Dehumidifier.

We have a small 115 volt Sears 'portable' type dehumidifier in basement. Portable! Well; it has four casters on the bottom and probably weighs about 50lbs?

Works fine. But occasionally has frozen up solid. Right now it is off and have a fan in front of it circulating basement air about at 60 degrees to melt the ice.

Right now, as bought, there is a humidistat that switches the whole thing on and off. There is also a float switch that also switches everything off when the reservoir is almost full.

Thinking of changing wiring so that the circulation fan, but not the compressor, runs continuously as long as the unit is plugged in to aid defrosting.

Any comments or advice please.

Reply to
terry
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You could do that, or if a small exterior fan would be cheaper to run, that might help also...

More info here, here, and here.

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Reply to
DerbyDad03

Most dehumidifiers freeze up below 65f, there are new units designed to go much lower, to 45f.

Reply to
ransley

you should be able to attach a garden hose to the dehumidifier tank so it can drain into a floor drain.

Put a little heat into the basement, possibly open a few furnace vents to the basement, or add one from the furnace, something to keep the temperature up.

samurai.

Reply to
samurai

What your dehum needs is a thermostat, to shut off the compressor when the coils get too cold. I've seen "freeze stats" on dehum in the past.

Reply to
Stormin Mormon

Many thanks indeed for the comments, advice and references from the foregoing posters. Good info.

Those posters are correct; it does freeze up when set for a too low a humidity. Also the weather has been getting cooler recently and the outside air more humid as a result of recent rains.. Some of that air inevitably gets into our almost totally below ground basement, which is unheated (house is heated by electrical baseboards) except when one is down there using the workshop.

The purpose of the dehumidifier which has otherwise worked well for several years is to reduce moisture which might affect tools and about

50 years of accumulated 'junk' stored down there. It's amazing how many things one can fix/repair/restore etc.

So the basement has become the unofficial Mr Fixit store for the neighbourhood! And woe betide throwing anything out after 14 years; because somebody will be looking for or need it within three months, tops! Although did have to get three bolts of a certain length off my neighbour yesterday, to carry on fixing the snow-blower.

And oh yes; apropos another recent thread my daughter's 60 gallon hot water tank 'let go' last night! Replacing it today hopefully.

Reply to
terry

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