Bucket removal is extremely difficult. What should I do?

Hello Friend, thank you for allowing me to assist you!

Once the "BUCKET FULL" illuminate on your Frigidaire dehumidifier, soon after your appliance will shut down. Then you may remove the bucket by pressing the sides gently to unclip it and empty the collected water. After you reinstall the bucket, the float switch will reset. Hope this helps! - Z

afternoon,
I have the same model in my basement.
it sticks. sometimes it sticks so much I have to whack the sides of the bucket to jar it loose.
There are 2 places to grab the bucket at the top. using the palms of both hands, gently tap (or maybe more than tap!) these two latches. you may need to pry one side loose then the other will come out. you'll get the hand of it!!

Eddie, turn the unit OFF & unplug it. Then remove the bucket and check the float valve in the top of the bucket. It may be stuck in the 'UP' position or is broken. When reinstalling the the bucket, be sure that it fit's "squarely" from top to bottom in the bucket holder and is making firm contact with the bucket safety removal switch on the rear wall of the bucket holder.

Hope this helped you and thanks for choosing FixYa.

Take out bucket. Remove front cover two screws bottom left and right. Just inside lower left is a wiring harness with a clamp. Pry off and clean rust from clamp and tubing it attaches to. (if you put the bucket in and hold sensor between fingers the humidifier will start to work) Reattach clean sensor to clean copper tubing.

Assuming you have already emptied the bucket (?), the bucket may not have been reinstalled properly. When this happens, you get what you described. Turn the unit OFF & unplug it. Remove the water collection bucket an reinstall it, so the it fits "squarely" into the bucket holder from top to bottom. It needs to make firm contact with the bucket removal safety switch on the left rear wall of the bucket holder. The bucket should not tilt down at the bottom when installed properly. Plug the cord back in and turn the unit ON. Set the humidity extraction level to 35%. If installed properly, the unit should turn ON within 5 seconds.

If the above does not solve the problem, the bucket safety removal switch may be broken. Remove the bucket and try activating it with your finger while the bucket is removed. If the unit doesn't start within a fem seconds, the switch is bad and should be replaced.

Hope this helped you troubleshoot and solve the problem. Thanks for choosing FixYa.

I beleive the model you have, has a float valve in the top of the water collection bucket. If it's stuck in the 'UP' position, it would cause the Bucket Full Light to glow. Remove the bucket form it's holder and determine if the bucket does have the float valve. If so, jiggle the float valve arm to get it to return to the Down position.

If the unit doesn't have a float valve, installing the bucket "squarely" into it's holder from top to bottom is very important. If the bucket does not make firm contact with the bucket removal safety switch (A trigger switch), it will cause the unit to think the bucket is full. After reinstalling the bucket, be sure that the bottom of the bucket is not tilted down in any way.

Hope this helped you to troubleshoot and solve the problem.

This usually caused by one of two things. The bucket is not installed properly or the float valve in the bucket is stuck in the UP position. The float valve is not in all models.

Turn the unit OFF & Unplug it. Remove the bucket, look in the top of the bucket on the left side closest to you. If you see a float valve you have that model. If the float is in the UP position, jiggle it so that it will return to the down position. Then reinstall the bucket. Plug the cord back in and turn the unit ON.

If you don't have a float valve, make sure, when you reinstall the bucket, that it fits "squarely" into the holder from top to bottom. When installed properly, the bottom of the bucket should not tilt down at all. The top, back side of the bucket must make firm contact with the bucket removal safety switch.

Hope this helped you troubleshoot and solve the problem.

You are on the right track.

The bucket full light is controlled by a manual 'float' switch in the bucket itself
-when the water level rises...it lifts the float ...turns on the light and does not allow the unit to operate because it believes it is full.

It is very common for the 'float' to gets misaligned, hung-up, etc. when you remove and re-insert the bucket. Sometimes the 'chain' gets twisted, turned...which does not allow the float to ...float...rather it is 'hung-up' which indicates it is 'full'...when in fact it is clearly not.

To check this:

• remove bucket from unit
• look into the top of the bucket opening to locate the 'float'...generally 2" round plastic ball on a shaft, (or chain)
  
• softly cup the float in order to lift this up...with the unit stilll plugged in...to see if the light goes off...this is very likely
• then be sure that the float mechanism is able to freely 'float' in the space....i.e. you are trying to simulate the impact of rising water levels in the bucket
  
• as it rises (in your hand the machine will turn off/light on...as it drops....the light shuts off, allowing the machine to run (when humidity levels demand it)
• then re-install the bucket....being very careful to lift the float, while you insert it...there is generally a little nack to it...but you quickly learn how to do it easily (I just reach into the space...cup the float...put the bucket on an angle...slide it in....release the float into the bucket...(remove hand)...then finish pushing the bucket into place

-hope this helps

The hose connector does not drain the bucket, it drains the condensate before it enters the bucket. Tube passes through back of dehumidifier by the cord wrap area. (you may have to remove a small cover)