Coils freezing up

Hi,

Here is a tip that I wrote that will help you understand why and what you cando with a dehumidifier that ices up.

Dehumidifier is Freezing up and not working

heatman101

I think a part of the problem is that you have the humidity extraction level set to high. 50 to 60% is pretty much the humidity level throughout most of the year. Lowering it to 35%m should make a difference.

If you are using this in a basement application, the temperature at floor level can be 10 degrees cooler than at shoulder level. Most dehumidifiers don't work well at temperatures between 40 & 60 degrees F. Unless, they are Low Temp models designed for basement applications. Raising the unit up off the floor onto a sturdy table, counter top, etc. That can handle the weight of the unit, plus a full tank of water can resolve this problem.

If you can access the cooling coils, they may be dirty and need wiping off with a damp rag. Then flow with a dry clean rag to dry them. A light coating of WD40 helps to preserve the coils.

I hope this helps you to further troubleshoot and solve the problem. Thanks for choosing FixYa.

Rick. the freezing of the coils can be caused by several things:

1. Air intake filter needs to removed and cleaned.
2. The coils may be dirty. Clean the coils with warm water, wiped dry and a light coating
of WD40 applied to the coils.
3. Restricted air flow. Maintain a minimum of 12 to 18" around the entire dehumidifier while
in operation.
4. The air temperature at floor level is 40 degrees F or lower, than the ambient air temperature
at shoulder level. This is particular true in basement applications. Raising the unit up off the floor
on to a sturdy table, cabinet top, etc, that's strong enough to hold the unit, plus a full bucket of
water generally resolves the situation.

Worse case scenario is that the defrost sensor has failed or there is a small leak in the cooling coils.

I hope this helps you troubleshoot and solve the problem. Thanks for choosing FixYa.

After the unit is totally thawed and dried, turn the unit Off if you haven't already and unplug it. Remove the filter and clean it. If it's really dirty wash it with warm water and dish washing liquid, thoroughly rinse it and allow it to completely dry, before reinstalling. DO NOT operate the unit without the filter in place.

Because the air temperature in a basement is colder at floor level, than at shoulder level, this caused the coils to freeze. Dehumidifiers do not work well at temperatures at or below 60 degrees F. That is, unless, it's a Low Temperature model, designed especially for basement applications. Obviously, yours isn't a Low Temp model.

To overcome this, place the unit up on a sturdy table, counter top, etc, that can handle the weight of the unit, as well as a full bucket of water. The higher off the floor the better. This way, the ambient operational temperature will be higher and the coils will have less of chance to freeze again.

I would suggest that continue to monitor the unit and if you notice that it's doing more than a little frosting on the coils, turn the unit OFF immediately. A little frosting is normal and the deforst mode should kick in and thaw the coils. When this happens, the compressor should automatically shut OFF, but the fan will continue to run. Once it's defrosted, the compressor will start again, if necessary.

I hope this helped you to troubleshoot and solve the problem. Please let me know.

Turn the Master ON/OFF Switch to OFF, unplug the unit and allow it to thaw out completely. You may want to put some old towels under it, to absorb the dripping water. Once it has completely thawed, remove the bucket, the air intake filter and the face of the cabinet. You should now have access to the coils. Clean them with a mild soap and warm water. Rinse and thoroughly dry the coils. Once they are totally dry, spray a very light film of WD40 on the coils and then wipe off any over spray. Reinstall all the remove parts and test the unit.

Keep in mind, if you are using the dehumidifier in a basement, the air temperature at floor level is colder than at chest level. Dehumidifiers don't work well between 40 & 60 degrees F. (Unless, they are a low temp unit). Any lower, the coils will freeze. Raise the unit up off the floor onto a sturdy table or counter top, that can hold the weight of the unit plus, a full tank of water. In a basement application, doing usually solves the problem of freezing coils.

If after doing all the above, the coils still freeze during operation, the compressor may below on freon and needs to be recharged. Or the defrost sensor on the unit, needs to be replaced.

Hope this helped you troubleshoot and solve the problem. Please let me know. Thanks.

Although, this was a poorly designed unit, manufactured by Whirlpool for Sears's Kenmore line, I'm not aware of any recalls due to a defective sensor. I can tell you, that although the air temp in your basement may be 61 degrees F, at floor level the temperature can be as much as 5 to 8 degrees colder. This definitely, would affect the operation of the dehumidifier. Also, a dirty or clogged air intake filter will cause the unit to freeze up. As will dirty condenser coils. Cleaning the coils twice a year, is recommended routine maintenance. And regular cleaning of the air intake filter is a must.

What I would suggest, is that you perform the maintenance mentioned above and move the unit upstairs where it warmer and run the unit there for several hours. If it collects water there, with the humidity extraction level set at 35%, then you will know the unit works as it should and that it needed the routine maintenance and the warmer air temperature. Do not perform any maintenance until the unit has completely thawed and the unit is unplugged from the wall outlet.

Hope this helps you to troubleshoot and solve the problem.

your coils are probably frosted up. This can happen from the basement temperature being too cold if you dont have the automatic defrost type of dehumidifier, or it could be low on coolant from a pinhole that leaked it out. Mine did the same thing and I had to buy another one. I bought one thats operates down to 41 degrees Fahrenheit and it is an automatic defrost type. It works good for my basement because I have central air which makes the basement even cooler and harder to dehumidify without freezing the dehumidifier up.

I was told that it may be too cold in my basement (55 degrees currently) and my coils may be freezing up and that's why it's not collecting any water. I will wait a month or so and then try running it again when the temperature outside warms up.

Most dehumidiers have a "Frost Guard" thermal protector on the condensor coil. This protector will turn the compressor off should the temperature fall below 65 degrees in the basement. The condensor fan will still continue to run anticipating the restart of the compressor.
Hence, 3 things could be wrong.
1. air temp.of basement is too cold
2. Frost guard could be faulty
3. Freon leak in condensor coil.
Assuring that basement temp. is above 65 degrees is about all you can do unless you have it checked out by a technician.

I did a little digging around on the internet and found out that if the basement (or where ever you have your unit) is in an area where the room temp might dip below 65 degrees the coils may start to become "too efficient" in pulling the moisture/humidity out of the air and it begins to freeze on the coils before it can drip off into the reservoir. The site said to turn off the unit and let it thaw out, then restart it and see if everything works ok after that. If the temperature gets too low you might need to warm up the air in the room/basement before it will operate correctly again/not continue to freeze up. Hope this helps. Mine just did the same thing but we've had some pretty cold weather recently and the basement is fairly cold as well.