At Fixya.com, our trusted experts are meticulously vetted and possess extensive experience in their respective fields. Backed by a community of knowledgeable professionals, our platform ensures that the solutions provided are thoroughly researched and validated.
- If you need clarification, ask it in the comment box above.
- Better answers use proper spelling and grammar.
- Provide details, support with references or personal experience.
Tell us some more! Your answer needs to include more details to help people.You can't post answers that contain an email address.Please enter a valid email address.The email address entered is already associated to an account.Login to postPlease use English characters only.
Tip: The max point reward for answering a question is 15.
Capacitor
If your dehumidifier is no longer pulling water from the air and you have verified that the ambient room temperature is above 65 degrees Fahrenheit, then the unit's compressor may not be running. The compressor is the pump that circulates the refrigerant through the evaporator to extract moisture from the air. There is a capacitor in the compressor circuit to help the compressor motor to start and if the capacitor has failed then the compressor won't run. If the compressor doesn't run or if the overload device continues to trip, then you may have a defective capacitor. An accurate diagnosis can be determined by a qualified person using special test equipment.
Overload
If your dehumidifier is no longer pulling water from the air and you have verified that the ambient room temperature is above 65 degrees Fahrenheit, then the unit's compressor may not be running. The compressor is the pump that circulates the refrigerant through the evaporator to extract moisture from the air. There is a device in the compressor circuit called an overload and it is used to protect the compressor motor from damage. If the overload has failed then the compressor won't start. If you have verified that the compressor doesn't run, then you can test the overload for continuity with a multi-meter. A common cause for the overload to fail is from operating the dehumidifier on long or undersized extension cords.
Fan Motor
If your dehumidifier is not making water and you have verified that the ambient temperature is above 65 degrees Fahrenheit, then you may have a faulty fan motor. For proper operation, a dehumidifier needs to have an adequate amount of air blowing across the evaporator coils to prevent frost or ice buildup. If you feel little or no air coming through the grille area and the filter is clean, then remove the cover and check the fan area. Inspect the coils to make sure that they are not restricted with lint or dirt and clean them if necessary. Make sure that the fan motor rotates freely and that the fan blade or blower wheel is firmly attached to the motor shaft. Using caution, operate the unit in a fan only mode and observe the fan motor. If it hums but does not rotate or only rotates slowly then it is defective and will need to be replaced. If the motor does not rotate and does not appear to make any sound, it may still be defective, but will require further testing by someone who is comfortable with using a multi-meter and working with live electrical circuits.
Electronic Control Board or PCB Assembly
If your dehumidifier is no longer pulling water from the air and you have verified that the ambient room temperature is above 65 degrees Fahrenheit, then the unit's compressor or fan motor may not be operating. The compressor is the pump that circulates the refrigerant through the evaporator, and the fan motor blows air across the evaporator coils to extract the moisture. On some modern dehumidifiers an electronic control board, often called the PCB, is used to control the compressor and fan motor. The control board has sensors connected to it that monitor the relative humidity and when the level is higher than the control setting, the control board will activate relays to turn on the compressor and fan motor. If you have an electronic control model and the compressor or the fan is not operating, then the electronic control may be at fault. A voltage test, using a multi-meter at the output relays, would be required to help in the diagnosis as well as confirmation that the sensors are operating normally.
So I just had this happen with my Frigidaire fad704dwd dehumidifier. I went to basement and heard it running and sounded off. The compressor was running fan was off which is bad and humidity said 30. I then pushed the off button and it stayed running. I was able to fix it. To make long story short it was a bad ground. I took the plastic back, sides, and front off. There was a green ground (main ground) and Green/yellow ground (fan ground) on the front coil with a bunch of rust. Removed the grounds connected them both together and cleaned the surface area and used a new stainless screw nut and screw to remount the wires to evaporator coil. Everything started working fine after that and I put it back together. Good Luck
I see that you're stating the compressor continues to run on your Frigidaire dehumidifier. What you could be hearing is the fan running. The fan will run when the compressor cuts off so that air can pass over the sensor coils to check the humidity. Hopefully this is helpful. -Matt
I see that your question is if the fan should shut off once it has reached the recommended setting. The fan will run even when the compressor cuts off so that air can pass over the sensor coils to check the humidity. This is a normal operation. I hope this is helpful. -Matt
Hi, There are many reasons why a dehumidifier willnot work or collect water. Here is a tip that I wrote to help people to figure out what is going wrongwith their dehumidifier
theres a fan/compressor relay inside the case one side operates the fan and the other the compressor,if the fan side contacts weld themselves the relay cannot cycle and the fan will not shut off,remove the wire from the relay to the fan and see if this kills the fan,but dont leave it this way as the compressor needs the fan for air circulation while operating
be very careful - with the unit unplugged - try shorting the capacitor with an insulated screwdriver. if you get a healthy spark - the cap is probably ok. if you don't replace the cap. the cap is used in the motor's start winding.
the over-current relay is tripping out the compressor motor to prevent excessive current through motor windings. To prove this theory, open unit, find motor wires, disconnect wires from unit, and apply 120VAC to motor using external circuit-breaker source. Run 2 minutes max. If motor continuously turns, then relay is failing. Find it by tracing wires back to source and finding a small rectangular item. If motor again quits after 2 seconds, then this motor has an internal over-current self-resetting fuse that may be doing its job of preventing an electrical overload from a dead (shorted) motor.
×