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A comment on Have you seen these dehumidifiers? Stop using them or you might die.

Re:Have you seen these dehumidifiers? Stop using them or you... by c64d81744074dfa on Thursday August 17, 2023 @07:45PM (#37169822)
My dehumidifier isn't on the list but I believe maybe it should be. Several times now it gets into a state where it's very loud, abnormally hot and it turns out the compressor is stuck ON even though the fan is not running. Even powering it down (with the button) will not turn off the compressor.

Unplugging it and plugging back in will sometimes fix the problem. Looked into it and it turns out the power relay is getting stuck in the on position. I have to open the dehumidifier completely to get access to the relay and then tap on it with something hard. This has worked to unstick it, at least so far.

I think maybe this relay isn't up to its task. I was curious about replacing it with something similar but couldn't find anything remotely as small for switching 120 VAC mains power.

For reference, my dehumidifer is a Toshiba TDDP7011ES2. The relay in question is a Sanyou SFK-112DMP.

I dunno, maybe this will help someone out there figure out what's going on.

[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Have you seen these dehumidifiers? Stop using them or you... by altairprime on Thursday August 17, 2023 @07:58PM (#37169913)
Call the CPSC and tell them what's happening — specifically, that the compressor is overheating due to a stuck relay — and ask them if your model is included in the recall, or if not, if the recall involves stuck power relays.

They will, of course, warn you that your dehumidifier could overheat and kill you, which is completely valid. You should stop using it immediately. Accept that going into the call, or else they'll take a lot of time trying to convince you.

But they will also have more details about how, exactly, the dehumidifiers fail, and they'll have more leverage to pursue your concern about a design defect problem with Toshiba.

[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Have you seen these dehumidifiers? Stop using them or you... by c64d81744074dfa on Thursday August 17, 2023 @09:28PM (#37170472)
Thanks for the advice, I will try that.
[ Parent | on HN ]