Looking for a Refrigerant Leak in a Recalled Dehumidifier

[@Channel-cm7yc]

Yep definitely overheated the compressor do to the refrigerant loss which would likely have takin a lot of time. Cool video! 👍👍

[@lolman123401]

I expected the "taking it apart" bit to be you just speeding off while the tailgate is open and the victim is conveniantly placed for maximum loss of grip

[@uxwbill]

salut sava Had it come to that, I would have done so.

[@DrunkNotIAm]

I found this channel through various bits about stereo gear and I've loved every bit of it, but beyond that I find it very calming to watch you talk over stuff, it's like bob ross but with home appliances, cars and odds and ends.

[@Fuzy2K]

1:17 -- That's interesting, when I was a teenager I used to compulsively look up product recalls, and I remember one for a Zenith projection TV that explained that the reason it was recalled was because the seals that hold the coolant between the lenses and the CRTs would leak onto the mainboard or something like that. I guess the CPSC wouldn't do that these days. Fun fact, the TV cart behind me, which is as old as me and was in the family room of the house I grew up in, was recalled because it could tip over if a child opened the doors and rested their hands on top of them, causing the TV to fall forward. Luckily I never did such a thing as a kid because the 20" TV on top of it would have seriously injured me, if not killed me. It was only until years later that we found out it was recalled.

[@netrioter]

Good to see you putting out good content again. Welcome back!

[@netrioter]

Correction...it's always been good content..I meant to say more content. 😊

[@twocvbloke]

It would seem the planned obsolescence failure point failed too soon in this unit, resulting in the "need" for a recall to make people scrap them and buy new, cos that's how things work these days, build it to break, not to last... :\

[@qwertykeyboard5901]

thanks capitalism!

[@sjefoekel6058]

@@qwertykeyboard5901 its pronounced kaputalism😁

[@TheToastPeople]

Missed you! good to see you back!! Hope all is well

[@jamiechampion299]

Of course this is uploaded right when I'm trying to go to bed! That's alright, I'm sure this will be an interesting video to watch in the morning. I've enjoyed the videos Bill!

[@uxwbill]

UXWBill, in spite of being a professional bad example, encourages people to put sleep first.

[@JohnSmith-xq1pz]

@@uxwbill I've often wondered what are the requirements to achieve the rank professional bad example?

[@jackcasey7037]

@@JohnSmith-xq1pz do all the things uxwbill has done, or all the things I’ve done. You’ll be a professional bad example in a week!

[@JohnSmith-xq1pz]

@@jackcasey7037 lol'd

[@welldontdothat]

Watching from my office at this time of night? Golly…

[@Andrew-dr3wh]

Great to see you bill.

[@davemilster]

I completely agree. I have a 1950’s vintage Westinghouse dehumidifier in my main basement. It runs flawlessly. As I have a second basement area I bought one of these new China crap units. It died at 11 months. They sent me my money back. I bought another one different model. Added a two year warranty. After a year it was recalled for a fire hazard. They sent me a replacement (different model again) and yup after 9 months it died and they sent me another one. It lasted until my extended warranty was up and then it died!!! Where is the government regulations on manufacturers building throw away junk and food if our landfills. Each of my Chinese units did the short cycling. So I put them on continuous mode and put them on a timer switch. did

[@davemilster]

Edit to my comment The timer certainly is more efficient than the stupid short cycling

[@jimkinnison4072]

I agree about the junk getting into this country, the landfills will be full much quicker.

[@chrisbeck8182]

Regarding the short-cycling issue - on the Frigidaire that replaced the POS Soleus that failed I was able to remove the humidity sensor and relocate it to the outside of the unit. It was located a bit more intelligently than directly on the coil but still close enough to short cycle more than I cared for. Luckily the sensor had enough ribbon cable to allow it to sit on top by the handle. I wrapped it with some thin foam to protect it. It runs about 20 to 30 minutes ON and easily an hour or two OFF. The usual disclaimer - voids warranty, could electrocute you....blah blah blah. The good point is the mod is totally reversible. :-)

[@chrisbeck8182]

I had a Soleus dehumidifer (with optional non-firestarting feature) that lost it's charge after 3 years of light use. I recently spent several hours trying to find where the leak was - first with 100 psi and soapy water and then I actually cut out the condenser/evaporator assembly and dunked it underwater with 100 psi. NO leak was found. Grrrr! I even did the same with the compressor and remaining tubing and STILL found no leak. It was large enough to loose all 7 ozs. over the course of 5 months of sitting but small enough that it won't show bubbles. There was no oil stains anywhere, either, since the unit wasn't running while it was leaking. Must be cheap copper that goes porous over time. The rest of the unit was absolutely mint and no heat damage as yours shows.

[@uxwbill]

It would be very interesting if the leak turned out to be porous copper. Even as pointless as I know it'd be, I'm tempted to braze up the piercing valve holes, put a proper service port on this thing, pressurize it and see just how long it holds...

[@chrisbeck8182]

uxwbill - I’d do it if I were you. 😎 I’m planning on taking my coil “assembly” to work and use our helium sniffer on it. It’s killing me not knowing where the leak is even though it’s a pointless endeavor. Even if it could be found fixing it would be like trying to waterproof gauze.

[@jonathanalcantara6803]

I have finally found a leak in mine that I've been charging up and would leak out within 3 months. Decided I would do a thorough leak search today right after work. Low and behold I found the leak after about an hour of searching. Leak is at the inlet of the evaporator about an inch into the coil.

[@chrisbeck8182]

Can you carve back the fins enough to braze it up? I've seen some pretty ugly evaporator repairs but in the end you can't see it when it's put back together. I never did find the leak on mine but it wasn't in the evap or condenser coils - those were tested with 300 psi helium and a sniffer. The Frigidaire unit that replaced it has an aluminum evaporator. So far, so good.

[@chrisbeck8182]

@@uxwbill Just an update on my Soleus project. Last winter I came across a suitable compressor that would allow me to experiment with "alternate" refrigerants with the existing evap and condenser of the Soleus. Link to video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/pXTahJulpryHpLM. I figured since no leaks were found that it would be good enough. Long story short: I've been running it all summer on R-152A and it's been working very well. However, in the past few weeks I've started having to add some gas once or twice a week. I checked all the joints and plumbing and found nothing. Soapy water on the evap was inconclusive. Finally, I got disgusted and ordered an Inficon TEK-Mate leak detector and it was going off 6" away from the evaporator! I had also found some leak test liquid at my local Ace and carefully applied it to the evap after the leak detector was freaking out. After a few minutes it was pretty obvious that it had holes all over it! A decent size one on the bottom tube and several smaller ones at various other locations. It has no visible corrosion on the copper, it looks almost new! But obviously the quality of the copper is complete crap.

[@88ariesk]

I hope everything is going well for you Mr. Bill! Haven't seen many videos recently and was starting to worry. it's good that you still are posting, this just slipped through the cracks.

[@GtotheC88]

Still using my Woods dehumidifier from the 90’s. Works great

[@JeffCD77]

You're very right...no matter what humididy level I have my dehumidifier set at, it will shut off and cycle back on in a minute or two. Might be better for compressor longevity to simply keep it running continuesly.

[@chrisbeck8182]

The Soleus had the same issue. When I purchased my replacement unit (Frigidaire) I noticed it did the same thing so I set about to fix it. I was able to open up the unit and remove the humidity sensor from it's location right by the WET evaporator coil. Luckily there was enough ribbon cable to allow me to route the sensor through the handle opening and locate it in the recess around the handle. I covered it with a bit of thin foam and a zip tie. Now it runs for 20 to 30 minutes and shuts off for an hour or more - just like an old-school mechanical unit. I can only imagine the constant short-cycling kills the components by all the stress.

[@JeffCD77]

Chris Beck : The humidity level is never accurate either. There is a 10 point difference between what the dehumidifier says it is and what the seperate RH meter I have in the basement says. Not to mention, the electronics board on the LG unit I have stopped working properly about a year later (of course it only had a 1 year warranty). It wouldn't allow you to adjust the humidity level anymore. So frustrating! It wasn't a cheap unit either. "Cheap" meaning cost. Quality is a whole other ball of wax!

[@rrcoster]

Thanks for sharing as that is also what wondering why all these newer dehumidifier seem be junk and lose there freon after just short few years. We usually replace all of are at work 5 of them every 5-6 yr cause lost there freon

[@gregbradford7963]

Thanks, Bill. Watched your neon sign video; very insightful, intelligent. Seems like, despite first video of yours viewed, you will be a great resource.

[@the66volks]

My dad bought a new one of these in 1984 from Sears it still works just fine

[@Corvette1658]

We have one of those models we got at Home Depot in 2014 or 2015 but we don’t use it anymore. Since our house we moved into South Carolina does not have a basement. It just has a lower level.

[@waylonbronco4648]

I just bought a mini fridge for my dorm. And yes, I am excited about it. So far, I am impressed with it's performance; it is quiet and the thermostat works well. If you are curious, it is a Hisense 1.7 Cu Ft. Also, what are your thoughts on this fridge? Did I make a good choice?

[@uxwbill]

There really isn't a whole lot of difference in mini-fridges. Thankfully, they seem far more reliable than these dehumidifiers -- and rather less flammable! (This despite almost all of them using isobutane or propane as a refrigerant.)

[@mercuryoak2]

Technically I'm about to go to sleep for its 1230 EST but what the hey right lol its uxwbill time. :)

[@uxwbill]

You should really go to sleep. This'll be here tomorrow, or the day after.

[@mercuryoak2]

@@uxwbill yea I did sleep I watch your videos or vwestlife amongst few others while i wind down .

[@IfYouLikeGoodIdeas]

I should really be in bed, but instead I'm here to say FIRST! :P

[@uxwbill]

Thank you! (I too should be in bed.)

[@Bobby-cm7vu]

@Estefana Denby I respect my friends privacy and would rather not give some scam site their nor my information

[@ab.3800]

Been watching your videos since 09? I don't remember but still the great channel it was when I first started watching

[@ZePanthersGang]

2012 here! Off and on every other year because KZbin doesn’t like to remind me that Bill makes videos and often I’ll forget lol

[@nathanielbest3541]

Been a while Bill, miss your computer videos!!

[@markschommer7407]

I had one of these and disposed of it when leaked its refrigerant out.

[@Rock-Forehead]

Its a perfectly crummulant word.

[@chezsnailez]

Shango autopsied one-a those People's Lead & Puppy Grindery & Wet Market units. Too much lead - not enough puppy...

[@uxwbill]

Chez Snailez If this is the one he looked at most recently, that one was a actual air conditioner.

[@chezsnailez]

@@uxwbill Righty so...

[@chrisschanneloftechnology4743]

Very good video. I was wondering if you still work on computers

[@SimpleCarGuy]

I think I must have been watching your videos for at least 10 years. What would be really cool is if you made an update video, kind of going over the changes from years past, etc.

[@uxwbill]

There are times I think about doing that. It'd be a lot of work, and I'm sure there is a lot I'd miss because it really didn't stand out or I just forgot about it.

[@zx8401ztv]

A nice variable resistor in series with the beeper would be a improvement :-D What about pumping the system up with an air line or foot pump and see what joint pops first lol.

[@JohnSmith-xq1pz]

It's late and I should be in bed but Uxwbill uploaded so he's to blame. Edit I love the alarm sound 🤣🤣🤣

[@uxwbill]

Work on your beauty sleep. You'll be sorry later, if you don't. Even if you have a face for radio as I do.

[@JohnSmith-xq1pz]

@@uxwbill 🤣🤣🤣 Well I'll be 40 in the new year so not quite sure it matters at this point lol

[@knoxe1]

I remember throwing a portable revers cycle ac into forced cool mode with out the fans and boy that thing got real cold

[@Corvette1658]

I had that same model at our old house in Illinois. We still have it but since we have a lower level instead of a basement. We don’t need it.

[@totaltech8246]

You didn’t have enough trace refrigerant in the system especially for that inficon tekmate... Thanks for the video.

[@uxwbill]

This may be revisited in future. Interesting that there wouldn't have been enough trace gas in there, as sensitive as the Tekmate claims to be...

[@totaltech8246]

uxwbill Thanks for the reply. Looking forward to future videos.

[@sstjacques]

They put refrigerant in them that is flamable now, will yake an older R134a one anyday and you can buy cans at Walmart without an HVAC license.

[@uxwbill]

This is not the big deal that people make it out to be, for several reasons. Nearly all refrigerants can be ignited and many will decompose into very toxic gases if that happens. Whether charged with conventional or flammable refrigerant, these devices use only a few ounces at most. The average disposable lighter contains more liquid (and in some cases, it's the same stuff -- isobutane).

[@subsonic9038]

Best to keep a vintage dehumidifier made in the USA they run forever I have a 1973 Sears cold spot with good ol r12 in it still got a full charge only thing I had to replace is a fan motor and still going strong compared to the Chinese trow aways

[@CotyRiddle]

Gree used to be a good brand but from what I can tell they have went down hill

[@rrcoster]

For sure don't make things last we have old amana dehumidifier from 1980s still works like new

[@goldduster318]

My experience is that if one lasts for 5 years you are very, very lucky...Usually its a little less than 4.

[@Bobby-cm7vu]

My grandma had an old whirlpool one that last for around 15-20. Unsure, she got it before I was even born

[@bakonfreek]

Universal 608 cool kids club! Teacher said he expected none of us to get universal on our first try (to which I responded by simply saying "BET!"), I and another kid in my class got ours on the first shot because neither of us wanted to spend $35 on the exams more than once XD

[@uxwbill]

During our in class practice sessions, it was mainly myself and an older man who were answering all the questions. The instructor had to prod other students to get them to answer. I don't remember the other instructor, who proctored the test, being that down on my class's chances of success. The computers crashed right at the start of the test, however, and he went into a full blown panic. Fortunately, they came right back up and the testing company was able to restart everything. Indeed, I got mine on the first try. (Edit: I was also the first to finish the test by about 15-20 minutes.) A couple of students ended up with oddball certifications. (Someone passed the core, type I and III, but not the type II test.)

[@bakonfreek]

In fairness, my instructor was fairly nice with how he put it (something to the effect of "the wording on the exam is very indirect, getting universal on your first try is fairly uncommon at this stage"). Most of my classmates ended up pulling core and type II, some also managed type I, but much of the focus in our class was specific to residential anyway (higher pressure stuff). One guy actually got his 609 by accident because he didn't remember which certification we were going to test for so he just went for it on his own (he had no intention of doing automotive work which made that situation kind of funny to us). It was another kid and I who pulled universal just because both of us were of some mindset to do so (I'm not sure his thinking to be completely honest, I was just way too cheap to spend more than $35 on it at the time--"do or die"). Everyone else did manage to ultimately retest and get universal before graduation happened and my instructor was very right about the indirect wording on our exam, I honestly thought I wasn't even going to pass the core section of the exam ("yikes, which of these answers looks less wrong?"). For now, I'm less involved with refrigeration. I'm kind of supplementing (with OJL/OJT) what I feel I struggled with a bit in school or what they really didn't cover in great detail. Pays better than Walmart did and honestly, the work is kind of fun.

[@bakonfreek]

I have also managed to, by accident (I swear), take a swig or two of soapy water XD

[@futureshock7425]

Glad I found an old one that isn’t a piece of crap modern one!

[@HDXFH]

We get that gree junk being sold in australia too

[@raym9691]

You can get a replacement card from the epa, by calling the Springfield Illinois office and give them your ss# which is your licenses number, and they will mail you a free replacement card I did that when I moved and it got lost

[@uxwbill]

Ray M The organization through which I took my test also provides replacement cards. I haven't gotten one mainly for lack of time and as a result of not doing very much of this kind of work.

[@Peter7Paul]

Haha that horrible screeching of the leak detector scared the crap out of my cat.

[@arcticarrowhvacr]

Is there not supposed to be a piercing valve left on any refrigeration system after being serviced? I just acquired a 1972 General Motors Frigidaire window unit and it has a full charge with a service port on the suction line. Also being 15 and wanting to go into HVAC/R, what are the rules for taking the EPA 608 exam? Do you have to pay to do it? I'm in New York City and would like to know where they have info on the age requirement and such. Thanks!

[@uxwbill]

It's bad practice to leave piercing valves intended for temporary use attached to a system. They will leak. Still, it's done all the time and you will find a lot of them around. A permanently installed service valve is not a problem and can be left in place. I'm not aware of any age limit to take the EPA 608 test and a brief web search didn't reveal much, other than someone else with a 15 year old who wanted to take it. They didn't get a conclusive answer. I think a lot would depend upon the company you go with to take the test. You might try contacting any area EPA offices or testing companies. (The Esco Group is one such company.) The test does cost money to take. At the time I took it, it was entirely closed book. I was only allowed a pressure/temperature chart, black scratch paper and (maybe) a basic four function calculator. The test was proctored (supervised) and taken on a computer. Take practice tests until you feel confident, but make sure you really know all the concepts for each test. The real thing is quite different. I've never been nervous about taking any test a day in my life. Tests were my favorite part of school. Although it turned out to be unfounded, my EPA 608 test marked the first time in my life I was *ever* nervous about taking a test. At least as of this writing, if you take the test and pass, your EPA 608 card is good for life. You are expected to keep up on emerging technologies and changes to the laws, though.

[@arcticarrowhvacr]

@@uxwbill Thank you! Very helpful

[@thevacdude]

Fire starter, LOL, that's funny.

[@Bandicoot803]

I'm pretty sure that chinese manufacturers still use difluordichloromethane today as a cheap refrigerant instead of either carbon dioxide or isobutane many trustworthy companies fill their units with nowadays.

[@uxwbill]

Bandicoot803 Calling it R-12 would surely have sufficed? :-) Nothing's used R-12 since the 1990s and it hasn't been made anywhere since then. Stuff like dorm fridges and even some fullsize models are using R-600 or 290. Both are cheap, plentiful and available with no special handling or even training restrictions, something I am sure the various Chinese appliance manufacturers appreciate. I don't know if carbon dioxide will ever see use in consumer equipment due to its very high pressures and limitations. I have seen a Coca-Cola reach in that was running CO2. I am surprised that I have not seen a dehumidifier that is using R-600/290. I have seen a very few window units using R-600 or R-32.

[@Bandicoot803]

@@uxwbill Possibly! I have to admit without hesitation that I've got no formation in terms of refrigerator / dehumidifier in any way, nor do I know their specific shortcuts. But I've seen commercial convenience stores which house compartments where their temperatures range 40 below fridge. And most of these units run CO² as a refrigerant. One of my colleagues got hold of a small pressurized CO² bottle from a fire extinguisher, and opened the valve just for fun. A turn later, the "propellant" shot the bottle several hundrets of yards away in an uncontrolled manner onto a remote field. Once we sretrieved it, the whole thing was covered in a thick layer of ice it has collected during its flight, still steaming several minutes later. Boy, was he lucky as the highway was located next to the field, and no motorist was in jeopardy.

[@dnb5661]

I am certain that Samsung didn't make the compressor. They actually don't make their stuff in China at all.

[@uxwbill]

Samsung does operate factories in China and has a few divisions located there as well.

[@Bobby-cm7vu]

@@soundspark my phone had it accessories made in Vietnam, however I thought the phones themselves were still made in China?

[@connorm955]

MY Samsung J3 Luna Pro's battery says cell made on Korea, manufactured in China.

[@ryanhegner6858]

Great video!

[@brianleeper5737]

You can use canned air to test whether your refrigerant leak detector is working.

[@uxwbill]

That's because canned "air" *is* refrigerant. R-152A.

[@brianleeper5737]

@@uxwbill Exactly.

[@AEIOUY234689]

11:59 And the need for a cool drink is so important that it appeared on the thumbnail.

[@HylianOverlord]

I would have checked that bug twice.

[@JamesNickersonThePhotoShopGuru]

… that leak detector, please post a link to where it can be purchased, I want to avoid that place … 😢

[@uxwbill]

I don't really have any idea what to tell you. Numerous vendors sell this leak detector. If you don't want one, or don't like it...don't buy it?

[@pibbanon1987]

18:38- The cucumber beetle is trying acquire its own universal 608 card.

[@danakogordako1502]

hey, i just watched your video repairing de sony cassette handycam from 5 years ago, btw great video :) My question is, if you uploaded any video about de home and title buttons, as well as the navigation wheel to adjust titles etc.. i dont know if you are still into handycams tho, but i need to know how to open that part and clean the button contacts, or maybe you know a good information source :/

[@uxwbill]

Despite having several in need of help, I've never tried to clean the control wheel or buttons.

[@1marcelfilms]

messing with acs is always fun

[@Dreams-uu5uj]

Nice!!!!

[@rarbiart]

before watching the full video, my guess: compressor motor got so hot, it desoldered the copper pipings.

[@futureshock7425]

these things are garbage, every modern dehumidifier ive had only lasted like 6 months

[@uxwbill]

The compressor motor couldn't have gotten anywhere near that hot.

[@rarbiart]

@@uxwbill assuming the electrical cap of the compressor was made from PP (polypropylene), which shows this kind of thermo-oxidized aging in the area of 190°C, that's pretty near the melting point of good old Sn63Pb37 (but off course if this respects RoHS, it would be cartainly leadfree and above 200°C)

[@rarbiart]

@@uxwbill BTW: after seeing flashlight LEDs desolder themselves and scooter motors burning their motor coils isolation short: i expect everything to overheat up to flames.

[@BigMitch]

Do you still use any of those old Dell computers for anything? I have a Dell Dimension 4600 and a 2400. I want to make one into a retro gaming PC. I don't know what to do with the other one. Is there anything I can use it for?

[@uxwbill]

Go with the 4600. It's got SATA, will support 800 MHz FSB microprocessors, and has a graphics card expansion slot. Not really sure what to suggest for the 2400. Maybe a vintage OS playground?

[@randomrazr]

would an infared camera pick up a leak

[@uxwbill]

Not to my knowledge.

[@pibbanon1987]

5:33 That's what she said

[@tractorface1236]

Found an old dell computer a few days ago, not sure if your still into those, but its a dimension 8200 complete with pirated windows 7, utorrent and the owners CV and saved passwords. Any ideas on what to do with it? i was thinking of putting XP or something back on it and using it for ripping my CDs and some old games.

[@uxwbill]

The Dim8200 combines two bad ideas, an early Pentium 4 and Rambus RDRAM. These days, unless a Netburst (P4/PD) machine is free, and maybe not even then, it's not going to be of much interest to me. You should wipe the disk and leave the previous owner's secrets behind. If you've got a good use for it, might as well let it do something interesting...

[@tractorface1236]

@@uxwbill yeah the case is battered and someone’s clearly been in it before, it’s being wiped for sure when I have time and I’ll probably just use it for some extra storage or a cd backup. Maybe some light older games I have lying around too. These things used to be alright a few years ago but I think they are getting to the point now where they are just too old.

[@pibbanon1987]

You can't activate Windows XP anymore without modifying the registry, doesn't look like the XP update server is around either.

[@canadaeast]

New truck Mr.Walsh ?

[@uxwbill]

Heavens no.

[@saxman112]

Yup, the Chinese sure know how to make some good fire start- er dehumidifiers, am I right? (NOT)

[@01mustang05]

22:54 A "sham" is an appropriate word, a fraud or hoax, although SCAM seems to me to be more accurate due to there being no effort made to become actually reasonable & harm & corruption practiced that keeps everyone from becoming all that smart nor even wanting to figure out what an actual reasonable person would be nor even try to become even remotely smart.

[@HDXFH]

Refrigeration videos are cool, chinese HVAC junk is notoriously crap

[@uxwbill]

Interestingly, they seem to do far better with regard to refrigerators and freezers.

[@abrahamghannam2137]

The reason why they always have a leak is the copper pipe is only ten thousands thick the old ones made in the USA were made with 24 thousands thick or even thicker all Chinese junk those days are long gone 😢

[@johnhowland1024]

just not enoff hydracarbons left

[@uxwbill]

It ran out of flarbocoolins.

[@ardiemclelland2039]

Chinese fire starters 🤣

[@uxwbill]

It's actually very true. Dozens of different brands, some from different manufacturers, were subject to recall because they could catch fire.

[@ardiemclelland2039]

@@uxwbill I’m very aware. And it’s why I run retro dehumidifiers instead.