I was given the zenith humidifier 3850A20500H P/N... but it has no hoses. where do if buy them and how do i connnet them

plug it

um, no. it should never smoke. ever. might be running too hot and any dust or insulation is burning off. or an electrical charring. might want to unplug it

I had the very same problem with my Zenith ZD300 dehumidifier. After getting no help from the manufacturer and realizing that it was going to cost $45 just to figure out what was wrong with it, I dismantled the dehumidifier myself in search of a solution. I suspected it was the humidity sensor, so I ordered the part off Repair Clinic website (repairclinic.com). It cost $18.20 plus shipping. AND IT WORKED!! I was so relieved that I wouldn't have to buy a new dehumidifier. It's been running for a day now, so we will see. Here's the website link:
http://www.repairclinic.com/PartDetail/Thermistor/6877A30013R/1462299

Part info:Thermistor6877A3001R
Good luck!!

My humidifier has a knockout inside the hose connection, that you have to remove. simple but check it out.

Possible hose out of place?

99% of the time, (if compressor still runs), the fan is stuck with dust, or just needs oiling on BOTH ends of the fan motor shaft.
the other 1% will be because your water reservouir presence sensor/switch is not being activated by incomplete insertion of reservouir, or malfunctioning switch.

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you could probably google the model number or the make of the humidifier and get lucky searching around for something that would plug it. Or if you want to use a caulk gun and buy a tube of silicone sealant and squirt it in the hole depending on the size it should dry and be water tight as long as you applied the silicone to a clean and dry surface. good luck

Same thing happened to us with the exact same model. Can't figure it out.

my unit runs but does not de humidify

Clean the hose (it's full of black gunk)