Clean cooling coils. in the last week or so my dehumidifer in the basement seems less productive in collecting water, i have two down there and the other works - i have to empty it often, thats how i know. but the maytag seems to need emptying less, and the air coming out of it is warmer - it actually warms the room a little. i assume i need to clean the cooling coils?

Sue, there are 5 basic, but solvable reason for what you described. Please pay particular attention to numbers 1 & 2.

1. The humidity extraction level is set to HIGH. Lower it to 32-35%.
2. Air intake filter is dirty or clogged. Turn unit OFF, & Unplug the
Unit, before removing to inspect & clean it, if necessary. If washed,
allow filter to completely dry before reinstalling. DO NOT operate
the unit without the filter.

3. Obstructed air flow. Maintain a minimum of 12 to 18" of clear air
space around the entire unit.

4. Cooling coils are dirty and need to be cleaned. Use warm water & dish washing liquid to
clean the coils. Rinse and wipe dry. Apply a light coating of WD40 to the coils.

5. Ambient air temperature at floor level is between 40 - 60 degrees.
dehumidifiers do not work well between those temperatures
(Unless, you have a Low Temp Unit). This applies mainly to
where the air temperature at floor level is colder than at shoulder level
in basement applications. Raising the unit up off the floor,
onto a sturdy table, counter top, etc, that can handle the weight
of the unit, plus a full tank of water, will usually resolve this
problem.

If none of the above solves the problem, it may be a case of the compressor needs to be recharged with refrigerant gas or that the humidity condenser sensor has failed. These things usually occur in units that are 5 years old or older. It's rare in a unit younger than that. But, it can happen.

You also asked, "do you know of a cradle to cradle product that lasts longer than this?". Unfortunately, I have no idea what you are talking about. Could you please explain? Thanks.

This may be caused by running the unit in continuous mode, rather than timed mode. The heat is generally is generated when the defrost mode cycles on, to defrost the cooling coils. This happens more frequently, if the air space around the unit is obstructed or it's operating in a temperature range of 40 to 60 F. Cleaning the air intake filter at least once a week, can help solve this problem, too.

Maintain a minimum of 12" free air space around all sides of the dehumidifier. Use a timed mode rather than a continuous mode. Make sure the room is within the proper operating temperature range and clean the air intake filter weekly.

Hope this helped you troubleshoot and solve the problem.

clean filter and then check the coil behind the filter to see if clean. Biggest things that freeze a unit are dirty filter or coil...or low on freon.

If the room tempature is close to 60, the coils may be frozen (completely encased in ice). If this is the case, move it where the water can drain off - about 1 gallon which may NOT run into the drain bucket.
I out mine over the floor drain.
Turn off and it will defost over night.
Only specially made dehumidifers work below a room temo of 60 degrees (the temp of a basement in winter).
Does it need to be running? A digital humidity sensot from Radio Shack is cheap and may tell you the humidity is OK - only 50% or less.

If the room tempature is close to 60, the coils may be frozen (completely encased in ice). If this is the case, move it where the water can drain off - about 1 gallon which may NOT run into the drain bucket.
I out mine over the floor drain.
Turn off and it will defost over night.
Only specially made dehumidifers work below a room temo of 60 degrees (the temp of a basement in winter).
Does it need to be running? A digital humidity sensot from Radio Shack is cheap and may tell you the humidity is OK - only 50% or less.

If the room tempature is close to 60, the coils may be frozen (completely encased in ice). If this is the case, move it where the water can drain off - about 1 gallon which may NOT run into the drain bucket.
I out mine over the floor drain.
Turn off and it will defost over night.
Only specially made dehumidifers work below a room temo of 60 degrees (the temp of a basement in winter).
Does it need to be running? A digital humidity sensot from Radio Shack is cheap and may tell you the humidity is OK - only 50% or less.

I would first check the drain bucket the auto shut off may still be stuck or broken. I have run across this times before.

If your dehumidifier doesn't seem to run often but the humidity in the room is high, try adjusting the humidistat control on the dehumidifier to a dryer setting. If the dehumidifier seems to run constantly, but there's little or no water in the container, there may be a problem in the refrigeration system. Try cleaning the unit. If that doesn't work, you can't repair the refrigeration system yourself, you need a qualified appliance repair technician to do that.

Hope that helps! Should you have any further questions, please feel free to post them here.

P.S. - If you find that the solution/answer I provided led you to, or resulted in a fix, please close the ticket with a FixYa! rating. I would be very grateful for your show of appreciation.

Thank you for using FIXYA!

Cheers!
IrishDruid

My unit does not collect water any more. It was fine until I lent it to my brother in law and it was returned damaged. Do you know how to fix this