Dehumidifier icing up

Hi,

Here is a tip that I wrote that will help you understand why and what you cando with a dehumidifier that ices up.

Dehumidifier is Freezing up and not working

heatman101

There are 5 basic, yet solvable reasons for what you described. Please pay particular attention to numbers 1, 2. & 5.

1. The humidity extraction level is set to HIGH. Lower it to 32-35%. If you have a mechanical unit,
set the humidity extraction knob on Maximum.

2. Air intake filter is dirty or clogged. Turn unit OFF, & Unplug the
Unit, before removing to inspect & clean it, if necessary. If washed,
allow filter to completely dry before reinstalling. DO NOT operate
the unit without the filter.

3. Obstructed air flow. Maintain a minimum of 12 to 18" of clear air
space around the entire unit.

4. Cooling coils are dirty and need to be cleaned. Use warm water & dish washing liquid to
clean the coils. Rinse and wipe dry. Apply a light coating of WD40 to the coils.

5. Ambient air temperature at floor level is between 40 - 65 degrees.
dehumidifiers do not work well between those temperatures
(Unless, you have a Low Temp Unit). This applies mainly to
where the air temperature at floor level is colder than at shoulder level
in basement applications. Raising the unit up off the floor,
onto a sturdy table, counter top, etc, that can handle the weight
of the unit, plus a full tank of water, will usually resolve this
problem.

If none of the above solves the problem, it may be a case of the compressor needs to be recharged with refrigerant gas or that the humidity condenser sensor has failed. These things usually occur in units that are 5 years old or older. It's rare in a unit younger than that. But, it can happen.

I hope this helps you to trouble shoot and solve the problem. Thanks for choosing FixYa.

No, there's only one filter. So be sure that you reinstalled the filter properly, so that it is making contact with the filter switch. If that checks out OK, turn the unit OFF & unplug it for 15 minutes.
After the time has elapsed plug the unit in and turn it ON. Hopefully, during that timeout, the electronics reset and reverted back to the original factory settings, If so, you can now set the controls as you desire.

I hope this helped you and thanks for choosing FixYa.

That's the water collection tube, that drains water into the bucket. What's the other other problem that makes it seem, that the dehumidifier is not to effective?

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.

Hi,
There are many reasons why a dehumidifier willnot work or collect water.
Here is a tip that I wrote to help people to figure out what is going wrongwith their dehumidifier

Dehumidifier is running but no water is in bucket

heatman101

Hi,

First, make sure the humidistat isn't set too high by adjusting it to the lowest humidity setting and running it again. Next, test the dehumidifier by placing it in a closed bathroom with a hot shower running. If you don't see water collecting in the unit after several minutes, turn the unit off and clean all dehumidifier filters and coils. If, after adjusting the settings and cleaning the unit, you still don't see water collecting, you may have a refrigeration issue. This situation will have to be addressed by a qualified technician.

Take care.

Hi,
There are many reasons for a dehumidifier to not work or collect water.
Here is a tip that I wrote to help people to figure out what is going wrong with their dehumidifier.

Dehumidifier is running but no water is in bucket
http://www.fixya.com/support/r4662409-dehumidifier_running_but_no_water_in

heatman101

I have a Comfortaire BHD501 dehumidifier. A couple weeks ago I noticed ice building up on top of the unit,so I unplugged it to defrost. I plugged it back in and it worked until I noticed the "CH" "01" code. It would run a few seconds then shut off with that code showing. I took off the front of the unit and noticed rust on some of the metal parts. Then I took the cover off the circuit board for the front read out. I noticed corrosion on some of the solder points. When I looked closer at the plastic cover for the circuit board I noticed a small burn mark. The water from the melting ice must have run behind the cover and shorted out the circuitboard. At this point I don't know if new boards are available.

I did a little digging around on the internet and found out that if the basement (or where ever you have your unit) is in an area where the room temp might dip below 65 degrees the coils may start to become "too efficient" in pulling the moisture/humidity out of the air and it begins to freeze on the coils before it can drip off into the reservoir. The site said to turn off the unit and let it thaw out, then restart it and see if everything works ok after that. If the temperature gets too low you might need to warm up the air in the room/basement before it will operate correctly again/not continue to freeze up. Hope this helps. Mine just did the same thing but we've had some pretty cold weather recently and the basement is fairly cold as well.