I returned a Friedrich 40 pint electronic dehumidifier because it had the tendency to cycle too much. I got a 2nd Friedrich unit (same model) and it has the same issue. Like the Kenmoore and Goldstar units, this is made in China by LG electronics. This 40 pint electronic unit seems to have a rule where the unit MUST frequently turn itself on for 2 minutes at a time to measure the humidity, AND during this period the compressor IS turned on. For example, if the relative humidity is only in the 40s or 50s (according to digital hygrometers) , and I set the humidistat all the way up to 70%, the unit repeatedly cycles. It goes on for 2 minutes, and then shuts off usually for 2.5 to 3 minutes, but *sometimes* off as long as 6 minutes. When maintaining a moderate humidity this same type of frequent cycling happens too (which can be 2 mintues on and 2 or 3 minutes off).
How this thing got an Energy Star rating with all the frequent cycling is a mystery.
I'm just wondering if the LG made "mechanical" units (with a dial for the humidistat) would be less prone to the frequent cycling, or are they "electro-mechanical" units that are still programmed to cycle very frequently when the room humdity is "less than or equal to" the current setting?
By the way, this particular unit makes a whistling sound (kind of like a tea kettle whistle) for a few seconds when the compressor starts up (but this only happens if the unit hasn't been powered down for a while). The one I returned didn't seem to do this. Is the whistling normal?
J.