A very old, extremely heavy dehumidifier sat in my mother's basement for decades. I decided to dispose of it, but I was unaware of the freon inside it. In order to extricate the dehumidifier I had no option but to dismantle it. Freon began seeping from the unit, and I left the basement immediately. I called the poison hotline and determined I was safe. Nonetheless, a mostly dismantled dehumidifier still sits in my basement, and one small piece of pipe remains to be cut. It seems likely to me all the freon has seeped from the unit, but I'm not sure. Am I in danger of yet another freon leak? Or can I cut the pipe and continue moving the dehumidifier from the basement? Also, some kind of oil leaked from the motor. Is the oil toxic? Or can I simply clean it with mop and detergent? Do I need a face mask?

I have had a AD75UST0 WHIRLPOOL Dehumidifier for several years. If it actually still runs, I would suggest you take off covers and give the coils a good thorough cleaning. Otherwise the units are not designed to be serviceable aka - "disposable small appliance". if you do dispose of it take it to a qualified recycle organization for Freon products.

Most counties and cities have a plan for the disposal of old dehumidifiers, AC units, refrigerators, etc.
This is because of the Freon gas that may still be in the compressor. Contact your local officials about their disposal site.

I hope this helps you and thanks for choosing FixYa.

It's 7 years old and has severed you well. Repairs on a unit that old, cold cost as much as a new unit. That's, if the parts are still available for a 7 year old dehumidifier.

As far as advice is concerned ... I agree with you. Since you're using it primarily in a basement. Shop for a low temperature unit. That's one that will function well, between 40 & 60 degrees F. I say this, because the ambient air temperature at floor level in a basement, can be 5 to 8 degrees cooler than the air temperature at chest level. Regular dehumidifiers don't function well at the temperatures I referenced above.

The other features you want to look at is energy efficiency and the square footage or cubic footage it's rated to handle. I would suggest, no matter what you buy, if an extended warranty is available ...buy it. It could be money well spent. Then, only the Routine Maintenance is up to you. Which means, don't misplace your owner's Manual.

Hope this helped you. Please let me know.

A dehumidifier heats and cools the air to remove moisture. Most are like a small air cond. The Condenser coil is right in front of the evap.coil. So the compressor may not be coming on. Does it sound the same as before? It may be low on freon. You will have to get in there and listen and feel the lines at or near the compressor, Learn how to get down in there to the compressor. Run it for 10 Mins. unplug it, open it up, and feel the lines. Some lines should be or can be HOT to the touch. Some should be cool. The smaller the line the hotter it should be, and the compressor should be warm (to hot) to the touch. repost for more info.

Most communities have either private or charitable organizations that take old appliances and computers. I took an old window air conditioner and they took it with no prep.

The only thing you really need to check is that collector coil that the the water is supposed to condense upon, much like the "sweat" on a glass of ice water. If that collector coil is not nice and cold, then your machine needs freon or has some other serious problem.

The only thing you really need to check is that collector coil that the the water is supposed to condense upon, much like the "sweat" on a glass of ice water. If that collector coil is not nice and cold, then your machine needs freon or has some other serious problem.

the freon has leaked out, must be replaced.

expected? of course! this is not ur solution try draining all the water to the sewerage if u cant try to pump it out with a vacuum cleaner (that can pump water) or a pump then turn on the Dehumidifier every time it frosts turn it off untill it defrosts or u can heat up the basement with a bellower and the Dehumidifier wont frost