response 1 of 30:

Dec 16 18:02 UTC 1998

The fan on a dehumidifier we found (which should be turned on soon to keep
the windows from sweating) is stuck.  What should be used to lubricate it?
(The other option is just to plug in a fan next to it).

response 3 of 30:

Dec 16 21:01 UTC 1998

Would a window fan motor work?  We have extra working ones.  Or could just
run the window fan next to the dehumidifer.  I presume by oil you mean sewing
machine oil, not 3-in-1 or Wessons (which is what some nice grad students
fixed my first $1 phonograph with).

response 5 of 30:

Dec 17 11:21 UTC 1998

In something like that, "take the motor apart" may not be beyond me, but "put
the motor back together" definitely is.  <sigh>

response 7 of 30:

Dec 18 04:03 UTC 1998

To digress way back to #1: Sindi, I'm curious.  This time of year most houses
are very dry - not in need of a dehumidifier.  Windows may sweat a little in
spite of the low humidity, but should not do so excessively if they have
adequate storms (or are well enough constructed).  (Besides which,
dehumidifiers are apt to ice up if the ambient temp is not somewhat warm, in
my experience.)  Or am I missing something really basic here?

response 9 of 30:

Dec 18 11:32 UTC 1998

Sounds like the fan isn't drawing enough air through the evaporator if
it's icing up like that, Rane.

response 11 of 30:

Dec 18 18:10 UTC 1998

We are planning to dehumidify a house under construction which has only single
glazing at the moment.  THe house is currently outdoor temperature, and the
windows are fine, but if we attempt to heat it (by opening windows to the
plasticked sunporches on sunny days) it goes up to 60 and the heated air
absorbs more moisture and at night it condenses out onto the glass and also
into the insulation (vapor barrier cannot be sealed until we replace some of
the subflooring).  So we have the option of working at outside temperature
for one more winter, or dehumidifying and heating to 50 while shining a heater
on the coils so they do not ice up.  Some combination of heater, box fan, and
dehumidifier may work to keep the whole house a dry 50, we hope.  Maybe one
setup on each floor.  We will eventually add a second set of double-glazed
low-E windows, and in the meantime some plastic, but we have to cut and screw
on some furring strips to attach the plastic to, and first we have to finish
work on the sublfloor (which rotted in places, along with some of the
underlying structure, in the few years before the roof went on).
        I recall one winter living in an apartment in an 1840s house, where
we had added two layers of plastic to each already-stormed window, when it
was below zero F for over a week and we had ice buildup on the walls but not
the windows.  Windows were R-4, walls had only drywall and wood sheathing and
siding (we plugged a few holes in it) under asphalt, R-3?  In this case the
walls are around R-38 and the windows R-1.  The ones leading onto the porch
(R-2) do not condense.

response 13 of 30:

Dec 21 01:35 UTC 1998

We want to heat at the same time anyway, is there some problem with shining
a heat lamp on teh dehumidifier?  We also plan to move the freezer up out of
hte cellar into the bathroom area to add heat to the house (and keep the
freezer in a cooler space, the cellar is around 50 still).  Will freezers have
any problems at 45?
        Unfortunately we got stuck at Kiwanis and the dehumidifier has not yet
been looked at.  I may be trying winter camping tonight instead.  OR let the
windows puddle one more night.
        Silicone oil for copiers is what Jim fixed a turntable with yesterday
- it would not set down at 12", went to 7", there was too much friction
somewhere, shortening a spring would have fixed it too but he oiled it
insetad.  Anything wrong with copier oil?  It would also not autostop, the
antiskate thing had lost its friction and was not pulling the arm towards the
center of the record, perhaps that is the problem with my turntable?  In the
meantime, I am taking hope a working turntable from here to use.  A working
VCR would also be nice, we have five here and ours needs cleaning (head).

response 15 of 30:

Dec 21 17:27 UTC 1998

Not much heat is better than no heat at all, and the freezer may at least run
less this way.  It is not cold enough to condense right now, and Jim's
solution was to put the bed up on milk crates and stick a small sealed-type
baseboard heater under it on the lowest setting.  The 'bed' room was nice and
cozy, probably near 50, and the adjacent area got up to 46 by morning.  This
way the bedding will stay dry, too.  May try this solution at home next.  A
high-tech version of the Russian heated sleeping platform (stove).

The two small freezers we have running at present are costing $6/month, or
68 KwH, about 2 kWh/day  2.4 kWh in 24 hours is 100 watts.  We calculated that
it would take 2200 watts to heat the house up from 0 to 70 (with the windows
finished), so 100 watts would raise the temp maybe three degrees, with luck.
43 is better than 40 to work in.

response 17 of 30:

Dec 23 22:23 UTC 1998

Maybe it is full of dust.

response 19 of 30:

Dec 24 18:03 UTC 1998

The heat lamp will reduce the dehumidication rate. "Efficiency" ends
up being the ratio of the dehumidication rate to the energy input.
You will get less dehumidication with the heat lamp on. You will get
the maximum dehumidification rate with an additional fan and then
turning off the unit after the ice starts blocking the air flow to
let the ice melt (it continues to dehumidfy while the ice melts).l

response 21 of 30:

Dec 26 01:43 UTC 1998

The upstairs one ran 2 hours before the coils iced completely shut towards
the outside, but the inner coils did not ice up at all.  Dripped dry in about
an hour.  The other one iced up much faster and makes a lot of noise.  We have
decided to tape plastic on the windows to stop condensation and retain heat.
One down, 15 to go.  46 down, 53 up, with a dehumidifier running the space
heater rarely went on.  This bodes well for total heat requirement - a few
light bulbs may do in normal winter weather rather than the calculated 2200
watts to raise it 70 degrees (with no lights, people, or sun shining).  The
city requires that we install heat before plumbing - they may revise this.

response 23 of 30:

Dec 26 17:57 UTC 1998

Jim says 'mostly won't do it, completely melted', or you will slowly get a
buildup of hard ice instead of frost.  One dehumidifer ran for 2 hours before
the ice plugged the spaces, the other a much shorter time.  If we can ever
find the timers, may try turning them on 4 times/day for 2 hours (or less)
each time.  Last night we cut up the rigid fiberglass from the freezer door
(it had been replaced with non-condensing styrofoam) and plugged one window
with it, then taped greenhouse plastic film around the window edges.  If we
plastic all the windows (the others will be left 'clear') that will prevent
condensation on them and also retain more heat until we get around to making
inner R-3 windows, but there is still the problem of moisture getting into
the insulation until we seal it off.
        The ice melted off in maybe half an hour or an hour, we did not time
it and the timing will depend on inside temperature, which varies with outside
temperature.  We will time it when the house is about 40 (very cold out) and
set it for that.