If you’re living in a region with humid and damp weather, a dehumidifier might be a helpful device to create a more comfortable atmosphere in your living space. By taking excessive moisture out of your home, it might have a significant effect during rainy days or the summer.
But as a mechanical device, a dehumidifier contains many complicated inner parts and components, making it difficult for a homeowner to find out if there are any issues happening. To help you with that, this guide will show you how to tell if your dehumidifier is working and a few common problems with it.
What Is A Dehumidifier?
A dehumidifier is simply an electrical appliance that helps reduce and maintain the humidity level in the air. In most cases, it is used for comfort or health reasons, to eliminate any musty smells, or to prevent the development of mildew.
Therefore, you can easily see dehumidifiers in most commercial, residential, or even industrial buildings. Large units are often placed in commercial buildings like swimming pool, indoor ice rinks, storage warehouses, or manufacturing plants.
In households, a high level of humidity can cause many health problems due to the growth of bacteria, fungi, mites, or viruses. The best way to avoid these issues is to keep the indoor levels between 40% and 60%. That’s why it is advisable to choose a reliable dehumidifier for your family.
How Does A Dehumidifier Work?
A dehumidifier basically works in one of 2 ways: by absorption – where moisture is sucked onto a dry material and removed, and by refrigeration – where moisture is removed by cooling air just like a refrigerator.
More specifically, a dehumidifier is quite similar to a vacuum cleaner as it sucks in the indoor air and extracts the moisture out of it. After that, the moisture will drip through a collection container, which you need to empty frequently.
How To Tell If Your Dehumidifier Is Working?
After several years of use, your dehumidifier might stop working unexpectedly once day due to many issues. However, it is quite tricky to know whether your unit is still running or not, especially if you don’t know anything about electrical appliances. Here are a few things you can check to find out if there are any issues with your dehumidifier.
a. No or low water level
If your dehumidifier seems to operate infrequently without changing the level of humidity as expected, you might simply need to set the humidistat control to a drier mode. On the other hand, when it works continuously without filling the water tank, there might be an issue with the refrigeration part. In these cases, try cleaning the exterior and filter. If it doesn’t work, you should call a professional for help.
b. Full water tank
If the indicator light of your dehumidifier is still on, but it doesn’t run, you should check the water level in the container. Basically, there should be a switch which turns off the unit when the water tank gets full. If this part isn’t full, it is likely that the switch might be activated accidentally by the tank’s position. The best solution to this issue is to push the switch or readjust the tank with your finger.
c. No air coming out when it’s running
In every dehumidifier, there is a small fan that is in charge of pulling air from the air over the coils. If your unit is still working, but there is no air coming out of it, chances are the fan motor might be burned out and need a replacement. Also, keep in mind to clean this fan on a regular basis to make sure that there is no buildup of dust, dirt, and other elements on its surface, which can reduce its lifespan.
d. Frosted coils
The back of your dehumidifier has an evaporator that is comprised of coils. These units can get cold while the device is working. The moist in the air is drawn across these coils by the small fan to ensure the humidity condenses. As the air temperature gets too low, the condensation might freeze and cause frosted coils. So if your dehumidifier stops in the winter, make sure to check the coils for these signs.
Do you have to put some water in it.?
I have a problem. The screen with all settings is not lit up. But dehimidifier is running collecting water. But I need to set up level of humidity and timer.. Now it is not available. Still if look very very closely I can see some digits on display that use to be lit with blue light. Can this problem be resolved ?
Ill want to no first time using one do you have to put water in ot???