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Phoenix R250 Vs Dri-Eaz 1200 LGR Deployment Decision

Reference Equipment Updated Jun 19, 2026 ยท Water Restoration

Why this matters

The Phoenix R250 LGR and the Dri-Eaz LGR 1200 (commonly fielded alongside the Dri-Eaz Revolution LGR) are the two refrigerant low-grain workhorses most restoration trucks carry, and choosing between them per loss is about matching capacity, draw, and form factor to the chamber, not brand loyalty. Both are AHRI-rated LGR units; the published pint-per-day rating is at the AHRI 80/60 condition and the actual field water removal depends on chamber temperature and grain loading. Deploying the wrong unit means either undersizing the dehumidification (the chamber stalls) or hauling a heavy high-capacity unit into a small loss where a compact unit would have done the job on a standard circuit. Reading the load, the available power, and the access against each unit's spec is the deployment decision.

What separates the two

  • Capacity: the R250 and the 1200-class units sit in the same high-capacity LGR band; confirm the specific model's AHRI pint rating and field-corrected removal at the chamber's temperature and grain conditions, because the rating drops sharply in cold or low-grain air.
  • Power draw: both run on a standard 115V/15A circuit in their typical configurations, but stacking units plus air movers plus heat on shared circuits trips breakers; total the amperage against the available panel.
  • Form factor and stacking: compact units stack and stage in tight residential spaces; the larger-footprint unit moves more air but needs floor space and clearance.
  • Ducting and grain depression: confirm each unit's rated airflow and the grain depression it achieves across its coil at the chamber's inlet condition.

Deployment decision

Deploy the higher-capacity unit when:

  • The affected area and Class of loss demand high pints-per-day per the S500 sizing calculation.
  • The chamber is warm enough that the refrigerant unit holds its rating.
  • Power and floor space support the larger footprint, or you are running one big unit instead of several small ones.

Deploy the compact LGR when:

  • The loss is a standard residential footprint that one mid-capacity unit covers per the sizing math.
  • Access is tight (stairs, doorways, finished-space staging) and the compact form factor wins.
  • You are staging multiple smaller units across separate chambers rather than one large unit in one space.

Switch to desiccant (either brand) when:

  • Chamber temperature is low and refrigerant LGR capacity has collapsed; desiccant works at low vapor pressure and low temperature where refrigerant units defrost.
  • The materials are specialty/dense and need the lower achievable humidity a desiccant provides.

Sizing discipline

Size dehumidification from the S500 calculation for the affected area, Class of loss, and target conditions, not from how many units are on the truck. Total the amperage of all dehus, air movers, and heat against the available circuits before plugging in; an LGR that nuisance-trips a breaker every few hours does not dry anything overnight. Field-correct the published AHRI rating for the actual chamber temperature and grain loading; a unit rated for a large pint output at 80/60 pulls far less in a cold or already-low-grain chamber, which is exactly when crews under-deploy.

What not to do

  • Do not size from the truck inventory; size from the load and validate against the AHRI-corrected field rating.
  • Do not stack high-capacity units and heat on a single residential circuit and expect overnight runtime.
  • Do not run refrigerant LGRs in a cold chamber and call them broken when they defrost; that is the condition that calls for desiccant.

References

  • AHRI Standard 920, Performance Rating of DX-Dedicated Outdoor Air System Units (LGR dehumidifier rating method and reference conditions)
  • Phoenix R250 LGR operating manual and capacity curve (Therma-Stor / Phoenix Restoration Equipment)
  • Dri-Eaz LGR dehumidifier operating manual and AHRI capacity data (LGR 1200 / Revolution LGR)
  • IICRC S500 Standard for Professional Water Damage Restoration, Section 13 (dehumidification sizing and psychrometry), 2021 edition

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