For years we have been using portable dehumidifiers in the basement
between May and September. This weekend I fired up the current one only to
note a return to the common pattern: the compressor runs but there is no
hot air exhaust or condensation because the tubing has corroded and
allowed the refrigerant to escape.

Over the last 10 years we've had perhaps 5 such units down there, making
the average lifespan ~ 2 years. Reading online reviews from actual
customers, it seems that for everything manufactured after the millennium
this is the usual pattern. And they all die in the same way.

We have usually been buying the most accessible brands; LG or the
LG-manufactured Kenmore units sold at Sears. Once Sears replaced a unit
when their repair depot deemed it to be beyond repair.

It occurred to me that perhaps we're buying the wrong brand. Web sites
that review these units seem to recommend Fridigaire, Danby, GE, or
Whirlpool. But then I read reviews from actual owners, and there are
similar complaints. Now most units are warranted for only a year, and the
cost of an extended warranty pretty much could be better spent on simply
buying a new unit every 2 years.

Are there ANY 70-pint portable dehumidifiers that last beyond 2 years, or
at least have a longer factory warranty?

On May 21, 10:58*am, (Mike S.) wrote:
For years we have been using portable dehumidifiers in the basement
between May and September. This weekend I fired up the current one only to
note a return to the common pattern: the compressor runs but there is no
hot air exhaust or condensation because the tubing has corroded and
allowed the refrigerant to escape.

Over the last 10 years we've had perhaps 5 such units down there, making
the average lifespan ~ 2 years. Reading online reviews from actual
customers, it seems that for everything manufactured after the millennium
this is the usual pattern. And they all die in the same way.

We have usually been buying the most accessible brands; LG or the
LG-manufactured Kenmore units sold at Sears. Once Sears replaced a unit
when their repair depot deemed it to be beyond repair.

It occurred to me that perhaps we're buying the wrong brand. Web sites
that review these units seem to recommend Fridigaire, Danby, GE, or
Whirlpool. But then I read reviews from actual owners, and there are
similar complaints. Now most units are warranted for only a year, and the
cost of an extended warranty pretty much could be better spent on simply
buying a new unit every 2 years.

Are there ANY 70-pint portable dehumidifiers that last beyond 2 years, or
at least have a longer factory warranty?

A friend of mine had a Sears made by LG. The fan quit
working when it was about 3 years old. Since it was just
the fan and not knowing the sorry track record with these
units, we spent $40 on a new fan and I put it in. It lasted
less than a year. Still not having learned our lesson, we
ordered another one. That one smoked on start-up.
And no, there isn't any fancy electronics or anything that
could account for it. It's just a two speed AC motor with
3 leads. Finally looking online, there were countless
reports going back many years of the same kind of fan
failure. It shows that Sears and LG just don't have
any QC and don't give a damn.

He bought a new humdifier about 3 years ago, don't
remember what it was, but it was not Sears or LG.
As part of the negotiation, the store manager agreed to
match the low online price we had found, if we would
take the extended 3 year warranty for about $40
extra. Normally, think these are a waste, but for
dehumidifiers, at the right price, I think they are a good
idea. So, he bought it. About two years in, it failed.
He took it back to the store. They didn't have that
model anymore, but had a slightly higher capacity
model for $25 more. So, he paid the $25 and got a
brand new one.

That was about 2 years ago. It's still working. Think
it's a Frigidaire, but I can check for you. But don't know
that it really means much, because it's only been
running a year or two.... Like you, I've yet to hear of
one company that folks say last. But if I were you, I'd
price out the extended warranty on anything you buy.
For these, it could be a good idea.

On Tue, 21 May 2013 08:24:44 -0700 (PDT), "
wrote:


As part of the negotiation, the store manager agreed to
match the low online price we had found, if we would
take the extended 3 year warranty for about $40
extra. Normally, think these are a waste, but for
dehumidifiers, at the right price, I think they are a good
idea. So, he bought it. About two years in, it failed.
He took it back to the store. They didn't have that
model anymore, but had a slightly higher capacity
model for $25 more. So, he paid the $25 and got a
brand new one.


Since they sold a warranty, they should have to make good one way or
another I'd think. I'd have bitched about spending more money. I
bought the extended coverage in good faith, they should make me whole.

On May 21, 1:11*pm, Ed Pawlowski wrote:
On Tue, 21 May 2013 08:24:44 -0700 (PDT), "

wrote:
As part of the negotiation, the store manager agreed to
match the low online price we had found, if we would
take the extended 3 year warranty for about $40
extra. * Normally, think these are a waste, but for
dehumidifiers, at the right price, I think they are a good
idea. * So, he bought it. * About two years in, it failed.
He took it back to the store. *They didn't have that
model anymore, but had a slightly higher capacity
model for $25 more. *So, he paid the $25 and got a
brand new one.

Since they sold a warranty, they should have to make good one way or
another I'd think. *I'd have bitched about spending more money. *I
bought the extended coverage in good faith, they should make me whole.

They did have an option of leaving the broken one
for repair, but it was unclear how long that would take.
With the new one, without the $25 additional, he would
have been made arguably, better than whole.

In article ,
wrote:

A friend of mine had a Sears made by LG. The fan quit
working when it was about 3 years old. Since it was just
the fan and not knowing the sorry track record with these
units, we spent $40 on a new fan and I put it in. It lasted
less than a year. Still not having learned our lesson, we
ordered another one. That one smoked on start-up.
And no, there isn't any fancy electronics or anything that
could account for it. It's just a two speed AC motor with
3 leads. Finally looking online, there were countless
reports going back many years of the same kind of fan
failure. It shows that Sears and LG just don't have
any QC and don't give a damn.

He bought a new humdifier about 3 years ago, don't
remember what it was, but it was not Sears or LG.
As part of the negotiation, the store manager agreed to
match the low online price we had found, if we would
take the extended 3 year warranty for about $40
extra. Normally, think these are a waste, but for
dehumidifiers, at the right price, I think they are a good
idea. So, he bought it. About two years in, it failed.
He took it back to the store. They didn't have that
model anymore, but had a slightly higher capacity
model for $25 more. So, he paid the $25 and got a
brand new one.

That was about 2 years ago. It's still working. Think
it's a Frigidaire, but I can check for you. But don't know
that it really means much, because it's only been
running a year or two.... Like you, I've yet to hear of
one company that folks say last. But if I were you, I'd
price out the extended warranty on anything you buy.
For these, it could be a good idea.

Thanks for the additional data points. Whatever we do, the next unit will
probably not be LG/Sears. Have really resisted the idea of paying for an
extended warranty, but perhaps this is one of those products where it
makes sense.

Will see what can be had at Lowes or Home Depot. Even
Wal-Mart has a decent selection in their ship-to-store arrangement.

replying to Mike S. , passerby wrote:
retsuhcs wrote:

For years we have been using portable dehumidifiers in the basement
between May and September. This weekend I fired up the current one only to
note a return to the common pattern: the compressor runs but there is no
hot air exhaust or condensation because the tubing has corroded and
allowed the refrigerant to escape.
Over the last 10 years we've had perhaps 5 such units down there, making
the average lifespan ~ 2 years. Reading online reviews from actual
customers, it seems that for everything manufactured after the millennium
this is the usual pattern. And they all die in the same way.

I don't know about *all* manufacturers but my 3 years old 60 pint
Frigidaire looks and performs just the way it was when I bought it, so
there's definitely no 2 year preset time bomb in them. I would seriously
suspect the way the dehum is kept off season from Sept. to May to have
something to do with the extra corrosion, most especially after you've
gone through 5 of them. How are they kept? Do you put them back in the box
by any chance? You'd drain it for storage, I presume? What's the humidity
level over winter, anyway?

--
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http://www.homeownershub.com/mainten...rs-749247-.htm
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to home and garden related groups

In article .com,
passerby wrote:
replying to Mike S. , passerby wrote:
retsuhcs wrote:

For years we have been using portable dehumidifiers in the basement
between May and September. This weekend I fired up the current one only to
note a return to the common pattern: the compressor runs but there is no
hot air exhaust or condensation because the tubing has corroded and
allowed the refrigerant to escape.
Over the last 10 years we've had perhaps 5 such units down there, making
the average lifespan ~ 2 years. Reading online reviews from actual
customers, it seems that for everything manufactured after the millennium
this is the usual pattern. And they all die in the same way.

I don't know about *all* manufacturers but my 3 years old 60 pint
Frigidaire looks and performs just the way it was when I bought it, so
there's definitely no 2 year preset time bomb in them. I would seriously
suspect the way the dehum is kept off season from Sept. to May to have
something to do with the extra corrosion, most especially after you've
gone through 5 of them. How are they kept? Do you put them back in the box
by any chance? You'd drain it for storage, I presume? What's the humidity
level over winter, anyway?

They're kept on the floor of the same basement room as the summer months,
just not run. I generally turn the dehumidifer off for the season once the
baseline humidity drops below 50%. During the winter, hot air from the
furnace is vented into the room, and the humidity is generally 25 - 35%.

On 5/21/2013 10:58 AM, Mike S. wrote:
For years we have been using portable dehumidifiers in the basement
between May and September. This weekend I fired up the current one only to
note a return to the common pattern: the compressor runs but there is no
hot air exhaust or condensation because the tubing has corroded and
allowed the refrigerant to escape.

Over the last 10 years we've had perhaps 5 such units down there, making
the average lifespan ~ 2 years. Reading online reviews from actual
customers, it seems that for everything manufactured after the millennium
this is the usual pattern. And they all die in the same way.

We have usually been buying the most accessible brands; LG or the
LG-manufactured Kenmore units sold at Sears. Once Sears replaced a unit
when their repair depot deemed it to be beyond repair.

It occurred to me that perhaps we're buying the wrong brand. Web sites
that review these units seem to recommend Fridigaire, Danby, GE, or
Whirlpool. But then I read reviews from actual owners, and there are
similar complaints. Now most units are warranted for only a year, and the
cost of an extended warranty pretty much could be better spent on simply
buying a new unit every 2 years.

Are there ANY 70-pint portable dehumidifiers that last beyond 2 years, or
at least have a longer factory warranty?



I have no idea what you mean by 70-pint but I have a 30 litre Danby from
Costco/Price Club Canada that is in it's 5th year. I drain directly to
a floor drain so I don't empty a holding tank every day.

With the unit I keep the basement at 40% relative humidity. It's energy
factor is 1.80 L per KW-hr and it does about 30 L of water a day. I ask
it to do alot, and it's been pretty good. Has a timer and a remote
control (which we actually use sometimes) and draws about 6.5 amps with
compressor on.

Costco/Proce Club had by far the best price on Danby units at the time

replying to Hench , passerby wrote:
idonot wrote:

I have no idea what you mean by 70-pint but I have a 30 litre Danby from
Costco/Price Club Canada

70 pint is the same size as 30 liter as far as humidifier sizes go (70
pint = 33.1L)

With the unit I keep the basement at 40% relative humidity. It's energy
factor is 1.80 L per KW-hr and it does about 30 L of water a day. I ask
it to do alot, and it's been pretty good.

I think you are exactly right, 40% relative humidity is asking a lot of
dehumidifier, and probably unnecessary. Anything below 50% starts drying
things up (furniture, books, rugs etc.) and increases static electricity -
not good for electronics. 55% RH sounds like an ideal setting to me - not
yet damp but not drying either. Also happens to be the default on the one
I have now. By the way, I'm not sure how accurate the electronics
hygrometers are in these things. I think they are +-5%

--
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http://www.homeownershub.com/mainten...rs-749247-.htm
using HomeOwnersHub's Web, RSS and Social Media Interface
to home and garden related groups

replying to Mike S. , passerby wrote:
retsuhcs wrote:

They're kept on the floor of the same basement room as the summer months,
just not run. I generally turn the dehumidifer off for the season once the
baseline humidity drops below 50%. During the winter, hot air from the
furnace is vented into the room, and the humidity is generally 25 - 35%.

Mine is kept in the *exact same* environment, and not a sign of corrosion
(yet).

Corrosive air, thanks to Chinese drywall? Here is how FL recommends to
evaluate one's home for signs of drywall-associated corrosion:
http://www.doh.state.fl.us/environme...spections.html
Other types of corrosive air: ocean nearby? Electrostatic filter or any
other air ionizing device? Some kind of a processing industrial facility
nearby (petrochemical plant, paper mill, steel mill etc.) haven't yet
moved to China? Doing something ... ahem ... chemical at home? Don't
know, sounds like some sort of an environmental factor to me.

--
posted from
http://www.homeownershub.com/mainten...rs-749247-.htm
using HomeOwnersHub's Web, RSS and Social Media Interface
to home and garden related groups

On May 21, 9:42*pm, Hench wrote:
On 5/21/2013 10:58 AM, Mike S. wrote:





For years we have been using portable dehumidifiers in the basement
between May and September. This weekend I fired up the current one only to
note a return to the common pattern: the compressor runs but there is no
hot air exhaust or condensation because the tubing has corroded and
allowed the refrigerant to escape.

Over the last 10 years we've had perhaps 5 such units down there, making
the average lifespan ~ 2 years. Reading online reviews from actual
customers, it seems that for everything manufactured after the millennium
this is the usual pattern. And they all die in the same way.

We have usually been buying the most accessible brands; LG or the
LG-manufactured Kenmore units sold at Sears. Once Sears replaced a unit
when their repair depot deemed it to be beyond repair.

It occurred to me that perhaps we're buying the wrong brand. Web sites
that review these units seem to recommend Fridigaire, Danby, GE, or
Whirlpool. But then I read reviews from actual owners, and there are
similar complaints. Now most units are warranted for only a year, and the
cost of an extended warranty pretty much could be better spent on simply
buying a new unit every 2 years.

Are there ANY 70-pint portable dehumidifiers that last beyond 2 years, or
at least have a longer factory warranty?

I have no idea what you mean by 70-pint but I have a 30 litre Danby from
Costco/Price Club Canada that is in it's 5th year.

That's a good one. You have a 30 liter one but you have no
idea what he means by a 70 pint one......

On 05/21/2013 11:44 PM, passerby wrote:
replying to Hench , passerby wrote:
idonot wrote:

I have no idea what you mean by 70-pint but I have a 30 litre Danby
from Costco/Price Club Canada

70 pint is the same size as 30 liter as far as humidifier sizes go (70
pint = 33.1L)
With the unit I keep the basement at 40% relative humidity. It's
energy factor is 1.80 L per KW-hr and it does about 30 L of water a
day. I ask it to do alot, and it's been pretty good.

I think you are exactly right, 40% relative humidity is asking a lot of
dehumidifier, and probably unnecessary. Anything below 50% starts drying
things up (furniture, books, rugs etc.) and increases static electricity -
not good for electronics. 55% RH sounds like an ideal setting to me - not
yet damp but not drying either. Also happens to be the default on the one
I have now. By the way, I'm not sure how accurate the electronics
hygrometers are in these things. I think they are +-5%


Agreed all around, not sure why you would want to dehumidify down to
40%, I would try to keep humidity in the 45-55% range - when using the
dehumidifier aim for 55% and when using a humidifier in winter aim for 45%.

In my last house I double checked the humidity with a couple different
hygrometers arranged around the house and just tweaked the various
appliances to get everything where I wanted it (when using the
humidifier I also sometimes had to accept less humidity than ideal if it
was cold outside to avoid condensation on windows.) I did find that the
humidity setting on my dehumidifier was off by 5% or more, and of course
the humidistat for the furnace mounted humidifier did not have any kind
of a direct reading.

nate

--
replace "roosters" with "cox" to reply.
http://members.cox.net/njnagel

In article .com,
passerby wrote:
replying to Mike S. , passerby wrote:
retsuhcs wrote:

They're kept on the floor of the same basement room as the summer months,
just not run. I generally turn the dehumidifer off for the season once the
baseline humidity drops below 50%. During the winter, hot air from the
furnace is vented into the room, and the humidity is generally 25 - 35%.

Mine is kept in the *exact same* environment, and not a sign of corrosion
(yet).

Corrosive air, thanks to Chinese drywall? Here is how FL recommends to
evaluate one's home for signs of drywall-associated corrosion:
http://www.doh.state.fl.us/environme...spections.html
Other types of corrosive air: ocean nearby? Electrostatic filter or any
other air ionizing device? Some kind of a processing industrial facility
nearby (petrochemical plant, paper mill, steel mill etc.) haven't yet
moved to China? Doing something ... ahem ... chemical at home? Don't
know, sounds like some sort of an environmental factor to me.

Could be, thanks for pointing that out.

Thing is, in my situation the dehumidifier would be the only object in the
entire basement that is corroding.

On May 22, 9:17*am, (Mike S.) wrote:
In article .com,





passerby m wrote:
replying to Mike S. , passerby wrote:
retsuhcs *wrote:

They're kept on the floor of the same basement room as the summer months,
just not run. I generally turn the dehumidifer off for the season once the
baseline humidity drops below 50%. During the winter, hot air from the
furnace is vented into the room, and the humidity is generally 25 - 35%.

Mine is kept in the *exact same* environment, and not a sign of corrosion
(yet).

Corrosive air, thanks to Chinese drywall? Here is how FL recommends to
evaluate one's home for signs of drywall-associated corrosion:
http://www.doh.state.fl.us/environme...-air/inspectio...
Other types of corrosive air: ocean nearby? Electrostatic filter or any
other air ionizing device? Some kind of a processing industrial facility
nearby (petrochemical plant, paper mill, steel mill etc.) haven't yet
moved to China? Doing something ... ahem ... chemical at home? Don't
know, sounds like some sort of an environmental factor to me.

Could be, thanks for pointing that out.

Thing is, in my situation the dehumidifier would be the only object in the
entire basement that is corroding.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

I just checked the dehumidifier that my friend bought
about 2 years ago. It's an Amana, D970EP. Can't tell you
much other than it's been working fine for 2 years. One
difference between it and a Sears/LG is that the Sears/LG
had a feature where you could have it on all the time, on
4 hours, off 4, on 6 hours, off 6. The Amana has a timer,
but I thnk it will only turn it off in 1-24 hours from the time
you leave it on. Or vice versa turn it on 1-24 hours later if
it's currently off.

In article ,
wrote:
On May 22, 9:17*am, (Mike S.) wrote:
In article .com,





passerby m wrote:
replying to Mike S. , passerby wrote:
retsuhcs *wrote:

They're kept on the floor of the same basement room as the summer months,
just not run. I generally turn the dehumidifer off for the season once the
baseline humidity drops below 50%. During the winter, hot air from the
furnace is vented into the room, and the humidity is generally 25 - 35%.

Mine is kept in the *exact same* environment, and not a sign of corrosion
(yet).

Corrosive air, thanks to Chinese drywall? Here is how FL recommends to
evaluate one's home for signs of drywall-associated corrosion:
http://www.doh.state.fl.us/environme...-air/inspectio...
Other types of corrosive air: ocean nearby? Electrostatic filter or any
other air ionizing device? Some kind of a processing industrial facility
nearby (petrochemical plant, paper mill, steel mill etc.) haven't yet
moved to China? Doing something ... ahem ... chemical at home? Don't
know, sounds like some sort of an environmental factor to me.

Could be, thanks for pointing that out.

Thing is, in my situation the dehumidifier would be the only object in the
entire basement that is corroding.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

I just checked the dehumidifier that my friend bought
about 2 years ago. It's an Amana, D970EP. Can't tell you
much other than it's been working fine for 2 years. One
difference between it and a Sears/LG is that the Sears/LG
had a feature where you could have it on all the time, on
4 hours, off 4, on 6 hours, off 6. The Amana has a timer,
but I thnk it will only turn it off in 1-24 hours from the time
you leave it on. Or vice versa turn it on 1-24 hours later if
it's currently off.

Thanks, I'll add that brand to the list under consideration.

Our Sears dehumidifier has been working for the last 7 years in our
business... running pretty much constantly in the basement. Must be
some extreme environment to corrode the tubing.

Mike Lalonde
Sudbury, Ontario

In article ,
Mike Lalonde wrote:
Our Sears dehumidifier has been working for the last 7 years in our
business... running pretty much constantly in the basement. Must be
some extreme environment to corrode the tubing.

Dunno, as I indicated in my previous post.

There is a 3 year old water heater nearby (in the unfinished portion of
the basement) on which the new copper pipes are still bright and shiny.

The room where the dehumidifier operates has hundreds of CD's, CD-ROMs,
and DVD's - some over 20 years old - and none of the reflective layers
show even the slightest hint of corrosion or discoloration; yes, I've
checked.

On Tue, 28 May 2013 01:45:45 -0700 (PDT), Mike Lalonde
wrote:

Our Sears dehumidifier has been working for the last 7 years in our
business... running pretty much constantly in the basement. Must be
some extreme environment to corrode the tubing.

Mike Lalonde
Sudbury, Ontario
The old electrohome must have been 30 years old when I replaced it
last year - still working fine but the fan was getting noisy -
replaced it with a 3 year old GE.