Domestic dehumidifier advice please

clogher71

Hi all

My just over 3 year old machine frosts up on the 'fins' and coil, starts after a couple of minutes after being turned on. Is it done for ? Has gas escaped or something from it?.or is there anything I can do wirh it?

Calahonda52

the brand and model would be useful

clogher71

It's an Aldi one....out of warranty since october! :-(

The Red Ace

when it is plugged in and running it should frost up on the coils and cut out, defrost. depending on the amount of moisture in the air will determine how it frosts up. once it is filling the coils with ice/frost its not down in refrigerant

clogher71

The Red Ace wrote: »

when it is plugged in and running it should frost up on the coils and cut out, defrost. depending on the amount of moisture in the air will determine how it frosts up. once it is filling the coils with ice/frost its not down in refrigerant

I am sorry , I don't fully get that. This would frost up in 15min. Would it mean the fan is not pushing the air through the coils fast enough and is on the way out?

The Red Ace

assuming the fan is running in conjunction with the compressor and it builds up ice in 15 mins suggests that there is quite a lot of moisture in the air, that is ok. if you think it is behaving differently to times past see if it is cutting out and defrosting. if it is running continuously and clogging with hard ice there is something amiss.

Joe1919

My dehumidifer works very poorly in the wintertime in an unheated room and I think this is a general problem, so I dont use during cold dry winter spells. It may also be the case that they are not needed at lower temperatures as discussed below. (Temps are in Fahrenheit)
http://www.santa-fe-products.com/2012/10/clearing-the-air-on-low-temperature-operation-of-dehumidifiers/

Gashmuncher

The Ambient temperature is critical to the correct operation of these simple dehumidifiers. Moisture in the air turns to ice on the condenser and this ice simply melts and is stored in the internal reservoir. When the ambient temperatures are low the ice is being formed quicker than it can melt, leading to an ice buildup. At this point the unit will cease to function as designed.
The unit will return to normal when temperatures rise.

clogher71

Thanks for all the replies above, I think my garage was just too cold for it as suggested above, even though it was worked there for the last 3 years and no problems. I brought it into the house yesterday and it worked fine.