Kenmore Dehumidifier

[BudRow]

I think my dehumidifier has gone on the fritz. The fan works perfectly and the compressor works good. The problem is the evaporator freezes over without letting any condensed water drip into the catch bucket. Is the compressor suppose to cycle intermittently to let the condensation drip down? What do you think might be the problem and is there economical fix? It's 40 years old and doesn't owe me anything. Recommend a replacement brand/model? Thanx

[Pipefitter]

I suspect that the humidistat has gone to the great boneyard in the sky. Easiest fix is to put it on a timer and let it run for an hour, then off for an hour.

[Paper Puncher]

Harbor Freight $4.99 mechanical timer.
By adjusting the on off time you can adjust the humidity. I ran mine 15 minutes on 45 min off. The condenser freezes collecting moisture from the air. The compressor turns off allowing the ice to melt. More on off cycles seemed to work better.

[fastdadio]

Reasons for the evaporator to ice;
Air flow restricted;
Dirty air filter, dirty blower wheel, blower motor not turning proper rpm, (faulty motor)
Low charge; (evap running below freezing temp.)
Faulty thermostat, cycling too cold, or stuck on.

[CastingFool]

If the indoor temp is too low, they will freeze up, too. Our old dehumidifier won't run properly if the indoor temp is 65° F.

[Brokenbear]

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06X9MFTZZ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

This unit has been great for my in ground basement which is 1700 SF ..it easily keeps my basement at 50% humidity summer and winter and my gun vaults never get above 50% ..It often will only run a couple of times a day in winter and runs off and on (cycling) during summer ..we often have 80/90% Missouri summer humidity

Additionally ..where the dehumidifier is located .. I have it in the portion of my basement where my wood working business is located and even though I have dust collection ..there is still dust but the above unit is easy to maintain and has been in service 24/7 for 3 years ..compared to my old dehumidifier ..this one is effortless with the garden hose hooked and loose layed on the floor to the drain ..It does a serious job of water capture ..to the point that even though it has a large holding tank you would still have to empty 2-3 times a day (summer) and that gets old QUICK

(guns require 50% or less humidity to remain rust free)

DO NOT buy this unit unless you want 50% in house summer humidity (because every time you turn around it will need emptying UNLESS you provide hose discharge and not manual tank dumping)

Bear

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

most New dehumidifiers are so much more energy efficient. If your electric rates have increased like most of the rest of us, it's probably a wise decision to sent that 40 yr old Kenmore to the scrapper and buy a new one.
That's my 2¢

[fastdadio]

most New dehumidifiers are so much more energy efficient. If your electric rates have increased like most of the rest of us, it's probably a wise decision to sent that 40 yr old Kenmore to the scrapper and buy a new one.
That's my 2¢

The problem with this strategy, is that over the next twenty years, he'll have to buy 4 more new ones to replace the ones that failed and are not economically repairable. So where's the savings? Nothing on the market out there now but chinezium junk. I'm an old HVAC guy, ask me how I know....

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

The problem with this strategy, is that over the next twenty years, he'll have to buy 4 more new ones to replace the ones that failed and are not economically repairable. So where's the savings? Nothing on the market out there now but chinezium junk. I'm an old HVAC guy, ask me how I know....

Maybe the old HVAC guy needs to do some "new" research?

https://www.sylvane.com/blog/dehumidifiers-made-in-the-usa/

https://www.aprilaire.com/whole-house-products/dehumidifiers/best-basement-dehumidifier

[Shawlerbrook]

No matter where the new ones are made, they won’t last 40 years. Same for new TV’s, refrigerators,stoves, etc. ask me how I know.

[ascast]

The problem with this strategy, is that over the next twenty years, he'll have to buy 4 more new ones to replace the ones that failed and are not economically repairable. So where's the savings? Nothing on the market out there now but chinezium junk. I'm an old HVAC guy, ask me how I know....

true that--exactly what I was thinking

[ascast]

Hey Shawlerbrook is it snowing at your house? It is here. I am about twenty miles north.

[45_Colt]

As for the evaporator icing up in cool temperatures, it can help to put a fan in front of it at a low speed. I need to do this in the winter. Can instead add a little heat in front of the evaporator by hanging a light bulb or such in front of it. Haven't tried that yet, but it does make sense.

45_Colt

[yovinny]

They also sell defrost thermostats at an hvac supply. Their just small clip on units about half the size of a C battery that you clip on your suction line and wire inline into the compressor hot line. They simply open the circuit if they drop below freezing and are about $15. Their mostly used on A/C units but good dehumidifiers have them also or they can be simply added..
But its just a work around,, if your coil & filter are clean and it's all of a sudden freezing up and nothing else has changed,, you've most likely lost some of its gas charge..