How to tell if dehumidifier is working?

If you live in a place with high humidity levels and damp weather, then I suggest you to buy a dehumidifier to create a comfortable environment in your living space.

Basically, a dehumidifier is an electrical device that helps you to remove excess moisture from your home by replacing the humid air with good breathable air. So in other words you can say that a dehumidifier is every homeowner’s best friend when it comes to good breathable air.

On the other hand, if you won’t do anything about your humidity issue then you may even encounter things like mold and mildew growth, musty odor, rotting of wood, dampness, dust mites, health, and respiratory problems, depression, etc.

Although you don’t have to worry about these issues… since you can easily prevent all of these issues by applying some methods at home or by having a dehumidifier with you. However, when it comes to high humidity then it will be always better to use a dehumidifier for better results.

Though if you are facing low humidity issues then you can simply prevent it by reading our article. (How to reduce humidity in the house without a dehumidifier)

So now let’s assume that you have already selected a manufacturer or brand with a model to buy for your home/room, but now the question is how to know if your dehumidifier is working efficiently. or not?

Since a dehumidifier is also an electronic device, so it is possible that after some time of usage you may find some issues which can only be fixed by repairing or troubleshooting the device.

However, knowing when is the right time to do this is one of the most important questions you must consider, and to be honest, there are many several methods to check if your dehumidifier is working or not. But the most reliable one is using a hygrometer. Since a hygrometer is a kind of device that allows you to check the exact humidity level & temperature in your house.

Well well, let’s just dig into the main article to read the topic with a proper explanation of what is a dehumidifier and how can you tell if your device is working or not 😉

Table of Contents

What is a dehumidifier?

As I said earlier that a dehumidifier is an electrical device that helps you to reduce and maintain the humidity level in the air. Basically, it is used for comfort or health purposes, since with a dehumidifier you can easily say goodbye to mold and mildew growth, musty odor, rotting of wood, dampness, dust mites, health, and respiratory problems, depression, etc.

With this, you can easily say that a dehumidifier is one of the most useful commercial, residential, or even industrial buildings. With a dehumidifier, you can even maintain the humidity of indoor levels between 40% and 60%.

How to tell if dehumidifier is working?

As you know by now know that a dehumidifier plays an important role in maintaining air quality in your home by reducing humidity levels. But it is also true that a dehumidifier is also an electrical device and just like any other electrical device, your dehumidifier can break or stop working too.

If you don’t fix your dehumidifier on time then you may even face various problems that will cause you some problems. So yeah you can say that…it is one of the most important things that you always keep in mind while owning a dehumidifier, and if you notice any problems or unusual things, it’s important to take action right away.

However, there’s nothing to worry about since I am gonna share some signs that will help you to understand if your dehumidifier is working well or not, and after that, you can even call for a professional to repair any internal unit problems that are hard for you to do so.

Well without any further ado let’s just jump into the points that you are looking for:

1. Check your water levels

One of the easiest way to know if your dehumidifier is working well or not is by checking the water in the bucket of the dehumidifier. Although it’s true that the water level might increase faster or slower based on the weather condition of your area, and the fact is it has to be always on the rise.

So in short if you notice that the dehumidifier bucket has water in it then it means that your dehumidifier is working and you have nothing to worry about for now. But if you notice that your dehumidifier has stopped collecting water then it could be a sign that your dehumidifier has stopped working or that the humidity level is normal.

This is why I suggest you to check the humidity level before assuming that your dehumidifier stopped working. After all of this if you find out that the humidity level is still high and your device stopped collecting water then it means that your dehumidifier need to be repaired or a troubleshooting.

**If you have a washable marker in your home then you can just draw line on the current level of water, and after couple of hours you can return back to check if the water level rises any bit or still at same level.**

2. Look at the indication lights

Almost every dehumidifier has an indicator bulb that indicates whether your device is on or off and also helps you understand if your device is working properly or not. However, depending on your device you may see different kind of wide range of indicators or just the “On/Off” light.

Typically the indicator lights are green while the device is running but you may see different lights based on your devices so don’t worry about it. However you shouldn’t always consider that your device is broken just by looking at the lights…since there are many other factors that you have to keep in mind, and we are talking about in this article.

But in case if you find out that the light is off then you should at least take a look at the device to see if the dehumidifier is working well or not since a indicator’s work is to inform you weather the device is working or no.

3. Feel for airflow

Always remember that a dehumidifier produce warm air while running, and if you are having doubt about it’s working then you can just simply check by placing a hand above it to feel the air flow. After checking the air flow if you feel that the dehumidifier stopped producing air or producing more warmer air than usual then it can be an obvious reason that something is wrong with the internal parts of your system.

Note: If your deumdifier stopped producing warm air then there might be high chance that your fan motor might be burned out and need to be replaced, and by cleaning the fans regularly you can even ensure it’s longibility,so make sure that there’s no buildup of dust, dirt, and other elements on its surface.

4. Listen to the sound carefully

Most electronic devices make different types of noise when they are running and the same goes for a dehumidifier too. A dehumidifier, like any other device, makes a very specific sound when it is running. Although this sound may be unpleasant to you but it can be a good way to know if your dehumidifier is working well or not.

For example if you hear a different or an unusual sound from your dehumidifier while running then you have to assume that you have issues with your dehumdidfier or it’s function.

Note: Make sure that all the other electronic devices are off while you are hearing the sound of your dehumidifier.

5. The air smells heavy and smelly

Well it is obvious that if the dehumidifier stops working then the hot air will not not be coming out of the dehumidifier and as a result it will cause bad air quality in your room like before when you didn’t place the dehumidifier.

Well as you know by now that a dehumidifier not only works to reduce high humidity in your home, but also improves indoor air quality. So that’s why if feels stuffy and unpleasant then it’s a sign that the unit is not working. In case if you have sharp smell senses then you can feel the difference in air when it will stop working.

6. Place a humidity checker in the room

As you can understand from the title, these humidity checkers (Hygrometer) are used to measure the humidity level in a given environment. The fact is that these checkers will be especially useful when you run into any dehumidifier problem, since they will not only give you an instant answer, but also tell you the exact percentage of humidity in the room.

The reason having a humidity tester is necessary is because with a humidity tester you can see if your dehumidifier is working properly or it is having trouble while reducing humidity.

7. Having allergies issues again

If you are using a dehumidifier for a long time then you may already noticed that suddenly your allergic issues stopped and you are recovering from it. Well it’s all thanks to the dehumidifier you have in your room, but in case if are having alergic issue again then it has to be because of broken dehumidifier.

Since till yet your dehumidifier was working on reducing the allergen you have in your house but when the dehumidifier stopped working then the effects of it will also be fade away slowly so your all issues will start coming back.

So make sure to check the dehumidifier as soon as you feel anything itchy on your skin all of a sudden after a long time.

FAQs

Q: Why is my dehumidifier running but not collecting water?

If your dehumidifier does not collect water even though the humidity level is high enough then it is probably due to a faulty compressor that is not working properly. So if you notice any such problem, I suggest you call any professional to repair it because it is not something you can do by yourself.

Q: Should a dehumidifier run constantly?

You can run your dehumidifier as long as you want or as long as you feel the high humidity in your room, but as a dehumidifier user I suggest you turn it off a bit because continuous running can cause overheating problems like any other electrical device. Also running a dehumidifier constantly can make your home too dry, leading to health and other property problems.

To know more you can also read our article: How Long Should a Dehumidifier Run Per Day?

Q: Should a dehumidifier fill up every day?

A dehumidifier will probably fill up after six to seven hours of use. However, the result can be different depending on the dehumidifier model and size as well as the amount of moisture present in the air. For example, A 30-pint dehumidifier will probably fill one to three times in 24 hours if the room is humid.