Official Luthiers Forum!

Owned and operated by Lance Kragenbrink
It is currently Tue Jul 29, 2025 11:18 am


All times are UTC - 5 hours


Forum rules


Be nice, no cussin and enjoy!




Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 15 posts ] 
Author Message
PostPosted: Tue May 03, 2016 1:02 am 
Offline
Contributing Member
Contributing Member
User avatar

Joined: Sat Jan 31, 2009 8:50 pm
Posts: 2260
Location: Seattle WA
Focus: Build
Status: Semi-pro
Never noticed this in the past couple of years. Does this mean she's gonna blow? It's a fairly new LG.

_________________
Pat


Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: Tue May 03, 2016 1:34 am 
Offline
Koa
Koa
User avatar

Joined: Mon Sep 05, 2011 10:45 pm
Posts: 1484
First name: Trevor
Last Name: Gore
City: Sydney
Country: Australia
Focus: Build
Status: Professional
Probably means not enough air flow through it, or it's too cold in your shop. Try cleaning the filters/condenser fins.

_________________
Trevor Gore, Luthier. Australian hand made acoustic guitars, classical guitars; custom guitar design and build; guitar design instruction.

http://www.goreguitars.com.au


Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: Tue May 03, 2016 3:48 am 
Offline
Old Growth Brazilian Rosewood
Old Growth Brazilian Rosewood
User avatar

Joined: Fri Nov 02, 2007 9:49 am
Posts: 13636
Location: Ann Arbor, Michigan
First name: Hesh
Last Name: Breakstone
City: Ann Arbor
State: Michigan
Country: United States
Status: Professional
Yep I've seen than in a shop that I visited that was too cool. When the temp was raised the icing stopped.


Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: Tue May 03, 2016 8:30 am 
Offline
Brazilian Rosewood
Brazilian Rosewood

Joined: Sun Mar 30, 2008 8:20 am
Posts: 5968
When the temperatures are cooler you can sometimes regulate the R.H. using a heater plugged into a dehumidistat. Just be careful how many watts the heater is pulling (set it at the "low" setting) if you are using one designed for fans.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Broan-Dehumi ... /203504318


Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: Tue May 03, 2016 9:58 am 
Offline
Brazilian Rosewood
Brazilian Rosewood

Joined: Tue May 13, 2008 10:44 am
Posts: 6262
Location: Virginia
I cleaned mine the other day and you would not believe how much crap I removed from the coils, filters, screens and so on. Runs like a champ now so yeah... plus one on cleaning.


Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: Tue May 03, 2016 10:25 am 
Offline
Koa
Koa
User avatar

Joined: Sat Jan 19, 2013 7:33 am
Posts: 1900
First name: Willard
Last Name: Guthrie
City: Cumberland
State: Maryland 21502
Zip/Postal Code: 21502
Country: United State
Focus: Repair
Status: Semi-pro
Ice formation may mean low coolant charge, which is very common in consumer-grade (aka LG, GE, etc. brand) dehumidifiers over a year or two old - LG dropped their warranty from 5 years to 2 a few years ago - apparently for a good reason. If the top of the shell is icing, check the coils for ice - likely to be the case. Unplug, allow to warm, clean the air filter and evaporator coils, and check to ensure there are no airflow restrictions (at least 18 inches from walls/other obstructions for a small 60-80 pint model) on any side.

Worth checking if the unit is a low temp model; if so, should not ice if temps are above 40 to 50 deg F (depending on model), and if standard, should not ice if temps are above 60 deg F. If cleared of ice and cleans, and it re-ices while above minimum operating temp, suspect low charge as main culprit. Modern (at least the last 10 years of production) consumer-grade dehumidifiers are designed to run for a few years and die - they are generally not rechargeable, so are throwaway items when they fail or degrade (please recycle - the coolant can be reused in some cases). Better commercial-grade dehumidifiers like the Santa Fe or (a little less expensive) Fral may be serviced, and should be expected to last 15-20 years if maintained.

We have a Santa Fe in the budget when the current GE and Kenmore-branded units fail, but based on the books for the last ten years, the boss has been buying a $200 plus consumer-grade dehumidifier every other year, so both in terms of energy efficiency and total cost of ownership, a small commercial grade unit makes sense.

_________________
A constellation only takes shape when one maps the whole.
- Beth Brower


Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: Tue May 03, 2016 8:34 pm 
Offline
Contributing Member
Contributing Member
User avatar

Joined: Mon Mar 19, 2007 7:05 am
Posts: 9191
Location: United States
First name: Waddy
Last Name: Thomson
City: Charlotte
State: NC
Focus: Build
Status: Semi-pro
Love my Santa Fe! No bucket to empty, though, so need to use a hose, or get a pump to pump into a drain. Works best if up off the floor. Also has a double filter system that really keeps the coils from getting dust built up in them.

_________________
Waddy

Photobucket Build Album Library

Sound Clips of most of my guitars


Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: Wed May 04, 2016 12:04 am 
Offline
Contributing Member
Contributing Member
User avatar

Joined: Sat Jan 31, 2009 8:50 pm
Posts: 2260
Location: Seattle WA
Focus: Build
Status: Semi-pro
Thanks gents!
Warmer than normal so not that.
Checked the filter and it was completely caked! So, duh, I should of been on top of that. Still icing although not as much.
Will turn off overnight and clean coils if I can find them tomorrow....

_________________
Pat


Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: Wed May 04, 2016 9:17 am 
Offline
Koa
Koa
User avatar

Joined: Tue Oct 30, 2007 9:13 am
Posts: 1167
Location: United States
State: Texas
Focus: Repair
Status: Professional
On mine, it means death is near.
I usually get 2 years out of a $200 dehumidifier, and that is keeping the coil clean.
Cost of business...

_________________
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100008907949110


Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: Wed May 04, 2016 12:48 pm 
Offline
Walnut
Walnut
User avatar

Joined: Sun Mar 23, 2014 12:12 pm
Posts: 39
Location: Ditchling, Sussex, UK
First name: Ian
Last Name: Chisholm
State: Sussex
Zip/Postal Code: BN6 8TY
Country: England
Focus: Build
Status: Semi-pro
Keep it clean! I have an extra dust filter on the air intake of mine - since it runs most of the time it makes some small contribution to keeping the workshop clean.

_________________
"There is hope in honest error .... ". Charles Rennie Mackintosh.
http://www.ianchisholm.co.uk


Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: Thu May 05, 2016 3:50 pm 
Offline
Contributing Member
Contributing Member
User avatar

Joined: Sat Jan 31, 2009 8:50 pm
Posts: 2260
Location: Seattle WA
Focus: Build
Status: Semi-pro
Well, after letting it warm up/cool down all night and cleaning up the tubes a bit it seems to run like a champ again. Hope its lasts. Thanks everyone!

_________________
Pat


Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: Thu May 05, 2016 9:16 pm 
Offline
Koa
Koa
User avatar

Joined: Tue Oct 30, 2007 9:13 am
Posts: 1167
Location: United States
State: Texas
Focus: Repair
Status: Professional
Mine always work great just before they go clunk.

_________________
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100008907949110


Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: Fri May 06, 2016 12:41 am 
Offline
Contributing Member
Contributing Member
User avatar

Joined: Sat Jan 31, 2009 8:50 pm
Posts: 2260
Location: Seattle WA
Focus: Build
Status: Semi-pro
David Newton wrote:
Mine always work great just before they go clunk.

Noted. But I am speaking life!

_________________
Pat


Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: Fri May 06, 2016 9:33 am 
Offline
Koa
Koa
User avatar

Joined: Tue Oct 30, 2007 9:13 am
Posts: 1167
Location: United States
State: Texas
Focus: Repair
Status: Professional
pat macaluso wrote:
David Newton wrote:
Mine always work great just before they go clunk.

Noted. But I am speaking life!


Yes! Just ignore it and it will fix itself!

_________________
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100008907949110


Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: Fri May 06, 2016 12:37 pm 
Offline
Contributing Member
Contributing Member
User avatar

Joined: Sat Jan 31, 2009 8:50 pm
Posts: 2260
Location: Seattle WA
Focus: Build
Status: Semi-pro
David Newton wrote:
pat macaluso wrote:
David Newton wrote:
Mine always work great just before they go clunk.

Noted. But I am speaking life!


Yes! Just ignore it and it will fix itself!

Well, it's still running like a champ. I'm convinced it was the completely clogged filter. It is several years old, but it's probably way more humid in Texas!

_________________
Pat


Top
 Profile  
 
Display posts from previous:  Sort by  
Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 15 posts ] 

All times are UTC - 5 hours


Who is online

Users browsing this forum: JimWomack and 11 guests


You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot post attachments in this forum

Jump to:  
Powered by phpBB® Forum Software © phpBB Group
phpBB customization services by 2by2host.com