Dehumidifiers work to keep your room at a level of humidity that is comfortable for you. It is not unusual for your appliance to produce heat – every dehumidifier naturally produces heat.
However, is there a limit to this heat production? Why is your dehumidifier blowing hot air? Is there a hidden setting or function that can be tweaked to make your dehumidifier work even better?
In this post, you will find valuable answers to all these questions – so stay till the end.
Why Do You Need a Dehumidifier?
Dehumidifiers are machines that help bring humidity levels in an enclosed area to the barest minimum or desired levels. They are highly sought-after in regions that experience significantly high humidity levels and are indispensable equipment in most homes.
In choosing to use dehumidifiers in your homes, there are certain factors you should consider apart from the ‘dehumidifying’ action. One of such factors is the age of the residents in the home.
It is best to use dehumidifiers in homes with very young and old residents as it will serve as a means to protect them from health hazards. Using a dehumidifier for allergens and asthma can help reduce the rate at which allergies will occur due to the reduced presence of allergens.
An example of a possible health hazard includes the presence of molds and allergens. They could be present in the carpets, rugs, and other crevices, and once released into the air, could be very harmful.
With dehumidifiers in the home, these allergens are well-controlled, leaving you with healthy air to breathe.
How Do Dehumidifiers Work?
The first thing your dehumidifier does immediately after installation and activation has been completed is to suck in moist air. There is an electric fan within the dehumidifier which enables it to carry out this action within the provided space.
After drawing in the air, the air is then passed through a set of cold pipes that have their temperatures lowered by certain refrigerants.
As the air is cooled, the moisture that was present in it initially now becomes water droplets. These droplets then fall into the collection tray or a provided bucket.
The air, which is now moisture-free, is then passed through a compressor to get warmed up once more. When the warming process is complete, it will find its way out through another exit on the unit and get into the room.
Related post:
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What is the Ideal Dehumidifier Operating Temperature?
Every dehumidifier has an optimum temperature from which it regulates humidity and makes your home comfortable. This is called the ‘Ideal Dehumidifier Operating Temperature.’
For every refrigerant dehumidifier, the ideal temperature to regulate the room humidity is between 70- & 90-degrees Fahrenheit. Any temperature level that falls outside this scale is an anomaly and should be immediately attended to.
In the next section, you will discover the real reasons why your dehumidifier blows hot air and what you can do to solve it.
The Reasons Why is a Dehumidifier Blowing Hot Air and What to Do
The dehumidifier is not set to ‘dehumidify.’
It is important to note that the dehumidifier will blow out hot air when set to ‘fan mode’ while the home is pretty hot. When you set the dehumidifier to fan mode, you aren’t telling it to remove moisture from the air; you’re doing the opposite.
Be cautious of the dehumidifier’s mode, and then make sure you set it to the right percentage for your room’s humidity level.
What to do:
There are two things you can do in this case:
- Turn on the dehumidifier.
- Empty the bucket and reset the unit.
The Dehumidifier Is overworked
In the presence of a continuously humid room, bringing down the moisture is a difficult task. Just like every other household appliance, dehumidifiers can also get overworked.
There’s this saturation point of least effectiveness that dehumidifiers can reach if the room is excessively humid and they’re overworked.
Another reason why your dehumidifier could be overworked might be that you forgot to turn off the switch. When it is left in this state, all the units begin to overheat, and it starts to blow hot air instead.
What to do:
- Switch-off the dehumidifier and let it cool completely. It may take time to get the unit to cool down, but it’s essential for normal functioning.
- Also, try to change the airflow within the room to ease the burden off the dehumidifier.
The dehumidifier collection tray is full
When the collection tray or bucket of your dehumidifier is full, it causes the electric fan to completely shutdown. This automatic shutdown isn’t the same for all the other units of the dehumidifier.
In malfunctioning dehumidifiers, the fans may keep on moving even after the collection tray is filled up.
What happens next is that the air drawn in may not have been properly cooled down before it gets warmed up. This makes the air blown back into the room hotter than it normally should be.
What to do:
- Turn off the dehumidifier.
- Clean up the unit.
- Try running the dehumidifier once again
Some of the dehumidifier’s components are broken
Let’s say you live in countries or areas where humid conditions are regular; you will therefore constantly employ the use of dehumidifiers. As you keep working your dehumidifier, there is a high tendency that some parts or components will begin to deplete and wear out.
You didn’t cause the breakdown or wear, neither did your area; it is only natural that when you keep using something over some time, wear and tear will set in.
What to do:
- Don’t panic.
- Write out all the error codes that the dehumidifier displays.
- Check the manual to see what these codes mean.
Refrigerant is leaking from the dehumidifier
As earlier stated, the function of the refrigerants in the dehumidifier is to cool down the air that has been initially drawn in. What then happens when this refrigerant starts to leak is that the warm air never gets to cool.
The warm air then gets hotter and hotter as it passes through the hot unit of the dehumidifier. As it then goes out of the dehumidifier in your room, it is very easy to notice this hot air almost immediately.
What to do:
- A temporary solution to this problem is to turn off the dehumidifier
- It is best to handle this issue by getting a professional to help out with the repair.
Lack of adequate airflow
There is a difference between an air-conditioner and a dehumidifier with regards to how they function in the presence of airflow. Air-conditioners become hot due to insufficient airflow to remove waste heat. While in dehumidifiers, incoming air is hotter than the outgoing one.
When there is insufficient airflow, the air that surrounds the dehumidifier becomes cooler, causing an accumulation of moisture in the freezer.
When the room temperature of the dehumidifier is not higher than the unit’s operating temperature, the dehumidifier’s moisture can freeze. It is common for most dehumidifiers to begin freezing when the temperature of the air is less than 50°F.
The motor of the dehumidifier, on the other hand, can also start to heat if it is deprived of incoming air sufficiently. A dirty air filter or blocked air vent could cause this occurrence.
What to do:
- Replace the clogged air filter
- Check unit’s temperature.
- Call a professional.
FAQs
Why is water leaking from the dehumidifier?
As time goes on, you will notice some leaks in your dehumidifier. Most of the time, the causes of these leaks are linked to collection tray or bucket problems.
Why is the dehumidifier so loud?
When mounting brackets and screws get lose, there will be a sound generated as the dehumidifier works. You can stop this noise by tightening all the screw parts and other lose components – the dehumidifier should start to hum once again.
Do dehumidifiers make the room warmer?
Dehumidifiers can only do so much as slightly raising the room temperatures. You may not feel like the room is warmer when your dehumidifier is functioning within a smaller room.
Conclusion
A Dehumidifier blowing hot air can be attributed to many factors. These factors are largely due to internal faults and slightly due to what you do or not.
Some of these reasons include overworking your dehumidifier, a full collection tray, broken components due to wear and tear leaking refrigerant, and lack of adequate airflow.
When you investigate the reason why your dehumidifier is operating abnormally, make sure you follow all the steps highlighted in this post to get it to function properly once again.
Feel free to drop your questions in the comment section.
