Did I Damage my Dehumidifier?

[terry274]

It sounds to me as if there is something wrong with your HVAC. (Heating ventilation air conditioning) unit. It might be time to get someone out to have a look at it.
What temperature do you keep the thermostat set? How tightly sealed is the house? Is the condensate drain clear?
For reference, I'm in Tennessee, my inside temp is 72 and my RH is 55%. Outside right now is 85.

 

[skyactiv]

You guys who have humidifiers - do you notice that you can keep your thermostat set to a higher temp in the summer and still be comfortable?

I’m wondering if it would be worth it to get one because I tend to like it cooler than my wife does. She’s typically comfortable at like 74-75°, but it feels muggy to me at that temperature. When it gets that warm, I typically like to set it to around 72° at the highest.

I guess I’m wondering if I might be comfortable at 75° if the humidity was a lot lower.

My parents had a variable speed air conditioner installed in 2018. It runs from 30-100%. It absolutely feels better at a higher set temp than your average single stage unit. My dad likes cool and my mom likes a higher temp. Works out great for both of them. I think they spent $14k on it including a new furnace.

 

[Driz]

Do you hear the compressor kick in?

You’ll know it’s running because it starts making that grunnnnnnnnggg sound the same as your fridge when the compressor kick on and runs. The fan may be running but it’s a lighter sound. also check the % humidity setting is lower than what’s present in the room . Even if you set it lower it may take a short moment to kick the compressor on.

 

[gathermewool]

Higher temp

+

Set amount of moisture in the air

=

Lower RH than if the space was cooler.

For locations that don’t need any more coolong, such as the garage and basement, a dehumidifier works better than a small A/C.

Also, consider a temperate, moist time of year. Even a small A/C unit may over-cool a space and leave the space feeling clammy. Running a dehumidifier may lower RH into the comfort zone while adding only a modest amount of heat.

I run two dehumidifiers in the basement, one in the attached, insulated, but not conditioned garage, as well as our master bath/BR. I keep each set at 45% to keep the mold away in the farthest away place, as well as to be comfortable.

In the summer our master BR dehumidifier rarely runs. We use a small 6k A/C unit, which barely keeps up on 85f+ days (today it was 90+ out and sunny, and it maxed out at 76F when set at 70F), but maintains RH in the 30s.

The dehumidifier makes our garage hotter, but uses less energy than an A/C would to maintain the same RH level.

 

[zzyzzx]

Then I read the manual and noticed it said I should leave it standing upright for 24 hours before running it if it was ever laid on its side, or after shipping.

Same applies to refrigerators and freezers.