How to troubleshoot and repair a dehumidifier, Part 1. FarmCraft101
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- Опубліковано 6 жов 2024
- Watch me tear into a broken dehumidifier and get it working again with a simple FREE fix. Repairs don't always go this well, but I'm always up for the challenge.
A good quality dehumidifier: amzn.to/2Te0kf5
Part 2: • Dehumidifier repair pa...
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Dehumidifier basics:
A dehumidifier uses a simple concept to draw moisture out of the air. That is: water will condense on a cold surface, just like it does on your glass of ice water. The compressor pumps freon into a high pressure state, which makes it hot. Air then blows over this hot freon and it's temperature falls closer to room temperature. When this cooler freon passes through an expansion valve and is allowed to return to low pressure state it gets cold. When gases expand, their temperature drops, just like if you spray an aerosol can for a little while it will feel cold. This cold freon is pumped through a coil and air from the room is blown over it. Moisture condenses on the coil and drips down into the catch pan or drain hose. The freon returns to the compressor to start the cycle again.
My basic strategy with fixing dehumidifiers is to first check the compressor/refrigeration function. If the coils get cold, then it should be fixable. At that point you just need to get air blowing over the coils. In my opinion, if the refrigeration side isn't working, then it's time for a tear down, as the amount of expense and work to fix it is greater than the cost of a new unit. - Навчання та стиль
Brilliant video. I suspected it was a relay problem with my dehumidifier as well, and hot-wiring across it as you did helped me to confirm the diagnosis. Need more people like you who are willing to diagnose and fix things instead of throwing them away.
Hey Farmcraft
Apprediate the video! I am currently trying to repair a couple of my dehumidifiers with my limited knowledge. So watching videos like yours gives a person some pointers in the what to look for. Keep up the good work and God bless you for that!
Robert
Practical video that encourages all to figure out why something is not working and see if it can be recovered and not just chucked out. Good stuff.
Great video! Encourages me not to throw away my dehumidifier yet.
Great! We need more people like you who take the initiative to fix things. Thanks.
My husband really liked it, even through it wasn't his problem (ambient temp error code EC). Works 8 hours and stops. Hey I am his wife and I don't know anything about repairs BUT I found your video and second one too so interesting and informative in simple terms
thanks for the down to earth tips - I was lucky to get 1 running from 2 dh's (& scrapped the other) I also liked the added text during the video. Since this isn't what I do for a living, you made some of the things I was looking at understandable. I'm a lineman so I know about voltage. I was elated when the blower came on. Thanks David!
You can't get continuity on a capacitor with an regular multi-meter, you need to charge it and check for voltage. - Great troubleshoot and repair. - It's A vs E. - Got two humidifiers I'm working on now. One the fan motor burned out and can't find a replacement. - Second had a problem with the humidity sensor. It was packed with lint. Blew it out, and the compressor and fan started working. Now it will start and run a few minutes then kicks off. I think it may need a refrigerant charge. = Like I said....Great video.
Appreciate the time you put into this - almost 5 years later it may prove useful as I prepare to open mine up...Thanks!
I try to fix stuff. Sometimes just a visual inspection can provide the obvious troubleshooting path. One doesn't have to be an expert to take the covers off and look for something that "just ain't right". The dead mouse lodged in my fan was the first clue that my fan motor might be burnt (which it was). I found a brand new replacement on eBay for $62. Better than the full replacement cost I would have paid if I'd just thrown up my hands and scrapped it without taking the time to open it up and look. Thanks for a great video.
Thanks!
I picked up a Frigidaire dehumidifier that someone threw out and checking it out after removing the back panel I was able to verify the Compressor works fine but the fan, like yours doesn’t come on. I have some experience with electronics repair and wiring and have repaired crt and plasma televisions as a hobby so I understand the dangers of high voltage circuits. I just wanted to thank you for this video because it gave me a good idea of what and where to check with my meter which gives me a much better understanding of troubleshooting this appliance.
Thanks!
You fix things the way I do, the simple way is often the best. I have a whirlpool that will not turn the compressor on, It is impossible to find the schematic, so just keep looking on line. Will probably tear into it. Computers are much easier to fix, but I have done hundreds of those
John, thank you. Your diagnostic skill in conjunction with the simple wire trace-back through relays (faulty- yes? no?) to circuit board (faulty here? yes? no?) including PAUSE -written graphics for explanations make your video(s) EXCELLENT and high value, not just for this product, but all. I'm working on a HiSense DH707P1SLE. Of all the other videos I've watched, yours is among the most generally effective for future application to other projects. Subscribed!
Thank you so much for posting this video. MY Frididaire dehumidifer died. My problem was the fan worked and the compressor would not kick in. Most of the parts are so similar, arranged slightly different but, my problem was the relay for the compressor. I did the same thing and combined the 2 wires, even had a wire from a refrigerator where 2 wires were attached to one female flag terminal with a molded cover for protection. Now it works.Hope I get a couple more years out of it. The humidity in my basement today is 82%. Great video and super helpful. Thanks again.
I have a Frigidaire with a bad relay also, and I wanted to retain the ability to shut down when the tank was full, so I removed the relay and wired in a solid state relay that I had on hand. The original relay was marked 25A, but with all the cycling with the compressor, it probably is a wear item that's destined to fail as the contacts get oxidized from arcing. Hopefully the solid state relay will last a good duration.
Nice work John. I like to fabricobble and frankeinrepair as well...seems like it's only a matter of time before something else breaks or wears out. I have people telling me, "You know you can buy that at such and such a place." and I say that it's the easiest thing in the world to buy something. If you make it yourself, it generally is made of a higher quality and will last longer, to say nothing of the satisfaction one gets out of creating a thing. Great video thumbs up.
Good stuff. Using the compressor's relay to turn the fan on and off was very lateral. Well done!
Fixing stuff provides the surplus funds that allow for toys to be purchased when the mid life crisis hits. I like how you suggest that you lose nothing if you cant fix it and it provides learning for the next time. Cheers, David.
😍
Great job! The best repair is always the simplest :) BTW, from your video, it looks like that board you worked on is just the power supply and relays. I suspect that the smarts are on the other board with the display on it. The ribbon cable between the two possibly is just sending the 12V down to the relay. If the ribbon cable terminations were the clamp on type, they can sometimes go bad due to vibration or moisture. It would have been interesting to give them a good "wiggle test" ;-) I have a similar dehumidifier that hasn't worked right in years. You've given me new incentive to crack it open (usually the most frustrating part of the job!)
You are very talented ,and multi skilled , I’m impressed!!!
Outstanding video👍 very informative thank you very much. I enjoy videos like these ones that not only give you the confidence to tear into it but the knowledge as well to figure it out for yourself using troubleshooting.
The blue connector is a Scotch-Lok tap connector, when they were made by Scotch.
Only drawback to having the fan only come on work the compressor is that it'll leave everything damp when it shuts down, which may result in corrosion happening more rapidly than it would otherwise. Might be good to rig up something where it can run an additional few minutes after the compressor shuts down. A relay and RC timing circuit would be a way to do that-
If you want to have the fan run after the compressor shuts off, you can get a "delay on break" timer. Also, the blue connectors are often called quick splice or snap lock connectors, depending on which brand you choose. Thanks for posting. You saved me some time.
In the first 1 minute I knew I'd like your videos from what you said right off the bat. Thumbs UP, even though mine won't even power on at all. completely dead. Nothing.
I ordered one and mine is completely dead also! Did you ever figure anything out on yours?
great video for novice repair. Hopefully you checked the amp rating on the relay contact and determined it will carry the current of both fan and compressor. If your current exceeds the relays current rating you will have premaure failure of the relay contacts.
Yeah, it was still within specs. The fan really doesn't draw much current.
Great video! You needn't be too concerned with the hair. My hair has been slowly going away since my early 20's. It has been my experience that nobody really cares. You have a nice dome. You could just shave it yourself and save a small fortune on haircuts. Thanks for taking the time to make and post this video.
I had the same problem with my 2008 Frigidaire dehumidifier. The relays were clicking but still the fan would not work. You may want to try running a magnet over the top of the relay, where the part information is printed. My relays are 'OMRON G5NB-1A-E' (google if you want to see images). The magnet moved the switch inside making a click sound and somehow helped solve the problem. The first try had the fan start up but didn't seem to fix the problem. A few more tries with the magnet and it appears to operate like new.
Update: My fix wasn't permanent. The relay still acts up. I'll try to make the same fix as in the video.
Update2: Works fine now with the fan power spliced into the compressor line, just like in the video.
Right up my street. The only resource used is time. "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle"!
Yep. I love being able to fix or re-purpose something that's junk!
I found two fairly new dehumidifiers in our city dumpster at separate times. The first had a corroded main board, so I scraped it out. The second, which is like new condition. It's displaying a code EH for faulty humidity sensor. I have yet to open it to confirm a bad sensor. Thanks for the detailed break down of how the board circuitry is laid out and how to diagnose.
Where did you find the sensor, I need one too.
Great video. I liked seeing the logic you applied locate and solve the problem.
I really enjoyed you going through it and troubleshooting/thinking out loud/explaining. I've actually got a new dehumidifier that blows ice cold, but doesn't draw any moisture out of the air. All of the electronics as far as humidity sensor etc are working, but the unit is so cold. What would you think it would be?
Just saw your video today. Great job in the format of your presentation; not wasting time on useless commentary. Stayed focused on the task. Fast-forwarded through the time-consuming and obvious assembly / disassembly. Encouraged me to dig deeper into trouble-shooting my own unit. Nice Job!!
Very helpful video, I came here to figure out how to fix a Frigidaire 50-Pint FAD504DWD, which is the one you recommend. The compressor and the overload relay are both shot. Used it a few months each year for about 7 years. They sure don't make 'em like they used to.
Very clever workaround for a bad board.
Those tiny blue things are called suitcases and come in varying sizes for differnt gauges. Great video!
Really great video! I have the same model sitting out in my garage waiting to be repaired. You have inspired me to try and fix it. Thank you very much for posting this.
Kindrid spirits we are... thinning hair and we harvest from broken devices. Wife laughed too. Great vid.
The modification does not allow the fan to "sample" the air humidity to determine if the compressor needs to turn on. The control board really needs to be repaired or replaced because the humidifier will turn on quite often using a lot of power. Maybe put a tiny fan in front so the humidity detector will continuously sample the air?
Under some conditions, there may be frost build-up on the heat exchanger. The dehumidifier will run the fan without the cooling from time to time to melt the ice.
Good point Matthias. I'll look out for that. So far it has been working well.
Yes, that dehumidifier has no auto defrost now.
I think mine may be the temp sensor I had lost of ice build up defrosted that etc . The small 2 pin board /sensir may have shorted fan on mine runs but compressor shuts off
That capacitor is wired in series, if the cap is bad and is an open circuit, the power will not get to the blower. Usually it's not a start capacitor but a run capacitor. Refrigeration circuits and support circuits tend to use run caps over starter caps. Here's a little trick if you don't know it already. The higher the voltage on the capacitors you buy are built tougher than the lower voltage, you have to get the capacitance correct, also get caps with less than 6.5% tolerance, the closer the tolerance the better the unit will run and more consistently. Something else you need to understand is the "failure mode", there is P0 and P2 which are common, which is either Power Outage (black out / brown out) and the other is lightning strikes. I would say go with a P1 Failure Mode which is both of those. Replace both caps for the compressor and the blower fan, note both units will have different capacitance.
One final bit of advice, for those who have dual or triple voltage capacitors, where they power the hermetically sealed (compressor), fan and main power board, make sure you separate these units. Because if the herm side blows out, it won't be a normal open circuit, it will be a short and that can take the other two sets of capacitors with it and short those, possibly get a fire out of it; not good!
Why is that done? To save money and space!
About the relay, the reason why that is there is for safety and not efficiency. The pressure that builds up in the high pressure line in the compressor and radiators can be down right dangerous if the pressure goes too high. The coolant is highly flammable and can displace oxygen rather fast when it burns. Taking that relay out is a really dumb idea.
Nice job! I like your "farm fix" haha. Great troubleshooting. Those splice tap connectors are crap - the more of them you use, the more troubleshooting experience you'll get down the road. ;)
I like your reasoning process.
Real through evaluation. Thank you for making it.
Great video, except the most crucial part for me. You didn’t show close-up & SLOW which wires you actually Joined together. Can you please share that.
Nice video, thanks for showing how you troubleshoot.
really great video, super informative and entertaining. you come across as really humble, a good person. i only wish the best for you!!! (:
Thanks for the kind words!
Thanks for sharing your trouble shooting process,....very helpful.
This guy seems smart. Respect 🙌
Amazingly he is working on my exact model - Friedrich D50D. My problem is that the compressor goes on, the lead coil gets hot but the other coils never get cold. Maybe its the refrigerant. Nice video thanks
Coil gets hot? Is fan running? Coil dirty, restricting airflow?
Well done. Thoroughly enjoyed watching this.
Sure do wish you hadn't gone into overspeed on the disassembly! I've got one of those models I need to take apart to clean out the coils. The gravity feed line keeps on clogging up on me.
Picked up a nice Whirlpool unit at the curb for trash day. The thing has very little use to it going by the lack of dust on the inside. It works. It filled a bucket bin worth of water overnight. But, when the unit is triggered off by the panel or its internal on/off humidity cycle, the compressor remains running. Eventually, the compressor heats up and trips the overload sensor on top of the compressor can.
The compressor relay seems to stick in the on position. With no measured 12 volts DC at the control side of the relay, the compressor still runs. With all power removed from the unit, there's continuity on the power side of the relay. That ain't good. A $3.00 relay ordered off eBay should fix this problem. Let's just hope some other overload problem didn't cause the relay contacts to stick...
Someone threw out a nice $200 dehumidifier and I should be able to get it working for just a couple of bucks and an hour of my diagnostic time.
Some people put together jig-saw puzzles. I fix things.
This was a great video. You're a wonderful teacher.
*FarmCraft101* Thanks. Mine is blowing but not condensing so it could just be the other way around? I'll open it tomorrow and see if the compressor runs...
I opened it up to find tons of dust and fluff impeding air flow. Works fine now after a good clean. I hadn't seen that there is a fine air-inlet filter which can be removed for cleaning.
Lots of good info, i enjoy your style and tips and troubleshooting... thanks and keep up the good work!
I enjoy watching you.Wish you were closer to fix my national dry fan!!
I fixed mine using the clue from you video. Thank you so much.
I noticed when you're hooking up the 12 volts on that circuit board your bare finger seem awfully close to the circuit board 110 volt part you called the bus bar. The 12 volt parts pretty harmless but..... You know..... jus sayin' 😉
I'm 63 and I've been tearing stuff apart since I was 5 years old. I had a toy dump truck with six d cells...... It was working fine but I had to figure out why it had so much power even though it didn't move very fast. The Phillips screwdriver was all that was needed for one of my first memories of wanting to know what's behind those Philips screws that makes this thing tick. I salvaged a 50-pint dehumidifier yesterday that doesn't work and I'm going to try and figure it out too. Holding the power button down for a second and releasing it the display comes on then a few seconds later it turns back off and nothing happens. Hmmmmm🤔
Thanks for the video 👍
Awesome vid, thanks. I don't think that's the issue with mine, but it was entertaining to watch you troubleshoot regardless haha
Great troubleshooting video. Thanks!
Nicely done, I will try to fix mine now.
Sometimes you can heat up the board slightly just enough to make the solder joints better
Loved your video and problem solving techniques. Keep up the good work and thanks for your excellent teaching!
ITS VOOOOORRKING!! Love that Ave character.
Great video and great analytical skills. I bought a refurbished Whynter dehumidifier that seems to cycle even in the Continuous mode, where the compressor should stay on until the water bucket is full. The unit is new, I just used it the first summer in my house to keep the humidity level in the Comfort zone, 45-55%. I hope Whynter provides some technical help. Do you think the humidity sensor could be the likely problem?
nice diagnosis!
I liked this video because you said you watch AvE!!! BEST CHANNEL EVER!!!!
film capacitor @ 5:05. usually very low capacitance, unlikely to fail and not really all that dangerous. fun fact: it's the same as you'd find in a desk fan because the principle is exactly the same: two inductor coils causing an electro magnetic field and spinning the fan
Enjoyed so much. Thanks John! Where can I find part 2?
every time I hear the "working on live electronics is extremely dangerous" disclaimer, i hear biggie smalls' "I'M READY TO DIE"
liked and subbed already cuz I try to do this shit too in the same way lol
very nice instruction ,now i'll fix mine....same problem
nicely detailed trouble shooting. and fearless. . . my kind of guy.
Thanks for the breakdown video, that helped! As Sam Elliot says to the Dude " I like your style"
Excellent...my unit just won't collect water....will open and check as you have done. Filter could just be dirty. Thanks
Try to clean filter first. If that doesnt work its low on freon or refrigerant. The compressor moves the freon and cools the air below the dew point causing water to drip into the pan. It takes r410. Probably not worth fixing unless you have your license to buy freon and can find and fix the leak. Sorry
@@electromech7335 I think you answered my question. Not what I wanted to hear but very helpful nonetheless. (So was the video.) Thanks.
Hello, Have a relatively new GE ADEL50 dehumidifier . (temp well above 60, and humidity in basement well adequate /this summer). stopped making water. fan runs, Ive selected "run constant "to presumably bypass the humidity sensor. I can hear the compressor kick on. I assume the only reason it wouldnt be making water is refrigerant leaked out. I assume there is no way to recharge/find leak etc ?...thanks for response.
Thanks. You have given me inspiration to dissect my dehumidifier.
Tell me. Are those spade-knife connectors good for 120V ?
I have used them primarily on 12v.
very informative and professional... thank you
two reasons i dont do videos like this, one, i dont know enough info to teach others, two, i have a lot less hair than you. thanks for the video!
i see the problem with the circuit board. Look at the round things on a circuit board. They have indents like a plus sign when they go bad they burst open.
I'm blowing warm Air throughout my exhaust vent above my fan blower.
So do I! The compressor and fan kick it but only hot air comes out. What's the solution?
Don't worry about the thinning on top. Grass doesn't grow on a busy street.
Love it. Not the same symptoms im having but great video
How easy is it to change the micro switch? Our Friedrich dehumidifier is over flowing and the bucket seems to be OK. Good video.
brilliantly simple! Thank you
Geat Vid many thanks from the UK
Just as a foot note. The capacitor can gradually recharge after being discharge without being plugged into power. Be careful.
Great video, wish you didn't take it apart in fast speed. I am having trouble taking the back off of the same Friedrich D70BPA unit. The blower wheel is making such terrible noise. It is somehow loose. Any pointers on getting it apart. I took out every screw I can find and still the back would not release on the top. Thanks
Brilliant and inspiring - thank you
Just so you know, my guess that you have a bad electrolytic capacitor. You have a bunch of them on the board and they go bad all the time. A couple of dollars and some desoldering and soldering and you would be good to go. I like your videos
Pretty stinking smart idea. Thanks
I have the same problem, my dehumifier is fine, but my hair is gone... take it easy man.
Fantastic video
Thanks for the video!
Please let us know the length of time of extended use you were able to obtain from that repaired unit from the time you fixed it
Great video it was very interesting.
My problem is the coils not getting cold do you know whats could be the problem? Thankx
actually i like this guy!
Thank you for making this video.
I may be missing it, but you just connected the wire going from the compressor to the fan?
Nice video.
0:48 Wise words . Thank you !
I just bought a dehumidifier two months ago and I noticed yesterday it's running and blowing air but it's not pulling water like it was. It was pulling 70 pints over a six hour period and now not even a pint. What could be wrong with it? Anyone's comments would be greatly appreciated.
Candace Hood ::: Hard to find a decent one these days! I have three “Noma” brand in Canada, and they barely worked for one winter. Inspired to at least have a look inside now, though...
The fan must turn most of the time to sense the humidity of the place
Doesn't the fan need to run separately from compressor so it can melt the frost from coils at intervals it finds necessary?