We have been using dehumidifiers for a while now, mainly to help keep the moisture from the shower off the walls. However, they appear to be prone to breaking and so this blog post is intended to show how you might fix them when they break, why they might break but also I intend to expand it as and when (inevitably) they do break.
'Fun' Fact - Relative humidity in the home shouldn't exceed 40 - 50%
'Fun' Fact - Relative humidity in the home shouldn't exceed 40 - 50%
What are dehumidifiers and how to clean them...
This section should be nice and simple. Clean your dehumidifier once every month making sure to get the dust and fluff from between the vents.
A company called air&water do a lot of great dehumidifier guides for;
When a dehumidifier breaks...
The loose pin - I put the water reservoir in but the light is red and the fans are off
Model: HD-68W (Challenge) 9v 3A
In most small dehumidifiers - in the UK at least - there are two small pins that hang from the inside of the device onto the water reservoir. In the picture below, the left pin when pushed upwards (by the water reservoir) turns the device on - you should see a green light on the device as it is pushed up.
In most small dehumidifiers - in the UK at least - there are two small pins that hang from the inside of the device onto the water reservoir. In the picture below, the left pin when pushed upwards (by the water reservoir) turns the device on - you should see a green light on the device as it is pushed up.
The second pin - on the right - is designed to rest on a float within the reservoir. When the reservoir is empty the second pin is dropped but as it fills, the float slowly lifts with the water causing the second pin to rise. When both the pins are raised you will see a red light and the fans will be off.
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| Reservoir |
This might be because of a loose second pin, meaning it does not rest on the float when you insert the reservoir but instead is pushed up by the solid frame making it perpetually 'off'.
Solution: Wiggle the second pin back into its rightful place - I pushed mine back and it is still working several months later. Alternatively you can replace the part (coming soon)
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| two pins |
The blown switch - I try to turn on the switch but it flicks straight back to off
Model: HD-68W (Challenge) 9v 3A
When another dehumidifier we have seemed to stop turning on I started to look inside to see what was causing the issue. In the first picture we can see that the switch is connected by two wires, which, when removed shows the lower one to have burnt out. This was connected to the plug insert where the power is passed through into the device.
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| 2.5amp 2 Core plug insert |
The switch connects to the motherboard which provides power to the light and the fan used to draw in water. This connects to the 2 Core plug insert that provides power and thus completed the circuit.
I wasn't sure if the plug insert or the switch had broken so was able to find the following part that could be used to replace the piece. However, it's incredibly hard to find a matching switch, the closest I could find was on RS-Components which might need some modification to be usable.
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| Circuit Diagram |
Recycle and Reuse
I find myself increasingly frustrated with how hard it is to find parts to fix products or the sheer cost of fixing with the matching parts against buying a new device. For £30 per mini-dehumidifier it seems hardly worth the time to fix, especially when buying new (not-matching) parts would need modification to the frame to make the parts fit.
However, rather than throwing away old devices, there are lots of parts you can keep for reuse;
- Screws can be used elsewhere and are always handy in the toolbox.
- Metal can be cut off and used as frames or connectors on other projects. Each strip can be cut into individual sheets or can be independently recycled in a metal recycling bin.
- The fan is a good part to keep as a spare part in case another dehumidifier breaks (or as I'm currently thinking, to make a fan powered boat)
- Plastic shell can be recycled in a plastic recycling bin although make sure all the electrical parts have been removes
- Plug insert can be kept for replacement in the future or for use in another project.
- Wires can be cut out and reused elsewhere for other electrical projects
Other dehumidifier fixes?
If you would like to add to this with your own fixes send me an email and I can add it in for others to use.
