I don't think it's a thermistor problem, as previous respondents have suggested. I have one of these units. The control panel has been nothing but trouble. The Power button works, but the Fan Speed button is stuck on High. The Humidity Up/Down buttons only work sporadically. Sometimes they work if I keep punching them. There doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason as to when they work and when they don't. I think they're just cheap parts that have failed prematurely.
Follow-up to my previous post:
I replaced my PCB (circuit board) p/n 6871A20600B, about $15-25 online, and my display panel buttons work fine now. Remove the bucket. Remove 2 brown screws under the front grille, and gently lift the grille up and out. It's still attached to the unit with a wire bundle, but turn it over and remove the 6 small screws holding the PCB. Gently pull the wiring harness, rocking it from end to end. (Caution: Take your time with this step. Do not bend the connector pins.) Reconnect the harness to the new PCB and refasten the screws.
I don't know why these boards fail. The small "clickers" on my nonworking board sound and feel like they're working, but they didn't work. A new board solved the nonworking button problem, and is a fairly easy solution at a tenth of the cost of a new unit. Hope this helps.
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SOURCE: Comfort-aire dehumidifier 501 cycles on and off
It is possible that the humidity is below the set point of the dehumidifier. They will run for a short time until they get a true fix on the actual humidity then shut down.
SOURCE: Fault Codes
This is more of a tip since I have not actually fixed anything yet. As a test, remove the upper front cover where the buttons and displays are. (2 screws on the bottom then pull off a the plastic snaps) Inside the case on the far left, there is a piece of crimped copper tubing, open on the top end, welded to the refrigerant line, with a black sleeve covering 2 wires out the bottom end. This is a thermistor. I CAREFULLY applied heat with a butane lighter (the mini torch kind, not the "candle flame" kind), taking care not to burn anything. I applied ONLY enough to make it slightly warm to the touch. Do not think of melting anything, as this is not the purpose. Applying too much heat could damage the thermistor. With the bucket in place, the unit started right up. After I did this, it failed again in a few minutes, so I heated it again, and thus verifying it as the source. I have done it a third time, never getting it much over room temperature, and it is still running after almost an hour after doing nothing else. Since this temperature sensing is an analog function to the microcontroller that runs everything, the fault could be any bad connection or solder joint along the way from this thermister to the controller. But is sure appears something in thermistor. I hope my description is complete and clear. Good luck.
SOURCE: My comfort-aire dehumidifier #BHD-301 just stopped
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
SOURCE: I have a Comfort-Aire BHD-301 dehumidifier that
Hi,
First, make sure the humidistat isn't set too high by adjusting it to
the lowest humidity setting and running it again. Next, test the
dehumidifier by placing it in a closed bathroom with a hot shower
running. If you don't see water collecting in the unit after several
minutes, turn the unit off and clean all dehumidifier filters and
coils. If, after adjusting the settings and cleaning the unit, you
still don't see water collecting, you may have a refrigeration issue.
This situation will have to be addressed by a qualified technician.
Take care.
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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