Moisture collecting at the top front when running, even at mid power, over the control panel, sometimes turns to ice. if I shut it off when it is doing this the problem stops for awhile

Does it have a filter?
http://whirlpool.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/953

also:

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It may be that the humidity level or temperature in the room where your dehumidifier is located is too low.

When the outdoor temperature is below 50 F, the indoor air will be dry even when the air inside is warm, therefore when it's cold outside the dehumidifier may collect little or no water.

Air conditioners will also remove moisture from the room, even if it's hot and humid outside, resulting in little or no moisture collecting in the dehumidifier bucket.

Some dehumidifiers have a deicer which turns off the compressor but keeps the fan running. When the compressor is off, moisture is not removed from the air. The deicer turns off the compressor when the room temperature is cold.

Some dehumidifiers do not have a deicer. If the room temperature is low enough, ice may form on the evaporator coil. The ice prevents the dehumidifier from removing and collecting water. If ice forms on coils, unplug dehumidifier until ice melts and room temperature rises."

Turn the unit OFF and unplug it from the wall. Allow it to thoroughly thaw and remove the humidifiers cabinet to expose the cooling coils. Clean those thoroughly and coat with a very light coating of WD40. Reassemble the humidifier and turn it ON. Set your humidity control at 50% and allow the unit to run for at least one hour. Check for water collection in the bucket and for any signs of icing, after one hour. If water is in the collection bucket and no signs of icing, lower the humidity to 45% and continue. If you not any signs of icing, watch the unit, as you need to know if it automatically goes into defrost mode. The compressor should shut off, but the fan will continue to run until defrosting is completed. If it doesn't the auto defrost sensor has failed and will need to be replaced.
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Hope this helps you to troubleshoot and solve the problem. Please let me know. Thanks.

Most dehumidifiers have a defrost cycle that they run through, as needed. But, apparently, your is not functioning. Eventually, yours will stop collecting moisture, if this continues. In the interim, I would suggest turning the Master OnN/OFF Switch to OFF and unplug the unit until it thaws. While it's unplugged, remove and clean the air intake filter on the front of the unit. If it's clogged it causes the unit to strain and may cause it to ice up. Once the filter is clean and the unit is un-thawed. Plug the unit back in and turn the Master ON/OFF Switch to ON and set the controls as you normally do. Hopefully, that period of being unplugged will have allowed the unit to reset itself and work properly.

I have included a link to your Owners Manual that you can download and print for future reference.

aire.com/index.php?option=com_rubberdoc&view=doc&id=436&format=raw">http://www.comfort-
aire.com/index.php?option=com_rubberdoc&view=doc&id=436&format=raw

If the above link fails go to the following link below and click on Owner Manual, near the top of the page.

aire.com/room-air-conditioners/149-portable-dehumidifiers/122-bhd-301-g">http://www.comfort-aire.com/room-air-conditioners/149-portable-dehumidifiers/122-bhd-301-g

Hope this helps you solve the problem.

It may be that the humidity level or temperature in the room where your dehumidifier is located is too low.

When the outdoor temperature is below 50 F, the indoor air will be dry even when the air inside is warm, therefore when it's cold outside the dehumidifier may collect little or no water.

Air conditioners will also remove moisture from the room, even if it's hot and humid outside, resulting in little or no moisture collecting in the dehumidifier bucket.

Some dehumidifiers have a deicer which turns off the compressor but keeps the fan running. When the compressor is off, moisture is not removed from the air. The deicer turns off the compressor when the room temperature is cold.

Some dehumidifiers do not have a deicer. If the room temperature is low enough, ice may form on the evaporator coil. The ice prevents the dehumidifier from removing and collecting water. If ice forms on coils, unplug dehumidifier until ice melts and room temperature rises.

The filter (on some models) may be dirty or clogged. If so, clean the filter. For instructions on cleaning the filter.

I hope this help to solve, if this answer solve it, remember to rate it. Good luck.

It seems these units only last about a year or two before this happens. Unless you can get it replaced under warranty (mine had 5 year warranty) you probably will be better off getting a new one. They leak their freon out and then just run, usually forming ice near the top of the unit in the front. Classic case of not enough refrigerant.

Hate to tell you, but it may be a goner. Many units have a rectangular air filter that may be clogged, but I would still expect to see some moisture removal. Without exact model I'll have to be general,.... remove cover (front or back, depends on model) to see cooling coils. If the compressor is running, these coils should be wet or may have a light frost on them for a time. Not = refrigerant leak. (not economical to repair) If you see one small area of ice,... it's also a goner. If the compressor does not run you could have a bad compressor, a bad defrost control, or a bad control / humidistat. Other than the filter or possibly a fan motor, these unit are rarely economical to repair.

By condenser I assume you mean the compressor is running. Is there ice forming on the front coil?

My unit is a Fedders A7DH65B2A and your Maytag unit was made by Fedders and is just like mine w/ different label... I've purchased two of these units (one for me & one for my father-in-law) and they both quit pulling moisture from the air (but ran constantly) about 1 month past the 1yr warranty. My unit also acted really strange one day when the problem was occurring - it flashed on & off erratically and wouldn't power off unless I pulled the power cord. In short, I took it apart and found several issues and eventually figured out the chain of events that led to this: 1) The thermistor went bad and the unit could no longer sense when the evaporator coil started freezing up (normal situation that the unit should detect & then do a defrost cycle). As a result, the evaporator coil turned itself into a big chunk of ice (can see by removing the air filter and looking into that slot at the coil (looks like a radiator). 2) the big block of ice on the coil grew large enough to start making contact with part of the plastic housing above the evap coil that's used for the power control circuit board. The plastic in that area then got ice all over it and since it looks like a little tray, it will hold water (when the ice thaws) and then the power control board will be sitting in a puddle of water (or ice - either will cause malfuntions like not being able to turn the power off using the front panel switch). 3) the puddle of water in the power control board tray caused this circuit board to corrode (happens very quickly when the unit is plugged in since electricity accelerates this kind of thing...). So... a poor quality thermistor (this straps to the bottom right side of the copper pipe that loops out & back in to the evap coil and has a wire coming out of if) caused premature defrost circuit failure. This caused a big block of ice to form where it shouldn't be. The ice caused condensation/moisture/ice to form on/under the power control circuit board and corroded the circuit board and caused erratic power control issues. RepairClinic.com had a replacement sensor board (included all sensors - yes, the thermistor too...) so I purchased it (~$40) and used only the new thermistor off of it to plug into my original sensor board (and strapped it back to the evap coil w/ the chrome looking clip that was already there). Problem fixed! Well, almost... I did have to clean the corrosion off my power control board as well, but it survived luckily. After doing this to mine, my father-in-laws unit experienced similar symptoms. I did the same fix to his and presto... fixed. Cheap low quality thermistors on these units. I need to find a higher quality replacement thermistor before round 2 happens on each unit. Good luck!

Normal operation, the unit has sensed icing and is in the defrost mode (compressor off and fan on high). When the ice melts normal operation will resume.

You need to have the r22 charged... As stated above, if its low on r22 then it will ice up... no dehumidifier should ice up.... call a repair guy or better yet, buy another one... good luck.