What temperature should I use for my basement in the dry mode. .?

Yes, the first suggestion is I hope your dad can get it back together without any parts left over (LOL). Over heating is generally caused by an clogged or dirty air intake filter. Simply removing it and vacuuming it or if it's really dirty, washing it in warm water and mild dish washing liquid will clean it. Rinse it thoroughly, shake off excess water and allow to dry completely. Never operate the unit without the filter in place. Doing so, can damage the unit.

Getting back to the heat for a moment and where you're using your dehumidifier. Dehumidifiers do generate heat, it's not abnormal. Operating it in a basement can cause it to over heat. This happens because the air temperature at floor level is colder than at shoulder level. Dehumidifiers struggle in temperatures below 65 degrees F (unless you have a Low temp unit, designed for basement applications). Raising the unit up off the floor, on to a sturdy table, counter top, etc, that an handle the weight of the unit, plus a full bucket of water, will generally resolve the problem.
Actually, a basement application , higher is better.

I hope this helped you and thanks for choosing FixYa.

There are 5 basic, but solvable reasons for what you described. Please pay particular attention to numbers 1 & 2.

1. The humidity extraction level is set to HIGH. Lower it to 32-35%. If you have an analog unit, set
the humidity extraction knob on Maximum.

2. 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.

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

4. 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.

5. 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 to further troubleshoot and solve the problem. Thanks for choosing FixYa.

Gayle, your unit has some age on it, but it may still be salvageable .

There are 5 basic, but solvable reason for what you described. Please pay particular attention to numbers 1 & 2..

1. The humidity extraction level is set to HIGH. Lower it to 32-35%. Or set to Maximum if yours
is a manually controlled unit.

2. 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.

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

4. 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.

5. 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.

If none of the above solves the problem, it may be a case of the compressor needs to be recharged with refrigerant gas or that the humidity condenser sensor has failed. These things usually occur in units that are 5 years old or older. As far as repairs are concerned: The unit is 14 - 16 years old and the cost to repair, may be as much (or close to it) as purchasing a new unit. If you decide to purchase a new unit, be sure it's a "Low Temperature" model, as yours is being used primarily in a basement application.

I hope I have helped you and 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.

booklover, if the the bucket is not properly installed, the unit will not turn ON. If you remove the bucket and look at the left top corner it, you will see a float device arm. It that's stuck in the UP position, jiggle the handle, so it will return to the DOWN position. In addition, that handle must make contact with the bucket removal safety switch, if not the bucket is improperly installed and the unit will not start.

Since you are using this unit in a basement, I highly recommend that you raise the unit up off the floor onto a sturdy table, counter top, etc. that can handle the weight if the unit, plus a full bucket of water. As the air temperature at floor level is colder than at chest level. The coils on your model will start to freeze at 60 degrees F and affect it efficiency, Because it is not a Low Temperature model designed for basement applications.

In addition to the dehumidifier, you would be wise to install a sump pump, if your basement floods as bad as you made it sound. Combining a sump pump with a dehumidifier will guarantee a dry basement, all the time.

Hope this helped you to troubleshoot and solve the problem.

There are 5 basic, but solvable reason for what you described. Please pay particular attention to numbers 1 & 5. Especially, since, yours is a basement application.

1. The humidity extraction level is set to HIGH. Lower it to 32-35%.

2. 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.

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

4. 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.

5. 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.

If none of the above solves the problem, it may be a case of the compressor needs to be recharged with refrigerant gas or that the humidity condenser sensor has failed. These things usually occur in units that are 5 years old or older. It's rare in a unit younger than that. But, it can happen.

Hope this helps you to troubleshoot & solve the problem.

No, it's probably not shot. Just may need some adjustments. Below are the common causes of the problem you're having.

1. The humidity extraction level is set to HIGH. Lower it to 32 - 35%

2. Air intake filter is dirty or clogged and needs to be removed and cleaned.

3. Clear air obstruction. Maintain at least 12" of clear air space around the entire unit, while in operation.

4. The ambient air temperature at floor level is between 40 - 60 degrees F. This is particularly true in basement applications. Raise the unit up off the floor, onto a sturdy table, cabinet, etc, that will hold the weight of the unit, plus a full tank of water. The air temp at chest level is warmer than floor level in a basement. Unless, your dehumidifier is what's called a Low Temperature Model (designed for basements) it may be contributing to the problem. Although, based on all the odds, numbers 1 & 2 above, are going to be the culprit.

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

It may simply be a case that the air intake filter needs cleaning, as do the condenser coils. This is recommended maintenance, prior to using the dehumidifier for the first time each season. Also, the air temperature at floor level, may be to cool for it operate properly. Particularly, if it's below 60 degrees. the unit up off the floor and placing it on something sturdy, will help solve that issue.

After cleaning the unit, as stated above, try placing it upstairs where the temperature will be warmer and allow it to run at it's lowest humidity extraction level. That's usually 35%. If it functions properly upstairs, then you will know that it's an air temperature issue in the basement.

Hope this helped you troubleshoot and solve the problem.

If the room temperature is close to 60, the coils may be frozen (completely encased in ice). If this is the case, move it where the water can drain off - about 1 gallon which may NOT run into the drain bucket.
I out mine over the floor drain.
Turn off and it will defrost over night.
Only specially made dehumidifiers work below a room temp of 60 degrees (the temp of a basement in winter).
Does it need to be running? A digital humidity sensor from Radio Shack is cheap and may tell you the humidity is OK - only 50% or less.

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.