Opening a desiccant drum dehumidifier.

[@eddie2dean]

Thanks for the vid Clive. Its just a dehumidifier but fixing it is important in a deeper way. Let me explain: When I was growing up in the 70s & 80s and stuff around the house stopped working, the first action of my grandfather was to get the tools and fix it. No matter if it was a dehumidifier, a fan, TV or radio. He didnt just toss it out and head to the store to buy a new one. Once I asked Why? three reasons he said. 1 it was cheaper than buying a new one. 2. It can usually be fixed and still work for many more years. 3. it was fun, educational and most of all, rewarding to take apart and fix. I still live by that lesson today. I enjoy watching Clive take apart and fix stuff I might need to fix myself one day, or already have. Its interesting to see how electronic stuff works or how it might be dangerious or how badly I screwed up my repair last month. The mentality of fixing old stuff, or at least attempting to, has been disappearing. Along came Dollar-Wal-Target-Mart which has an endless supply of cheep crap which encourages people to think of electronic products as disposable. I'm glad to see more and more people embrace this mindset and learn to fix stuff. The growing popularity of DIY channels is great to see and a fun way to learn new skills.

[@Z-Ack]

Musta been an A+ english student.. bet u could write a 3 page paper about a fart..

[@John_Ridley]

I find that about 75% of stuff thrown to the curb is either working perfectly or has something wrong that can be fixed for < $5 in < 10 minutes.

[@westinthewest]

@@Z-Ack There's an apostophe missing on the first line. Maybe it's an A- .

[@TheRailroad99]

Yep. Thats why I dont even buy expensive stuff anymore. Just wait a few years and you will find it in the trash. A week ago I upgraded my TV. Found a dead 55" 4K TV on the street where the panel still looked ok. Turned out that the power suppy board had arced. I cut out the burned portion, reconnected the traces according to a photo of the board on the internet and replaced the arcing connector that caused the fire. Works great. I could sell the thing for around 500 bucks if I wanted to.

[@evensgrey]

@@TheRailroad99 It's usually the power supply, in almost everything that just quits. And it's usually the capacitors that have gone south, often because the designers were dumb and put them right next to something that gets very hot, like the switching transistor or the rectifier.

[@carl48uk]

The word 'Manky' , so powerful and yet so underused!! 'He has a manky dog' . 'The room was really manky' ... Thanks for re-invigorating it sir!!

[@Rac00n]

I don't own this. Why am I watching this. I'm glad that you are still making videos. Good luck to you in the future

[@ollieb9875]

I TOO AM WATCHING THIS WHAT IS HAPPENING! 🤣🙃😳

[@Gunzee]

Big daddy Clive is love, him is the nicest man! I watch because the teardowns and schematics are so clear. I'm a dim wit and get lost in my own car, yet I can follow Mr Clive's clips. >80% of the items I don't own but if the condensate unit for my tumble drier goes funny I'm sure following this I'll get it going or at worst just vent it. Many things were connected/share parts.

[@ollieb9875]

@@Gunzee BigClive, the arbiter of amps puts the cool in to coulomb and the "oh my" in to ohms 😂🙃

[@skywing959]

I don't own one either but I've often wondered exactly how they work

[@azafreak]

Same vibe

[@clairecastles]

Just wanted to say thank you for this very clear and helpful video! I have this exact model and it recently started leaking. Managed to take it apart, clean, and reassemble while following along with you, and it's working beautifully again!

[@jeremycassidy3796]

Many thanks for the excellent breakdown and description of this dehumidifier. I've had one for the last 10 years and it is absolutely excellent! I got the red light error on mine for the last few days, powering up and fan running for 30 seconds then the light came on. I forgot that I needed to clean the filter which I found was full of dust and lint. But that didn't fix it. So I took it apart following your instructions, removing the bottom collector that takes water from the bottom openings of the compressor, that you mentioned get manky :-) I that wasn't particularly blocked or that dirty and the opening were not blocked either, when looking and poking the screwdriver carefully inside. I powered up with it open, being careful, but that didn't make any difference. However, I did notice the circular filter collector -thing- was not turning. I tried to turn it with the power off and it felt stuck. I unscrewed the motor and then re-powered, and found the motor was functioning. I think it has a gear system to help it turn so slowly, which is why it would be difficult to turn it without power. The circular filter collector -thing- was able to move freely without the motor in place. I put back the motor and the whole thing magically started working again. I hope this helps someone else.

[@st200ol]

Thanks for the video Big Clive. I open mine up, it dates back to 2006 and its the first time I've opened it and it was very clean inside despite many 100's of hours use, I can only assume that the reason is I live in a non-smoking home. That one looks hideous in the condenser. The desiccant drum was quite blocked with dust so I vacuumed it out and its back to full efficiency again

[@BarnSt0rmer]

I've got this exact model and a few days ago I was contemplating taking it apart to see how it worked. Ok, I had a rough idea of how it worked, I just wanted to see the components inside it because that's just what I'm like. Today I've found your video and it's saved me taking my dehumidifier to pieces, although it could probably do with a good clean inside so I might do it anyway. Thanks.

[@campermobile3217]

Incredibly useful. My dehumidifier was leaking and filthy inside! Thank you, Clive. Peace be unto you.

[@SusiBiker]

I've always wondered how these work. Fascinating. I have a 2006 Prius that developed the built-in roof/rear quarter panel leak over the summer (fixed now). I found that desiccant pots were not enough to dry everything out and have been looking for a quiet dehumidifier to put in the car for a week or so. Solved my issue. Thanks Clive.

[@catsupchutney]

This is such a detailed teardown, you should include the exact model number Clive.

[@bigclivedotcom]

I'll add it to the description. (Ecoair DD122 Simple)

[@Radu93Z]

@@bigclivedotcom Add Ecoair into the tags as well. People will find it easier so more views 👍

[@festivitycat]

I just bought an Ecoair DD1 Simple last week, ahead of drying clothes indoors over winter. It's good to see what to expect, though hopefully not for a while.

[@johnstainton9815]

A strange coincidence, just sat down after switching on that very model of dehumidifier and Big Clive is taking one to pieces. Very useful. The Isle of Man is one of my favourite places, we had our honeymoon there too long ago. John.

[@GreenJimll]

A great video for folks running Repair Cafe/Restart Party events. It's always useful to know what sort of things to expect before the random devices turn up on the work table! Thanks Clive!

[@Dec-mc]

Thank you fixed in 15 mins after cleaning the tank and insides . Chucked one away form a problem that could of been fixed and they are expensive units.

[@missp2210]

Thank you so much for this. Our DD122 started leaking with no obvious reason. I have just taken it apart and given it a clean as per your step by step instructions and it is working. Time will tell if it develops a leak....

[@tombrown5954]

Thanks so much for this! I never would have found those screws behind the handle without your work here!

[@evensgrey]

Along with working at lower temperatures, a desiccant dehumidifier should also allow a much lower humidity level to be achieved. At least here in North America, high-capacity desiccant dehumidifiers are used for the later phase of drying out buildings by flood remediation crews. (Yes, I had to have one in once.)

[@millomweb]

But are they as efficient ? At least refrigerant type extract heat from the water before they get rid of it.

[@evensgrey]

@@millomweb By all accounts, no, desicant type dehumidifiers take about twice the energy per unit of water removed from the air under warm, high humidity conditions. But, as Clive pointed out, they're much quieter and operate effectively at much lower temperatures, and as I pointed out, they can get down to much lower humidity levels. You might not know this, but in the UK, the norm is for homes to be much cooler in the winter than is the norm in North America. In North America, we usually go between 18 and 20 degrees C, but in the UK the norm is more typically something like 15 C (and Clive has pointed out that he normally keeps his home quite cool even for the UK and wears a lot sweaters). If you keep your home very cool in the winter, a desiccant dehumidifier may be your only effective option to keep the humidity down. This is quite important when the cool base temperature may give you very little room between dry air and condensation on the walls.

[@alexbrown1050]

I keep my house at 21c and I'm in the UK. Frugal folks in any country will keep the heating off.

[@millomweb]

@@evensgrey I've 2 interests - in the house for intermittent condensation from bathing and dishwashing but also in an unheated garage where things are rusting ! The latter was not built to keep heat in and has an air brick at each end. I'm not sure what typical home temperatures are here in the UK but I feel confident they average quite a bit over 15°C. Our rooms are independently controlled - so rooms we sit in and do nothing are around 20-21 while general areas (passing through) are 18-19 and unused rooms, generally unheated unless they get quite cold.

[@millomweb]

@@alexbrown1050 Multiple temperatures in ours. Residential rooms, 20-21, 'passageways' 18-19 & unused rooms: low teens.

[@darlatidwell6255]

I'm glad to know how to, sort of, take one apart now, but just as important and good, is to see all the gunk that needs cleaned off. It can get pretty dirty, so the more you clean it the better one will get at getting it all apart and back together like a pro,...like Clive. TY Clive.

[@dorsetengineering]

I've owned two dd122 units for close to ten years, they're brilliant

[@kathycottrill4650]

Mine has just stopped working. Came here looking and found your amazing video. Will be taking mine apart and seeing if cleaning it up fixes it or if I can see anything that stands out as broken. I have had it since 2019 and never even thought to clean inside!

[@bigclivedotcom]

Sadly these units are still evolving, so can be a bit unreliable. But they work well enough and long enough to consider replacing them completely every few years.

[@AttilaTheDev]

I have the newer version of this. It’s fantastic! Had it for two years now. No issues whatsoever.

[@cmyanmar13]

I have almost exactly the same dehumidifier ("EcoAir DD1 Simple"), in use for 3 years now. It recently began to leak water all over the floor mysteriously. I opened it up (I didn't need to go as far as you showed) and found the fussy little drip tray (11:17) that transfers water into the bucket was absolutely **CRAMMED** full of pink desiccant gunge mixed with clothing fiber dust. Basically the same problem as you show. Water couldn't pass thru the gunge fast enough, so was instead leaking out of anywhere else it could. After washing out all the gunge in the tray it's now as good as new. Apart from that hiccup, it's been a good dehumidifier.

[@bigclivedotcom]

It's put form before function. Making it all a bit too small.

[@AlexKiritz]

I had no idea these existed. I just bought a compressor based one, but this would be way more ideal for my application. Thanks!

[@cigarboxguitar9519]

With the tone that Clive uses in this video It's like an an adult Blue Peter episode - Thanks Clive, now here's John who will show us how to rid the world of all known diseases. :-)

[@DreStyle]

I bought this just a while ago and found out how it works by the schematic and some Google..... And like Clive hears my cry once again for a video... Here it is! ❤️

[@anononomous]

I have 3 of this exact unit, which makes this video very handy 👍 My top tip would be not putting it right next to a subwoofer containing a big magnet. Accidentally overriding the magnetic float switch can have very bad consequences... Wouldn't be without them though especially in the winter. Nice efficient background heat and keeps dampness and condensation in check.

Thanks Clive I did not know they existed so today learnt something. I had to look up how they worked and learnt about Adsorb, another thing I did not know. Very interesting.

[@boberson83]

Perfect. I have a dehydrator that I hadn't used in a while that'd stopped working. I'll now go open it up

[@TheManLab7]

So many innuendos. "Getting the knobs shaft out" 9:51 I say this to everyone if there taking bits apart. Always take pictures of EVERYTHING as that's what I always do.

[@nigelqflarp]

And, “Let’s look for hidden screws.” Oh BigClive. 😂

[@vid2ification]

Who is nuendos and why so many things get put in her?

[@zoravar.k7904]

I for one like getting free "spare" parts from my products, it's almost like they weren't needed in the first place. Almost...

[@vid2ification]

@@zoravar.k7904 i use other people's spare parts;)

[@phils4634]

We've got a similar model, and as you say the "guts" do seem to be near-identical between all manufacturers. The plastic mouldings are very amenable to a trip through the dishwasher on a cooler ("eco") setting, and regular washing keeps them working much better (as well as being far more pleasant to repair when (albeit rarely) needed. The fan motors are all sleeve bearing, and benefit from a six-monthly oiling with light machine oil. Alternatively there's enough space to install ball bearing motors (especially on the larger radial fan motor) which reduces noise level a bit.

[@stulop]

I did own one of these, year 4 took it apart to find leaks. Glued sealed put back together. Year 5 more leaking, on taking apart more leaks thank I could handle. How they work is really very clever.

[@GlennHamblin]

Great video. The industrial drum dehumidifiers are capable of achieving very low humidity. Dew points on the order of -65°C!

[@richardrichard5409]

This is absolutely fantastic😎😎😎. I have two DD1s and just died....no power. Was the large SF96 99c thermal fuse behind the condenser. Can't thank you enough, hardest part was separating the case❤

[@bigclivedotcom]

Yeah, they're quite complex to get into until you discover the hidden screws.

[@epiendless1128]

About to investigate just this model, so the tour is appreciated.

[@railgap]

I've never seen one of these! I've only seen the ones that use refrigeration. And that was when I lived in Illinois, where it is roughly as damp as the UK or Scotland but 2X as hot in the summer and cold in the winter because middle of continent, no ocean mitigation effects. Now I live in... er... west of the middle of the continent, in a semi-arid climate, and we use >> humidifiers

[@wilburt6131]

Wiring a mini germicidal uvc lamp up in the condenser would stop the goo

[@Dingbat217]

That's a neat idea! I wonder how long the plastics in that area will stand up to the UV radiation though?

[@Yrouel86]

Maybe also an ozone generator piped in the air flow of the condenser?

[@DjResR]

@@Yrouel86 Some UV lamps generate ozone by itself._

[@tylerlloydboone]

8:48 Looks like the red funk build up of a dirty commercial AHU. Bleck. Maybe a pan tab will keep that fungus growth down. I hate pan tabs, but for a unit that is clearly not built for easy service, maybe a tab or two will do ya. Keep up the great work Clive. I have been really hoping to see another long rambly build video. Something you can sit back, watch, and sip Jägermeister to.

[@phil955i]

I've had that exact same model for 4 years now, it gets used continuously during the Winter months & as you say emits a stream of warm air. I've got the dial set to about 1 o'clock which seems to control to an average 50% RH according to my house hygrometer. The warm air means we can actually close the living room door & it keeps the room warm enough most of the time in the evenings when we're sat in there, meaning the central heating is rarely needed as the CH stat is situated there also. Wasn't aware of the gunk problem with the condensate outlet though, a cleaning session is on the cards me thinks.

[@Rainbow__cookie]

I don't know what this is what it does but I enjoy the teardown

[@LiyangHU]

Hey Clive, you've already got the perfect screw holder. Just lightly screw the screws back into the chassis with your fingers after you've taken each part off.

[@bren106]

It's 1am and I find myself watching Clive pull his knob off with a pair of pliers and ease his shaft out.

[@twocvbloke]

Giggety... :P

[@chrisbryant2982]

Brilliant, thank you, the repair was easy, it was the thermal fuse which cost me 69p (actually £6.90, I had to buy 10)

[@retireeelectronics2649]

Very nice video, a bit amazed there was not a antitamper label over one of the screws. Just checked what we have and it is the compressor type. Other than the initial cost of the unit it is free dehumidification since it is only used in the cold season at home and lets face it these, dehumidify, generate heat and yes noise that actually generate heat. It is a heater with two purposes (-:

[@paulmackilligin1754]

Actually there is a bit of 'special' sticky tape holding the two sides of the casing together, right at the very bottom on the inside of the chamber where the collection tank slides in. That tape seems to have no function other than to act as an anti-tamper measure. It is easy to cut through to open the machine, but not so easy to find a new bit of similar tape to hide the fact you took it apart.

[@fluffyblue4006]

Thank you for taking this dehumidifier apart. Never seen these kind of dehumidifiers. Very educational. Nice black background and black sleeves touch. Is that your new style? At the end of the video, your hands merged a bit into the black background. Nice effects!

[@bigclivedotcom]

It's what I jokingly refer to as Studio 2. For larger things. This was partly a test video.

[@templebrown7179]

@@bigclivedotcom I like it!

[@MetalheadAndNerd]

It's nice but the slightly burned wood workbench is an important part of Clive's non-corporate identity. A simple screenshot out of a video and everyone immediately knows that this is Big Clive.

[@chaos.corner]

@@bigclivedotcom Clive, interesting video on how panko is made seems right in your wheelhouse. kzbin.info/www/bejne/pF7LfJZohs19sMU

[@bigclivedotcom]

@@chaos.corner I'm toying with trying it with sponge cake.

[@BRMBug]

Yup, mine is exactly like that, sold under the “EcoSeb” name. The problem mine had was the motor for the drum ceased up, overheated, and popped the front thermal fuse on the heater shroud. It’s been about a year since replacing it, and so far I’ve had no issues.

[@classicaudioadventures]

Can you tell me what motor you replaced it with? I have the exact same issue and although synchronous motors are a-plenty, I can't find one with the correct shaft type. Thanks

[@BRMBug]

@@classicaudioadventures It’s 110v, but here’s the eBay item no. 153139997104 I did have to use my dremel to grind a groove in it for the circlip. Everything else was a perfect fit.

[@classicaudioadventures]

@@BRMBug Thank you!

[@anotherledfreak8649]

Clive you are brilliant! Who knew 4 years after you released this video I would be looking for the disassembly instructions for exactly this unit. Do you always time travel? 🤣

[@muzikman2008]

Every day is a skool day on Big Clive's channel :-)

[@markiangooley]

I’d forgotten about that type of desiccant, and for a few moments envisioned having to load in fresh dry calcium chloride again and again...

[@mileshember3501]

That's an excellent teardown, many thanks. Very good to have the explanations as well as the physical demonstration. I think these are very well designed internally, a lot of thought seems to have gone into the layout and cable management etc. Stainless screws in damp places also scores points. Do you have any comment about the lifetime of the dessicant wheel? I have just repaired one of these where the zeolite wheel was not rotating, the slow drive motor gearbox had stripped the teeth on one tiny pinion - but the replacement is a standard "microwave oven" type slow synchronous motor available for a few pounds. Hoping that the zeolite absorber will continue to function as intended as the rest of the machine is in very good order. Repairs for the win :-)

[@bigclivedotcom]

They seem to have a very long lifespan.

[@st200ol]

See my comment. I opened mine up because it was leaking a bit. Mine dates back to 2006 and has many hundreds of hours use and is still extracting water from the air very well.

[@esunayg]

You always open the things I wanted to see :D love your work Clive!

[@jamesbrown4092]

Couldn't help but think of Agnes Brown: "Knob came off... just like me husband."

[@classicaudioadventures]

Thanks for the video. My Ecoseb-branded unit just popped one of the main thermal cutoffs after the drum motor stopped working. Unfortunately I'm having a hard time sourcing a replacement motor with the correct shaft profile.

[@bigclivedotcom]

It's a very odd profile. I've got an old unit with the same issue.

[@benfk2]

Interesting. I wasn't really looking for this but it's given some clues as to why my EcoAir DD322 sometimes likes to turn itself off. It's probably had 4 or 5 years of occasional use and I've never done more than empty the tank and clean the filter every so often. Will try and clean the outlet at the bottom and if that doesn't help, pop it open and give it a good clean.

[@alec4672]

"grab a pair of pliers and pull your knob off" I hope all Americans understand how funny this is 😂😂

[@matthewbeddow3278]

Thanks, Clive. It's always best to pull your knob off before disassembling further. :-)

[@KyleSSamuelson]

Extremely good quality video

[@FIXDIY]

Nice explanation clive

[@ghlscitel6714]

Thank you for all the enlightenments.

[@heyarno]

fascinating. I didn't know about that type of dehumidifier yet.

[@smoke5100]

Thank you! I have an eco air and wanted to clean it out, this is helpful

[@kwok-leunglee9289]

I have one similar that would hot turn off when humidity has been reach and keeps on running until you turn it off manually. Thanks

[@nekoimouto4639]

Interesting. Living in a boggy area and having relatively humid air in my apartment a lot, i may consider getting one of those. I dont expect miracles, but its a risk worth taking.

[@charleslambert3368]

I watched this last night then dreamt about putting black tea (or maybe gravy) in a dehumidifier. My unconcious brain is obviously kind of hazy regarding the difference between a humidifier and a dehumidifier. I was vaguely aware that this was a bad idea but did it anyway.

[@JWH3]

That looks like a fairly efficient mold culturing machine.

[@dashcamandy2242]

I've been considering a desiccant dehumidifier for my garage for some time now, but still haven't actually done it. I'm shocked to find, right now on Amazon, a model that handles 4,500 sq ft at a price comparable to a refrigerant dehumidifier for a much smaller room. I'm getting perilously close to buying one now...

[@jamesharmer9293]

The innuendo is strong with this one! Screws, knobs, shafts and even knobs on shafts. KZbin's probably getting it's knickers in a twist...

[@RSPYT]

If the water channels are blocked will the heater stop working?

[@bigclivedotcom]

It can cause water to back up into the internal air circulator fan. You can probably remove the water tray prone to blocking. Try a short screwdriver to remove the black tray from the water-drawer area. It saves opening the whole machine.

[@RSPYT]

@@bigclivedotcom Thanks, I opened it today and found a hole in the Condenser so I assume that's why it stopped collecting water :(

[@AsymptoteInverse]

I've seen diagrams of industrial desiccant-drum dehumidifiers (mostly for moist exhaust air, I think). Instead of driving the water off the desiccant and recondensing it, they draw in outside air, heat it, blow it over the drum to drive the water out, and then just exhaust the hot humid air back to the outside. It'd obviously be a lot less portable than a unit like this (since it'd need ducts to and from the outside), but I wonder how that would affect performance.

[@lostjohnny9000]

I used to be a fan of Clives. Now I'm an air conditioner.

[@saalkz.a.9715]

I have the weirdest feeling I just watched a "How It's Made" in reverse...

[@SigEpBlue]

It's a box full-a fans and switches! ;) Also mung, lots of mung everywhere. I wonder if placing a copper sulfate tablet into that bottom tray would prevent that manky mold from growing.

[@chriscrossan8034]

How do I "donate” something for for Big Clive style forensics? Got a Tecknet doorbell that has died a death and just makes a "pipping" sound indefinitely.

[@dcallan812]

cheers I have one just like this so I can do a spot of maintenance. 👍👍👍👍

[@josephking6515]

Two screws in the bottom sounds more like a command, especially if followed by a _Please_ .😱

[@John_Ridley]

Just don't listen to @5:38, and "pull your knob off"

[@toxiccan175]

Instructions unclear, bound for the ER

[@Leroys_Stuff]

I quite like studio 2 great video as always Bigclive

[@261divyesh]

Hi , I have Goldair 8L Desiccant dehumidifier and it cut off after 2 mins, Fan goes slow and then error light comes on. Then after few min it stops working. Is it possible to fix this issue? what is reason for this issue? Please reply. I look forward to you reply. Thanks.

[@jamesfurz7406]

That's giving me the boke. I've got the version of this with membrane switches, might have to give it a clean....

[@jonathanhendry9759]

I used to work doing field service on a shipping container-sized version, that was installed on supermarket rooftops.

[@bigclivedotcom]

Drum rotating between two ducts? Not super efficient as the moist heated air gets expelled outside.

[@jonathanhendry9759]

@@bigclivedotcom Double wheel. One dessicant wheel, and one heat exchanger wheel. On one side the air came in from the store, through the dessicant wheel, then through the heat exchanger to cool down, and back into the store. On the other side, air came in through a swamp cooler, through the heat exchanger wheel, then through a hot water radiator to heat the air up more, and through the dessicant wheel to dry it out. Then out the side of the machine. (It does occur to me that maybe using air that had gone through a swamp cooler to dry a dessicant wheel wasn't optimal. But in Connecticut/Massachusetts in summer the ambient air probably wouldn't be much less humid.) The wheels were about 6 feet across. The dessicant wheel rotated slowly, and the heat exchanger rotated several times faster. This was 1991, the company is gone, and the machines I worked on don't seem to be on the store rooftops anymore. Doing the math, 2+2 = didn't work out. The theory was that it would help reduce humidity in the cold aisles, reducing the need for air conditioning to prevent frost buildup in freezers. Which would save the store money, improving the slim profit margins.

[@twocvbloke]

mmm, bacterial goop clogging holes, also an issue inside fridges when their drain port gets plugged up too needing a bit of ram-rodding to clear out and a squirt of bleach to disinfect... :S

[@petertr2000]

That drain port - where does fluid drain to, exactly?

[@SuomiFinlandPerkelee]

@@petertr2000 a small reservoir above the compressor that's located behind the fridge. The compressors excess heat helps evaporate the water. So if you're cleaning up the drain port it's a good idea to remove the dirt from the reservoir afterwards.

[@T1G3R009]

🤢

[@sootikins]

Just one more reason those "free drinking water from thin air" devices on Kickstarter will never work (not to mention laws of physics). Nice glass of Legionnaires Disease and other random bugs anyone??

[@fluffyblue4006]

@@sootikins Agree. Such device is more suitable for cleaning the air. It draws in a lot of air and runs it over a cold and wet surface. Most dust and airborne germs will be caught in the machine. Suppose, one would really want to extract drinking water and would like to have such a device at home... One cubic meter of water at 20 deg C holds at max 17.3 grams of water. 60% of that is 10.38. 40% of that is 6.92. So if you take moist from the typical indoor air, you get 3.46 grams from one cubic meter. So that would be one glass full of water from a room of about 5 x 6 meters. But cooling a condensation surface takes energy, which will add to the total amount of energy of the room, heating it up. The heating will decrease the relative humidity even further. But this full glass of water is not even close to enough to fill up the needed filter cartridges. So, doors and windows will need to be opened. So, only usable in moderate weather, unless you like to spend a lot of energy on HVAC as well.

[@patpat023]

Curious if you might have a breadmaker you could maybe open up?

[@gazzaka]

So, you have to do all that, just for basic maintenance? Reminds me of changing a belt on a Dyson DC01 lol

[@bigclivedotcom]

Basic maintenance would be cleaning the air filter, which just slides out, and removing and cleaning the water collection tray and making sure the ports were clear.

[@eus9]

My heater has stopped working - tested the thermal fuse and replaced, but still no luck. Could the thermal switch fail? I can't see what else could be causing it, unless it's the switch up top that turns on laundry mode...

[@bigclivedotcom]

There's quite a long safety circuit including a few thermal fuses, a tilt switch and the float switch on the water container. The heaters themselves can also fail.

[@eus9]

@@bigclivedotcom thanks for the reply. Yep, that's correct about other switches although I believe the tilt switch stops the fan too. The heater seems to be a basic element and can't see any loose connections... Think I may have to buy a whole new unit at this rate 😥

[@bearicade5582]

Great vid, Bigclivedotcom !

[@robfractal6820]

Brill. I bought one of these a couple of years ago and it started leaking a few weeks out of guarantee. The ecoair people were really horrible and unhelpful about offering to fix or replace the unit unless l paid fully. So got a dehumidifier that works but leaks from the bottom and not sure if I've competence to fix if the problem is a blocked water outlet.

[@bigclivedotcom]

The first units had teething issues and the sellers didn't deal with it well.

[@DreStyle]

They are somewhat more quite than a compressor one however my 2nd unit who is in my basement has a roller compressor its fan is more louder than the compressor also the power consumption is 50 Watts less than the absorption version

[@poellot]

Is there a difference in electrical efficiency vs a compressor type?

[@chrismamm]

This is an excellent question, and I would love to see what others have to say about this. My own experience comparing exactly one device of each type is, that in my application the compressor type seems to use about half the electricity the desiccant type uses. Now I usually use my dehumidifiers in a relatively warm and humid atmosphere (bathroom at 23C and 70%). My understanding is, that colder and/or less humid environments make the compressor type dehumidifiers vastly less efficient, and therefor the desiccant ones the better option.

[@straightpipediesel]

Compressor types are generally more efficient. Desiccant is cheaper but also is necessary to remove humidity below a certain point, I believe it's roughly under 40% RH at room temperature. Therefore, compressors are for household uses, whereas desiccant is used for specialized industrial applications.

[@evensgrey]

@@straightpipediesel The one most people are most likely to see is for drying out a home that's had a flood. Desiccant dehumidifiers are part of the standard equipment for remediating after flooding in a home. (Getting the place dry as fast as possible is a priority, otherwise you'll get mold.)

[@phonotical]

Mine uses a compressor, empty it twice a day, it said it has a 70 liter capacity or something like that, I get maybe 4L a day, I guess it isn't very wet in here 300w, also the last thing I got a shock from, took it apart still plugged in, and with a wet hand (cleaning it at the time) touched a small metal housing, nothing major, but lesson learned!

[@bigclivedotcom]

Wer hands are a no-no for electrical work. What would normally be a slight tingle can become a much more dangerous current. All dehumidifier water extraction ratings seem to be bogus.

[@RambozoClown]

@@bigclivedotcom Perhaps those ratings are when running submerged?

[@collinhunter9792]

it means that if you had a tube from the machine to empty it constantly, it could take out 70 litres of water in 24 hrs

[@maciej9280]

@@collinhunter9792 under ideal conditions ie rain forrest type humidity and temperatures ;)

[@thomasherzog86]

those values usually are normed to work in 80% humidity and 30c temperature, shrinking drastically with lower numbers.

[@dublinius]

Why the black background? Found it harder to watch that usual and with your black jumper it sometimes looked like a pair of disembodied hands taking the screws out.

[@theirisheditor]

My uncle had the electronic Ecoair model DD122FW MK5 fail and asked if I could dispose of it. The desiccant drum motor failed, so I ordered the nearest equivalent I could find with a similar shaft (model TYJ50-8A7). I never thought about the wire terminals and sure enough there was a screw pillar in the way. The original motor had no terminals with the wires coming out the back. As a workaround, I turned it a few degrees so a screw went in the second hole on one side of the motor and a screw wedged the outside of the screw terminal on the other end, snug in place. The cog fit the shaft and didn't need the circlip (no slot for it). With the motor in place, the cog can't slide off anyway. Like the one featured, this dehumidifier was heavily soiled in smoke dust (he has an open fireplace) and the desiccant wheel needed a good vacuuming. I cleaned out the condensing module, drip tray, etc. The dehumidifier now functions, however, from a few 1 hour tests, its performance is not great. On continuous low, it draws about 120ml per hour drawing 310W and on high it draws about 190ml per hour drawing 550W, both in a large room area, 60-65% RH 21°C during the tests. For comparison, another 7 litre desiccant dehumidifier I had years ago typically removed 290ml per hour on high. The original motor stated 4-5RPM and the new one 4RPM, so it may be rotating too slow. On the positive side, it was otherwise going to be scrapped. Now we can use as a heater with dehumidification as a by-product.😁

[@bigclivedotcom]

As a rough guide based on mine, it should use about 4.5 units of electricity to take 2L of water out of the air.

[@bigclivedotcom]

I think that works out about right for your unit.

[@mileshember3501]

My motor repair had _exactly_ the same issue! I did a bit of "shaving" of plastic parts and managed to fit it in. Motors with just cables available but only from China with weeks of shipping time, UK stockists of equivalents had only the spade connected ones like yours. Seems that there is a good number of people taking care to repair :-)

[@helium4amc]

Great video! I have a Meaco DD122 MK4 which seems to be pretty much the same as this but with a push button panel. Internally it is pretty much identical, except mine seems to have no stainless steel screws (and several of the screws near water are rusting!). Mine runs and spins everything (fans, drum, etc.), but doesn't seem to collect any water. I am guessing the heating may not be running, so I will poke at that next! The fan is pushign cold air out, and I can't remember if (when it was working) that air was warm... Any ideas, anyone?

[@helium4amc]

My guess is that the heater or one of the fuses has gone. Fortunately, the case actually has a wiring diagram on it, which is unprecedented these days! Where did I put that multimeter.....

[@superalphajellybeanM8]

Hi Clive, Im based in Ireland and can't decide between a desiccant or a compressor dehumidifier. I was looking at the dd8l Zambezi but worried about the power usage. at the same time my house sits around 15 degrees all the time. what would you go for?

[@bigclivedotcom]

A compressor unit may keep going into defrost mode at 15C. The desiccant drum unit will work fine at the lower temperature. I use a desiccant unit in winter and a compressor unit in summer.

[@superalphajellybeanM8]

@@bigclivedotcom cheers Clive, I managed to get a brand new Zambezi for €20 at a car boot sale today(I am still amazed). Might get a compressor one leading up to summer as the temperature rises!

[@inesvaughan6075]

Hello! I was curious about desiccant dehumidifiers and the lightest I found was 6.5kg. How come they reach this weight? Which components weighs the most? Thank you for this video!

[@teknikal6969]

I've this exact model but I didn't see the humidity sensor and I'm pretty sure mines be ruined by people smoking ecigs, it seems to always run no-matter what as I presume it's coated in eliquid, I'd quite like to clean that sensor but I've still no clue where it is even after watching this.

[@bigclivedotcom]

The humidity sensor is the but the knob is attached to. It uses a moisture sensitive membrane. I'm not sure it's a good idea to clean it. These units tend to have quite a wide hysteresis on the on-off humidity.

[@teknikal6969]

@@bigclivedotcom thanks I don't intend to really wet it or anything just wipe it a bit as it couldn't really make my unit any worse.

[@Chris-ru9yy]

I have one of these units lying on the "to get around to fixing" pile. from what i remember, the drum motor stopped working causing the safety cut-outs to kick in

[@bigclivedotcom]

On early ones the drum motor could literally grind its bearing oval. It's a standard synchronous motor, but the shaft may be tricky to match to the drive cog. Although it's directional, I don't think it matters which way it rotates, since I had one that started going in a random direction and it still pulled out water at the same rate.

[@Chris-ru9yy]

@@bigclivedotcom thanks for the heads up I wouldn't be surprised if this was it to be honest, its good to know the direction isn't critical. now to find the time and space to take it apart haha

[@nil4309]

Hi Clive love your videos where can i purchase replacement parts for dehumidifiers? the components i need seem to be fairly standard across most brands from the ones i have seen in your videos. but i cant seem to find parts i need anywhere online!!

[@bigclivedotcom]

It seems hard to find common spares for these. They haven't settled on a standard sizing.

[@t1mc4rt3r]

Thank you!

[@stavros3733]

Hi ive just got a second hand one of these but it keeps cutting out after a few mins with the red light showing, the water tray is empty, any ideas?

[@bigclivedotcom]

It could be the tilt switch, a thermal fuse or faulty float-switch detector.

[@Seegalgalguntijak]

I haven't really understood the principle though. What is the purpose of the desiccant drum, what does it do?

[@mariocarmariocar2044]

Hi Clive,thank you for this video. I have this exact model, it only worked three winters. When it is switched on it just works for five minutes and goes off and after some minutes it goes on for another five minutes and stops again, without collecting any water. Do you think it can be fixed ?

[@bigclivedotcom]

Does it blow warm air at all when it is running? There are several safety switches in the unit to detect the unit being level and sections of it overheating. That does sound like a thermal issue. A common issue is the little water collection tray above the water drawer getting clogged up. It can be removed with a very small screwdriver to check.

[@mariocarmariocar2044]

@@bigclivedotcom Hi Clive, thanks for replying. Yes it does blow warm air when running, Yesterday after I opened the case and cleaned it, switched it on and it kept running for three hours before it switched off with full tank indicator on, but there was not even a drop of water in the tank. Do you think that the tray switch can be bypassed ?

[@mariocarmariocar2044]

Hi Clive, I decided to give it another try. I opened it all out as per your instructions, no clogging. What I am noticing now is that when it is switched on high it only works for 2 minuets and switches off with red light on but water tank is empty. I believe it is as you said, that it is a thermal issue. If the heat element fails, what happens ? Does it overheat or do not heat at all ?mine is getting so heated that you cannot touch the element cover, or is it the thermal protector that is failing ?

[@TheMattiger]

How easy would it be to get the dessicant wheel out? I ask because i have a mould issue and after running these in a damp environment you get mould and stuff(gunk) particles of which then get blown out causing the very problem i am trying to avoid. So the wheel and the condenser will need a clean.

[@bigclivedotcom]

The wheel is usually OK if the filter is used on the air intake. The machines can amplify smells due to the way they work. The main bit to keep clean is the output water collection tray and condenser if needed. Washing the drum might damage it.

[@TheMattiger]

@@bigclivedotcom thanks