I returned a Friedrich 40 pint electronic dehumidifier because it had the
tendency to cycle too much. I got a 2nd Friedrich unit (same model) and it
has the same issue. Like the Kenmoore and Goldstar units, this is made in
China by LG electronics. This 40 pint electronic unit seems to have a rule
where the unit MUST frequently turn itself on for 2 minutes at a time to
measure the humidity, AND during this period the compressor IS turned on.
For example, if the relative humidity is only in the 40s or 50s (according
to digital hygrometers) , and I set the humidistat all the way up to 70%,
the unit repeatedly cycles. It goes on for 2 minutes, and then shuts off
usually for 2.5 to 3 minutes, but *sometimes* off as long as 6 minutes.
When maintaining a moderate humidity this same type of frequent cycling
happens too (which can be 2 mintues on and 2 or 3 minutes off).

How this thing got an Energy Star rating with all the frequent cycling is a
mystery.

I'm just wondering if the LG made "mechanical" units (with a dial for the
humidistat) would be less prone to the frequent cycling, or are they
"electro-mechanical" units that are still programmed to cycle very
frequently when the room humdity is "less than or equal to" the current
setting?

By the way, this particular unit makes a whistling sound (kind of like a tea
kettle whistle) for a few seconds when the compressor starts up (but this
only happens if the unit hasn't been powered down for a while). The one I
returned didn't seem to do this. Is the whistling normal?

J.