Dehumidifier Not Dehumidifying

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Dehumidifier not dehumidifying

Jim -- Sunday, 7 May 2000, at 6:18 p.m.

I have a White-Westinghouse dehumidifier that is about 1 year old. The motor runs, the fans turns, but no moisture is removed from ythe air. The container that is supposed to catch the water remains bone dry.

Re: Dehumidifier not dehumidifying LINK PIC

Dan O. -- Sunday, 7 May 2000, at 11:48 p.m.

: I have a White-Westinghouse dehumidifier that
: is about 1 year old. The motor runs, the
: fans turns, but no moisture is removed from
: the air. The container that is supposed to
: catch the water remains bone dry.
In order for a dehumidifier to remove moisture, not only does the fan motor have to run but also does the compressor. If the compressor does not start, the problem could be a bad or out of place overflow switch, humidistat, bad compressor relay, overload, start capacitor or the compressor itself.
If the compressor is running, the evaporator (cooling) coil may have frosted over instead of just sweating like it should normally. You can read about possible caused for that at the page linked below.
Dan O.

My dehumidifier is building up frost on the coils and seems to be running continuously. What might be the problem?

Re: White Westinghouse Dehumidifier Squeaking

DeAnna -- Monday, 22 May 2000, at 10:34 a.m.

I also have a White Westinghouse dehumidifier. It was in my apartment when I moved in two years ago and I believe it is several years old. I have no problem with it pulling moisture out of the air. My problem is that it has started squeaking very loudly. Can anyone tell me if it's safe to unscrew the "woodgrain" case around the motor and oil it? What should I oil? Thanks

Re: White Westinghouse Dehumidifier Squeaking LINK PIC

Dan O. -- Monday, 22 May 2000, at 1:50 p.m.

: I also have a White Westinghouse dehumidifier.
: It was in my apartment when I moved in two
: years ago and I believe it is several years
: old. I have no problem with it pulling
: moisture out of the air. My problem is that
: it has started squeaking very loudly. Can
: anyone tell me if it's safe to unscrew the
: "woodgrain" case around the motor
: and oil it? What should I oil? I'm certain
: that if there was a warranty it has expired
: and I don't have access to it anyway.
Access to the internal components of a dehumidifier is usually done by removing the outer cabinet. If the front grill is attached to the cabinet, care will need to be taken with the wiring to the controls.
The most common cause of a squeaking/squeaking in a dehumidifier is the fan motor bearings getting worn. While there may be oiling ports on the motor, most times oiling it is just a stopgap measure. The real solution is usually to replace the motor once it start squealing.
If a replacement motor is not available and/or you just want to try to oil it, the oil at the following link is "turbine oil", specially designed for appliance motors plus its container has a telescoping spot for easily access to the motor oiling ports.
Dan O.

'Zoom Spout' Oiler

Re: General Freezer Dehumidifier

Marty -- Wednesday, 13 September 2000, at 11:26 a.m.

Dan, can you or others give me any direction as to where to find a fan motor for my General Freezer dehumidifier Model GDH-26-S? Finally gave up after 18 years without oiling it!
Thanks,
Marty E.

Re: Dehumidifier

Dan O. -- Wednesday, 13 September 2000, at 1:30 p.m.

: Dan, can you or others give me any direction as
: to where to find a fan motor for my GENERAL
: FREEZER dehumidifier Model GDH-26-S? Finally
: gave up after 18 years without oiling it!
General Freezer is owned by Frigidaire. One of their parts or service depots should be able to get a replacement for you, if one is still available.
Should a factory replacement no longer be available, take your old motor to a local appliance parts supplier and they should be able to find you an aftermarket replacement.
Dan O.

Re: Dehumidifier

Marty -- Wednesday, 13 September 2000, at 4:26 p.m.

: General Freezer is owned by Frigidaire. One of
: their parts or service depots should be able
: to get a replacement for you, if one is
: still available.
Thanks, Dan. I did get in touch with Frigidaire who informs that the part is no longer available from them. Looks like a pretty standard item to me though. I'll dig some more.
Marty E.

Re: Dehumidifier

Marty -- Monday, 18 September 2000, at 2:34 p.m.

Success! I saw an ad for Repair Clinic site in "Homeowners Today" magazine. Went to the site, plugged in the part number off the fan motore (took a couple of tries with the different numbers) and up pops a picture of the exact item, attached wires and all.
Couldn't believe it. Also ordered a part for my Sub-Zero refrigerator and Thermador oven. Inexpensive shipping, too.
Marty E.

Re: Dehumidifier LINK PIC

Dan O. -- Monday, 18 September 2000, at 5:37 p.m.

: Success! I saw an ad for RepairClinic site
: in "Homeowners Today" magazine.
: Went to the site, plugged in the fan motor
: part number and up pops a picture of the
: exact item, attached cables and all.
Thanks for posting a follow up.
Yes I have heard they are a very good company to deal with. You can either enter a part number at their site to look it up or enter the appliance model number to see parts from that model or even just browser their catalog by entering an appliance brand name and type and answering a few simple questions about part type or size, etc. A pretty slick operation!
Dan O.
Appliance411
The Appliance Information Site
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RepairClinic.com