Dehumidifier not working – that’s ok, it’s normal

Why do dehumidifiers turn off and stop collecting water?  This is something that callers ask us over and over again.  I think that once someone has invested in a dehumidifier they want it to collect water on a daily basis and they are disappointed when it stops collecting water.  Before I explain why the dehumidifier not collecting water is perfectly normal lets switch to another piece of equipment that we use in the house that we have a greater understanding of – our central heating.

An explanation – with the aid of the central heating example.

When we set the thermostat to say 22°C our radiators become hot, if we were to put our hands on the radiator later and found it to be lukewarm or cool then we would not think that the radiator is faulty, we would just accept that the room temperature is up to 22°C and the radiator has been turned off by the stat.  We know that when the room temperature drops the radiators will turn on again and they will once more be hot to the touch.

Back to the dehumidifier and the same thing is happening, albeit in reverse.  You select your set point and the dehumidifier dries the air down to this point, when the relative humidity falls below this level the dehumidifier stops working.  When the relative humidity rises again the dehumidifier will turn itself on and start to collect water again.

Hopefully that makes sense and you now know why your dehumidifier sometimes stops working.

Products featured: dehumidifiers

You May also Like

311 responses

  1. Hi there,

    I think I have had received a faulty meaco dehumidifier Arete One 12L. The smart humidifier mode is kept at 55 percent. However, it is far from being smart. My Meaco never stops whenever the humidity level comes down to 55 percent. The indicator of dehumidifier is also constantly on. Not sure how much the electricity bill is going to be like if it never stops. I am frustrated and have read your instructions many time to make sure I’m not mad. I have tried not to think that you may have sent me a refurbished grade A machine with a remaining fault whilst I paid for a brand new machine from you. Can you please advise on this at your earliest convenience?

    1. Thank you for your enquiry, a few factors to take note of here are:

      – when the humidity target is reached the fan continues to run to check the humidity level is balanced and no changes at this time.
      – then it will turn off and on in 30 minute increments to check the humidity level.

      Please read below for official text from the manual:

      Once the target of 55%rh has been reached (- 3%rh), the dehumidifier will stop. Every 30 minutes the fan will run and check the humidity level, the dehumidifying indicator will turn off. If the humidity level has increased more than 3% above the target, the compressor will turn on and the dehumidifier will start to run again – the dehumidifying indicator will be solid. If the humidity level is within 3% of the target, the dehumidifier will go back to sleep and check the humidity level in another 30 minutes.

      If your unit is still having an issue, following the above and not acting in accordance to the above, please contact our customerservice@meaco.com team to help you.

      I hope this helps,
      Omar@Meaco.

  2. I just brought my dehumidifier and its on smart mode set to come on at 55. It has come on a couple of times but only for about 30 seconds to a 1 minute then goes back onto standby. Does this mean the humidity in my house is fine and it’s not necessary to have it?

    1. Thank you for your message,

      If the humidity level has increased more than 3% above the target, the compressor will turn on and the dehumidifier will start to run again, if the humidity level is within 3% of the target, the dehumidifier will go back to sleep and check the humidity level in another 30 minutes.

      Hope this helps.

      Omar@Meaco

  3. Where is the most common failure point to cause a C8 error on a Platinum ultra low dehumidifier – compressor pipes, condenser or evaporator ? FGAS Cat 1 Engineer.

  4. Hello I have a similar issue with my maeco dehumidifier.
    Ambiant temperature is in spec but cool is freezing up.
    Wonder if it could be the humidity sensor fault ?

    Thanks for your help

  5. Hello,
    I have a meaco 10 liter, all seems to be running ok. Compressor switch on and one of the pipe gets ice on it but won’t collect any water and not given any fault.
    Don’t know what to do

    1. Hi Yas,

      Because the inside of the compressor dehumidifier needs to be colder than the air within the room. The colder the room, the harder the dehumidifier has to work to create that cold surface. As the temperature starts to fall down towards 10°C the chances are that the inside of the dehumidifier will get close to freezing. This increases the changes of ice forming on the dehumidifiers cooling coils. This is why, in such cold temperatures compressor dehumidifiers are programmed to spend more and more of their time defrosting themselves rather than dehumidifying.

      So you can use compressor dehumidifiers down to 10°C, but at these temperatures, the larger the compressor machine the better it will perform. As a guide, don’t use a 10 or 12 litre compressor machine below 15°c and only use the larger 20 and 25 litre machines down to 10°C.

      However, it’s worth noting that desiccant dehumidifier have a consistent performance regardless of the temperature.

      Hope this helps.

      Omar@Meaco.

  6. Hi in 2018 I purchased a 20L low energy dehumidifier from Meaco, in 2022 after the warrant had expired it stopped collecting water, I have tried following listed advice but to no avail. It turns on and displays etc just does not collect water. I need a dehumidifier for my new home so I would appreciate help getting this working as it’s been the shortest lived dehumidifier I have ever owned. Thank you

    1. Hi I have emailed you for further support but it has bounced back, please email sales AT meaco.com with reference to this chat and I can forward you the original email. Thanks.

      Omar@Meaco.

  7. Hi. We purchased the Meaco 25L Ultra Low Energy Dehumidifier and have just had a C8 error code and not sure where to go with it. Paid quite a bit of money for this 2 years ago and it’s being working great until now. Is this a serious error code and need to be returned to be serviced or do I need to try unplugging the machine and leaving it for a bit? Just worried I paid all this money for a trusted brand and machine for it to stop working in 2 years

    1. Dear Rhea,

      Thank you for getting in contact with us and we are sorry to hear you are having trouble with your Meaco dehumidifier.

      The C8 error code means a pipe has cracked internally causing refrigerant to leak (this is not dangerous).
      Unfortunately, this particular fault is not repairable.

      Please could you forward us a copy of your invoice, along with the dehumidifiers serial number and an image of the display showing the C8 code?
      We will be able to proceed accordingly from there.

      Apologies for any inconveniences which may have been caused.

      Please send to: customerservice AT meaco.com

      -Omar, Meaco.

  8. Hi Chris, purchased a 20l version. I have a 18 month old and have the machine placed on the landing upstairs. Rh is normally 60 but can go to 70 – 80 at night depending on breathing in bedrooms, so target is 55 set which is all fine. Should I be worried about R290 Refrigerant or other contamination from the device for a child of 18 months. I am using the HEPA filter and keeping unit and filter clean.
    Thanks Darren

  9. Hello – I have a Meaco ABC 12l. It has stopped collecting water and doesn’t seem to be working at all even though I can still hear some sort of fan (even when doing something like drying laundry where you would expect the tank to fill quickly – the room just seems to get damp). I’ve cleaned the filter – is there anything else I can try at home? When I remove the tank it feels a bit warm but completely empty

    1. David,

      Thank you for your purchase and your message. When the fan is running please what is the reading on the display and then, when you press the button under the display, what reading flashes up for 5 seconds?

      Chris

      1. Many thanks for your reply Chris. The display reads as if the dehumidifier is working normally, i.e. it shows the humidity (e.g. 61). When I press or hold the button, it just changes the humidity level. But it is not working – I have left it overnight on laundry mode with wet laundry in a small room, all walls were wet and the tank was completely dry.

        1. David,

          To help I need to understand those two numbers please. If I could have the number on the display when the fan is running please, and then press the button below the display just once, what reading flashes up for five seconds?

          Chris

      2. Hi Chris,
        I bought a Meaco Zambezi DD8l about 4 months ago. It has worked brilliantly until last week when it just refused to start operating. I have cleaned the filter and I have reset all the variables but without success. I had a current ambient humidity level of 64% with a target level of 40% but it would not start. I switched it off, left it and tried later – no good. Can you help? We love the machine now we have it but not when it fails to start!
        Regards, Terry

      3. Hi Chris
        My Meaco 12L low energy dehumidifier seems to be collecting water but the display seems ‘stuck’ at 95. It sometimes changes to 73 but no other numbers. When I press the button under the display it reads CO. Any ideas what could be happening? Thanks!

        1. Hello Natalie,

          Thanks for your message, we’d advise running the machine on CO throughout the week and see if the numbers change throughout this course.

          If you notice the only numbers showing are 95 and 73, then please do give us a call on 01483 234 900.

          Best,
          Omar

      4. Hi Chris,

        We have had the same problem with this model – 20l low energy platinum dehumidifier. It collects water but not into the tank (not sre where it is going) and then leaks out. We can empty it using the bung designed to attach it to a water inlet but have nothing to attach a water inlet to in the place we use the dehumidifier. Again we have cleaned the filter but no change. Any suggestions welcome

        1. Hi Catriona,

          Thank you for your purchase. From what I understand is the water is coming out from the continuous drainage from the rear of the machine and not falling into the water tank?

          If this is the case, it tells us that there’s a blockage in the spout, which is probably why the water isn’t being directed into the water tank.

          We’d like to recommend you try two things:

          1: Using a cotton bod, gently try and remove any blockage that may be in the spout.
          2: Remove the lid from the water tank, so that there is a larger target area for the water to drip into the tank.

          The blockage generally occurs because of dirt that has been collected over time and has been sitting on the filter for too long and has then fallen into the machine.

          It’s then washed down into the condensate tray and it then accumulates there and blocks the spout.

          Please remember to remove and clean the filter every couple of weeks to prevent any further blockages.

          Should you need any assistance please give us a call on 01483 234 900 or email us customerservice AT meaco.com

          Kind regards,
          Omar

          1. Thank you for getting in contact with us and we are sorry to hear you are having trouble with your Meaco dehumidifier.

            Please could you revise the below points and let us know by email:

            1. Have you changed the fuse in the plug?
            2. How often has the filter been cleaned?
            3. How much space is there around the dehumidifier?
            4. Is the dehumidifier plugged directly into a mains socket or being used via an extension lead?

            Please remove the filter from the dehumidifier and clean both sides using the end of a hoover; leave the dehumidifier unplugged from the mains for 40 minutes and then try again. Make sure there is enough space around the entire dehumidifier and that it is plugged directly in the wall socket and not via an extension lead.

            If the dehumidifier still fails to turn on, please forward us a copy of your invoice and the dehumidifiers serial number, we will then be able to help you further.

            E: customerservice AT meaco.com

            Apologies for any inconveniences which may have been caused.

            – From, Omar.

    2. Hi Chris – I cannot reply to the previous comment but this has still not worked on CO setting. The reading on the display is now 64 and there isn’t a single drop of water in the tank

  10. hello Chris – pls could you advise me? I have just moved into a lovely wooden cabin but i suspect the moisture levels are high. I got out my low energy 12l meaco dehumidifier thinking it would soon sort the problem out. But……it started behaving oddly. Having reread the manual I see a few issues
    – the place was cold so that may explain why the reading seemed to jump about a LOT from down in the 70s then climbing all the way up to 99 then back down again….also the red light snowflake symbol came on. Is this because it was one moment reading the outside moisture and the next reading the internal moisture?
    – i had it running for about an hour and it collected NO water which I also thot was odd.
    – in reading the manual i notice it says the dehumidifier wont work with bottled gas heating – eek – this new place is heated by a gas fired boiler which runs off a tall gas bottle outside….does this mean my Meaco wont work? I dont understand why a gas fired boiler causes more moisture than say an oil fired one, surely heat is heat?! If I put the radiators on why does it matter the source of the heat? cld u explian pls? I really need a dehumidifier !

    1. Sally,

      You are fine with that set up, just make sure that the filter is clean on the dehumidifier and let it run 24/7 with the humidity set to 50%rh. If the temperature in the space is below 10°C then you will collect very little water, the warmer the space is, the more water you will collect.

      Chris

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

On Trend

Most Popular Stories

MENU