Official Luthiers Forum! :: View topic - Do dehumidifiers get 'pooped out'...?

I discarded the filter ages ago. It didn't trap fine dust, and simply made cleaning it harder than it should be. Then I took it one step further, and cut-out all of the grill, too. Cleaning it is now a cinch! About once a year, I take it all apart and wash it up real good, but the rest of the summer, all it needs is a weekly squirt of water with a spray bottle.

This thing is about 13-14 years old, and shows no signs of dying. the fan was always uber-loud, and finally this spring, I decided to seek a remedy. I was prepared to change the fan completely, but alas, the whole problem was that the fan wasn't centered in its chamber/baffle/whatchamacallit. Once I centered it, it went near-silent! All these years with it driving me crazy with its "turbo-prop plane at takeoff" imitation, it's now nearly as quiet as a fridge. I literally can hear the compressor now, where before, there's no way you'd hear it. So, just in case some of you may have a cheap unit like this that is also too loud for its own good, well, take a looksee!

And, the best thing I ever did with this thing was to take it off the floor and place it on a bench. It has NEVER iced up since doing so, even at temps down to around 65-66 and RH in the mid-40's. On the floor, it would ice-up at 70 degrees and anything below 47-48% RH. Makes it easier to clean, and empty the water container, too....

Author:	meddlingfool [ Wed Jul 25, 2012 9:44 pm ]
Post subject:	Do dehumidifiers get 'pooped out'...?
For the last two years my garage sale dehumidifier kept my shop at a stable 42%, even during Vancouver's rainy season. This year, on a balmy mild day, it won't bring things under 51%, which t's me off cause I have contracts to fulfill and I need to work. So, do dehumidifiers wear out? Mine is functioning, pulling some moisture out, just not like it used to... Second question, will a little floor based AC unit perform the same function? Thanks

Author:	grumpy [ Wed Jul 25, 2012 10:03 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Do dehumidifiers get 'pooped out'...?
Definitely clean the fins, and the fan itself. Take the whole thing apart(being careful not to break a line or something) and wash everything. What you're describing happens to mine, too, and that's my cue to wash 'er up. Goes right back to normal after the cleaning!

Author:	meddlingfool [ Wed Jul 25, 2012 11:14 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Do dehumidifiers get 'pooped out'...?
Hmmm... Investigative maintenance. Guess I'll give it a go, though I confess I'm better at disassembly than reassembly when it comes to machines...

Author:	theguitarwhisperer [ Wed Jul 25, 2012 11:14 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Do dehumidifiers get 'pooped out'...?
My last dehumidifier pooped out after a while. My portable AC keeps the humidity down to 45%. When it rains a LOT (like lately) my new dehumidifier fills in the gaps.

Author:	Billy T [ Wed Jul 25, 2012 11:55 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Do dehumidifiers get 'pooped out'...?
How well is your shop sealed? That can contribute to air gain which makes your dehumidifier work harder than it needs to! Sounds like cleaning is the first thing to do but you may check into window and door seals too.

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Author:	DannyV [ Thu Jul 26, 2012 12:29 am ]
Post subject:	Re: Do dehumidifiers get 'pooped out'...?
This is the high humidity season in our part of the world my friend. I know it seems odd being that we slop around like ducks in the winter here. When the temperature goes up, so does the relative humidity. I just had to re brace a back yesterday. I wasn't on top of the humidity and it flattened itself out. Fortunately it wasn't glued to the rims yet. My dehum has been filling every couple of days. I might go 2-3 weeks without emptying it in the winter. On the plus side, we actually had a day of summer today. Good to get out and burn up some fossil fuels in the speed boat with the kids! Cheers, Danny

Author:	DannyV [ Thu Jul 26, 2012 12:31 am ]
Post subject:	Re: Do dehumidifiers get 'pooped out'...?
meddlingfool wrote: Hmmm... Investigative maintenance. Guess I'll give it a go, though I confess I'm better at disassembly than reassembly when it comes to machines... Funny you should say that. I too can take apart anything!

Author:	meddlingfool [ Thu Jul 26, 2012 1:13 am ]
Post subject:	Re: Do dehumidifiers get 'pooped out'...?

Author:	SteveSmith [ Thu Jul 26, 2012 7:33 am ]
Post subject:	Re: Do dehumidifiers get 'pooped out'...?
The answer is yes, they can get 'pooped out' but if you haven't cleaned it yet it is likely just dirty. I usually take mine all the way apart once a year for a thorough cleaning. I got 4 years out of my last unit before it failed. Don't know if it was a refrigerant leak or whatever. Most of the small dehumidifiers are not economical to rebuild so I just replaced it. If I get 4 years out of it then it's about a $50/year expense plus the electricity, of course.

Author:	Goodin [ Thu Jul 26, 2012 8:14 am ]
Post subject:	Re: Do dehumidifiers get 'pooped out'...?
Dont forget to clean the filter regularly. In a wood shop which creates lots of dust the filter gets dirty very quickly. Mine has a washable filter (I assume most do?). I just put it under the sink once a month or so. Then put it right back in, no need to let it dry since it's going back into a dehumidifier.

Author:	york [ Thu Jul 26, 2012 10:12 am ]
Post subject:	Re: Do dehumidifiers get 'pooped out'...?
I have a 35 year old dehumidifier that still works fine, though it heats the room a lot and the coils ice up under around 70 degrees. I replaced the fan motor many years ago. So, they can go for a long time. I clean it every year when pulling it out for the summer humidity season. I take the cover off and pull the fan motor. It takes less than 5 minutes. I take it outside and use the garden hose to spray out the heat exchanger and condenser coils to clean out all the dust and crap. Let it dry out, put it back together, and off we go for another year. I tried using compressed air but it doesn't have the mass water does so it doesn't really clean the "hardened" dust/grit especially from the coils. The water does a much better and quicker job on the heat exchanger, too. The water washes it clean within a few minutes. I am looking for a new unit that is less prone to icing than this old unit, but all the new plastic housing don't look as "cleaning friendly" as the old unit. I have read good reviews of the Frigidaire units. Can anyone recommend a good unit. Do the new ones heat less?

Author:	charliewood [ Thu Jul 26, 2012 11:59 am ]
Post subject:	Re: Do dehumidifiers get 'pooped out'...?
I bought a brand spanking new $200 dehumidifier and it lasted a winter - I was sure p-d off - but I got it as scratch n dent so no warranty - I thought it would be fine as it only had a rip in the side of the box - but I should of asked myself how it got there - !!! Now I have a piece of crap that labours to get the humidity down and really heats the shop up in already screamin heat!!! Anyhoo - meddlinfool - I didnt know you were in Van - Im out on the Island We should almost do a Western Canada members thread, see whos around out here, mabye some lurkers will venture forth.. Good luck Cheers Charliewood

Author:	meddlingfool [ Thu Jul 26, 2012 12:09 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Do dehumidifiers get 'pooped out'...?
East Vancouver... Or 'East Village' as its now been branded by the developers, which therefore makes it OK to charge $389,000 for a 650 square foot bachelor pad... Where on the Island?

Author:	SteveG [ Thu Jul 26, 2012 2:26 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Do dehumidifiers get 'pooped out'...?
Saw this misplaced post on another thread and added it here where it was meant to be, I think. grumpy wrote: I discarded the filter ages ago. It didn't trap fine dust, and simply made cleaning it harder than it should be. Then I took it one step further, and cut-out all of the grill, too. Cleaning it is now a cinch! About once a year, I take it all apart and wash it up real good, but the rest of the summer, all it needs is a weekly squirt of water with a spray bottle. This thing is about 13-14 years old, and shows no signs of dying. the fan was always uber-loud, and finally this spring, I decided to seek a remedy. I was prepared to change the fan completely, but alas, the whole problem was that the fan wasn't centered in its chamber/baffle/whatchamacallit. Once I centered it, it went near-silent! All these years with it driving me crazy with its "turbo-prop plane at takeoff" imitation, it's now nearly as quiet as a fridge. I literally can hear the compressor now, where before, there's no way you'd hear it. So, just in case some of you may have a cheap unit like this that is also too loud for its own good, well, take a looksee! And, the best thing I ever did with this thing was to take it off the floor and place it on a bench. It has NEVER iced up since doing so, even at temps down to around 65-66 and RH in the mid-40's. On the floor, it would ice-up at 70 degrees and anything below 47-48% RH. Makes it easier to clean, and empty the water container, too....

Author:	LaurieW [ Fri Jul 27, 2012 7:27 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Do dehumidifiers get 'pooped out'...?
Another dream crushed....what's next, you'll try to convince me the Jackalope doesn't exist either? Laurie

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Author:	meddlingfool [ Thu Jul 26, 2012 4:24 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Do dehumidifiers get 'pooped out'...?
Thanks!

Author:	Alexandru Marian [ Thu Jul 26, 2012 4:32 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Do dehumidifiers get 'pooped out'...?
I discarded my filter too (too lazy to clean every few days). After a year or so I noticed the efficiency is dropping and I took it apart and cleaned the fins. Unbelievable how much gunk it was in there and I doubt I was able to reach deep enough as there are 4 layers of fins. I shot at them with water gun and brushed for more than 2 hours and there was still dirt coming out. I cleaned it again 2 weeks later. It still works poorly and I'm saving $ for a new one

Author:	ernie [ Thu Jul 26, 2012 4:34 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Do dehumidifiers get 'pooped out'...?
Shop carefully I/ ve bought one from sears on sale $175and it lasted 2 yrs .Bought an old westinghouse at a yard sale for $25 lasted 8 years.I have a soleus bought off amazon going on 2 years.It/s pot luck, even if you clean it .Problem here ,unlike van ,is water is hard and calicifies everything. I used an insulated dry box in surrey bc for repairs to keep out moisture , it was insulated and had a 100 watt light bulb to speed up finishing and repair work.

Author:	WudWerkr [ Thu Jul 26, 2012 5:13 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Do dehumidifiers get 'pooped out'...?
Whats interesting to me is that 90% of the time im running a humidifer to stay at 45% , even in this weather my humidifier is needed to keep it up.

Author:	meddlingfool [ Thu Jul 26, 2012 11:11 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Do dehumidifiers get 'pooped out'...?
Hey folks... Thanks for the help. I opened it up and took the compressor to it, and cleared much mung from within. Caked on dust everywhere. It just knocked 5 points off the RH in an hour, just like it used to... I think I may be excellent with machines after all. That's what you'd conclude if you put it back together with less screws than the manufacturer had to use, right?

Author:	grumpy [ Fri Jul 27, 2012 12:10 am ]
Post subject:	Re: Do dehumidifiers get 'pooped out'...?
Love it when a plan comes together.... Well done!

Author:	Bryan Bear [ Fri Jul 27, 2012 10:07 am ]
Post subject:	Re: Do dehumidifiers get 'pooped out'...?
meddlingfool wrote: I think I may be excellent with machines after all. That's what you'd conclude if you put it back together with less screws than the manufacturer had to use, right? Those extra screws are called "profit."

Author:	meddlingfool [ Fri Jul 27, 2012 1:13 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Do dehumidifiers get 'pooped out'...?
Yes! I knew I'd make one eventually!

Author:	LaurieW [ Fri Jul 27, 2012 3:39 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Do dehumidifiers get 'pooped out'...?
charliewood wrote: We should almost do a Western Canada members thread, see whos around out here, mabye some lurkers will venture forth.. Good luck Cheers Charliewood Fine, I guess I'll start the Eastern Canada thread, so me and the 2 other members can talk sawdust until the wee hours of the morning I'm too lazy to clean mine, thinking I'll switch to an AC unit to get rid of the heat issues!

Author:	Rod True [ Fri Jul 27, 2012 5:10 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Do dehumidifiers get 'pooped out'...?
LaurieW wrote: charliewood wrote: We should almost do a Western Canada members thread, see whos around out here, mabye some lurkers will venture forth.. Good luck Cheers Charliewood Fine, I guess I'll start the Eastern Canada thread, so me and the 2 other members can talk sawdust until the wee hours of the morning I'm too lazy to clean mine, thinking I'll switch to an AC unit to get rid of the heat issues! You'll still have to clean out the AC unit every once in a while....