Many thanks for making the video! I've used one to dry washing for a number of years, and always wanted to know how it worked. Fantastic machines.

Wow when you look back at your videos you can see how much you have developed, good work Clive.

Thanks for that video, was great to see inside and hear an informed first hand account of them.

Thanks for the review. I've been using this unit for 6 month through out the winter living in a wooden boat. 10.5x3 m/some 40m³ living space being effectively ventilated. Without additional heating temperature is often below zero.. The noise level are acceptable, got used to it. It is on automatic and hasn't been switched off. Ofte leaving it running unattended for several days. - I'm really satisfied and find it very useful keeping moisture level below critical level. The low amount of heating is also helpful..

Thank you for all the lessons. I learned a lot

Thank you for this video! After watching it I understood which components were what and was able to fix my own desiccant dehumidifier!

Excellent review/tutorial. I wish I'd seen this sooner - I have a refrigerant condenser dehumidifier and it blows out cold air and is likely too cold to function at optimal capacity. I've bought a desiccant model and am looking forward to a massive improvement.

Very good explanation of how the desiccant dehumidifier works

Air can contain water at below zero temperatures. Very little when measured in grams, but relative humidity can still be 100% at minus 20 degrees Celsius. See Mollier diagram. You can line dry clothes outside in freezing temperatures.

I actually find the sound of air compressors in dehumidifiers and small air conditioners very soothing. They can actually help me to sleep.

@bigclivedotcom

2 жыл бұрын

There are devices designed to create a low level white noise to help people sleep.

@KorraTransPhoenix

2 жыл бұрын

@@bigclivedotcom I prefer Bob Ross. Although I tend to doze off while watching your videos. Your voice is quite soothing.

excellent video!! thanks!

The are very useful units, their operation is extremely well explained here. I'd love to see a new teardown with better video, though. Maybe do a remake of this sometime, Clive? 👍

@johnboardman4820

6 жыл бұрын

I would like to see the unit being opened up. I am struggling to find all the screws. My unit does does not work, the warning light flashes after a running a few moments and it shuts down with the light still flashing. Any ideas? Great video Clive as always. many thanks

I need to look into getting one like this now. I've been needing a dehumidifier for my Aunt's place in the country. Now that it's seeing less use, the carpets & cabinets have been getting mildewy. I was just gonna get whatever compressor based unit I could get a deal on, but this one looks like it has more potential. As long as I can set it up with a drain hose going into a sink or out of the floor (it is a plywood house on wheels essentially) I think that could do nicely.

you eliminate mysteries, it's good to know the truth, you must have a huge amount of knowledge, it's a bit like a picture puzzle, the more you know, the simpler it becomes. the more I learn, the more I relise there is no end to learning, but we will not live for ever, I will not know when I'm dead.. thanks.

The compressor sounds like the sinister suspense music in horror movies! Don't think I'd want to live with that.

@nightlumens7957

5 жыл бұрын

😂

very interesting. will watch your mini peltier teardown next.

I'm a long time subscriber, I just bought one of these for a 5er today and took it apart because it was absolutely filthy with dust inside and out. I accidentally snapped the fan when putting the fan bolt back on because I overtightened it, woops, luckily a bit of superglue sorted that. I did vacuum the drum to try get the dust out of it, I think compressed air would have worked better but i dont have access to a compressor. Mine does go into fault mode when on low fan settings which implies its overheating, not sure why as I've cleaned it very thoroughly. But its working a treat on high fan speeds. I had no idea desiccant drum dehumidifiers existed 24hrs ago. Very cool tech. Anyway to see this dehumidifier on your youtube was a great coincidence and relief. I probably should have watched this video first before taking mine apart, it would have saved me searching for the screws under the buttons.

@ratgreen

2 жыл бұрын

Also from my brief research from today, and from reading the manufactures manual, its VERY important to keep the filter clean (to stop the drum and other internals getting clogged with dust) and to let the device run its cool down timer (not just turning it off at the plug) as the fan needs to cool the heater element, otherwise the residual heat can melt nearby plastics. As well as your sound advice of running it on low to keep the heat down. The filters on these, in my opinion, is way too coarse. It should be finer. As dust easily flies through the coarse filters these come with. But finer filters would restrict airflow = overheating. I suppose its a balancing act.

@bigclivedotcom

2 жыл бұрын

The ones I have here are the simpler units with just a mechanical humidistat. They don't do a cool down cycle. They just shut off.

@rattech

2 жыл бұрын

@@bigclivedotcom Clive, on my other account here. I had strange dust flying out the fan of mine, which turned out to be some sort of buildup, almost like calcium or salt, on the heating element coils. Any idea what it could've been? I can only assume the zeolite coating was somehow perspiring from the drum and then reforming on the coils? Would you care to look at my video? Skip to 11:32

@bigclivedotcom

2 жыл бұрын

@@rattech I've not seen that effect on the heating element. I wonder if it's something from the ambient air that is precipitating out. Are you near the sea?

@rattech

2 жыл бұрын

@@bigclivedotcom Thanks for looking. I'm not near the sea nor was the guy I bought it from. But who knows its history. I did try to dissolve it in water to remove it from the coil, but it didnt work. Which makes me think it wasnt salt. I had to pick and crush it off very carefully between two jewelers files. It was quite strong.

Great review of how they work and because of you I got the ecoair DD122 "Simple" instead of a compressor type which I have had a number of before. I have to say its very good indeed but I am worried about how reliable it will be over time as the old fridge compressors just go on and on. I suspect the life span of the desiccant unit will not be as good but we will see. Great review and very informative. Thanks for that. Best regards Peter

@bigclivedotcom

9 жыл бұрын

Can I suggest you run it on its lower setting as all these style of desiccant dehumidifiers will last a LOT longer when used on their low setting. I've been using mine in regular use for a couple of years and so far no problems.

@brucepeter2007

9 жыл бұрын

bigclivedotcom Thanks for your prompt reply. I do use the unit on its low setting in the bedroom and to be honest we don't notice it at all. During the summer when its hot our tower fan which we use to cool the bedroom down is noisier. I am glad to hear yours has been OK as some people have reported problems but the Ecoair unit came with a 2 year guarantee which was the final conviction for me to try this type of dehumidifier. Your review went a long way to convince me to try it and is far more informative than the usual manufacturers rubbish that tells you very little. Again thanks for the review and I have subscribed. Regards Peter

@RobertSzasz

5 жыл бұрын

Peter Bruce do you have an update? The dessicant should last more or less forever. The ptc heater should be easy and cheap to replace, as should the motors if they ever fail.

Excellent video thanks

Clive, thanks for your quick reply. Yes the run capacitor was in circuit when I did the test. I think I'll cut my losses and purchase something like the EcoAir as you suggest - or perhaps another DD8L as I now have a box of spares!!

@bigclivedotcom

9 жыл бұрын

I'm afraid that dessicant dehumidifiers are still in their infancy as a technology. They will bocome more reliable over time, but the earl;ier ones seem to have had issues. I tend to recommend running the things at their lower setting, since the highest setting results in a much shorter unit life.

A compressor dehumidifier will work well also above 20 C. Its limited by how much condensing heat it can move from the cooling section to the heating section. And it will actually also produce warm air unless its a bigger device where the hesting part is mounted outside AKA a air conditioner

Você ganhou mais um fã 👍🏻🇧🇷🙏

I love you, Big Clive! 🍄

We recently bought one of these and I was curious how it worked without resorting to tearing it down. I knew the method but was wondering how it worked in operation. Went searching Google for a teardown and wasn't surprised at all to see Big Clive had already done so.

Thanks for this.

Thanks for your video

Warm weather get an AC in the 🏠 and winter ... Well in winter you don't really need an dehumidifier PS I'm not 💯% but 💦 vapour can exist in air at normal pressure down to -55°C when they precipitate as ice cristals

Just got a dehumidifier recently as mildew inside one of my camera lenses (effectively knocking half of it's value off) was the final straw. Went with desiccant as I like to keep my house at a lower than 20C temperature. Meaco are claiming that their compressor dehumidifiers (20L/day+ models) can outperform their desiccant ones on a KW/h to water scale down to 15c and get close down to 10c which I'm skeptical of. Kind of makes me want to change my mind and get a compressor one, especially seeing the cost to fill the (2 litre?) tank. It's about £0.50 to get 350ml out of one now with the doubling in electricity prices.

Great video bigclivedotcom. With your help, I have fixed my dehumidifier with a new synchronous motor from ebay China, about £3 I got the CW / ACW motor because it was the only one I could find and I do not see why it maters which way the drum revolves. I had to cut the motor spindle down to length and grind 2 flats on the spindle with an angle grinder. Dead easy. I have since found out that my dehumidifier had a 2 year warranty, so that would have been a simpler but less satisfying route. As I think you realise, lots of people are also interested how to get into the blasted thing. There are 4 hidden screws in the lid, and 2 of them hold the lid on. A lot of time can be wasted if you find the wrong 2 screws and leave the others in place. I would also like to see a reassembly shown because I am left with a plastic baffle and no idea where it goes. The motor took a couple of weeks to arrive and in the meantime, I forgot where some parts went. Good stuff though, it all works great. Keep up the good work educating us with what we are not supposed to know about! I love your videos

@bigclivedotcom

6 жыл бұрын

One of mine ground its motor shaft to death. I was trying to find a compatible motor with matching shaft flats but failed. email me a pic of the baffle and I'll try to guess where it goes. bigclive1@gmail.com The motor direction doesn't seem to matter as this motor stopped being directional long before it failed. Which motor did you get in the end?

Very interesting video, thank you for posting. I wanted to ask is it possible to open the body a part PLS Thanks

My dessicant drum eventually got clogged with fine dust and the unit kept cutting out due to overheating. Had to take it apart (like you did here) and brush hoover the drum. Works fine again but it was a bit of a bugger to get to! The exterior filter is quite coarse.

@bigclivedotcom

4 жыл бұрын

These units are still in their early days. Hopefully they will become more serviceable over time.

The Goldair GD330 8L model looks to be another rebranding of these. I picked up a used one after being informed and inspired by this video. :) I'm now wondering if you could modify one to work as a ducted whole-house unit, alongside a heat exchanger. Fresh intake air would be dried in the desiccant wheel, then warmed in the heat exchanger using stale exhaust air from the house. The hot, wet reactivation air from the dehumidifier could be sent into the heat exchanger as well for heat recovery (and the condenser wouldn't be needed). Sensible? (Pardon the pun!)

Very well explained Big Clive. I gave you a thumbs up! I personally own a Meaco DD8L Compact and Meaco had also send me a prototype of the Zambezi dehumidifier as well so I am very familiar with the Meaco DD8L series.. The Zambezi condenser is much more powerful than the Compact one and so the Zambezi extracts more moisture even though both units state an 8 litre extraction rate. In truth though all brands of dehumidifier vary a little in their extraction rate even though the stated rate may say 8 litres. I guess the stated extraction rate is to maintain marketing uniformity. How do you rate the Meaco DD8L series extraction rate against other 8 litre desiccant dehumidifier extraction rates?

Most of the irritating noise that comes from my compressor dehumidifier comes from the collection bucket rattling against the rest of the unit. I stuff a small bit of tissue in the gap at the top and it stops the rattle. It still has fan noise though. I like the idea of the desiccant dehumidifier. I don't have the pennies to get one. hey ho.

I have an eco air dc18 a slightly more modern compressor dehumidifer, it also runs about 300 watts but will do a full tank for around 40 pence, or there abouts. But you are on the money with the temperature comments. With the house around 18- 21 degrees it will pull a full tank for around the 30p but drop it below 15 degrees and the thing is constantly having to go into defrost mode and consequently the efficiency drops out the bottom. Incidentally the tank in yours is a 2 litre, the model I have is 3.5 litre. (just for comparisons sake)

@bigclivedotcom

7 жыл бұрын

I use compressor based dehumidifiers in summer as they are much more efficient, but in winter I keep my home cold (10C right now.) and use the desiccant ones set at their low power setting to avoid the heater burnout problems they have running at full power. By far the most reliable are the compressor units. The desiccant ones are needing to evolve.

@HisnameisRich

7 жыл бұрын

That makes sense thanks for the clarification. I live in an old farm house with solid stone walls which means that without the dehumidifier the place loves to get damp

Very informative video. The desicant drum reminds me of the recouper in the 1960 car turbine engines for recovering energy from the exhaust. I am looking for a dehumidifier for my bedroom and the desicant type will be a better one than the traditional compressor types. Thanks

@fixman88

8 жыл бұрын

+Pritam Bissonauth That's the first thing that came to my mind too, the heat recovery system in the Chrysler Turbine Car's turbine engine.

So, the desiccant collects and concentrates moisture. Hot air passes thru the desiccant and leaves at high humidity and temperature. The humidity then can condense on surfaces kept near room temperature. ...I guess ?

I have- " EcoAir DD3 Simple " desiccant dehumidifier. been using it for the last 6 years, no problem, just remember to clean the filter, not saying that they are any better or worse, than your one.I have no heating in my home, it gets down to 0 degrees celsius indoors, but the lower the humidity, the lower heat transfer is, I do not feel so cold, plus it does warm the air up a bit. damp air is lighter, so it rises, so would it be better to suspend the dehumidifier higher up, so that it can grab the damper air, and attach a hose to the dehumidifier down to a water container

I found a diy rotor dessicant but it doesn't have a honeycomb structure. It's a wooden wheel, with these thin metal sheets coated with silica (dessicant). The metal sheets have some small spaces in between them. would it be possible to make a dehumidifier (that sheds off water) out of that? badly needed for our science project please... Thank you!

Looks nicely made how much did it cost??

I also have the Ecoair Simple and it developed a whoosh, whoosh, whoosh noise, that's at 3Hz obviously, but 6 dB louder - too much. Took it to bits, looked clean, reassembled - no difference. Knee jerked, ordered a new one, came today. Re-stripped the old one and took off the water collection plate and it was full of jellylike gunk stopping flow. Have a guess what Mum's getting tomorrow?

@bigclivedotcom

5 жыл бұрын

The desiccant units are still a new thing and they have made a few mistakes in the design. The buildup of goo seems to be an issue.

that dehumidifier sounds like an air ship

Thanks Clive. Wondering if this world work in a crawl space under a house? Have to seal off the vents and use this to extract moisture. Might plug up with dust and how to drain the tank? Problems to work out, but seems do able.

@bigclivedotcom

5 жыл бұрын

A humidifier is only really viable for fairly sealed areas. Have you considered a simple fan to create airflow through the crawlspace to reduce buildup of humidity? Especially if it's only turned on on dry days. That would be a very cost efficient way of drying that area.

How is the condensing panel cooled? I've seen a few videos on dessicant dehumidifiers but this point is never covered. This video is, however, by far the most comprehensive. Thanks for the upload.

@bigclivedotcom

7 жыл бұрын

It's cooled by the airflow through the unit. The moisture laden air from the heated area is at high temperature, so even at room temperature the condenser seems cool.

@Knapweed

7 жыл бұрын

bigclivedotcom That simple? Awesome! Nothing much to go wrong with that piece of the system. I've just ordered an EcoSeb, which is marketed as EcoAir in Europe, significantly influenced by your excellent video. Thanks for the response.

I want to have these hooked up to solar panels and collect the water from multiple points in the area. Would you share your thoughts on that?

Hi ! Could you upload a video or just a simple guide, how to open the dd8l humidifier? Steps to open the side panels so i could reach the wheel which is noisy a bit latelly. Thank you!

@ckaramela

8 жыл бұрын

@biglivedotcom could you please , give a hint?

@bigclivedotcom

8 жыл бұрын

+Ckaramela It's a while since I opened it, but if I recall there are screw on top, some in the water compartment area and then you have to remove the base from the bottom to get to the final screws. Then the case is firmly clipped together along the sides in such a manner that I had to give mine a bear-hug to get it open. Take care to note the route the flex takes in the base to aid putting it back together again.

@ckaramela

8 жыл бұрын

+bigclivedotcom Thank you!

Great video Clive - Scottish Engineers the best in the world . I somehow stumbled upon this as Im trying to understand if a newly arrived dehumidifier (ironically the very desiccant model you have there) is the cause of a dramtic escalation in more frquent and more painful migraines. . I hate the smell of the chemicals that come off this unit - very "chemically" I wonder if thats half the problem. (Does it ever go away?) Ive ordered a hygrometer to see whats going on more generally. I ALSO heard that dehumidifiers can lead to additional C02 build-up - which apparently can also trigger migraines. (Co2 not CO - another story) (Whether thats because windows are opened less or not I dont know) Alas - so many questions and no-one to ask (and Google isnt much use). P.S. I replaced the motor on a Dyson DC07 the other day - saved a small fortune. (Though rather fiddly) Cant believe the price these things go for once you open them up.

@bigclivedotcom

5 жыл бұрын

The nature of desiccant dryers is that they can create a dry dusty smell which may actually be smells absorbed from the air. It does diminish with time. I'm not aware of them causing CO2 increase. They literally just absorb moisture and then condense it out again in the heated section. I tend to use a humidity meter to set my humidity at about 60% and always use the unit at its low setting for longest heater life.

hi clive very interesting video however ,having taken all visable screws from the casing i cant open it !help! ineed to clean it as its leaking.

Hey Clive! You may remember me from a few years ago talking about desiccant dehumidifiers with you, and the flaws of those horrid mica regeneration heaters in them! I attempted to retrofit an old ecoair element housing with a PTC element which was a success as that dehumidifier is still working. I've now noticed a PTC manufactured one in China! If you type in "ceramic PTC element for dehumidifier" into Google, you will find it! Only problem is I cannot find any info on which model this new element has been made for! Would be rather interesting to find out though! I've tried reaching out for a response but have received no response so far.

@lionsrawr4125

4 жыл бұрын

If you type in 'minkvon PTC dehumidifier' into Google images, it is the first result. 🙂

@bigclivedotcom

4 жыл бұрын

I'd pondered whether one of the many finned PTC heaters could be used in that application, but was concerned about the moisture. The air is very humid in that loop. Ifg they can make it water resilient it would be an ideal application. Especially with the inherent overheat protection.

@lionsrawr4125

4 жыл бұрын

Still, it is interesting to see a PTC version of the mica triangular element units making an appearance online. Someone somewhere is giving it a go.

The internals of this one look almost identical to the crappy Armcor AM-DD8L one that I have just done a video of fixing (again) It looks like the quest to find a good quality one might be a hard one if they are all made out the same parts

thank you :-)

IWe have been designing dehumidifiers for international retails for 20 years. Toyotomi branded units reset after power out as long as the plug is left in. Desiccant units described below are domestic units in general. They really were never designed to run 24/7 unattended. The product originated in Japan to keep apartments dry. If you need a 24/7 application you really should consider commercial unit like the Ecor Pro DH2500. As a safety note Toyotomi units will always rest for at least 2 hours in a 24 hour period which is unique in the market. Safety first and horses for courses..

Great video Clive, nice to see the zeolite wheel. I was tempted to buy a desiccant dehumidifier but kept reading reports of the heater elements breaking down after a couple of months to a year of use, both on the Meaco and EcoAir units, and neither Meaco or EcoAir would sell me any spare heater elements in advance. So I played safe and got a couple of small compressor dehumidifiers. But I would like to try one of these to compare.

@bigclivedotcom

10 жыл бұрын

I actually bought a faulty unit off ebay to investigate the heater issue. Secretly I was just hoping that it was just a tripped thermal fuse, but it is indeed an absolutely grilled heating element. It's a mica frame with an open coil hairdryer style element zigged zagged over its surface on two layers and has a common connection and two taps for low and high. This one had clearly been on high for its entire life as the back section of the element was like new while the front was grilled and the mica support frame had splayed out (possibly with moisture) where the element passed through it. It was at this splayed out point that the element had broken. I think that if these units are used at their low/quiet setting only then they will last a lot longer. They're also slightly more efficient at the lower setting. Currently my favourite unit is the EcoAir "Simple" which doesn't have much electronics and doesn't seem to use a cool-down time either. The design of the electronic on most of the other units I have looked at suggests a lack of foresight on behalf of the designer. In every unit I've seen it's possible for the microcontroller to crash and leave the heater powered with no fans running.

@ForViewingOnly

10 жыл бұрын

bigclivedotcom Yes, I liked the look of the EcoAir Simple when I was looking last year... as you say, no fancy electronics, so it should be easy to DIY repair... plus the ones with fancy electronics don't always work with a mains timer, which is a bit rubbish if you want to take advantage of cheap rate electricity. I just didn't like EcoAir's attitude: their pickup repair warranty didn't apply to me because I'm off-mainland UK (islands), and they refused to let me buy any spare elements. I've had too many short-lived appliances and didn't want to take the risk. Hmm, I wonder where those heater elements can be picked up? There must be some hack that can be done to put in something of the same resistance that would last longer. Maybe an idea for a future BigClive video? :-)

@bigclivedotcom

10 жыл бұрын

ForViewingOnly Living on the Isle of Man myself I'm well aware of how it affects the willingness of companies to even deliver to UK islands. I'm not really surprised they weren't too keen to provide a heating unit, since it's probably the most inaccessible bit of the machine. You have to strip the whole thing down to bits to get to it. It would really have to be changed as a complete assembly too due to it's construction. Strange you should mention heater alternatives.... I do currently have a cluster of five 47 ohm 50W resistors that I'm probably going to put into a dead units heater block. They will dissipate about 240W and hopefully the airflow will keep them from getting too cross, since they are really only rated 50W each when on a heatsink. I want to see the effect of different heater powers on efficiency. The ideal heater would pretty much be what's in the machines already, but just run at the low setting to stop it burning up.

Very interesting video, thank you for posting. I wanted to ask is it possible to get (or make) a HEPA air filter for the front? I ask for two reasons: 1) I'm an allergy sufferer 2) reports of units breakdown due to dust getting in (Meaco recommend cleaning the front cover every 2 weeks). Perhaps a HEPA filter would be more effective at keeping dust out of the unit? Thank you

@bigclivedotcom

8 жыл бұрын

+billypigeon23 I wouldn't recommend that. these units need a high throughput of air. Use a separate air cleaner.

Hi Clive, I have used the DDl8 on my boat last winter and it worked great - much more efficient that a compressor dehumidifier I used before. However, it stopped working and was just out of guarantee. As I live in Ireland it was going to cost £70 + shipping to have Meaco have a look at it, so I had a go myself, although more endowed with ambition than knowledge! However, it seems that the fan motor will not move even though there is power on the feeds. I removed the motor for further investigation and the resistance on the windings looks fine and a little voltage is generated on each of the windings when the rotor is turned. Yet when connected directly to 240vac on each of the windings in turn, there is no movement. Do you think the motor is shot or if there is a problem with the circuit feeding the motor?

@bigclivedotcom

9 жыл бұрын

That's an odd one, it's usually the heating element that fails. The motor has a run capacitor associated with it which is in series with a run winding to give it direction, so if you're testing it, that will aso need to be in circuit. Is the rest of the unit running apart from the fan? I will say that one of my units makes a noticeable hot-motor smell when it's been running a while. So I wonder if they've over "value engineered" the motor. If you narrow it down to the motor then maybe Meaco would send a replacement fan assembly. At £70 for a "service" I think I'd be tempted just to buy a brand new EcoAir Simple unit, which can be bought quite cheaply and seems pretty reliable.

great video thanks. Im struggling to take my Eco air apart! It works fine collecting, but makes quite nasty 'grumbling/knocking noise' after about 10 mins use... this sounds 'internal' and doesn't differ if on high or low fan setting It is 5 months out of warrantee, and gonna cost £89.99 to collect and service. Any ideas what It may be?

@bigclivedotcom

9 жыл бұрын

When it's making the noise shine a light through from the vent side and see if the honeycomb-style desiccant drum is rotating smoothly. It might be the motor that turns that from the edge that is stuttering if the drum is not rotating freely.

Decided to have a look at your video to see how they work, very useful and informative! Just curious, does your smells funny when new? Mine have pretty strong smell so far after running 24hours still present.

@bigclivedotcom

4 жыл бұрын

The dessicant dehumidifiers seem to absorb and then release smells as part of their action. Mine makes a "dry" smell.

@Fenrir_Wolf

4 жыл бұрын

bigclivedotcom hmmmm mine smells like strong chemicals when running on medium and high. I’ll probably see if it continues after a week and if so maybe I’ll ask the manufacturer.

mine is coblete dead even the led in the panel is not light i check the control board and the fuse there is ok maybe the thermal fuse is the cause for this?

how long last the desiccant material ?

How hot does that heater get? I’m wondering if I could rig up waste heat at 130 degrees Fahrenheit to handle that.

Hi, I inherited a 2012 dd8l unit which ran perfectly for a few months. Then it had the working for approx 60secs then shutdown/fault light. I'm not sure if any heat comes from it now, but a fan still works, but it smells slightly burnt when it turns off. Thanks to your comments and hints I managed (after a good 30mins mind!) to open the unit and see if there was anything to be done. I have previously repaired my DeLonghi Dem10 unit by simply replacing a resistor. I really would like to see if there is something equally as simple to be done with the Maeco, as I found it to be a superior product. When you say the Zeolite should rotate slowly, how slow do you mean? I don't think mine is rotating at all. This would be the synchronous motor right? Also, I only managed to open the front panel if the unit. Is there a special way of removing the back, or accessing the control panel / circuit board on top? Or just brute force? After I closed it up the unit did work better than before insofar as it ran for 5 mins on low fan and low humidity, but then switched off as if in hibernation mode....but doesn't turn on again after 30 mins like it should. I would appreciate any help, tips or ideas from anyone!

@bigclivedotcom

8 жыл бұрын

+Tom Pegg Check that the zeolite drum isn't clogged up with fluff. It should rotate very slowly when the unit is running. There are screws on the top and under the base.

I live on the gulf coast and am trying to think of how to determine how many large diy dehumidifers (and.how large) would be required for 1 acre of land to reduce humidity perceptibly. A dessicant system seems to make more sense.

@bigclivedotcom

9 жыл бұрын

Are you talking about using dehumidifiers outdoors? Because as fast as you remove moisture from the air it will be replaced. It would just be an inefficient way of collecting water.

@JT-tz5hp

2 жыл бұрын

This borderline sounds like the scheming of an bond villain.

Hmm, one of mine seems to have a minor fault whereby the main fan and the desiccant wheel motor won't turn off when the humidity is below the set point (they would normally turn off after a few minutes, but they just remain on). They DO turn off with the use of the timer or the normal Power button, however. The heating element definitely turns off as normal (you can hear the relay and the mains power draw decreases). Any troubleshooting tips?

@bigclivedotcom

4 жыл бұрын

It could be a failed triac that has gone short circuit.

That's funny, I never even knew that such devices existed, and had only used the chemical dehumidifier inside a boat. Maybe that's because I live in a very dry place, what we use a lot of here are humidifier, especially in winter.

I have an amcor DESD8L dehumidifier. The dessicant disc isn't moving and there is a loud noise. Do you know if I can get a replacement motor?

@bigclivedotcom

6 жыл бұрын

I had an issue with the motor too. It literally ground its bearing oval. You could try contacting Meaco, but they'll probably just want to do a "service" for a fee high enough to consider getting a new simpler unit. One thing to check is if the drum is snagging. Sometimes the metal fins that hold the desiccant material in place snag on other metalwork.

Hello,thanks for the video. What means the red led ALARM? YL-208A

@bigclivedotcom

Жыл бұрын

It may mean the safety circuit has tripped (thermal fuse?) or that the water container is not being detected, or has a stuck float.

We have one of these which has just started to refuse to run. When turned on it runs for about 60 seconds and then the fan speed always goes to two fans, flashes, and then the unit stops with the error light flashing. There appears to be the sound of a relay opening/closing as the fan speed changes. All keys then locked until unit turnedf of for a while, after which same thing happens. Any bright ideas. Have cleaned filter and blown air through the two small grilles above filter.

@bigclivedotcom

7 жыл бұрын

Usual suspect with these things is a failed heater. The first generation units were prone to this issue.

It looks like your whole house is a workshop lol

@bigclivedotcom

8 жыл бұрын

+TheManLab7 It is. That's the joy of being single.

@damianpc1

8 жыл бұрын

+bigclivedotcom Your single? I know the struggle... Girls don't like technology as much, sadly.."

@bigclivedotcom

8 жыл бұрын

+Osumo Ben Lodan being single is not a struggle. It's a liberation. I'm single by choice and staying that way.

@damianpc1

8 жыл бұрын

+bigclivedotcom Ah, in that way. Thanks for your response.

@Forbiddina

8 жыл бұрын

+bigclivedotcom finally someone else who gets it.

Here's an idea, If you don't know, Turn it on. (I'd love to see that in operation.)

I have the dreaded red-light problem. The red error light stays on after a period of prolonged running. I have to physically unplug the unit and then plug it back in to get it restarted. What is causing this? Filter is clean and there are no unusual noises. Expelled air is warmish, and the tray does fill up with water.

@bigclivedotcom

9 жыл бұрын

I'm not sure what causes that error condition. Does the light stay on even when the unit has been running enough to cool down again? One of the most common issues that seems to be occurring with these units is build-up of fluff on the drum preventing air flowing through it. You can check that by removing the filter and then running the unit while shining a bright torch in through the filter area. You should see a slowly rotating honeycomb drum and its holes should be clear for the passage of air.

sorry clive forgot to look at repliies for other posts prob solved

Heat pump dehumidifiers are still better at dehumidifying as far as i know. The much more silent operation is very attractive though...

@bigclivedotcom

7 жыл бұрын

I use heat pump in summer and desiccant drum in winter. I keep a cool house so the heat is useful and the desiccant units will operate to a much lower room temperature.

@rich1051414

7 жыл бұрын

Ah yes, I bet it would with how cold you guys are accustomed to in the winter xD The southern US doesn't get that cold for very long, and I am painfully freezing if it is colder than 18C in the house. I also live right off of a river, so the humidity is through the roof.

@6:43 Ach, noooooooo Clive !!! Air is a mechanical mixture of gases... in a jar of red and blue marbles, are the red marbles 'holding' the blue? Water vapor is a constituent of air and is not 'held' by anything. Hot or cold, air is largely empty space, the difference is in *energy* !!! www.shorstmeyer.com/wxfaqs/humidity/humidity.html ← by far the best explanation of the dew point/relative humidity (hint: the latter is a useless metric) !!!

Hi Clive, I have a problem with my Ecoair DD122FW MK5 Desiccant Dehumidifier. The unit is now out of warranty. The problem, the unit appears to work ok all of the motors are working, no warning lights, filter clean, also warm air is being blown out of the air outlet. But the unit is not collecting water, the humidity just drops very slowly probably through the heat from the outlet. When I first had the unit it worked very efficiently, humidity dropped quickly, collecting plenty of water which could be heard when the unit was running. Any ideas please?

@bigclivedotcom

9 жыл бұрын

If you shine a bright torch into the sides while the unit is running, can you see the desiccant drum rotating slowly?

Do you think heating element can be disabled without voltage problems? Ty

@bigclivedotcom

10 жыл бұрын

The dehumidification process requires the heating elements to work. The heat is used to drive the moisture out of the desiccant drum. If you disabled the heating element the unit would stop removing moisture from the air.

Anyone know where all the screws are in a ecoair DD122 Mk5 dehumidifier? I need to take it apart because it needs cleaning inside. The smell it gives off is whatever crap it's collected while in use in the garage.

@KieranTully

8 жыл бұрын

Two screws are hidden behind the carry handle at the top. You can slide the carry handle out if you push the sides of the channel away from where the handle attaches.

@Interknetz

8 жыл бұрын

Ah thanks.

@cooloutac

5 жыл бұрын

The horrible rancid sour chemical smell is normal for desiccant dehumidifiers I have concluded. Its very disappointing. Its best to put the thing on low and set it for a high humidity lol. They also put out so much heat not really usable in the summertime, that is if you can stand the smell in the wintertime.

I own this unit also and feel after 2 years it seems to have lost its efficiency. I've had it running for 15hours and it's only collected about half a tank and hasn't switched off once. I clean the filter every 2 weeks. What else can I do to make it work better?

@bigclivedotcom

7 жыл бұрын

Use a flashlight to look through the air vent in the case to see if the rotating drum inside is clogged up with fluff.

As I understand it compressor win at 20degrees c on power consumption, desiccant dehumidifier win in cold conditions. Next question flooded metal single skin -garage best self drain auto restart model capable of garage dust if anyone has suggestions please

Hi in the video you said that the honeycomb type filter is called Zeelalights is that right? I'm looking am making my own Dehumidifier. Do you have any idea where I can purchase this item ? if I have spelled it correctly lol 😉 Thanks Roy

@bigclivedotcom

8 жыл бұрын

+Roy McGibbon Permaculture is where the heart is! Zeolite. Not easy to find in the drum form. I think it would be cheaper getting an existing unit, since the mechanism is fairly complex.

@mellamoesroy

8 жыл бұрын

+bigclivedotcom No problem, I was thinking that but I like to tinker and make stuff, thanks mate! ;-)

@mellamoesroy

8 жыл бұрын

+bigclivedotcom Great channel and videos mate, subscribed. ;-)

Good vid, I have mine apart at the moment, this is helpful. I have an annoying beep every 2mins 20 secs, dont know how or why, so am just trying to make sure no blockages etc. How did you get the casing apart as far as you have, I have undone as many screws as I can, with the top panel off, but dont want to break any plastic bits on the sides. Thanks

@bigclivedotcom

10 жыл бұрын

If your is a Meaco then the case is clipped together on either side of the middle of the unit and the only way to part it seems to be to dig your fingers in at the sides and use "the force". On some units there are four hidden screws under the control panels label, but I'm not sure if they have to be removed to open the case. The "beep" you hear might actually be a squeak. The desiccant drum rotates very slowly and is retained by metal guides and mine also developed an occasional squeak. It may actually just go itself if you give it some time.

@delgan999

10 жыл бұрын

bigclivedotcom Meaco DD8L, looks the same as your one, have cleaned as much as I can and put it all back together and fired it up again, will soon find out if the beep/squeak continues when I turn the radio down :-) Good call on the squeak though, maybe thats how long the dessicant drum takes to rotate one turn? Cheers for info

@delgan999

10 жыл бұрын

delgan999 As far as I am aware, the 'squeak' has now gone (wohoo!) Thanks for your help

@bigclivedotcom

10 жыл бұрын

delgan999 Glad you got it sorted. Mine hasn't squeaked for a long time.

Hi Clive, thanks for excellent video. My dd8l has dead front panel, but has mains to control board and -6v and -12 v are ok, do you know what value Vdd should be? Or what can I check to get lights to control panel? Cheers

@bigclivedotcom

3 жыл бұрын

I think the panel voltage should be around 5V. Treat all circuitry as being at mains voltage.

@peterkillow2885

3 жыл бұрын

@@bigclivedotcom great, thanks, still dead...can you please tell what processor it uses? Can't read number through varnish.

you speak much faster in your older videos/teardowns :D

How did you open your dd8l? I found the screws on top under the sticker and the screws on the bottom, but the thing won't come apart.

@bigclivedotcom

8 жыл бұрын

The base comes off and when the top and bottom screws are removed you have to give it a bear-hug to get the thing apart. It's well clipped.

@johnboardman4820

6 жыл бұрын

On mine, there are 4 screws hidden very effectively under the sticker. Took ages to work out what was going on.

What percent level of humidity will this dessicant demudifier get the room down to? I live in arizona where humidity may be 30%. Can it still suck moisture out below an existing 30% RH?

@bigclivedotcom

4 жыл бұрын

I'm not sure the limit of water extraction humidity. I'll guess you're looking for an emergency source of water.

Thank you for this informative video. my DD8L now trips power every time its switched on. any idea what causes this? you have mentioned Thermal fuses in your video. Could they be the cause? Thanks

@bigclivedotcom

7 жыл бұрын

It could be that the heating element has broken and is touching its housing if it's the main RCD breaker (with test button) that is tripping.

@amir1959

7 жыл бұрын

Yes I think you are correct. Is the heating element repairable/replaceable?

@bigclivedotcom

7 жыл бұрын

Amir Azzawi Not sure if you can buy the heater on its own. The manufacturer might suggest a service, which is so expensive that you might be better just buying a new unit. My current choice is the ecoair simple as it has minimal electronics. If used at its low setting it should last a long time.

@hellooohowareudoing

7 жыл бұрын

I've just bought the Ecoair simple and am very relieved to hear that is your current choice! Will be using it on low setting as you suggest

Clive, for comparison what is the cost for using the compressor dehumidifier to extract the same amount of water?

@bigclivedotcom

8 жыл бұрын

+Matt P The compressor units are more efficient at 20C and above, but the desiccant drum units are able to work efficiently down to much lower temperatures.

@mikeguitar9769

8 жыл бұрын

A properly working compressor unit should be effective down to at least 50 F (10 C), especially if the air flow rate is low enough. I'd speculate that if the air flow is too high, the "sensible-heat" load may prevent the air from being cooled below the dew point. I think you should at least check the evaporator temperature of your unit and try slowing down the air flow before saying compressor types don't work. I have an old one that will actually produce ice on the evaporator coils, so you can't say the technology is ineffective at low temperatures.

I got rid of the calcium chloride tubs littered around the house on the back of the review you did on the Unibond 360 dehumidifier & bought a dessicant type dehumidifier on your recommendation. We bought an Ecoair DD1 Simple & so far it's been great, I was sold on the dessicant type because they work down to 1 deg. C & we have the heating on as little as possible in our house lol. It's sucked loads of moisture out of the air & it even adds a bit of background heat. However, I understand fully the bit about the dessicant absorbing the moisture, then it's heated & the moisture is then condensed out of that heated air on a condenser, but where does the water come from that's in that condenser & how is that water then cooled in turn to give up it's heat?

@bigclivedotcom

7 жыл бұрын

I'd recommend you only ever run your eco-air simple at its low setting for maximum lifespan. After you've had it for a while it's a good idea to sit it on a tray as the water collection tray can eventually get blocked with the slime found in all water collection devices. The way it works is this. As the desiccant drum passes through the main airflow it absorbs moisture from the air. It passes through a closed loop of hot air that expels the moisture and pushes the hot moist air through a plastic cooling panel that is being cooled by the main airflow. The moisture laden air is cooled enough that it condenses out on the plastic condenser panel and drips down to the drainage tray. These units are ideal for cool houses.

@phil955i

7 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the explanation, that's made it clear. When you say the lowest setting, do you mean the fan switch or the humidistat?

@bigclivedotcom

7 жыл бұрын

The fan switch. It's not just for the fan, it also changes the heater setting from around 330W to 660W and when run at full power the heaters in the earlier desiccant units were prone to early failure. A test of power consumption versus water extracted also showed that they are slightly more efficient at the lower setting. I'd recommend a good quality humidity meter to set the manual humidistat on the machine. I aim for around 60% humidity here so the thing doesn't have to run all the time.

@phil955i

7 жыл бұрын

Thanks again, can you recommend a source for a good quality humidity meter? I do remember you stating somewhere that the humidistat hysteresis is quite wide due to it's location inside the unit.

@bigclivedotcom

7 жыл бұрын

It's tricky finding an accurate one. You can buy five and they will all read slightly differently. There is a wide hysteresis because the dehumidifier has a big drum of desiccant inside it when it stops that keeps it dry locally. The electronic ones have a feature where they occasionally sample the air by running the fan for about 30 seconds every so often. But the simple unit is fine and much more reliable. In my bedroom where I keep the humidity at 60% the dial is set to the one-drip and two-drip marks. For the rest of the house I let the humidity go a bit higher with the dial pointing at the single drip and generally keeping humidity at around 70%.

Hello! My humidifier has broken - its giving the symbol thats its always full. The plastic pin in the water tank above the styrofoam magnet is broken. Do you think this is the problem? I read somewhere that it could be the magnetic reed switch. Not sure if youd be able to give a bit of advice if its an easy fix!! Thanks :) :)

@bigclivedotcom

3 жыл бұрын

If the magnetic float is not moving freely it may be that.

Big Clive sent me here.

would the main thing that condensates water run at 240volts? I’m wondering if i could bypass the control board and run the dehumidifier as always on. but thing got rusty at the bottom 😐

@bigclivedotcom

6 жыл бұрын

+Donald Sleightholme It needs the heater regulation. It could overheat on straight power.

@DonaldSleightholme

6 жыл бұрын

bigclivedotcom oh 😔

Would the dehumidifier work at all without the heater ? Looking for reducing the energy consumption...

@bigclivedotcom

5 жыл бұрын

No. It needs the temperature differential to work. A low energy dehumidifier for rooms would save people a lot of money. I recommend using a good humidity meter to monitor levels. If you over-dry the place it uses a lot more energy to do so.

@TheMyrkiriad

5 жыл бұрын

bigclivedotcom Thanks for the answer.

How much this dehumidifier cost? I cannot find it anywhere...

Hi Clive Do you happen to know what the operating temperature of the heater is? Planing on making a fair sized one from scratch. Thanks

@bigclivedotcom

10 жыл бұрын

I'm not 100% sure. It's a closed air loop with a heater that operates at either 300 or 600W and it does cycle on and off from time to time. I've got a dead unit where the heater has clearly been used at its highest setting and has burned and failed. The actual element is like a hairdryer style open element zig-zagged on a mica support. I'm going to try an experiment with a cluster of 50W resistors to see if I can get a result. I don't know if it requires a minimum temperature to operate efficiently. I can say from tests that it is slightly more efficient at the 300W setting. Having seen the way the other unit failed I'd say that operating these units at their lowest (300W) setting is going to make them last a LOT longer.

@EcorProBVUithoorn

9 жыл бұрын

bigclivedotcom Hi Clive I like your video. Not sure if the heater is a PTC heater that are used for safety. In theory they should not burn out unlike resistive heaters. If it is not that is another issue.

@bigclivedotcom

9 жыл бұрын

They are a coiled resistance wire zig-zagged across a mica carrier in two layers. It's a very humid environment in the heated condensing path which doesn't help.

Just bought used different brand unit with an issue, similar circuit, but the drum motor randomly starts in the wrong direction and then only hums because it's cw only. Any ideas why the circuit does not bias it's starting direction?

@bigclivedotcom

8 ай бұрын

The motor is a synchronous motor that has no fixed direction, but there is usually a mechanism to stop it running in the wrong direction. Check that the motor hasn't ground its bearing to mince. I had one that frequently ran in the wrong direction, but the unit still worked that way.

Could this be used as a still? If you poured low% alcohol into the desiccant material, wouldn't you end up with high% spirits in the waste water container? You should test this if you still have it around

@RobertSzasz

5 жыл бұрын

Jiyva nah, but you could do the opposite. Zeolites adsorb water but not alcohol. The easiest way to generate 100% ethanol is to dump some A3 zeolite into a bottle of everclear.

Hi Clive. Just wondering if you've any suggestion re an eco air dd122fw simple stopping after just s few minutes running. Cleaned, fan running , no check or full light showing it just goes straight into its cool down cycle and then stops. Blue light on side shows initially but then it switches off as the unit goes into cool down mode. Any thoughts welcomed. Thank you. I appreciate difficult not seeing the unit. Cheers Russ

@bigclivedotcom

5 жыл бұрын

May be a failed internal heater or condenser fan. Does the air get warm at all before it cuts out?

@russellpayne6333

5 жыл бұрын

@@bigclivedotcom thanks yes the exiting air is warm and all motors running . Dessicant wheel turning steadily.

@bigclivedotcom

5 жыл бұрын

@@russellpayne6333 If it's the simple one with just the mechanical humidistat then there's not much to go wrong. I wonder if there's a thermal sensor that is tripping. The condenser unit has a small fan that circulates air in a closed loop between the heater, desiccant and condenser. Does it still do it if set to the low heat setting?

@russellpayne6333

5 жыл бұрын

@@bigclivedotcom yes it could be anything I guess and i don't have the parts to be able to swap out sadly. I've seen on the eco air website they will do a guaranteed fix whatever is wrong for £36 which I reckon is pretty good . Thank you for your help. It's good to know the art of taking things apart trying to fix them is not completely gone !!

Would you tell me the name of the material of the absorbent material? Would you think if you passed the collected water through a filter and ozone water, it would be safe to drink?

@bigclivedotcom

9 жыл бұрын

TJ A The material is called zeolite. The water is basically distilled water, but the cleanliness of the condenser unit could be an issue.

@Tay-ky3fi

9 жыл бұрын

bigclivedotcom Thank you. I read the Wikipedia article about zeolite. Do you think it would leach into /onto the water? Also how much heat does a compressor dehumidifier produce compared to the deccsant type?

I understand this uses a chemical process to condense water. Like a compressor based humidifer, can the water be carbon filtered and then drunk safely?

@bigclivedotcom

4 жыл бұрын

These can get a bit mouldy inside after a while. There are no chemicals in the water.

I have a Meaco DD8L bought new 2 years ago, didn't use it till now. I find out that after a short period of time the alarm light is on and not working. Any thoughts please?

@bigclivedotcom

5 жыл бұрын

Is the filter clear? The early units were prone to problems with the heater failing when used at full power all the time. Check if warm air comes out and that the fan runs normally.

@dapali123

5 жыл бұрын

@@bigclivedotcom thank you, I checked the filter is clean and set it up on low power and is working great and continuously.

0:40 to skip compressors at start and get to the desktop dessicant dehumifier.

@JT-tz5hp

2 жыл бұрын

What a time saver! I wish I had seen this comment BEFORE I had to sit through all that! Talk about dragging out the intro. Geesh. 40 seconds? Come on man! Some people have things to do!