMILARITIES & DIFFERENCES

Between Anden and Quest there is little difference in performance.  Both make claims, but farms can succeed with either company’s products.

Depending on your onsite electrical specifications, you may decide to choose based on voltage.  Higher voltage is more efficient and there are some models where Anden or Quest offer 277V or 480V and the other manufacturer does not.

Efficiency is something to consider.  What you will pay upfront does not include what the unit will cost to operate.  If one unit is more expensive and the other less expensive but the less expensive model has less efficient operating standards than it’s important to check Return On Investment (ROI) by calculating cost, cost of operation, cost of replacement filters, approximate duration of use, cost of electricity, and ensure ever dollar being spent is also being maximized.  

What happens when things don’t work out?  In our experience selling both companies' products, we believe they have approximately the same defect rates.  Most of the time things go well but with anything mechanical downtime occurs and parts need to be swapped out.  Many of the issues with Anden can be fixed onsite and they can send you replacement parts free of charge.  When a unit cannot be repaired, Anden generally allows us to swap out the unit for a replacement at no cost and we receive the credit.  This applies to units under warranty.  In most cases we can determine same-day what is wrong and get a solution in place.

Both Anden and Quest products carry a 5 Year Warranty

DOES ROOM TEMPERATURE AND OTHER ENVIRONMENTAL VARIABLES MATTER?

Both units are tested for efficiency at 80°F @ 60% RH.  This may or may not be where you actually operate your grow rooms and environment.  Therefore, it is crucial to look at a curve and determine efficiency where you will actually operate.  Be sure to take into consideration any end-of-cycle temperature as dehumidifiers lose most of their functionality at cold temperatures.

Depending on the model, it seems to us that Quest offers commensurate efficiency when operating at the testing benchmark of 80°F @ 60% RH but once temperatures and RH start to deviate to something more commonly found in grow rooms, Anden stands out as more efficient.

ANDEN 710V3 SPECIFICATIONS:

• 710 Pints/day
• VLGR Technology – Increases energy efficiency
• Runs on 30-Amp Breaker – The only dehumidifier on the market with a capacity of 500+ pints that can operate on a standard 30-amp breaker
• 1760 CFM @ 0.0” WG – Greater airflow through the unit increases moisture removal from the air
• 3 Liters/kWh
• Replacement Filters: MERV-11 29.5″ x 31.5″ x 2″
• Flexible Installation – The pre-installed electrical plug is simple to remove for hard-wired applications
  Suspended, freestanding, or ducted installation
• Safety Checks – Terminals on the dehumidifier make it easy to install a float switch to protect against overflows
• Digital Interface – On-board monitoring enables precise settings and simple diagnostics
• Remote Control Included – The included Model A77 remote control measures relative humidity at canopy height for optimum control of your grow environment (upgrade options available), and relays diagnostics from the dehumidifier
• Voltage: 277V
• Amp Draw: 17.4 amps
• BTU/Hour: 16,168

QUEST 506 277V SPECIFICATIONS:

• 506 Pints/Day @ 80°F/60%RH
• 349 Pints/Day @ 75°F/50%RH
• 3.8 Liters/kWh @ 80°F/60%RH
• 2.9 Liters/kWh @ 75°F/50%RH
• 1350 CFM @ 0.0” WG
• Replacement Filters: MERV-13 18” x 20” x 2”
• Supply Voltage 277V
• Current Draw 10 Amps
• No Digital Interface
• Remote Control Not Included
• Voltage: 277V

DOES ANDEN OR QUEST OFFER BETTER PRICING?

Anden offers substantially better pricing across all products.  Large orders can be tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of dollars less expensive when purchasing Anden.  For specific pricing contact your MORR Sales Representative.

Anden A710 Extended Performance Chart

Contact us for more information, or to find out if an Anden dehumidifier is right for your farm.