What makes a dehumidifier ice up

They might not be working correctly if they are dirty and this could lead to icing. Some dehumidifiers are built to withstand lower temperatures so if you know you are going to be placing it in a room where it will be colder such as a basement or outbuilding it is worth investing in a unit which will cope better with lower temperatures. Kenmore and Frigidaire are two great brands that offer quality models that can help. By going with a trusted brand you can purchase with a bit of ease of mind and know that you have a strong warranty to back it up if anything goes wrong.

Or if you only have a small space you want to reduce humidity in, then a desiccant dehumidifier might do the trick. These work by drawing moisture from the air using a synthetic material like silica gel. They are free from moving parts so will not face the same problems as a mechanical unit. However, these units need replacing more regularly and will not be as powerful as a permanent dehumidifier. So to sum up, there are a few main things to look out for if your dehumidifier keeps freezing up.

Check the temperature in the room to make sure it is not too cold. While some units are built to work in lower temperatures, most need to be above 65 degrees to work properly. You can also move the unit into a higher place, where the air is warmer. Hopefully this will solve your problems but if you have any more questions please comment and share below! Content Navigation. The unit is supposed to remove humidity without making the air cooler.

To do that, a dehumidifier works in the same way as an air conditioner but with one big difference. With an air conditioner, a compressor circulates a refrigerant through the system in a continuous loop. After being compressed, the refrigerant is very hot and circulates through condenser coils, where a fan blows outside air over those hot coils to transfer heat from the refrigerant into the outside air.

The hot condenser coils and the cold evaporator coils are separated. In a central air system, one is outside and the other is inside. In a window AC unit, they are separated by an insulated partition within the unit. Keep this point in mind. When the warm room air passes over these very cold coils, the air is cooled and then circulated by the air handler back into your rooms.

At the same time, moisture in the air is removed, making the air in your home both cooler and drier. The refrigerant is then sent back to the compressor where it is compressed again, and the process repeats.

The one big difference with the dehumidifier is that there is virtually no separation between the very hot condenser coils and the very cold evaporator coils. The entire purpose of the dehumidifier is to remove moisture from the air but NOT to cool the air. Just as soon as the air passes over the cold evaporator coils it passes over the hot condenser coils.

If anything, the air comes out warmer than it went in. But when it does that, the main objective of the dehumidifier is accomplished. Once you are satisfied with the cleaning the unit must be left to dry thoroughly before use. This will need at least a day in a warm place. A flow of air from a fan will assist the drying.

Only when you are confident that the appliance is completely dry should it be switched back on and tested. Specialist cleaning products are available such as "AC-Safe Air Conditioning Coil Foaming Cleaner" if you want to spend a few dollars to make the task a little easier. Possible Answer Three: The dehumidifier ice up because the evaporator coil is dirty Most room dehumidifiers have an "auto defrost" system.

This is the system that turns off the compressor until the ice has melted. This system depends on a sensor detecting the ice build-up on the coil. The sensor may be faulty or the wire connecting the sensor to the switch which causes the compressor may have become detached.

Reattaching the wire may be simple on some models but if a new sensor is required, and the installation has to be done by a paid professional, it may be uneconomic to repair. Possible Answer Four: The dehumidifier ices up because he auto defrost sensor has failed All four of the possible answers given so far will typically result in a more or less even build-up of ice over the entire coil. If the ice forms on some parts of the coil only this most probably means there is a fault in the refrigeration system.

The most common cause is a shortage of refrigerant. Recharging the refrigerant is not a job to be undertaken by amateurs. If the loss of refrigerant is caused by a leak a replacement refrigeration unit may be required.

Many units come with a five year warranty on the sealed refrigeration system but this is usually hedged with conditions. The customer may be liable for shipping and other charges which may make replacement a better option than repair. Of course, if the compressor has failed completely no dehumidifier ices up, the coil simply does not get cold. These and similar faults may be relatively simple to repair. Possible Answer Five: The dehumidifier ices up because of a fault or failure in the refrigeration system We hope that everything has been covered by this article but, if not, please let us know how we can improve it.

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