Whether you’re planning to DIY, hire a professional, or just looking for information: here we give you the basics on refrigerants.
Last week, we talked about the ins and outs of dehumidification. There are several different methods! Refrigerants are just the most common. We differentiate them based on how main “grains per pound” (gpp) they can get the air quality to, or handle, in the environment. This measurement is easy to test, and it’s critical to choosing your refrigerant.
Here are the types you’ll see that we use, and that which DIY-type homeowners use.
Conventional refrigerants.
These can dehumidify to about 55 gpp. Anything less, and they become inefficient. Conventional cannot achieve the best humidity levels, frankly, and are not the best choice for drying water-damaged property. We would only recommend this for undamaged property that just has a humidity problem.
Homeowners’ conventional.
We would never use this as restoration professionals. The average refrigerant for the homeowner can only perform in temperatures as low as 70 degrees. This is mostly performed to make the home comfortable. We would never recommend this for actual restoration issues.
LGRs.
Also knows as low-grain refrigerants, these can remove moisture from the air stream as low as 34 gpp. These will be quite successful anywhere under 40 gpp, and in temperatures as low as 40 degrees. There are varieties of LGRs available for higher temperatures, too. This is generally accepted as the best type of refrigerant, if one will use a refrigerant at all.
Next week, we will discuss desiccants and their properties.
