My dehumidifier suddenly does not remove any water from the air. It worked perfectly last summer and just sat in the basement unplugged over the winter. I plugged it in a few days ago and it has been running but never actually accumulates water in the holding tank. Regardless of the setting on the unit, the tank stays bone dry. What could be the problem? Thank you.

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

Dehumidifier is running but no water is in bucket

heatman101

Don, unless your dehumidifier is a Low temperature model, that very well may be the problem.
The air temp in a basement at floor level is colder than that chest level. Dehumidifiers don't work well at temperatures at 40 degrees F or less. Raising the unit up off the floor on to a sturdy table, counter top, etc, that is strong enough to handle it's weight, plus a full tank of water, will generally solve the problem. The higher up you can safely put it, the better. Also, lower the humidity extraction level to 35%. As 50% is just not low enough in a basement application.

Hope this helps you to solve the problem.

You may have the humidity/moisture level set to high. Try lowering it to 35%. Or if you don't have a LED Screen on your unit, turn it to maximum.

In addition, most dehumidifiers don't work well if the air temperature is between 40 & 60 degrees F. Keep in mind, the temperature at floor level in a basement is colder that the air temperature at chest high level. Raising the unit up, off the floor on something sturdy enough to handle the weight (with a full tank of water) and the vibration, may help.

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

Hi,

There are many reasons why a dehumidifier will not work or collect water.

Here is a tip that I wrote to help people to figure out what is going wrong with their dehumidifier

Dehumidifier is running but no water is in bucket

heatman101


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Hi,

There are many reasons why a dehumidifier will not work or collect water.

Here is a tip that I wrote to help people to figure out what is going wrong with their dehumidifier

Dehumidifier is running but no water is in bucket

heatman101


,/////////////////////////////////

Hi,
There are many reasons for a dehumidifier to not work or collect water.
Here is a tip that I wrote to help people to figure out what is going wrong with their dehumidifier.

Dehumidifier is running but no water is in bucket
http://www.fixya.com/support/r4662409-dehumidifier_running_but_no_water_in

heatman101

IF COMPRESSOR IS RUNNING UNIT OUT OF FREON .CALL MANUFACTURER TO VERIFY IF IN WARRENTY.IF NOT NOT WORTH REPAIR.

Yup, they eat energy.

An electric dehumidifier includes a refrigeration cycle that is very similar to a window AC units and refrigerators. They cool the air in the basement to condense and collect water and remove humidity, heat the air as a required consequence of the refrigeration cycle and dump it back to your basement.

Two sources of humidity in basements include warm outside air that naturally cools due to below grade earth contact and water passing from the ground though the floors and walls and evaporating into the basement. Dehumidifiers do most of the work in the summer when higher temperatures outside enable air to hold more water content.

In the winter, cooler outside air contains less moisture by weight eventhough it may be raining and the relative humidity in basement will be less because the air is warmed relative to the outside. The lower moisture content in the winter also absorbs the water passing through the walls and floor.

From an energy perspective, you may want the humidity set NOT below 50%. This will keep humidity below the level mold desires, but prevents the dehumidifier from doing more work and eating more energy than needed. A cheap battery powered temp/humidy meter left in your basement will help. Sources that include the "mold triangle" (temperature, water & food) often separate fact from expensive hype.

If the dehumidifier doesn't keep up, consider adding a moisture barrier to the basement walls and floors such as Dry-lock and floor paints to ****** moisture entry. Moisture barriers act very similar with water as insulation does with heat. They don't eliminate the need for a dehumidifier, but they reduce the work they do and energy they eat.

Check to see that the air is flowing freely through the dehumidifier. They will accumulate dust particles and become plugged. Also make sure that it is not freezing up (you would see ice forming inside through the vent openings). I have had to remove the case to clean lint from some units to get them to operate more efficently. Always unplug the unit to clean and service it.