I have a dehumidifier in my damp basement. It runs but the bucket never accumulates water. It use to accumulate water but now it doesn't. It goes on and off like it always has. Is it broken? Where is the water going? The basement is still much less damp as if the unit is still working. Thank you in advance for your help.
2006-07-31 15:39:27 · 7 answers · asked by Anonymous in Home & Garden ➔ Maintenance & Repairs
That could be just normal. don't forget that a dehumidifier is the same thing as an air conditioner if there is no moisture to remove your not going to get any condensation.
2006-07-31 16:22:00 · answer #1 · answered by teabagme 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You certainly do have humidity in the basement or the unit would not cycle on and off. Check the bucket for leaks. If it will stand up on it's own fill it with water and see if any water leaks out.
The condenser coils can get blocked with dust and cut back on the efficiency of the unit. Take it outside and use the garden hose on it spraying water onto the condenser coils which are behind the shiny aluminum or copper coils. After this is done you should dump as much water out of the unit as you can and let stand without plugging it in for at least 12 hrs.
It does not hurt to run the dehumidifier in a room that has no humidity as someone suggest but if the humidistat (humidity control on the unit) is working correctly it will not be running. Dehumidifiers do not run properly in a cool room as another has suggested but there are no special controls that control that. In a room as cold as 45 degrees F. for some units the evaporator coils (the coils that get cold and cause the moisture to condense) can freeze up and you get no water until the coils are defrosted. A blocked condenser can cause the coils to frost up also. A low refrigerant level can cause this to happen as well.
The size of the unit will not matter either as someone has suggested as a larger unit will remove the humidity faster but will not make a room dryer than a smaller unit.
2006-07-31 19:53:09 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I see that a few people touched on the idea that there is no humidity to remove, thus why the unit is dry.
Another possibility (which I don't think it is, but it is possible all the same, depending on where you are) is that it is too cold in your basement for the unit to run properly.
Most dehumidifiers have a mechanism that will not allow the compressor to run if there is a possibility that the unit will freeze. The unit blows out air like it normally does, but it is not actually removing any moisture.
I found out first hand that it does not need to be very cold for this mechanism to kick in.
2006-07-31 15:53:23 · answer #3 · answered by Slider728 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You may have a dehumidifier that is too large for your size basement, and may not be running long enough to properly dehumidify. If a dehumidifier is too large, they tend to run in shorter cycles, which doesn't dehumidify as efficiently. Check with the manufacturer for correct sizing.
2006-07-31 17:19:56 · answer #4 · answered by biondomeister 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
well, it's always possible that your basement isn't in need of a dehumidifier. just turn it off for awhile, maybe a few days, then turn it back on to see if it gets any water. it's very bad for them to run with no humidity to catch, so i wouldn't keep running it if it's not getting any water.
2006-07-31 15:42:36 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
After reading the answer given my suggestion will be bring your humidifier to different location of your house and try using it .Is working normal then nothing wrong with the dehumidifier.
2006-07-31 16:40:18 · answer #6 · answered by Gamarays 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
its probably dryed it out already .
turn it off a week and then back on and see .
2006-07-31 15:45:17 · answer #7 · answered by buba g 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋