Dehumidifiers help maintain normal humidity by removing excess moisture from the air. But unfortunately, sometimes dehumidifiers can malfunction and cause problems.
Usually, when professionals open up a dehumidifier to repair it, a common problem is frozen coils. Let’s learn more about the causes of dehumidifier freezing, as well as how to prevent your home appliance from freezing.
If you don’t keep your dehumidifier in optimal conditions, it often happens that ice forms on it. Before we get into why your dehumidifier is freezing and how to fix it, let’s take a quick walkthrough of how a dehumidifier works.
A typical dehumidifier design includes cold evaporator coils, warm condenser coils, a follower, and a tank or drain.
Every dehumidifier model that has recently come on the market is also equipped with a humidistat. In terms of its function, the hygrostat is comparable to a thermostat. It detects the humidity level in the room and, based on that, it triggers the dehumidifier’s operating cycles. You can adjust the humidistat to control the humidity to your comfort level.
The dehumidifier draws warm, moist air into the system through the vents. This moist air will pass through the unit’s cold evaporator coil. The air turns to the coil and it condenses the air into water droplets. These water droplets either collect in the storage tank or drain directly (depending on the model of your choice).
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Why is dehumidifier freezing up?
There are a variety of various aspects which can cause your dehumidifier to freeze up:
1. ROOM TEMPERATURE
The dehumidifier is running to get rid of the moisture from the air in your house. You are boosting the amount of water vapor that can be saved in a provided volume of air when you increase the room temperature. This results in more wetness being released by your dehumidifier and also reduced relative humidity in your house. Simply put, as the room temperature rises, your dehumidifier has the ability to remove much less dampness from the air, and also consequently there is, even more, water vapor left for it to freeze up!
2. AIRFLOW
When the dehumidifier starts cold up, it is a clear sign that something has altered. If you notice ice building up on your dehumidifier coils, examine to see whether the airflow has reduced or enhanced.
Airflow adjustments in 2 means:.
a) You might have shut off a window or door which was acting as an air vent. This will certainly impact just how much water vapor can leave the dehumidifier as well as trigger it to ice up.
b) Or, you may have opened a window or door which allows even more dampness right into the space. The dehumidifier will certainly have to function more challenging to eliminate dampness from the air because of much less efficient airflow when this occurs. This triggers it to freeze up.
3. BLOCKED AIR FILTER
When the air filter obtains congested with dust and also other particles, it quits doing its job of keeping huge bits out of the air stream. This enhances inlet resistance to your dehumidifier and triggers it to work tougher. When you clean your dehumidifier air filter, the system will run extra effectively as soon as again.
4. OTHER FAILURES
If your dehumidifier has come to be harmed or malfunctioning by any means, there might be something mechanically incorrect with it. This can trigger it to work excessively tough and throw off the balance of airflow.
Your dehumidifier could freeze up or also blow a fuse if this occurs! You might need to call an expert technician if you notice that your device has quit working for any kind of factor.
5. OPERATING BELOW 65 ° F TEMPERATURE
Some suppliers suggest that you don’t leave your dehumidifier running listed below 65 ° F. When the room temperature drops too reduced, condensation can base on the condenser coils and freeze them.
6. FAULTY HUMIDITY DETECTOR
It will avoid your dehumidifier from properly gauging degrees of wetness in the air if the humidity control sensing unit has actually become blocked by dirt or harmed in any type of means.
When you observe that your dehumidifier is freezing up, examine the humidity detector to see if there are any irregularities. This is where you would certainly cleanse residue off the sensing unit’s glass cover if necessary.
7. FAULTY FAN MOTOR OR BLOWER WHEEL.
If your dehumidifier begins icing up as well as the temperature dial is set to a warmer temperature setup, there’s a likelihood that the fan motor or blower wheel has actually been damaged.
You can try transforming it off for a couple of minutes and after that turning it back on once again. This will generally repair any problems with the fan motor/ blower wheel as well as ought to address the icing problem too.
See also Can You Use A Dehumidifier And An Air Purifier In The Same Room?
8. FILTHY EVAPORATOR/ CONDENSER COILS.
Examine the condenser coils to see whether they have ended up being obstructed with dust if your dehumidifier begins icing up. It will certainly affect exactly how much heat can be pushed right into the room air if there is a build-up of dust or debris on the condenser coils and fins.
When this occurs, ice develops more easily and also triggers cold issues for the dehumidifier. To clean up the condenser coils, simply separate them from the system and also blow them out with a fallen leave blower or hoover.
How to repair a dehumidifier with coils that are freezing up?
The initial thing to do is to stop utilizing it if you have a dehumidifier that is icing up. , if you maintain utilizing it while the coils are frozen you will certainly cause additional damages.. The electric motor & compressor unit will have to function a lot harder as well as can obtain overloaded and also shed out if airflow is limited.
Here is what you might inspect to deal with the issue.
1. Blower wheel or Fan blade.
In order to protect against frost from developing up or cold, there should be enough quantity of air blowing in as well as out of the dehumidifier’s evaporator coil and condenser coils. If you have ensured that the filter is tidy, yet there is no air coming out with the grille area, it is after that time to remove the cover as well as check the follower location.
The blower wheel and also the fan blade is liable to stop cold as well as handle the airflow. Delicately sweep aside dirt, particles, dust, or any type of another fragment that is avoiding the fan location from doing its function. You could desire to replace them prior to running the device once more if the blower wheel or fan blade is harmed. A dirty filter or follower area is not simply unhealthy, but also a difficulty to the device.
2. Humidity Management System.
Humidistat, which operates like a thermostat, additionally needs to be looked into if the coils in a dehumidifier are cold. The humidistat executes the function of tracking the humidity in the space; the electric contacts of the humidistat are developed to activate the gadget’s compressor. The compressor will additionally promote and malfunction coil cold if the humidistat is not working. All at once, the electric contacts of the humidistat might obtain integrated closed. Disconnect the dehumidifier from the power source and also have an experience considering the electric contacts of the humidistat as well as obtain them taken care of.
3. Fan Motor.
As abovementioned, the follower is essential to regulate the smooth circulation of air in as well as out of the device. If the fan motor is working appropriately by discovering the air movement from the grille location, examine. A faulty fan motor implies a malfunctioning fan; which indirectly brings about a gadget that can ice up. You will have the ability to judge the fan motor function by paying attention to the audio and also for the speed. Both of these factors will mirror the issue if there is a problem with the fan motor.
How to protect your dehumidifier from future freezing up
If it does, there are numerous points that you can do to keep your dehumidifier from cold up– and to defrost it.
One of the most common factors consists of:
1. CHECK TEMPERATURE.
The first point you need to do is inspect the air temperature setup on your dehumidifier.
If it obtains as well cozy, the air temperature will be warmer as well as this might create moisture to develop more easily. If the dial setting isn’t in a variety that stops the dehumidifier freezing up from occurring, relocate to a colder temperature and see if that fixes the problem.
2. CHECK AIR FLOW.
If the airflow is obstructed, your dehumidifier will certainly have a more difficult time eliminating the moisture airborne, and also this can lead to cold troubles.
Confirm that there are no obstructions to any vents or grills on your system. Tidy them off if essential.
3. LOOK FOR DEBRIS AND BUILD-UP
Inspect the evaporator coil as well as fins on your dehumidifier to see whether they are blocked with any kind of deposit.
This can prevent the system from being able to press enough heat into the air which would result in ice buildup during the winter season.
4. CLEAN IT
Also if you are using a dehumidifier in a location that is regularly tidy, there might be dirt or dirt buildup on the fins and also evaporator coil.
Left neglected, this can cause troubles with your unit’s functionality. To prevent these problems, you should check for build-ups routinely as well as remove them when required. Cleaning the dehumidifier coils will certainly also make it much easier for the device to get rid of wetness from the air.
5. TURN IT OFF
If your dehumidifier is icing up when temperature levels are cozy, you may wish to turn it off during particular times of day to ensure that it doesn’t run constantly. This will certainly enable it time to cool off and will avoid your dehumidifier coil’s temperature level from getting also warm.
You can transform your dehumidifier back on as soon as it has actually cooled off or you can try utilizing a timer to control when the device turns on and off instantly. This is among the ideal means to maintain your coils clean and ice-free without needing to bother with it.
Conclusion
Don’t fail to remember to review the guideline handbook to assist you with added ideas as well as pictures on fixing the unit. Look into our website for dehumidifiers testimonials as well as ratings, air top quality details, and also pointers.
