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?

22 responses total.

If it's not important that it be clear, you can get various diameters of
rubber and plastic hose at most hardware stores.  You might even be able to
get it clear; I haven't needed that in the past and so haven't looked.  

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

You  can also get tubing fittings that could be added the tank.

Was there a washer in the hose fitting you tried screwing onto the
tank drain port? 

There are hoses made for draining dehumidifier tanks, which have a
hose fitting, but smaller, more flexible, tubing. 

My dehumidifer drains through such a hose to the catch-tank for the
central air conditioner condensate, which has a pump that delivers
the condensate to the laundry tub. 

Could you mount the dehumidifier up near the ceiling, to drain into
your loundry tub? 

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.

Ditto on the "check for a washer" advice.  The seal is made by the washer;
the threads are just there to hold the hose in place.

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.

Ah.

You might go to the hardware store and ask; probably somebody there will set
you up with the parts to replace that fitting with a metal deal.  Something
that just needs a hole, perhaps.  

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

The fittings used to bring water lines into toilet tanks would be
almost ideal for this application.  Worse comes to worst, the day
can be saved by duct tape and silicone sealant.  

The shopping offer for Saturday is still good.  E-mail me.

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.

Needed:
1 rubber hose, flexible copper tubing, or similar (acquire at chemistry
equipment supply, plumbers, etc.)
1 trap - bathroom sink variety or similar.  This is an "S" shapped
appliance with an upper and lower attachment; the upper normally goes to
the sink, and the lower goes to the drain pipe that leads to the sewer.
X pieces miscellaneous fastener technology - clamps, wire, brackets,
shelves, braces, as needed.
The hose & trap should be sized such that the hose can fit inside the
trap with a air gap to spare.  The hose should not be much larger than
the minimum needed to drain the dehumidifier when it is running at full
capacity.  The trap should be large enough that the maximum flow rate of
the hose is not sufficient to cause the trap to "siphon" and empty
itself.

Installation:
(1) mount dehumidifier above level of wash tub, not necessarily directly
above, but conveniently nearby.
(2) mount trap above wash tub, with drain emptying into wash tub.  Upper
inside lip of trap should be at desired level of water in dehumidifier.
It may be desirable to attach an additional drain hose to the exit from
the trap, so long as it can be kept all downhill, especially if the trap
cannot be mounted directly over the tub, or the splash from the trap
would be regarded as a nuisance.  The trap train could also be an open
trough or gutter of metal or plastic.
(3) fill trap with water.
(4) fill dehumidifier tank with water, to or above desired level.
(5) fill rubber hose with water.
(6) insert one end of rubber hose in dehumidifier tank.  Insert other
end under water in trap.  Secure hose in place with wire, tape, or other
mounting hardware.

At this point, the hose is now a siphon.  As the water in the
dehumidifier tank rises, the excess will flow through the hose and into
the trap.  When water overflows the trap, the excess will run out the
drain and into the tub.  The siphon will not empty as long as both ends
are kept submerged in water; this is the purpose of the tank in the
dehumidifier, and the trap at the other end.  If it is ever necessary to
empty or remove the dehumidifier, it may be necessary to refill the hose
with water when the dehumidifier is reinstalled.

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

I hadn't realized your "tank" had a hole in it.  Replacing it with
a glass jar, aluminum box, or other container should be simple 
enough, assuming the dimensions aren't too strange.

There's a chemistry supply store in the basement of the chemistry
building.  They at least used to sell some stuff to the public.
I don't know what their current policies are.  As a general rule,
there's been an evolution in the past several decades to make it
harder for 'average citizens' to get chemical supplies - this is
part of the war on drugs, which has now been extended into the war
on terrorists.

Another source for clear plastic tubing is an auto parts store.
Look for "clear plastic fuel line", "brake drain line", etc.

At a shear guess, the metal "ceiling" is made of aluminum.  Attaching
stuff to aluminum can be hard, but not impossible.  You might want  
to see what's on the other side of that "ceiling" Is this some sort 
of collecting tray?  Putting screw holes in it may be simple ehough,
although you might need to take care to avoid jagged edges on the  
holes, and you may need to use washers to seal the hole afterwards.
Another solution might be straps that go around the tray, or bars
mounted to stuff under the tray.

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?

Glue a smaller tube into the funnel outlet. For this purpose, which is
just a seal and not for mechanical strength, silicone (note "e") cement
should serve. 

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

Re 16.  If you sawed off the end of the existing outlet, that would greatly
enlarge the hole, completely remove what might otherwise have been the
sealing surface, and leave even fewer threads for the hose to hang onto.

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.

Epoxy cement might work to hold the funnel in place, but you'd have to make
sure everything was dry first.

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.

Re 20.  Not sure what you mean by "hose barbs".  I have a screw-on hose
fitting.  You screw it on, you touch it, it falls off.  Simple.

"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.

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