Dehumidifier will not shut off

If your machine is equipped with a humidistat it could be faulty and not sensing the humidity level accurately.

Depending on the time sequence you have this unit set to run, Fredrich's are designed so that the fan runs almost constantly, to keep the air moving. When it senses a rise in humidity above the level you have it set on, the compressor turns ON and runs until the level of humidity is lowered. This is especially true, if you are operating this unit in continual mode.

Hope this helps you and thanks for choosing FixYa.

Depending on which mode you have the unit set on, will determine if it shots OFF entirely or the fan continues to run. In the Constant or Continual mode, the compressor will turn OFF, once the humidity extraction level has been reached. But, the fan will continue to operate, in an effort to keep the air circulating, so that if the humidity level rises, the compressor will turn ON and start extracting again.

In Timed Mode (usually 2 hour or 4 hour) , when the compressor turns OFF the fan does too.

Hope this helped you. Please let me know. Thanks.

It very well maybe, that you have the humidity removal set to high and it's not sensing any humidity to remove. For example, if you have it set on 65 - 70%, that's not how much humidity it's going to remove. It's the level of humidity it's going to maintain in your home. To remove moisture/humidity, the setting should be low, like 45%. As far as the fan running ... many units are designed that way, in an effort to help keep the air circulating and also to defrost the cools.

If you want to test the unit, to see if it's working properly. Place the dehumidifier in the bathroom and set it at 50%. Turn the shower ON and let it run for 20 minutes with the bathroom door closed and without the exhaust fan running. And check on it after 20 minutes. More than likely, there' will be water in the bucket.

Also, there's routine maintenance that should be performed regularly. Clean the air intake filter, clean and wipe off the the compressor coolant coils, and check for clogs in the drain line of the unit.

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

Keep in mind, that a dehumidifier only draws humidity from the air, if the level of humidity is higher than what the controls are set on. For instance, if you have the dehumidifier set on 65 to 70%, that's a high level of humidity to maintain in a house. If you have it set for 35 or 45%, that's a low level of humidity to maintain in a house. Which, generally is what you want to maintain in the hot, humid summer months. Also, it's not uncommon on some dehumidifiers for the fan to almost run constantly. It's designed to keep the air moving, in a effort to detect when the humidity level rises.

Also, a dirty air intake filter makes the unit strain to keep up and can't take in moisture as it should. So, if you haven't cleaned the filter no is the time to check and clean it. And while your at it, clean the cooling coils too. Since it sounds like this unit has been working hard for 2 weeks.

The easiest and best way to test a dehumidifier at home, to see if it's working properly. Is to place it in the bathroom and turn the shower ON and don't operate the bathroom's exhaust fan. Set the humidity level low (45%), turn the unit ON and close the door when you leave. Wait 15 to 25 minutes and check the water collection bucket. If there's water in it, it's working as it should.

For more information on the proper operation of a dehumidifier, go to the Tips section of Fixya and look up "Taking the confusion out operating a dehumidifier".

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

Keep in mind, that a dehumidifier only draws humidity from the air, if the level of humidity is higher than what the controls are set on. For instance, if you have the dehumidifier set on 65 to 70%, that's a high level of humidity to maintain in a house. If you have it set for 35 or 45%, that's a low level of humidity to maintain in a house. Which, generally is what you want to maintain in the hot, humid summer months. I find it uncanny, that all 3 units are not collecting any water. So, it may simply be the case, that the humidity level on each unit is improperly set.

Also, a dirty air intake filter makes the unit strain to keep up and can't take in moisture as it should. So, if you haven't cleaned the filters on a regular basis, not is the time to do so. And while your at it, clean the cooling coils too.

The easiest and best way to test a dehumidifier at home, to see if it's working properly. Is to place it in the bathroom and turn the shower ON and don't operate the bathroom's exhaust fan. Set the humidity level low (45%), turn the unit ON and close the door when you leave. Wait 30 to 40 minutes and check the water collection bucket. If there's water in it, it's working as it should.

Hope this helped you to solve the problem. Please let me know.

You should check if the compressor is running. Your description makes it appear that the fan may be running and the compressor may not be running.

There are many things that can cause a compressor to cease running:

Open defrost thermostat
Bad run capacitor
Low refrigerant charge (caused by refrigerant leak)
Bad compressor relay
Bad compressor overload
Bad compressor motor

Other things to check:

If the fan switch is set to "on" and the humidity control is set to a high humidity level, the unit may appear to be running, but the compressor will not operate. Check the setting of your humidity control.

If the dehumidifier is operating in a room with a high temperature and a low dew point (very low relative humidity), it may be unable to remove any more moisture from the air.

If you are not comfortable troubleshooting the unit on your own, call the manufacturer service department at 1-800-533-7533, EXT 8459. They are very helpful.

try to unplug the white plug going to the humidity control and see if it runs. worked for me. the control is bad

If you have the fan icon selected, it is supposed to run continuously. If you use the mode button (not the fan button) to change to relative humidity (the water drop icon), the fan should only run with the dehumidifier.

I just picked one up at a tag sale, seller said it worked sometimes. Seems to have the same problem as yours. I took the time to tweak all of the connections and then re-soldered the control board with no luck. I finally disconnected the humidity control and it worked fine. By disconnecting the humidity control the unit defaults to it's highest setting and you have to unplug the unit to turn it off. Conclusion so far is that the humidity control rheostat is bad.
Note: Now while running the fan runs continuously and the compressor cycles on and off every 10 to 15 minutes. This may to be normal since the unit appears to be doing its job and I'm not sure how it is supposed to run since a purchased it broken.