This structure's basement is below grade, and while water doesn't actually trickle in, it gets fairly damp starting right about now.. high humidity and some heavy downpours here in the northeast US.
I had a couple of old dehumidifiers given to me, I guess because they figgered I'd take 'em. The reason for not wanting them was that they freeze up, they need charged, and it's R12.
Not being extremely knowledgable in the gaseous chloro-flouro-methalationary sciences (apparently), I didn't see frost as a major fault. I knew enough to realize that humidity would collect on frost, so I proceeded with an experiment.
I changed the fan to run continuously (wasteful, wasteful maybe 20 watts), and let the humidistat? (it's got a band of some plastic-looking stuff that looks like video tape leader in it) cycle the compressor. In the original wiring connections, the fan would only run while the compressor is running.
After a few trials of getting almost no frost build-up, then what looked like a huge donut made of icing (the other kind, topping for cinnamon rolls), I eventually found a good location for the setting near the low setting. I modified the air intake side so less air passed by the perimeter of coils, and required nearly all of the air to pass close to and between them (packing tape, not to waste the good stuff). Put a few drops of light oil in the fan bearings, and it was officially redesigned.
So I started getting about 3 gallons per day (24 hr.) out of the air. It probably would be more (more efficient of electrical power certainly) if I'd bother to try adding a timer and delay relay. Or a microprocessor.. digital display.. touch screen programming.. yeah, that's the ticket. Well, the fan keeps the air circulating, and the extra heat from the fan motor may very slightly improve drying.
Side question: I've heard that dehumidifier water is the same as distilled. Where the hell did that idea come from? It seems to be a fairly popular concept. Try asking some people you know.
Anyways, I was lookin' around on channel WWW, just curious about the R12a and other replacement, envirosafe refrigerants (there are quite a few), and found a home dehumifier model that uses a thermistor on/near the coils to cycle the compressor. Opens at 33.8 degrees F, closes at 50 degrees F.
The manual states that the fan continues to run after the compressor stops (but doesn't specifically state that it runs continuously). Friedrich models D30B to D65B covered in Dehumidifier_Parts_Service_Manual.pdf which it appears that I didn't save the web page location of. The lowest model number uses R134a, the others use R22. The model numbers represent the pints per 24 hr.
The number on the front panel of my free unit is 22 (in big numbers), which I believe was the intended daily capacity. I've already used it for 2 seasons (and it's running now) and if it breaks, I guess I'll be asking if anyone wants a free dehumidifier. I'll be out the
2 wire nuts I put on it.WB .............