Ask ten contractors why they buy LGR and most will say "because the insurance program requires it." That is true, but it is not the reason LGR exists. Low-grain refrigerant dehumidifiers were built to solve a specific problem: conventional refrigerant units stop working right when a structure is almost dry.
A standard refrigerant dehumidifier pulls air across a cold coil, condenses moisture, and pushes the air back out. That works well when the room is at 60–90% relative humidity. Below roughly 40% RH the coil can no longer get the air cold enough to condense much water, and the unit spends electricity moving air around. In restoration terms: it dries the carpet and the top of the drywall, then plateaus while the sill plates, subfloor and wall cavities are still wet.
An LGR unit pre-cools the incoming air with the cold outgoing air (a heat exchanger) before it reaches the evaporator coil. The coil sees air that is already closer to its dew point, so it keeps condensing water at much lower humidity, down into the 30s and even 20s percent RH. That is what "low grain" means: it keeps producing water when the air holds fewer grains of moisture per pound.
The practical result is a lower grain depression (the difference between the moisture content of the air going in and coming out) that stays useful through the whole job instead of collapsing on day two. Deeper drying, fewer return trips, and materials that hit dry standard instead of "close enough."
Dehumidifier marketing uses two numbers and they are not interchangeable:
Our MOUNTO lineup is labeled by saturation capacity because that is the industry convention, and the model number carries the AHAM figure. The DH80 (150 pints saturation / 80 pints AHAM) and DH95 (180 / 95) are the compact roto-molded units; the DH155W (268 / 155) and the 310-pint unit are the large-loss workhorses.
Honesty is cheaper than a return. Conventional refrigerant units are fine for:
For water damage restoration, insurance work, and anything with wet drywall, framing or hardwood, LGR pays for itself on the first extended job you do not have to make.
| Model | Saturation / AHAM | Best for | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| DH80 | 150 / 80 pints | Single rooms, apartments, 1,000 sq ft losses | Compact roto-molded body, rolls through standard doors |
| DH95 | 180 / 95 pints | Whole-floor residential, 1,200–2,400 sq ft | Same class of unit as the DH80 with about 20% more capacity |
| DH155W | 268 / 155 pints | Commercial, large-loss, high ceilings | Fewer units to place and power on big jobs |
| 310-pint LGR (5-pack) | 310 / 165 pints | Fleet and large-loss teams | Sold in 5-unit pallets |
All four have built-in condensate pumps (25 ft drain hoses and replacement power cords are stocked as accessories), roto-molded polyethylene housings that shrug off truck rides, and a 1-year warranty with 3 years of free parts.
Need a full drying package sized to a square footage instead of a single unit? Every MOUNTO restoration package pairs LGR dehumidifiers with the right number of air movers and HEPA scrubbers and ships on one pallet from Corona, CA.
