Meaco DDL8 Dehumidifier Disassembly, Deep Clean and Fix - Desiccant Drum Dehumidifier

[@ForViewingOnly]

Thanks for the video, Rat Tech. Videos like this will help save the planet. We just need appliance manufacturers to make spares available and affordable for a good number of years after the product has been discontinued, and maybe make service manuals available to everyone.

[@dimitrimaniatopoulos4893]

Thank you. Saved 200 + courier by following your helpfull video. Mine was overflooding when in hi speed due to blockage in the tank exit from dust accumulation. Thanks again.

[@neilkermode4298]

Thanks for taking the time to put this together. You just saved me scrapping a perfectly workable dehumidifier for want of a bit of tender loving care! Great job.

[@rattech]

Great to hear. That's exactly why I made the video. Saves it going to landfill for a simple issue. Cheers

[@CatieSwaye]

Oh my goodness! I cannot believe I just fixed my 10 year old Meaco DD8L! Thank you so much for this video! I really didn't think I would be able to do it or that it would work in my case, but I had nothing to lose...

[@rattech]

Nice one!

[@jaklar78]

Thank you so much, finally i cleaned my one. Three times attempted to dismantle it but failed before watching your video. So satisfied now 😊

[@tomasfotop]

thank you very much my friend. I was able to repair my own dehumidifier with your advice and the video. I definitely saved at least 100 euros.

[@davidcollier6520]

Thanks for such a well presented video on how to clean this dehumidifier. We've had the same one for 6 years and it started dripping everywhere and we had a quick look at taking it apart and took most of the screws out. Then we watched your video and realised ours looked in the same condition and how much was involved to sort the problems so we decided to abandon the idea and do without a dehumidifier. I'm really grateful to you that we didn't go on to bite off more than we could chew and I take my hat off to your appliance maintenance skills.

[@rattech]

Ah that's a shame. If you've still got it I'd encourage you to fix it. If its dripping it's probably one of those two big o rings, or the black drain or white plastic condenser is blocked. They are simple devices, so I wouldn't be put off from trying to fix it yourself. If you are throwing it out, you've got nothing to lose. Try! I would fix it for you but postage each way would likely be cost prohibitive. Assuming you are from the UK like myself.

[@siunc5951]

Agree. In the end it s a straightforward fix and this video makes it all hang together. Of course manufacturer doesn't want us to fix stuff. .

[@garagekungen]

Very good (best one I found so far, on the DD8L) - Thanks for your time and skill. You earned my "Land Rover Reward" (now there is one) for this instructive video. Thanks to you, now I know what I´m expecting this coming week... Cheers from Sweden.

[@SatumainenOlento]

Brilliant job in doing this video!!! I am going to do mine too as I got nobody doing it for me. And mine is only full of dust, not anything strange like yours. Superb quality instructions!!!

[@hirundapus]

Great video, thanks. In my case the 10 year old DDL8 (in storage most of the time) had a broken motor so the zeolite rotation wheel was standing still. I opened the motor and found the grease to have become too sticky. I degreased the motor and applied fresh lubrication. Now it is working fine!

[@patrickwilson9984]

Nice one, great help. I have done some of this work and found one of the hoses blocked. i have reassembled it and set it for one hour to see if the leak has stopped!!

[@siunc5951]

Thank you! I spent yesterday stripping ours. . ( IT WORKED) watched you brilliant vid this morning. . . Wish I'd done that the other way round! Doh!! 😂

[@wishitwasallflat201]

Fabulous video … many thanks just fixed mine and it works again and even smells like it did when brand new. So many of these how to videos are ok … miss a few steps etc. … this is the best one I’ve ever seen though. My model is ever so slightly different (wiring isn’t ribbon cable) but not an issue … many thanks!

[@CX23882]

Thanks for the informative video, and what a complete PITA! My DD8L has started leaking into the bottom casing, and having already checked the visible part of the drain outlet (it's clear), I'm assuming there is a blockage in the two vertical pipes. Why on earth Meaco decide to hide the screws to remove this part inside the machine, rather than have it serviceable from in the drainage chamber I don't know. For added user hostility, they hide two of the screws underneath the top panel pad. Edit: sure enough, the first of the two pipes was blocked with a solid plug of fluff, along with a layer of sludge around the sump. For anyone just wanting to clean those pipes and the sump, you can avoid removing the outermost two screws under the control panel which attach it to the front. If you remove the middle screws (the one under the Meaco logo and the one opposite), you can remove the back casing, remove the white stiffener piece at the top, and then the four screws holding down the guts of the machine, allowing it to be lifted out. Just be careful of all the wires, and make sure to re-route them back through the notches. Thanks again. Another machine saved from landfill.

[@GaiusCaligulaNorthWestFrontier]

Mine, - only 30 months old and only used during winter - had exactly the same problem, up and running again following this "informative video" and your additional tips! What a farce just to unblock a drainage pipe. They certainly try and make things difficult to simply mend and make do these days.

[@MrBobWareham]

Thanks we have one that could do with a service so this will help a lots we love ours it works so well

[@rgefryer]

Thanks for the helpful video. You've just saved a leaky dd8 from the tip!

[@craigthomson3211]

Thanks for the helpful video, had no idea how to get into the thing to start with. Sneaky buggers hiding the screws under the sticky label!

[@birbly2]

Thanks so much for this! I'm looking forward to doing mine. I'm a bit intimidated by the idea of cleaning the heating element - even though fixing a computer is exactly the same as this really (find the hidden screws, undo the clips, unplug the board, clean the bugger) this seems so much more of a big deal! Thanks for the vid.

[@rattech]

You'll be fine. In fact you most likely won't have the same weird crystals build up on the heating element. If you do, let me know please. I'm interested if it's a common issue or not. The coils are very delicate. So use a very soft brush to clean them.

[@birbly2]

@@rattech Thanks very much! I took it apart and what it mostly did was reassure me that I wasn't putting my air through some horrible mouldy environment that was going to make me ill. It's completely clean in there, so much so that nothing needed doing! I stopped before taking apart the heating element but I didn't see any evidence of buildup.

[@rattech]

@@birbly2 nice. These types of dehumidifiers really do require the intake filter cleaned to keep them working well for years to come. I think a lot of people don't, and then they end up like the one in my video.

[@geokou9866]

Thanks... Very helpful video. Nice work.

[@SteveWoodhams]

Many thanks - very useful, if only to show the location of the hidden screws in the top. Disc was partially blocked on mine so hopefully it'll work better now. Shame electricity is vastly more expensive than when I bought it as running it continuously (as you are supposed to) now costs a fortune!! Thinking about a condenser DH now as they run far cheaper, depending on the model.

[@Sametribeeverytime]

Looking to clean mine after several years in service, this will help thanks.

[@wriga007]

Great educational video and very well done 🙂

[@tomasfotop]

The problem was eventually traced to the zeolite rotation motor. It had broken down and was stopping. The light next to the dual fan indicator would flash and then the dehumidifier would stop working with a red light in the exclamation mark. I repaired the motor because a component inside the magneto had broken. Now no problem.

[@CryptikB6K]

Just another person saying thanks for the video, the hidden retention clips on the side were the main thing I got stuck on. Appreciate you taking the time I can now try extract the bowl of cereal and milk that the little one managed to throw over the unit..

[@tomasfotop]

After all, cleaning wasn't enough. The light came back on after an hour of operation. After researching it I oiled all 3 motors as well as the zeolite disc in the places that affect its smooth movement in various places with a similar lubricant. After 2 hours of operation at maximum speed everything is fine ok. I hope these conclusions be useful.

[@aurelvladutblaga]

All my respect! Very usefol clip.

[@nehaanil2189]

I followed instructions and it worked fine. I had a leak and fixed it. The problem is that the leak came back after 10 days or so and although I follows the same steps, now it won’t turn on. It gives me this exclamation mark when I turn it on. Any ideas?? I really need it to work in a few hours. Any help would be appreciated. I have double checked the cabling and I have reconnected everything perfectly. God knows what’s the problem. Edit: thanks so much for the video anyways. 🙏🏻

[@njws764]

Thanks; just cleaned my son's. Hidden screws?! Why?

[@tomorrow3121]

Thanks for Video. Any idea where the humidity sensor is located ? Mine have failed

[@rattech]

It's the small circuit board on the bottom right at 4:17 that sits behind the small slits in the case.

[@iansouch]

Thanks for the video. Mine is completely dead, looks like power is going to the machine but none of the LEDs light. Is there an internal fuse?

[@iansouch]

@ Thank you 🙏

[@rattech]

@@iansouch It's been 3 years since I did this so I can't remember but I think that clear blue plastic thing on the left side of the pcb might be a fuse @ 4:50

[@lamondaforestry]

Thank you for the tutorial!

[@karcher5277]

Thank you!

[@1Kchess]

Thanks 👍 My dd8l had been leaking for months. Your video have me the confidence to take it apart and clean it out. Loads of gunk inside 😧 Seems to have stopped the leak so far. I wish they would make these machines easier to clean. I was just wondering if the drum can be rotated by hand instead of having to plug stuff back in and running it with the insides exposed?🤔

[@rattech]

No unfortunately the drum is rotated by a small geared motor so you wouldn't be able to turn it by hand annoyingly. It wasn't too hard to half assemble it to get it to spin. Just make sure it thinks the tray is there. You could also put 240v direct to the drum motor on its own, but exposed 240v ac wire is a bit dangerous. So I wouldnt suggest that to any novices watching the video.

[@kennym5898]

Thank you. This is great. Mine is new, however, this is a great heads up for any problems in the future. Having said that, for some reason it overflowed today. I'm only using the collecting reservoir.(Which is how I found your video, looking for any info.) I gave it a thorough clean and found the drain spigot to be very dusty and wet. It might just be that. If anyone has any other ideas I would be very grateful.

[@rattech]

The float switch inside the tray is pretty primitive (just a bit of foam or plastic with a magnet on it if I remember) sometimes it just gets stuck in the groove it goes up and down in. Just make sure it can move freely and is clean. Not a lot else you can do apart from that. Mines never done it thankfully.

[@kennym5898]

@@rattech Thank you. I gave everything a good clean and let it run overnight, so far no probs. Left it running with a timer today just in case. 👍🏻

[@kennym5898]

Hi I'm back. Since I replied to you 3 weeks ago there has been water seeping out from somewhere. Just to let you know I have really cleaned it again, without disassembly, making sure everything was in place noting your advice about the float, clean and dry before restarting and I've found a pool of water underneath even though the container was nowhere near full. Question: Does the continuous drain outlet part need to be plugged when not in use? I can't see anything saying it should and looking at your vid suggests not.

[@rattech]

@@kennym5898 I'm not sure. I dont think you have to plug the continuous drain for it to drain normally into the tank, you only need to plug the normal tank drain if you want it to go out the continuous drain. Have you taken the 4 screws out and cleaned the drain part like I did at 6:55 ? If not then do that. If you have then its probably the 2 orings you see at 8:41 leaking

[@kennym5898]

@@rattech Thank you. No I haven't taken the drain part out as it looks like quite a disassembly job and I want to avoid it if possible, I've only been using the unit for about a year. However, I will do so if it doesn't improve. Good idea about the O rings. I'll keep you posted. 🙏

[@nolimitarcade2865]

Couldn't you have soaked the heater element assembly in a shallow tray of CLR or some other calcium/lime desolving fluid? That's assuming that the assembly can easily be unplugged from it's wiring.

[@rattech]

Off camera I tried to dissolve it in water, brake cleaner and iso alcohol but none of them touched it. I still don't know what the buildup was made from. It was very stubborn.

[@johnspark2869]

Good video

[@onewaytograce]

Please help!.......Meaco 20L Low Energy Dehumidifier and Air Purifier 2 in 1 stopped turning on then sometimes beeps and it will work again then the same happens again?same thing is happening again wont turn on when i move it about it beeps and then it will work but it seems to be happening more and more today no beep even after moving it , also checked water and filter but still not coming on , even have turned off at mains and left and done again no go help please thank you

[@stevecummins324]

Got myself the junior model. Identical except no ioniser. Am I right in thinking the fan is supposed to stop for 30min after humidity falls below set level? Double checked with a seperate room meter and unless that seriously inaccurate... Might seems to stay on all the time.. It's still extracting water. Any ideas? Humidistat failed so thinking it's still damp?

[@rattech]

Sounds like it. I don't know about you but I'd just let it run. I don't use the Humidistat feature. I just turn it on and use the timer. (overnight usually to try save on electricity costs)

[@Sametribeeverytime]

Mine has the same problem, I picked mine up from the electrical dump and have used it without problems for the past few years, I never knew it was supposed to turn off at a set humidity level until reading the manual. I guess thats why they dumped it, I just use it on the timer. Im planning to strip mine down to clean it and will look out for said sensor.

[@freemenofengland2880]

So any idea what caused the problem originally and any dehumidifier scenario to avoid?

[@rattech]

Blocked desiccant drum, it was full of dust = lack of air flow through it = lack of cooling the heating element = overheating = it goes into thermal protection and shuts down. The only thing you can do is keep the mesh screen clean. And take it apart like in my video and clean it in the same way.

[@Farold_Haltermeyer]

Defo used on a boat!

[@NUBYER]

I can't believe how unserviceable they are!! You'd think they would make it easier to get to the drain and filters. Throw away society 😢

[@rattech]

Agreed. The drain is somewhat serviceable but the dessicant drum, to access it for cleaning, isn't very user friendly. They put a very coarse (mesh) filter on the air intake which you are meant to clean regularly, which will help a little bit to reduce the amount of dust going into the drum. But the mesh is so coarse that dust easily fits through the gaps in it. So it doesn't really catch most dust. It needs paper filters on the intake. But that would just slow down the intake air flow and make them more prone to overheating. So its a bit risky doing so.