Need small hoses/attachments to drain dehumidifier

Jun 11 15:46 UTC 2002

We have a dehumidifier in the basement which runs, and of course generates
liquid water, all the time.  (Yes, this is one of the Whirlpool models
which was recalled, and yes, I took it in and had the repair done.)

The dehumidifier sits on the top of a stack of pseudo milk crates, right
next to the basement laundry tubs.  I'd like it to drain INTO the laundry
tub drain, without leaking a lot of water on the floor, but I haven't been
able to accomplish that.

Water dripping to the concrete floor and flowing to the nearby floor drain
isn't a huge problem, except that it exposes the water to evaporation and
tends to undo the dehumidification.

On the front of the dehumidifier is a removable plastic tank.  Below the
tank is a steel shelf which is integral to the whole unit.

On the side of the tank is a hole with threading (the hole is at the end of
a small projecting cylinder with thrading on the outside) to connect a hose
to, so that the dehumidifier can drain through the hose, rather than
requiring somebody to periodically empty the tank manually.  However, the
plastic is not hard enough to really do a hose connection; if you screw a
hose to this threading, the connection leaks like mad.  And of course, if
you don't have a hose there, the water simply drips out of the hole to the
floor. 

For a while, I had the thing running without the tank.  The water drips out
of a hole in the metal "ceiling" of the tank space, but attaching something
to that surface turns out to be extremely difficult.

I put a small plastic funnel below the opening, with the wide end of the
funnel up against the "ceiling" of the tank space; a small hose from the
narrow end of the funnel led to the laundry tub drain.  But all I had to
attach this was duct tape, and apparently duct tape doesn't perform well in
a damp environment. Also, the space where the tank goes has only about eight
inches of vertical clearance, so the small hose from the bottom of the
funnel had to bend more sharply than optimal.  That put pressure on the
funnel and on the duct tape holding it in place, and that would eventually
make the funnel partly or completely fall off.  The connection between the
funnel and the hose was weak, too.

I think I need a source for those clear plastic flexible hoses (half an inch
in diameter or maybe less) that are used in science labs, and some sturdy
and waterproof way of connecting them.  Probably the easiest way would be to
find some kind of hose that would stretch over the threaded cylinder and
maybe attach with some kind of waterproof glue.  Alternatively, some way to
make the funnel-and-hose system work would be good.

There has to be some kind of laboratory supply place in Ann Arbor, no?

response 2 of 22:

Jun 11 16:49 UTC 2002

Try Ace Barnes on Washtenaw.  They have tubing like you've described on
reels along the west wall toward the back of the store.

response 4 of 22:

Jun 12 02:03 UTC 2002

If all else fails, a washing-machine supply hose can be modified to
work as a dehumidifier drain hose (you remove one of the two hose
fittings with a specialized tool known as a "knife").  You definitely
need a washer in the fitting, and you MUST be certain that you have
not cross-threaded the connection when you make it.

My mother has one of those units, which I just installed about a week
ago.  It works great and has no leakage from the hose fitting on the tank.

If you need something a little fancier, you can go to a hardware store
and buy all kinds of hoses, adapters and reducers.  For a dehumidifier
you could get by with 1/4" hose, which would let you drain to something
across the room for a couple buck's worth of tubing.  Clear Tygon, like
aquarium stuff, would probably do just fine.

Larry, if this is still a problem for you come this Saturday, let me
take you on a shopping trip to Ace Barnes.

response 6 of 22:

Jun 13 02:24 UTC 2002

The problem is that the whole cylinder is just too soft to maintain any
kind of seal regardless of washer or not.  Any slight pressure, it bends
and deforms, and water pours out.

response 8 of 22:

Jun 13 02:33 UTC 2002

Plug the hole and install a tube fitting. Even better, get a replacement
tube with a durable hose fitting.

response 10 of 22:

Jun 14 05:21 UTC 2002

Silicone sealant is unreliable on polyolefins, if the tank is of such
a composition. I would prefer a mechanical (threaded) seal with a gasketing
material.

response 12 of 22:

Jun 15 09:09 UTC 2002

Re 9.  Really appreciate the Saturday offer, but I'll be working on a
Habitat for Humanity house all day.

response 14 of 22:

Jun 17 08:10 UTC 2002

I went to Stadium Hardware on Sunday and bought a number of items.  I
discussed the problem with one of the folks there, and he also thought a
washer in the hose connection would do it.  But I also bought some plastic
tubing for the other option.  They did not have any "fittings" for the
hoses.

But alas, I had forgotten some details and hence misunderstood and
misstated the problem.  A washer will not fix the hose connection.

The #1 issue is that any slight touch (e.g., Janice using the laundry
tubs) causes the hose to simply FALL OFF the soft plastic threading on
the tank. 

And even if that weren't a problem, the surface which the washer is
supposed to touch is not only rough, but CONCAVE, i.e., it slopes in
toward the hole in the center instead of being flat.  So there is no way
that the washer can mate to it and maintain a seal.

I bought two types of tubing, one clear plastic, the other cloudy plastic
but very flexible, in about 4 foot lengths each.  Unfortunately neither
one will work with the funnel I have, because the bottom end of the funnel
is just a bit too large.

In terms of a way to hold the funnel in place, the hardware store guy
could only suggest duct tape.  I asked for some kind of adhesive or
fastener that would perform well in a damp environment, and he again
suggested duct tape.  "It's pretty sticky," he added helpfully.

I thought there was some kind of nice, waterproof silicon glue that would
firmly attach plastic to aluminum, but apparently that's a myth.  The
hardware guy steered me gently but firmly back to duct tape, or maybe
"wires".  Huh?

So that presumably means it's back to the ugly, messy, high-maintenance
solution of holding the funnel in place with duct tape that won't adhere
to the damp aluminum, and hence sags badly, and allows some water drops to
splash out, but will adhere to the outside of the unit some inches away. 

So I guess I need to go shopping for a smaller funnel, or at least, a
funnel with a smaller outlet.  Any ideas?

response 16 of 22:

Jun 17 13:06 UTC 2002

How long is the existing outlet?  Long enough to saw a bit off and get some
fresh threads and a flatter sealing surface?

response 18 of 22:

Jun 17 17:07 UTC 2002

Here's an idea:  Get some larger-diameter tubing (should be available at some
hardware stores; I saw a big rack at one of those home improvement places
once) which will fit over the whole outlet.  Clamp the sucker down with a
radiator hose clamp.

response 20 of 22:

Jun 19 01:27 UTC 2002

Re #17:  Larry, I think you're doing it wrong.  The outlet is typically
designed for a screw-on hose fitting; the threads are not designed to
be used as "hose barbs".  I'd have to look at it to be sure.

response 22 of 22:

Jun 23 02:28 UTC 2002

"Hose barbs" are commonly found in a chemistry lab and the like for
natural gas plumbing.  They can also be found in many modern
automobiles, typically used for engine coolant (radiator plumbing),
vacuum lines, and the like.  In both cases, the technology involves a
"nozzle" with "ribs" of raised metal that go completely around the
nozzle and meet up - it's circular, not spiral, unlike a screw-on
fitting.  The hose is forced on over this, and expands slightly so is
under tension.  Usually a clamp is put on over the widened end to hold
the hose on.  For small hoses under not much pressure (ie, the lab) the
clamp may be just springy wire.  For big hoses under more pressure (ie,
the radiator), the clamp is more likely to be sheet metal, and instead
of spring tension, it may use a screw to be tightened.  I doubt any of
this will be useful to Larry, because it sounds like has an severely
eroded soft plastic nozzle with spiral threads -- unless he can put a
metal insert of just the right size inside the plastic, a compression
clamp on the outside probably won't be useful.

If your reservoir is polyethylene, I doubt you'll find any glue that
will work well.  This is basically CH2*n, so in essence it's like
paraffin wax, only more so.  It is most similar to Teflon as far as its
mechanical properties go, which means your chances of getting anything
else to stick to it are just about nil.  Aluminum is not nearly as hard
to work with, although it's bad enough.  Glass is another challenging
substance - with either or both of those, what would likely work very
nicely is ordinary silicon bathroom calk.  However, while that should do
a good job of sealing a joint, it will do *nothing* for the mechanical
stability - if you can't get things anchored good and tight such that
they can't wiggle, there's probably little point in trying calk.