Three Broken Dehumidifiers

[@Dell3524]

I have spent the last 3 hours binge watching your videos, I need to go to bed

[@uxwbill]

Yes, yes you do. Otherwise you are going to suffer burn-in.

[@Dell3524]

+uxwbill don't know why your videos entertain me so much, I think it might be the rambling:)

[@modemfox]

It's because it's true reality TV, not that stupid crap the kids watch these days with full grown Oompa Loompas and the like.

[@stevew270]

UPS tags = anti-vibration. LOL

[@Lachlant1984]

I'm sure I've done that multiple times in the last 6 years, I'm pretty sure I spent part of an evening in 2012 watching uxwbill and popping a sheet of bubble wrap.

[@mitm19]

William I think this is the best video you have ever made, and you have made some good ones. Thank you! I have a bunch of dehumidifiers sitting in my basement that don't run, this will change thanks to you.

[@uxwbill]

If by some chance you happen to get video of your own units or the subsequent repair efforts, I'd definitely like to see it.

[@coolbluelights]

Why are you not a university instructor or something? you're a gifted speaker and your presentation is phenomenal!

[@uxwbill]

A lot of it probably has to do with my not having a degree or attended college.

[@coolbluelights]

Yep, same reason why I'm working retail. you can have tons of talent but without a piece of paper called a degree you're nothing to employers.

[@dx12332145]

Most informative, especially your pointing out the longevity of older models. Thank you!

[@tonedeadmusic9089]

My grandmother owns that exact model Kenmore dehumidifier. 30 years of hard work and it is still going strong. Would love to hear back from you Bill.

[@1marcelfilms]

i LOVE the old wood one. Finding anything vintage woodgrain here is almost impossible

[@JKproductions184]

I have the exact same kenmore and I can confirm it does that. When I temporarily had it fill up the bucket I caught it quickly cycling on and off a few times a second. Good thing I caught it before anything bad happened. Some other times, it would work correctly with the bucket and light the full light but if you touched the bucket it would rapid fire on and off. Since it's been positioned over a floor drain now in my basement, it's much happier now.

[@skylius]

Great to watch whilst waiting for a video to render. Keep up the great work uxwbill!

[@MetallicBlade]

As much as I would've liked to hear the great electronic diagnostics wisdom be bestowed upon me from uxwbill... I have to mention this: From 3:45-10:46... It sounded like a dude was having a rather fun time tearing up a nearby parking-lot with his car. Don't know why, but I found this background noise a lot more distracting to listen to uxwbill than one of his neighbors using the pressure-washer. Anyways... Thank you uxwbill for forewarning us about the high risks in buying a new dehumidifier unit over buying off an older one second-hand. Just shows you how companies are willing to cut every corner in manufacturing a product for the sake of having a profit over selling a reliable quality product for its consumers.

[@twocvbloke]

I picked up a Haier mini-freezer last year from behind a pub (left on the back street, so no trespassing!), got it home, sat it in my shed, plugged it in, worked great, left it running for an hour, still working great, cleaned it up, removed the birdshit form the outside, dried it off, brought it indoors, plugged it in, it ran for 5 minutes and the compressor seized, stupid modern r600a (extra-flammable Isobutane) crap.........

[@uxwbill]

I recently saw a freezer offered for sale at Best Buy under their Insignia brand. Taking a closer look, I noticed with great interest a warning on the back panel about flammable refrigerant. I believe it too was using R600a refrigerant. Why on Earth anyone would ever design a consumer appliance to utilize flammable or hazardous refrigerant is beyond me. I always thought one of the key design goals for any refrigerant was nonflammability.

[@twocvbloke]

***** My only guess as to why they use Isobutane as a refrigerant is cost, it's cheap to get and probably doesn't need to be licensed from DuPont and the like, but having read a number of news articles of people's fridges & freezers blowing up and destroying parts of their houses, errrrrrrm, yeah, probably a good thing that Haier's compressor seized, R600a is dangerous stuff if it leaks...

[@MinecraftMarcus1]

+uxwbill 100th like lol

[@MinecraftMarcus1]

+uxwbill But ya, I agree, it's really stupid to make a dehumidifier to contain flammable refrigerant.

[@mikafoxx2717]

The R600 isn't the problem even, it's the cheap design and reducing the oil in the compressor so that it runs dry despite the tiny pipes they use thanks to having over double the heat per lb of liquid as freon 12.

[@tommyhanlon8012]

Hi Bill, hope you're all doin grand, & wish you had time to make videos again.

[@KrissBartlett]

cool again Bill hope you get that white one working but at least the other two working

[@D3ATHPRONE]

Absolutely insane the cost cutting companies do to normal everyday home appliances. Something 30-40 years old, beat to hell works like the day it was made. But something a few years old can't even power on, or if it does, isn't on for very long before the electronics go wild.

[@victoryfirst2878]

I am always surprised when something that is good get tossed. I will take a old unit over new. Even if you have to give it a little love. Nice video too.

[@bigcrowfly]

The Columbus address is the Oasis company. They make water fountains, water coolers, dehumidifiers, and water filtration equipment.

[@amessman]

ahhh, a late night (or early morning) uxwbill video... all thats missing is a backpack full of unfinished homework and school in 4 hours

[@amessman]

oh and no sleep

[@jonboz7585]

I purchased a Frigidaire 70 pint dehumidifier in 2017, and a second one in 2018 (as a backup). Both, are now dead, showing the dreaded 'F0" error code, which means loss of refrigerant. I believe MOST modern dehumidifiers tend to die as a result of loss of refrigerant, due to bad welding in the cooling lines. Somebody suggested to just buy a small window air conditioner and plug it into a humidistat ON/OFF controller. What do you thing about that? Thanks for a great demo.

[@uxwbill]

While it certainly will dehumidify, a room air conditioner may not do as well as a purpose built dehumidifier. The air coming out of an air conditioner is actually laden with humidity, but becomes less so as it blends with the (warmer) room air. It may also make the room too cool, or be unable to cool/dehumidify effectively because it is too cool in the room or outside. I have done a much newer video searching for the leak on a modern, recalled dehumidifier whose charge had leaked away. I also examined another similarly recalled unit that had leaked down. In both cases, the joints were fine. The theory that I'm working with now, based on what other commenters had to say, is that the copper may actually become porous. This is likely to be revisited in the future. I would recommend finding a good working vintage dehumidifier instead of an air conditioner.

[@RetroPCUser]

That middle unit, even in poor cosmetic condition, and fully functional, is a great dehumidifier. Wish I had a dehumidifier from that period of time. Speaking of, I have an Eva-Dry EDV1100 dehumidifier that runs-ish, but doesn't collect anything anymore and we had the unit for a couple of years, which was only used in the bathroom since it gets humid after someone showers. I might look at it myself to see what went wrong.

[@coolelectronics1759]

how big is the EvaDri unit you have? if it is the mini kind where you have the external power brick then it is a compressorless peltier unit most likely. How is the temperature where you live? That factor will also play a role in impacting the performance of you're unit. I know some units drop in performance once the temp drops belo 60

[@RatKindler]

I just got an old Inglis dehumidifier at an estate auction for $1. Probably made by Whirlpool. I had thought it was 1970s but it's got a production date of 1957 on the inside. It's freakin' heavy and is built like a tank. Cleaned it up and it works great! It doesn't have an on/off switch or a humidistat control. I guess the old ones didn't need such fancy controls? I can't find any info or even a photo of it on the net.

[@Maxd11gaming]

how many houses do you own?

[@coondogtheman]

On the Haier unit couldn't you just bypass the pan switch and just hook up the drain hose? Then maybe bypass the control board and have an on off switch or mechanical timer? You could use one of those plug timers and set it to run maybe four hours or whatever.

[@uxwbill]

All of the electronics on the Haier unit could be bypassed and replaced with more conventional controls.

[@1marcelfilms]

I love my vintage portable AC with drain catch can. Simply disconnect the hot air hose and its now a dehumidifier

[@WalterKnox]

i have an old white westinghouse with r500 in it that i found at the dump in the ewaste place. it was vintage so i knew an idiot just bought a new one because and i took it and put it it in the back of the truck and the lady was mad and tryed chasing us out because you are not allowed to take things, but i saved it and it works like new and is in good shape except for some paint coming off on the top.

[@giberish9]

question. Would it be possible to bypass the digital display and wire in a older style humidistat? I'm no expert on appliance repair, but dehumidifiers seem so basic, that I would think the fancy display should be easy to eliminate and return to a simpler setup.

[@Sherbert_]

My grandmother has a kenmore dehumidifier from the 1980s that has a unresponsive switch. would it be worth fixing?

[@bairfamilyfarm1336]

If you have the knowledge to fix electronics, and find its just a switch, or something simple and cheap. Then yes, as long as you don't spend more than $15 on it.

[@northhankspin]

that would be cool if you took the vintage controls and rigged them to where the hole is or would be after you pull the electronic ones out of the Heir unit.

[@Quiparounddreams1999]

are you going to repair the white one if you can ?

[@douro20]

I have a Whirlpool dehumidifier which I'm trying to get rid of right now; it's had a recent coil clean and works very well but needs a new bucket switch, for which I'm not spending $65 so it needs to go somewhere else.

[@uxwbill]

Odds are you can get that switch (or something compatible enough) from a reputable electronic components retailer for a small fraction of the price that Whirlpool is asking. The trade-off? The original part is often house numbered, so you've got to spend some time working out the proper equivalent. Manufacturer spec sheets, parts drawings and a ruler or caliper will narrow it down pretty quickly.

[@douro20]

+uxwbill I've tried that. It needs just the right type of microswitch, and they are hard to find.

[@josh6715]

+uxwbill that middle one looks like its been around the world two many times

[@coondogtheman]

Do you have a floor drain nearby? You could just bypass the bucket switch and run the coil drain to your floor drain. That's what I'd do. Just an idea.

[@douro20]

+coondogtheman1234 My father wants it out of there.

[@Bunkysworkshop]

I have been looking for one of these old hard workers for some time. I found one but do think the humidistat is wonky. If you know how to get a new ones please let me know. I do agree with you because I did get a new one and it just makes a lot of noise. The old one that I think that the humidistat may have a problem seems to work so nice and quite and a lot of water comes out. Older the better.

[@uxwbill]

Odds are good that the parts are still available. Since it's still possible for most of us to go to Sears, I'd start there. Take the unit's model and serial number with you. If Sears can't help, or there isn't one near enough to you any longer, go to a *good* Whirlpool parts dealer. These units were made by Whirlpool.

[@coolelectronics1759]

hey uxwbill do you know where I could get an replacement motor for my sears incase it does go out?

[@coolelectronics1759]

I just got a free humidifier from cl compresser is fine and it has refrigent but the blower moter is stiff I put wd 40 in the ports but no luck think you can help? btw this is a sears from the 90s I think

[@coolelectronics1759]

byn picking up some free dehumidifiers on craigslist and I recently got also a crappy modern GE white one lost refrigerant, glitched wenever power outages and glichy controle panel also the compressor burned up and almost caused fire! unacceptable modern garbage!

[@coolelectronics1759]

also how easy is it to find the motors for sears dehumidifiers the kind with the 2 mounting screw posts on the bottom. Sory about all these questions.

[@uxwbill]

Just edit your comments (if you're not on an actual computer, it'd be a lot easier and more fun there) and put all your questions in one "basket".

[@uxwbill]

WD-40 is not a suitable lubricant. Sometimes it can revive tired old grease and oils well enough to confirm that a motor is in fact good. If you want the repair to last, you need to take apart the motor if you can, clean out the bearing areas with a good quality degreaser, and oil them with good quality electric motor oil. (Engine oil will also work and most any viscosity is fine for an undemanding application like this.) I have no idea how easy or difficult it would be to find a motor with those mounting posts.

[@coolelectronics1759]

thanks man. Update on the motor: This morning I powered up the free early 90s I think sears Kenmore unit and the fan motor is luce at first but when it runs for about 10mins the fan motor stiffens up and slows down The motor also gets hot to the touch I think that's very strange for an electric motor to do something like that. If I wate for it to cool down the blades will lucin up again but it will inevitably do the same thing again after every 10mins. I believe it has something to do with expanding and contracting metals and how they react to tempreture fluctuations. I have a bad feeling I might have to bite the bullet and buy a replacement motor. What do you think may be the cause of this? I sure hope I can still fix it. I think something may be just making it overheat

[@Hdogdog7]

I have a similar kennmore unit that has no rust on the coils but does not work because of a broken cord.

[@HarleyBadger]

Fun fact: The Oasis Aqua-Dri is a rebadged GoldStar, and it will run forever.

[@reddragon27284]

Last time I saw behaviour like that on a device with modern controls it was because the power supply for the logic circuitry was a "capacitive dropper" type supply and the X class dropper capacitor had drifted down in value meaning there wasn't sufficient voltage present to run the controls properly.

[@corvairGuy1754]

Uwbill the newer unit you talked about might be a victim of faulty caps (like you said) but with the noise that the fan motor is making it might be overloading the circuity on the board and causing it to shut down for protection to prevent it from blowing its self up i don't know for a fact but it's possible. I'd just throw a new fan motor on it and somehow put a manual humidistat in it I don't care what it looks like if it works properly too . I've been watching your videos since like 2008. just wondering did you put a new humidistat in that Montgomery ward unit?

[@uxwbill]

No new humidistat for the M-W unit yet. I was going to rob the working one out of the unit that lost its charge, but they're too different to adapt. And since the M-W unit is in such nice condition, I'm not about to go and hack it up.

[@corvairGuy1754]

+uxwbill I could see why you wouldn't want to hack it up

[@NJRoadfan]

While new units may be expensive, they are a heck of a lot more efficient to run. using the numbers off of the Aqua-Dri vs. the "new" Frigidaire I have running here. Figures assume max power draw when compressor is running and 120VAC. Aqua-Dri: 25 pt/day @ 7 amps Frigidaire: 50 pt/day @ 4.8 amps We've come a long way. Double the drying capacity while using less electric to do so! A new unit might pay for itself in electrical savings quickly seeing as these things run 24/7 in most applications.

[@JKproductions184]

The fan motors and compressors in the new units draw less current because they are as weak as they can possibly be to do their job. As soon as the bearings in the fan dry up a little bit the motor is jammed. Compressor failure is common too as far as I've seen. Then, the bigger question is: how is it more efficient to buy a new one every 2 years and throw the "old" one in the trash or recycle it when the old units work for 20x longer? It's a huge waste of energy to recycle the dehumidifier into another cheap piece of shit that will be recycled again over and over. So after you go through 20 modern dehumidifiers I would say the vintage one is more environmentally friendly.

[@uxwbill]

I disagree with you here for a few reasons: 1. There's the whole matter of longevity. I'd be surprised if most modern dehumidifiers make it to their 5th year of operation. And while it's difficult to figure, the resources used to make a new one as opposed to operating an older but possibly less efficient unit have to be considered. When if ever is the point reached where a given unit has "paid its debt"? 2. None of my old dehumidifiers reach their nameplate ratings in steady-state operation. They all use less current than indicated by an amp or two. I don't know to what if any standard these ratings are held. 3. If one put a bigger pan on the Aqua-Dri or placed it over a floor drain, it might manage to pull more than 25 pints of moisture out of the air in a 24 hour period. This would have to be tested. I believe the primary difference in any of these dehumidifiers is not refrigeration system capacity or fan size/speed, but rather the size of the pan they shipped with. If I get the Haier unit to work properly, or simply hack in an old-style humidistat, some of these things can (and will!) be put to the test.

[@HarleyBadger]

Eh... no way. Even if modern units were not a complete pile of Chinese garbage, they use a different method of calculation for pints per day, like most of the EnergyStar program. EnergyStar is a great idea on paper, but in reality, it is *advertising* instead of efficiency. There are old videos on Spatsbear's channel to illustrate this... The amp rating is simply how much current the unit pulls at the moment. I had a modern Kenmore, it did nothing but run and run and run, and heat up the house with its waste heat, and only lowered the relative humidity by about 4-5%. My vintage Kenmore would run for 5-10 minutes and shut off, because it was done with its job. The new Kenmore failed after just a few months, while the vintage unit was 40 years old and still running. Spats had the same experience... new one, heated up the house, did nothing, then failed. Ran constantly at 4.5 amps and never shut off. Humidity stayed in the 50s. That's a 4.5 amp draw for a cumulative 1440 minutes per day. Another new one, same thing. Another new one, failed again. Vintage unit in basement now, runs for almost exactly 8 minutes and then shuts off for several hours, keeps basement at 32%. *That's 6 amps for a cumulative 32 minutes per day.* Where's the efficiency? The vintage Coldspot units we have, each of them can run for a few minutes at a time and keep the garage at a nice 35%... and that's a non-sealed garage in a city with more rainfall than Seattle! Also, three new units... almost $800 wasted. Vintage unit, $20. Vintage units are WILDLY cheaper to buy and run than modern units. And, they don't fail every year or two.

[@wingerrrrrrrrr]

@@HarleyBadger I wonder about this Energy Star rating system, looking at refrigerators and the amount of kWh they use per year, some ES approved units draw a much larger amount of energy than some others of the same size category. Not sure what it is they based out on. Seems easier to simply look at the kWh/year rating than the Energy Star label.

[@mikafoxx2717]

Pretty much impossible to be significantly less efficient. Water takes something like 1250btu/lb to condense from low vapor pressure as it's found in the atmosphere, plus fans plus the specific heat of air needing to be brought below the dew point. Meaning you'll be fairly close aside from fan and compressor inefficiencies which isn't massive when both units are full on.

[@1marcelfilms]

who the hell steal a dehumidifier only to vandalize it

[@nerdyorganist]

I just purchased a newer model LG dehumidifier second hand because the price of new ones is so much. I can hear the compressor running but it's producing very little water in the bucket. I took it apart and it is very clean inside. Any suggestions?

[@uxwbill]

Couple of ideas: The humidity could be lower than you expect. What does a known working hygrometer say? Inadequate line voltage or severely decayed electrical connections -- easy enough to check. Incorrect fan motor speed (slipping fan, bad motor, dragging bearing, etc.) Well concealed "fluff" and other crud in the condenser or evaporator coil. (Shine a light through each, should be visible.) Bad compressor (unlikely, usually they lock up or pull so much current as to drop a fuse or circuit breaker when bad). Clogged refrigeration system or plugged capillary tube. Low refrigerant charge.

[@nerdyorganist]

+uxwbill I'm showing 60% humidity in the room. I've let it run 24 hours. The top of the unit is cold and the back is warm blowing out warm air. Still showing 60% humidity and only generated about a cup of water in the bucket. I have it set to 45% and the compressor has been on the whole time. Thanks for the advice I'll check it out further based on your suggestions.

[@uxwbill]

I'd take some temperature readings on the coils, with something like a type K thermocouple. Noncontact thermometers or monitoring airflow temperature may give you misleading results. I'd be willing to bet that the unit is low on charge, has a blockage in the cooling system or a capillary tube issue.

[@schomminater]

My problem with 2 new dehumidifiers I've had is that they lose their refrigerant charge over the winter. After trying two of them one a LG and the other a GE(Yes the recalled one) at over $250 each I went back to my 2 smaller ones a 1999 Whirlpool and a 1974 GE. Both work fine and so far I'm just going to stick with them. Why did I try new ones? They were 65 pints and I thought I could get away with one and save electricity. Big Fail.

[@dwayne0t]

That company makes soft drinks now. Haier's root beer, for example.

[@uxwbill]

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hires_Root_Beer ??

[@kylelafountaine8164]

If only they still made them looking like that and with the same quality. Could easily add them into the decor.

[@mrhomer57]

if i don't know any better (and that is something i question a lot these days) some of the signs on the Aqua-Dri point to maybe a portable unit gone built in as window AC units i have seen with holes cut in wall for them and i know a few folks who bought houses that had an old humidifier like some of these within a wall (and i use the term loosely) in there basement as if you found some hosing and a lock ring that may match the threaded drain outlet on the unit a drip pan would be unnecessary my also explain partially why it was MIA when the unit was found . judging by the damage to the front and the paint (or primer) around the power cord the Aqua-Dri may have lived happily in a wall in a basement, bathroom or something until the new owners of the property got a burr up there bums about it's out of date looking style and removed it the only way they knew how....by force ...... or more likely it seen a lot of construction projects and had one too many good knocks around the yard by klutzy shade tree carpenters (as one myself i can assure you i have lost many a good light fixture that way.)

[@coolelectronics1759]

one more question sorry about that. How many volts are going to the motors in these units? Is it standard 120vac?

[@uxwbill]

Yes, these all run from 120 volts AC and they have 120 volt motors.

[@keaganjobe6100]

I have an old air king from the late 702 that still works fine

[@Sammy2012ify]

I'm thankful that I don't need a dehumidifier! The price of new ones are a ripoff. And, dehumidifiers nowadays blow a lot of hot air. Therefore, wherever one chooses to put there new dehumidifier, the room will be hot. I did find your vintage dehumidifiers interesting!

[@HobbyOrganist]

Well, those coils etc are being exposed to moisture all the time it runs, pretty much guaranteed to corrode almost any metal over years. I have a Danby dehumidifier ddr050bdwdb I didn't find it expensive, I think it was $179

[@uxwbill]

Corrosion was never really a problem, as plenty of surviving 20, 30 and even 40 year old models will readily affirm. Only newer units seem to have problems with it. To buy a window-mounted air conditioner of similar size to a dehumidifier actually costs less and gives you the added bonus of comfort cooling.

[@Helo735]

Hey, Columbus! My hometown!

[@tylermcnee9441]

I actually have an air conditioner made by haier about 3 or 4 years of use we got a KoolKing air conditioner and it is way better than our old one

[@ceilingfansandmorecfam2342]

the wight one may need to be recapt

[@hannonm]

Replace the rubber grommets and make it work like it should.

[@vacuumman4107]

On the white dehumidifier the filter goes in the other way around.! and the motherboard maybe suffering from a case of broken solder connections.? But the other one works perfectly fine and it's shame that somebody vandalized it.! But as long as it works that's all that matters.!

[@coolelectronics1759]

the craiglist free kenmore one in the middle refuses to stop working lol. It was fired up last week and the motor spinned right up no problems. Thanks uxwbill for helping me out trouble shooting it last year. I am so glad I didn't pass it up when it was offered to me.

[@hburke7799]

Bill, you need a Kill-a-watt meter. It's a much better solution than that amprobe.

[@uxwbill]

I've got several. They've shown up in previous videos from time to time.

[@redleader6442]

When hunting for a vintage dehumidifier, I always insist that people look for the absolute simplest design you can find. My '78 Admiral 22-pint unit has only its humidistat in front and a single tank-full switch in the back. No springs, no second switches. Less to break than even your simple Kenmore. Also, of course, my first bit of advice is NEVER BUY NEW or you'll be buying again within the decade.

[@zx8401ztv]

Hmm modern junk, the white one could be made 110% better by fitting the stat from the good old style units :-D. The pointless computer panel could be left there just to fill the hole. I would rather have reliability over digital crap. Perhaps a square of foam could be put under that leaf spring to make it slightly deaf to the weight of the water. A speaker grill comes to mind for replacement of the missing front, but im sure there are better things.

[@MrDubje]

New shit just breaks, old stuff keeps on going! Unfortunately this is a trend we're stuck with these days, in order to keep the economy running smoothly. It's called "planned obsolescence". This video is a prime example of why people should try to repair their older devices instead of buying a new modern one. You're not going to get the lifetime out of the new device like you did with the old one. Repairing older stuff in general makes for less e-waste, and it gives a good feeling knowing you fixed something. I agree with the simple things you stated as an option to try and see if they work, and indeed, replace the modern junk electronics with a simple switch or humidistat. The grill on the front could possibly be replaced with a few (2 or so) layers of garden fencing (you, know, the stuff that can be bended into place). just to act as a bit of a finger-guard.

[@zx8401ztv]

Yes your right, the Planned obsolescence is very true, just look at the specs on electrolitic capacitors in washing machines and tv power supplys, they are short on hours, typically designed for roughly 2 years. Switchmode supplys may be efficent but they kill capacitors too fast :-(.

[@coolelectronics1759]

well said indeed. It is funny how modern acs tend to be the other wey around I bought an frigidair 3yrs ago and it still working fine but when it comes to dehumidifiers they are all garbage!

[@MacquarieRidge]

I always use older dehumidifiers compared to the newer trash put out today, unless its one made by soleus air. They seem to be, at least somewhat decent.

[@willthetrill4849]

_Bandit soleus Aires dehumidifiers have been recalled due to catching fire

[@chrisbeck8182]

My Soleus 40 pt. unit I bought 3 years ago lost all its Freon over this past winter. It’s just another POS Chinese landfill donor.

[@ArcadeMachine15]

uxwdehumidifiers.

[@Sb129]

Ahh, dehumidifiers, unknown to most living in Chandler their whole life

[@Palosrob]

Perhaps people are opting for units that are energy star rated.

[@dhouser1695]

i got a gibson 15 pint dehumidifer that the fan was bad so i found a fan from a magic chef 40 that i took the fan out of

[@theericfreeze1493]

Dehumidifier Department of Columbus Ohio. It's a Oasis!

[@itsmesb4399]

I purposely bought a dehumidifier with only an on and off control so there is less to fail

[@jakeornot6306]

Excellent presentation and video. I am an electronics numbskull. I have an old Kenmore like the one shown, (but it has the "o". Best I can see, the model is 840405. Owned for 11 years. Picked up from the dump. Until now, I've never had the thermostat set higher than 3, and I did not let it run continuously. The house is so damp, however, that I moved it from the small room in which it was located, to a larger room, and, I've set it at 5. It doesn't shut off, (possibly due to the severe damp?), so I shut it off manually. Tonight, the top of the unit was hot when I went to check it. Not burning-hand, hot, but too warm for my comfort.The unit surely does pull moisture from the air, and the 22 pint bucket has been filing up well. I have not allowed it to reach full. There could be a wall wiring problem, as the plug becomes slightly warm. But, the metal being so warm - maybe it has been before and I didn't notice it, which is quite probable - what do you think, please. Thank you.

[@jakeornot6306]

PS The plug was inserted into a 3-hole outlet, but I wouldn't assume it's "grounded" in this old place. (Hey, take it a little easier on those of us who consider incandescent light bulbs miraculous and don't get into cleaning the units well, even if they're unplugged due to electriphobia, eh?

[@uxwbill]

The plug becoming *slightly* warm does not indicate a problem. They're generally "just good enough" to stand the load of the appliance to which they are connected. You may find that the heat you felt was only that of the refrigeration system and motors. It's perfectly normal for the fan motor to reach 100°F or so, and the compressor could easily hit 120-150°F. The condenser coil also gets quite warm in operation. You can buy a cheap outlet grounding tester at most any hardware store for just a few dollars. Or, if you have a multimeter of some kind and the knowledge to use it safely, place it in the AC voltage measurement mode. Verify that the probes are attached correctly. Place the red probe into the narrower of the two slot terminals and the black one into the grounding hole. If you read 120 volts or thereabouts, the outlet is likely to be properly grounded.

[@jakeornot6306]

Thank you for the comprehensive and specific reply. There is no doubt that little in this old house is properly grounded. The boiler wasn't. How about you just drop by... Thanks again.

[@RogerRHF]

80 degrees is fairly acceptable, it reaches 100 degress over here :(.

[@gamerkay5791]

Haha i've seen an LG compressor, or freon tank? idk haha

[@lutherstark9573]

I can't stand digital controls, so finicky on my dehumidifier. They really need to revert back from digital displays, makes a simple machine too complicated.

[@uxwbill]

From what little I've seen of them, I'm amazed at the lack of hysteresis exhibited by the digital controls on modern dehumidifiers.

[@wingerrrrrrrrr]

I just fixed a Frigidaire with digital controls, it seemed it had two separate problems. First was the humidity sensor, located at the top right of the unit, where it apparently sat in enough condensation that the lead for the thermistor used in the sensor corroded away and broke the connection. This resulted in an A5 code. It measured about 220k ohms at ambient room temp, and I didn't know what part number would be suitable for a replacement, so I was able to salvage the old one by soldering on a new lead on it. Tricky because the one side broke off flush with the body, but it worked. Then it still wouldn't energize the compressor, and that turned out to be a bad 25A relay. Contacts were all burnt and oxidized, no salvaging that, so I used a solid state relay I happened to have, and it then worked normally.

[@Poebat]

old electronics are tanks.

[@Poebat]

just like old cars.

[@Terence.McKenna]

You should see old keyboards

[@abczyx]

3D: hahahaha nice

[@Bluethunderboom]

Yeah sadly Haier had bought GE Appliance Division which we don't get to have any American Made Appliance like it used to be in back in the day. Haier is what I really don't trust to because, I really detest the quality the way I looked at that. For example like Haier CRT TV with Digital Tuner and Built-in DVD Player Model TCR20, not only the DVD Player that are having trouble to read the discs but also the picture quality wasn't in center right because it squeezed slightly to the right. The Picture Tube was made by Samsung and I appalled about the quality, was when Samsung originally came from Korea, later switch to Mexico which the quality is okay, Malaysia, and now they chose China which they figured it's cheaper to make a picture quality than to make an expensive picture quality. Chinese made products is absolutely garbage which that's very disgraceful. Now, for for example Frigidaire Window Air Conditioner with Electronic Control Panel, after when I got them for free, I was going to clean them up because it got covered with dust, dirt, and the smell of Tobacco that was covered all around the Condensing Coil and open the case, clean them up, test them out, and found out the motor sounds terrible which tells me that I got to re-lubricating the bearings. But guest what? I opened the motor, found out it has a seal bearings which there's nothing I can do other than to replace the motor and unfortunately, I end up go ahead salvage the components and send the Frigidaire Window Air Conditioner to Scrap Metal Company. I rather not go through Chinese Made Appliance that are not design to be service, last long which it's total garbage, and they're design to be recycle.

[@nitrate92]

11th Comment! Yay for me! (NOT AT ALL(

[@bhstone1]

FIRST!!!!!!

[@giberish9]

question. Would it be possible to bypass the digital display and wire in a older style humidistat? I'm no expert on appliance repair, but dehumidifiers seem so basic, that I would think the fancy display should be easy to eliminate and return to a simpler setup.

[@uxwbill]

Almost certainly yes. If a repair of the electronic module looks too much like work, or it just doesn't work out, I'll drill a few holes and slap a mechanical humidistat right on there. It won't bother me at all.