Recharging a Dead Dehumidifier

[micky]

This isn't about dehumids, which I don't have, buit about refrigerators, which I've heard also break quickly these days. I went away for 3 days not noticing the door to the fridge was ajar, so it ran the entire 3 days. I get back, it's raining inside the fridge, the paper mache egg carton is soaked. I shut the door and it's working fine and still is a week later.

I also ran it for a couple weeks with no fan on the condenser, and also with no fan between the fridge and freezer. Alll the plastic is in good shape, only the main gasket is cracking on the outside edge only.

This is a Kenmore, 39 years old.

[Wayne Boatwright]

On Thu 05 Jul 2018 10:50:23p, micky told us...

Then you should probably hve posted this anecdote under its own subject line.

We still have a fully operational GE Monitor Top refrigerator from the early 1930s. It hs never required servicing.

[Frankiefa]

replying to frank1492, Frankiefa wrote: My LG Dehumidifier will ice up in the center coil and not extract water. Evaporator is clean and I changed the Thermistor. No difference. What can it be?

[The Fixer]

replying to Frankiefa, The Fixer wrote: Sounds like it's not cycling. I don't think icing up is a symptom of low refrigerant but rather the condenser continually cooling, drawing out the ambient moisture in the area where the dehumidifier is placed and not cycling to allow the coils to warm up and drop all that collected water in the pan. Do you hear the compressor cycling?

One way, I think, to test this theory is to connect the dehumidifier to a timer and set it (at first) to run for 1 hour one and ½ hour off and see what happens. If that makes the unit appear to work normally, i.e. it doesn't ice up and it collects water, then you've got to dig in and figure out what is causing it to NOT cycle. OTOH, if you don't need that timer, you have just cured the problem, albeit with a jerry-rigged solution

[Shorty]

replying to bubba, Shorty wrote: I have had three dehumidifiers all leaked freon. Common problems with all brands..

[Dunk Klint]

replying to bubba, Dunk Klint wrote: Dear Bubba, the fact dehumidifiers leaks is one of the many reasons they "fail" some units may be recharged others not if you are DYI however a professional shop can do it since it requires special fittings; some dehumidifiers coolant circuit are just "clamped off" and thus requires professional tools. Hence, these are not worth the cost of repair since a new one would cost less than fixing them.

[Chris Snyder]

replying to makolber, Chris Snyder wrote: This sounds like what happened with my 50 pint Hi-Sense from Lowes. Started icing at 60F in the basement last year, even though is supposed to work down to ~40F, so I put a small space heater at the coils, which seemed to work for a while, but then it stopped working completely - coils wouldn't get cool. It was cheap/on sale for about $150 so I got the +2 year warranty for $25 and Lowes sent me a check for the claim. I have another/same 50 pt upstairs (bought at same time, but not used nearly as much) that seems to be working, BUT the 70 pt in the basement just started icing coils today. I've heard what many say, that these only last 2 - 3 years nowadays. This compared to an old Montgomery Ward unit from the 70s that came with the house and it always works, though ices at 65F-70F. I don't understand what the problem is, though sense they DO lose coolant through cheap seals. The controls seem to work fine so may be able to salvage them for something (would like to turn on my central AC when humidity goes up in the evening when house is75F-78F), but will check to ensure compressors are starting - hot start kits are only about $10.