Hello All

Is there any rule of thumb to consider when deciding whether to repair
or replace a dehumidifier? The unit in question is a stand-alone Sears
Kenmore 65 pints per 24 hour dehumidifier that was purchased new, and
has been in use in an unfinished basement for three years. A drain hose
is connected so that it can run as necessary. We just set the
humidistat and leave it on 24/7 Sometimes it runs very little (heating
season), in the summer it may run much more (we live in Wisconsin).

The unit has just quit working. It is not totally dead. I can set the
humidistat to the lowest setting, the unit will then run for about 90
seconds then shut off as if the correct humidity level has been
reached. Possibly a bad humidistat?

Anyway - if you have experience repairing this type of unit, or have
had a dehumidifier repaired, I'd like your opinion on whether a repair
is cost effective and typically long-lasting. Or am I dealing with an
appliance that is better replaced than repaired? I haven't taken it in
for an estimate yet. I was just wondering if three years of service was
the norm and that it might be time for a new dehumidier.

Thanks in advance for any ideas on this.

wrote in message
ups.com...
Hello All

Is there any rule of thumb to consider when deciding whether to repair
or replace a dehumidifier? The unit in question is a stand-alone Sears
Kenmore 65 pints per 24 hour dehumidifier that was purchased new, and
has been in use in an unfinished basement for three years. A drain hose
is connected so that it can run as necessary. We just set the
humidistat and leave it on 24/7 Sometimes it runs very little (heating
season), in the summer it may run much more (we live in Wisconsin).

The unit has just quit working. It is not totally dead. I can set the
humidistat to the lowest setting, the unit will then run for about 90
seconds then shut off as if the correct humidity level has been
reached. Possibly a bad humidistat?

Anyway - if you have experience repairing this type of unit, or have
had a dehumidifier repaired, I'd like your opinion on whether a repair
is cost effective and typically long-lasting. Or am I dealing with an
appliance that is better replaced than repaired? I haven't taken it in
for an estimate yet. I was just wondering if three years of service was
the norm and that it might be time for a new dehumidier.

Thanks in advance for any ideas on this.


We had a smaller Sears dehumidifier and on it's 3rd year it started making
rattling noises. It was still under their protection plan so we had it
fixed. Somethig was wrong with the fan. It lasted for a few more months
and then rattled again. By then the service agreement was up and I didn't
fix it. So in my case, 3 years seems to be the lifespan.

Most Sears units come with a 5 year warranty parts and labor for the
refrigeration system. I brought my 2 year old unit in because it turned on
but was not condensing anything and they gave me a new one.


wrote in message
ups.com...
Hello All

Is there any rule of thumb to consider when deciding whether to repair
or replace a dehumidifier? The unit in question is a stand-alone Sears
Kenmore 65 pints per 24 hour dehumidifier that was purchased new, and
has been in use in an unfinished basement for three years. A drain hose
is connected so that it can run as necessary. We just set the
humidistat and leave it on 24/7 Sometimes it runs very little (heating
season), in the summer it may run much more (we live in Wisconsin).

The unit has just quit working. It is not totally dead. I can set the
humidistat to the lowest setting, the unit will then run for about 90
seconds then shut off as if the correct humidity level has been
reached. Possibly a bad humidistat?

Anyway - if you have experience repairing this type of unit, or have
had a dehumidifier repaired, I'd like your opinion on whether a repair
is cost effective and typically long-lasting. Or am I dealing with an
appliance that is better replaced than repaired? I haven't taken it in
for an estimate yet. I was just wondering if three years of service was
the norm and that it might be time for a new dehumidier.

Thanks in advance for any ideas on this.