Frost, ice on coils DeLonghi DDE50E Dehumidifier

Hello Friend, thank you for your question!

I see that you have frost accumulating on the coils of your Frigidaire dehumidifier, LAD704DUL. Typically frost appears on coils either because your dehumidifier has been turned on recently or the room temperature is too low. Sometimes this is normal due to refrigerant rushing through the coils and usually it disappears within 60 minutes. However, if your dehumidifier is not removing moisture, then at this point your dehumidifier may possibly been experiencing a sealed system issue. Is your appliance still in warranty? If so, you might want to reach out directly to the manufacturer to determine the coverage on your dehumidifier and the procedures to any potential remedy in that regard. Hope this helps! - Z

The icing is generally caused but 4 basic things:

1. The air intake filter is very dirty or clogged and needs to be removed and cleaned.

2. There is not enough clear air space surrounding the unit. You need to maintain 12" to 18" around
the entire unit.

3. The cooling coils are dirty and need to be cleaned. This can be accomplished using a sponge
dipped in warm water mixed with a mild dish washing liquid, rinsed, wiped dry and the applying
a light coating of WD40.

4. The dehumidifier is being used in a basement, where the air temperature at floor level is colder
than at shoulder level. Dehumidifiers struggle to work at temps below 65 degrees F. Raising the
unit up off the floor, onto a sturdy table or counter top will generally solve the problem. It must be
sturdy enough to handle the weight of the unit, plus a full tank of water.

A less common problem is a small leak in the cooling coils. Which allows the refrigerant gas to escape and frost the coils.

Hope this helps you to further troubleshoot & solve the problem. Thanks for choosing FixYa.

The problem you described can be caused by 3 things:

1. The air intake filter is dirty or clogged and needs to be removed and cleaned.

2. The cooling coils are dirty and need to be cleaned. Turn the unit OFF & unplug it before attempting
to clean the coils with warm water and mild dish washing liquid. Then rinse and wipe dry. A light
coating of WD40 will help them stay clean.

3. The dehumidifier is being operated in a basement, where the air temperature at floor level is
below 65 degrees. When this happens dehumidifiers struggle at temps below 65 degrees F
unless it its a Low Temp model, designed for basement applications. Raising 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, will generally resolve this problem.

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

There are 4 basic, yet solvable reasons for what you have described.

1. Air intake filter is dirty or clogged. Turn unit OFF, & Unplug the
Unit, before removing to inspect & clean it, if necessary. If washed,
allow filter to completely dry before reinstalling. DO NOT operate
the unit without the filter.

2. Obstructed air flow. Maintain a minimum of 12 to 18" of clear air
space around the entire unit.

3. Cooling coils are dirty and need to be cleaned. Use warm water & dish washing liquid to
clean the coils. Rinse and wipe dry. Apply a light coating of WD40 to the coils.

4. Ambient air temperature at floor level is between 40 - 60 degrees.
dehumidifiers do not work well between those temperatures
(Unless, you have a Low Temp Unit). This applies mainly to
where the air temperature at floor level is colder than at shoulder level
in 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, will usually resolve this
problem.

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

The lowest setting that the unit shows on the LCD screen. Usually 35 to 45% is the best setting for a basement. However, if the ambient room temperature at floor level is between 40 and 60 degrees F, it may struggle a bit or the coolant coils may frost over a bit. If this is the case (air temperature,wise), get the unit up off the floor on to something that is sturdy and can handle the weight and vibration of the compressor running.

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

According to your Owners Manual, the coils may start to frost at 60 degrees and the defrost sensor should turn ON and cycle periodically. However, the air temperature at the floor level in a basement, is colder than the air temperature by 5 to 8 degrees. So this may be causing the problem. In addition, if the air intake filter is dirty or clogged, the unit has to strain to keep up and will not function as it should.

If the unit is totally iced up, turn the unit Off and unplug it from the wall outlet. Allow is to thaw completely before attempting to clean the filter. You may want to put some old towels under it while it thaws. Once it's thawed, move it to a bathroom that has a shower. Plug it it in and set the humidity level at 45%. Turn the shower ON at a Medium hot temperature (enough to generate steam) and as you exit the batroom, close the door. DO NOT operate the bathroom's exhaust fan. Allow the unit to operate for 15 to 20 minutes, before returning to the bathroom. Then turn the shower OFF and check the unit for any frost and the amount of water collected in the bucket. If there is no frost on the unit and there's water in the bucket the unit is operating properly.

When you move it back to the basement, place it up off the floor on something sturdy, that can hold the weight and not be bothered by the vibration of the unit, when it's running. (ie a work bench, a counter top, etc.) Operate the unit as you normally do and monitor it for frost or icing up. And, whether or not the defrost sensor is cycling as it should. If you get no frost or just minor frost, it was the air temperature at the floor level, that was causing the problem.

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

The frost is requried for the unit to do it's work. The unit should routinely turn off and the ice should melt. without this process no water would be removed from the air....

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

Hi Eric where do you live? what is the Air on temperature i the basement? what is the Air off temp in the Basement? what temp difference are you getting.I ask where you are located in the world so we can work out the Ambient temperatures in the area.

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.