When Should You Repair or Replace Your Dehumidifier?

Humidity is the biggest foe to the structural strength of your home. It can create a perfect environment for the growth of molds and yeasts in the nooks and crannies, corners, and basements of your place, hence leading to several other issues.

Molds will not only leave a deteriorating effect on your health but also destroys the air quality of your home by leaving a pungent odor.

That’s where the need for dehumidifiers leaps in! Dehumidifiers clean up the air of your space of all the excess moisture. These are now considered one of the most important purchases whenever building a new home or a commercial setup.

Since every place is different depending on the moisture level it has, the requirement for a dehumidifier also differs from place to place. Larger places require more dehumidifiers and smaller ones do less.

Sometimes, even some smaller spaces may require bigger or more dehumidifiers depending on the environment, the sources of moisture, as well as the amount of moisture in the space.

Failure to buy the right size and number of dehumidifiers for a place leads to improper removal of moisture and hence causes the growth of mold and harmful microorganisms in the space.

This article will explain why dehumidifiers are important, what are the signs that require repair or replacement of your dehumidifiers, and the possible ways to maintain them.

4 Signs To Repair Your Dehumidifier

If you are detecting a change in the humidity level at your place, you might be wondering whether the dehumidifier is delivering what it was supposed to or not.

Sometimes, a low-performing dehumidifier is requiring nothing more than a simple repairing service.

Below are the common signs indicating your dehumidifier requires a repair service:

1. Dehumidifier Is Operational but Ineffective

Do you often turn on a dehumidifier and hear it doing its work but can not visibly see any difference? Well, here is what the problem can be:

The first sign that points to a service call is the operationality of your dehumidifier. If the dehumidifier is working, but the results are not visible, it means there is a problem.

Solution

Cleaning is the simple solution to an operational but ineffective dehumidifier. It can be done easily on your own by the following procedure:

• Study the manual guide and find the right way to open the dehumidifier.
• Unscrew and remove the cover of your dehumidifier.
• Clean the compressor gently and carefully.
• Make sure to remove the frost from the coils, if any.
• Remove the dust from condenser coils to keep it from lowering its efficiency.
• Clean the fan blades thoroughly and remove any accumulated dirt.
• Check the functionality of the fan by rotating it. Oil it if required.
• Analyze the working of the humidistat. Make sure it is fully operational and not giving a sign of defect.
• Put the cover lid back on the dehumidifier and secure it with screws.

2. Dehumidifier Is Not Turning On

If your dehumidifier is not turning on and not sounding normal, there might be some issue with it that can be resolved by repairing it.

Solution

Here is how to solve the issue of a dehumidifier that is not turning on:

• Unplug the dehumidifier from the power outlet and plug some other appliance into the switch to check if it is functional or not. Replace the switch if any fault is detected.
• Clean the plug from any carbon and fix it back in the power outlet. Turn the button on.
• In case the dehumidifier still does not turns on, look for any problem with the wire cord and replace it if some fault is detected.
• If the problem persists, look for any ice on the dehumidifier parts. If detected, let it melt before turning on the dehumidifier. You can also use a blower to speed up the process.
• Remove and check for any faults in the humidistat. In case it is giving abnormal numbers, get it repaired.
• Check the collecting tray. A filled tray will cause water overspilling, which may affect the overflow cut off hence causing a shutdown of the appliance.
• Look for any burn marks on the motherboard of the unit. Get them professionally repaired.

3. Dehumidifier Is Producing Loud Noise

A slow vibrating sound is common to all dehumidifiers, and it indicates the unit is operational. However, if the sound is turning loud day by day and affecting your quality of life, it is not a good sign.

If your dehumidifier is producing loud noise, it means it is encountering some serious problem that needs to be checked immediately.

4. Parts of the Dehumidifier Are Leaking

Since a dehumidifier is dealing with moisture and water, it can develop some leakage at any point in time. Usually, it is caused by an overflowing collecting tray. It is important to drain the tray from time to time in order to save it from any leakage.

In case the culprit is not an overflowing tray, it indicates that your dehumidifier is calling for service. You can call a serviceman to resolve the issue and do the necessary protocols to bring your dehumidifier back to its perfect optimal functioning.

6 Signs To Replace Your Dehumidifier

Sometimes, repairing alone can not solve the problem with a dehumidifier. Oftentimes, the damage has gotten so severe that the dehumidifier is not looking for a repair service but a replacement.

Below listed are 6 common signs that indicate that the dehumidifier is requiring a replacement.

1. You Have To Call Repair Service More Than Twice a Year

If you are facing problems with your dehumidifier more than normal, it is not a good sign. Ideally, you should only call a repair service if you can not solve a problem on your own or if the problem is too severe. You might need to call for a service rarely or only once every two years.

If you are bound to call service even more than twice a year, it is a sign that your dehumidifier has gone bad and requires a replacement.

2. The Dehumidifier Is Working Full-Time or Too Less

Before purchasing and installing a dehumidifier at any place, make sure it is adequate for the area covered. If it is too small, it will have to work continuously throughout the day to keep the moisture in the environment balanced and if too large, it will run really small cycles. Both of these situations are not good for the health of your dehumidifier.

You must replace the dehumidifier with the right size in order to get the right results. If not done so, the dehumidifier may burn out due to excessive load or undergo malfunctioning due to no load at all.

3. Visible Excess Moisture

Sometimes, even when your dehumidifier shows that it is working fine, the excess moisture in the space can be visibly seen on surfaces such as those made up of metal or glass.

This phenomenon is usually common in winter, especially in those areas where winters are very harsh and in minus degrees temperatures. This indicates that the dehumidifier installed in the room is not enough to remove all the moisture and needs a bigger, more efficient dehumidifier to serve the purpose.

4. Dehumidifier Has Gone Faulty

You might have set the humidity and temperature of your room to a specific desirable point. In case that point is not achieved, it shows there is some fault with your dehumidifier.

The problem might lie with the control sensors of the dehumidifier or the life of the dehumidifier may be reaching its end. In either case, it is wise to change your slow and dysfunctioning dehumidifier with a new one.

5. Moldy Odor in Your Place

Besides having a dehumidifier installed at your place, if you still detect any moldy odor from your place, it really becomes difficult to survive with it.

If there is excess moisture in the space or if the dehumidifier is malfunctioning, mold will get the perfect environment for its growth. The favorable environment includes cold, dark, and full of moisture space.

It is very difficult to get rid of moldy odors or hues once they have formed. This is a clear sign that you have delayed the replacement of your dehumidifier for a good amount of time and the situation has gone out of hand.

Make sure to launch your search and eradication operation right away to deal with mold spores. Most importantly, replace your dehumidifier right away!

6. Moisture Level of the Place Has Altered

Keep inspecting the moisture level of your place to see if it is the same or has changed. Many factors can change the humidity level of the space hence requiring a replacement of the dehumidifier.

These include:

• You built a new pool in the home or the temperature of the existing pool has increased.
• The temperature of the space has changed to a higher degree.
• You introduced any water-related equipment or feature in your space.

How To Maintain Your Dehumidifier?

If you need to call for dehumidifier service too often, it indicates that it has worn out. For a new or already working dehumidifier, you might need to take the following maintenance steps in order to prevent it from going bad.

• Inspect the air filters of the dehumidifier regularly, clean them periodically, and do replace them if they have gone too dirty and clogged.
• The air circulation blower belt needs to have a certain tension to work properly. Keep a check on its tension and replace it when needed.
• Make sure the duct system of the dehumidifier is working perfectly in order to maintain proper air circulation throughout the space.
• Keep the coils of the outside remote condenser clean and free from any debris or filth.
• Keep all the screws of the dehumidifier tightly secured in their place.
• Make sure all electric connections are right and are tightly held.

Conclusion

There can be many signs that indicate a repair or replacement of your dehumidifier.

The signs for the replacement of a dehumidifier are an operational but ineffective unit, the unit not turning on, loud noise, or leakage from the dehumidifier.

Replacement of a dehumidifier is recommended if you are bound to call repair service twice every year, your dehumidifier is spending too much or too less time working, you can see visible signs of moisture at your place, the unit has gone faulty, there is moldy odor, or the moisture level of your place is changed significantly.