Zero Knievel

Not that I don't believe you but So the last one caught fire possibly because of low voltage?

Thought I’d update. I did a test off a car battery and used it to charge an iPad while it was in use (playing a video with brightness set to max). The USB plug got hot to the touch but not as to burn. Using a candy thermometer (all I could find in the house), I estimate the surface temperature was 125 F. It never got that warm when charging the phone, but I suspected higher loads would generate more heat. I’ve not reproduced this by just having it hooked to power.

True, but if the unit is defective, odds are it will manifest just having power.

A set of carbs for $200. I’m sure you’d spend as much just for the parts you need.

I think I’ll rig something off bike where I leave it plugged in for a day and see what happens. At least then if it gets hot, it won’t damage anything. If it goes a day without anything beyond getting a little warm, I’ll know I’m good.

I never had an issue in the past. I’m sure converting 12v to 5v generates some heat, but the “fire” incident was out of the blue. Whether it just went bad and started overheating (it was hot to the touch) or it was damaged based on flawed wiring, I don’t know. It’s a sealed unit, so it’s no cooler based on placement. I’m just paranoid now that it happened. I don’t know how warm these things normally get.

Thanks. I think a fuse limiting the power supply would be the first safeguard against it overheating.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01MSK7ZAV/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 I got this to replace a similar product that worked fine until it got so hot it actually melted a nylon bag with which it made contact. I’m not sure why my prior unit did that. I had installed a power distribution block and set that circuit for 10A. I don’t know if there is a max amperage one should send to this type of unit. Up to then, I used a pigtail connection to the battery fused at 7.5 amps. In the rewire, I used an SAE extension cable made in China, so I wonder if the red and black wires were reversed...causing me to reverse the polarity in the wiring by attaching the wrong wire to positive. The old unit didn’t work after the overheat it didn’t work and the wires were shot as well. I got this one from Amazon, and as a safety, I have the power supply fused at 7.5 amps. It does get warm, and that has me concerned as during a trip it would be in a closed compartment charging a device. I don’t recall the last unit being warm when plugged in, and if this is normal, how do I ensure it’s not too hot? My best guess would be to fuse the device at the minimum input amperage needed to operate. The specs say what the output is, but it doesn’t say what the input amperage is for a 12 volt source. Can you offer any insight?

I don’t think the XX had OEM luggage.

Took the unit upstairs and ran it. It cycled normally for a while and pulled moisture from the air. Coils didn’t get that cold. Compressor didn’t get that hot. Humidity reading matched what another sensor upstairs registered. Then it cycled on and stayed on. Compressor got hot. Coils started developing frost. Nothing on the unit has replacement parts (that I can find online). Casing was off with no sign of air flow restrictions. There’s a recycling center in town that takes dehumidifiers. I’ll drop it off there. At least it won’t go into a landfill.

I’d think trickle charge is trickle charge. Using a more powerful/faster one would be a concern if it didn’t self regulate during the charge cycle. At worst, the Jr. will just take longer to finish.

In a way, we might...there is a duct from the AC that supplies the basement, BUT no return in the basement. I'm not sure if that would be enough. More so, we don't need AC in the basement. So, I doubt the unit would cycle enough to do the job.

Yeah...I kind of figured that. The cost of an industrial-grade unit would make sense if it's 100% serviceable. I'm actually more bothered about tossing all this waste into a landfill because the unit's designed to fail within 5 years. Are there brands that are highly recommended?

I already called a local shop. They are repairable, but the cost is prohibitive (might as well buy a new one). So, yet another is on its way. This time, I sprang for the extended warranty so I get a new one when it fails. In recent years, a dehumidifier tends to last just over 2 years before it fails. The failure, so far, is always the same. Coils start icing up and it stops removing moisture effectively. So, low on refrigerant, but units are not designed to be serviced. Even an A/C unit needs to be checked and topped off every few years for optimal performance and leak detection/repair. Still, I'm sick of tossing these into a landfill. Does anyone make a DIY repair kit for a dehumidifier? I suppose you'd have to install a line tap to add refrigerant to the sealed system. I don't know of anyone who takes these in to dismantle and recycle the parts.

Well, I think the SSD I put in my old laptop is only 500 GB. Not enough for my taste as I’m hosting two operating systems, but as I hardly use the laptop, it will not become a repository of knowledge that demands more storage.