4 year old dehumidifier does not extract water

Wayne, 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%. If you have an analog unit
(no LED screen) set the humidity extraction knob on maximum.

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.

Hope this helps you to troubleshoot & solve the problem. Thanks for choosing FixYa.

Hi,
There are many reasons why a dehumidifier willnot work or collect water.
Here is a tip that I wrote to help people to figure out what is going wrongwith their dehumidifier

Dehumidifier is running but no water is in bucket

heatman101

Hi,
There are many reasons why a dehumidifier willnot work or collect water.
Here is a tip that I wrote to help people to figure out what is going wrongwith their dehumidifier

Dehumidifier is running but no water is in bucket

heatman101

Hi,

There are many reasons why a dehumidifier will not work or collect water.

Here is a tip that I wrote to help people to figure out what is going wrong with their dehumidifier

Dehumidifier is running but no water is in bucket

heatman101

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There can be many reasons why a dehumidifier will not work or collect water.

Here is a tip that I wrote to help people to figure out what is going wrong with their dehumidifier

Dehumidifier is running but no water is in bucket
http://www.fixya.com/support/r4662409-dehumidifier_running_but_no_water_in

heatman101

Hi,
There are many reasons for a dehumidifier to not work or collect water.
Here is a tip that I wrote to help people to figure out what is going wrong with their dehumidifier.

Dehumidifier is running but no water is in bucket
http://www.fixya.com/support/r4662409-dehumidifier_running_but_no_water_in

heatman101

how warm is the basement,if the temp of the basement is lower than say 70 degrees,the unit will not function,true dirty coils can have this effect also and a refrigerant leak on these will cause the same result,if the temp is low,use a fan to move the air and this will help with your humidity problem too

Hi,
There are many reasons for a dehumidifier to not work or collect water.
Here is a tip that I wrote to help people to figure out what is going wrong with their dehumidifier.

Dehumidifier is running but no water is in bucket
http://www.fixya.com/support/r4662409-dehumidifier_running_but_no_water_in

heatman101

Problem is that you bought a dehumidifier made by the Korean/Chinese manufacturer LG.
Search the web and you will find that you are just one of many whose dehumidifier worked the first year but now draws no water out of the air even though it makes all the right fan and compressor noises.
Most common problem is that all the Freon refrigerant escaped, apparently because the copper tubing cracked and leaked. Penguins beware, there goes the Ozone Hole!
It cost me $14 and an afternoon of investigation and testing of my LG 504EL dehumidifier to figure this out. The fix-it web site "Just Answers" said that it wasn't worth fixing after I described all the symptoms. Tomorrow I will go to the local LG fix-it shop and try to get a replacement to tide me over until I can find a reliable dehumidifier.
Sadly, last Fall I took my 25 year old Westinghouse (made in America) dehumidifier to the dump. Even though it needed me to tune it up every year or two, at least I could fix it and it kept on working for 25 years.
Good luck!
enterich

the freon has leaked out, must be replaced.