Why A Dehumidifier Blows Hot Air and Why It’s Quite Alright Too
Well, it is really not too bad if your dehumidifier blows warm air into the room. But if the room becomes unbearably hot, that is not good!
Since a dehumidifier removes moisture from the air, it blows warm air back into the room. And that is fine.
If the room becomes unbearable from the dehumidifier blowing back hot air, it is time to check it out and make the right fixes.
So, why is hot air coming out of my dehumidifier? The dehumidifier sucks in air and passes it over the heating coil, which pulls out moisture. Hence, you get hot air blowing back into the room. If the unit is not set to dehumidify, it will blow out hot air. When it is broken, or the tray is full, it will blow back hot air. If the dehumidifier blows very hot air into the room, it might be faulty.
How hot is too hot for dehumidifier air?
If the dehumidifier blows hot air that heats the room to more than 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32.2 degrees Celsius), it is faulty. That is too much heat, and it is above the optimum operating temperature.
If the dehumidifier blows air that lowers the room temperature below 70 degrees Fahrenheit (21 degrees Celsius), that is too low.
Something must be wrong. You can refer to our article on what to do when a dehumidifier blows out cold air.
If you have a dehumidifier that does not generate heat, it might in reality be an air conditioner. Between the dehumidifier and the air conditioner, the former warms the air while the latter cools it.
6 Reasons for Dehumidifier Blowing Hot Air
A dehumidifier that does not produce heat is faulty. On the same note, a dehumidifier that makes the room too hot is also faulty.
The most important thing is to have balance in the room. That way, the air won’t be too cold or too hot, and the humidity will be just right, at 30 to 55%.
Here are some reasons why your Frigidaire dehumidifier is blowing hot air:
1. The dehumidifier is set to fan instead of dehumidify
Check the settings of your dehumidifier. If it is set to fan, it means that it is only blowing the same hot air in the room back into the room. That’s why you are not feeling any change in the temperature.
A dehumidifier should remove excess moisture from the air in your home. At the same time, it should also make the air a bit cooler.
The solution: Just turn the dehumidifier on to dehumidify, and it will soon rectify the situation.
2. The reservoir is full
Small dehumidifiers have a reservoir where the water that they draw from the air collects. Once the reservoir is full, the dehumidifier stops drawing moisture from the air.
The unit keeps moving the air, but since it does not remove humidity, the air remains hot instead of cooling down some.
The solution is to empty the reservoir so that the dehumidifier can start removing moisture and cooling the indoor air again. You will be happy to know that you can use dehumidifier water on your plants.
3. The dehumidifier has been running too long
You should check the time that the manufacturer says a dehumidifier should run. If it has exceeded those hours, the dehumidifier compressor goes hot, and it starts blowing hot air back into the room.
To know whether the dehumidifier has been running too long, touch it. If it is hot, you need to turn it off and give it some time to cool down.
The solution: To know whether the dehumidifier heats up the room because it has been running too long, touch it. If it feels too hot, switch it off for some time until it cools down.
4. The coils are dirty
When your dehumidifier coils are too dirty, they could release too much heat into the room. Thus, you need to check them!
Think about it: when did you last clean the dehumidifier coils? If it has been some time, well, they could be the cause of the dehumidifier blowing hot air.
There is no problem with dehumidifiers blowing warm air, but if it is too hot, check the coils. You can check the user manual that came with the appliance to learn how to clean it.
5. The dehumidifier is too small or too big for your room
It is very important that you buy the right size dehumidifier for your room. If it is too small, it will overwork, and it will produce too much heat.
If it is too big, it will dehumidify the air too much, and it will still generate a lot of heat.
Every dehumidifier has a space rating. For example, the 70-pint Frigidaire dehumidifier can dehumidify up to 2000 square feet of space.
Make sure you know the total area that you want to dehumidify or humidify before buying your appliance.
6. The dehumidifier is faulty
You will experience too much dehumidified hot air if it is faulty. You cannot tell how an electronic appliance is going to behave when it is faulty.
Thus, check for loose parts, bolts, and nuts and fix them. Also, check whether the filters need changing or cleaning.
A broken compressor can cause serious issues with the appliance. You need to check anything and everything.
Whatever can go wrong will go wrong; check all parts.
My dehumidifier makes the basement hot
A dehumidifier is supposed to blow warm air. However, you might not feel any changes in the temperature of the room because the air blowing from the dehumidifier is just slightly warm.
If your dehumidifier is making the basement too hot, something could be wrong. Here are a few things you need to check out:
There might not be enough airflow in the basement. If this is the case, the unit is going to seem to make the space too hot.
The basement is too small. If you run a dehumidifier in a small space for many hours, it is definitely going to make the room feel hot.
Three, the humidistat might have failed! The humidistat of a dehumidifier is installed immediately above the compressor.
If the compressor turns too hot, it sends a signal to the circuit board, which stops the dehumidifier. This might not happen if the humidistat is faulty.
It will cause the dehumidifier to overheat. An overheating appliance will produce hot air. You can actually feel the heat if you stand near it.
Why does warm air come out of a dehumidifier?
If you place your hand against the vents of the dehumidifier, you should feel warm air coming out, if it is running.
That is how a normal dehumidifier operates. The air should not be cold, and it should not be too hot.
The main reason why the air that comes out of your unit is warm is because it passes over the compressor. The compressor has a motor that gets hot, especially if your unit has been running for long hours.
If the air from the unit feels really hot, it is best to stop running the unit. Also, if you get a burning smell, the unit can overheat easily. Turn it off and unplug it from the wall.
Please note that air from the dehumidifier should never be hot. It should only be warm. In this case, it should not even raise the temperature in the room.
Why is my dehumidifier getting hot?
When people ask this question, they mean their dehumidifier is hot to the touch. By the time it gets hot to the touch, the air coming out will already be too hot. It will make the room hot.
When the dehumidifier is operating, it is going to draw air into the compressor, removes the moisture, and releases the air out.
This happens in quick succession. A rapid exchange of air through the compressor makes the compressor hot, and the air exiting the compressor is exhaust air hot.
Still, this does not mean the air should be too hot. If the room becomes too hot because of the dehumidifier, switch it off.
If the dehumidifier feels hot to the touch, perhaps you ought to let it cool down a bit. Unplug it!
Should a dehumidifier put out hot air?
Your unit should put out warm and dry air. The suction fans pull in moist air, and pass it through the compressor where the moisture is drawn out and collected in the condensate pan. It then collects into the dehumidifier bucket, which you empty when full.
Hot and warm air coming from the unit is okay. In this instance, we are interchanging hot with warm, so it means the air should be moderately warm.
If the air coming out feels too hot, the compressor needs a break. Stop the unit and give it time to cool down. This mostly happens to dehumidifiers when they run for a long time, such as when you are drying a damp room.
In some cities, such as Seattle, summer humidity levels can be really high, needing you to run a dehumidifier for long hours.
If you run your unit for five hours, give it a break to cool down.
Conclusion
To the question of why my dehumidifier is blowing hot air, you have seen the answer. You have seen the five possible reasons for that.
Many people ask, does a dehumidifier heat a room? The answer is yes. It should. In fact, the right question to ask would be, How much heat does a dehumidifier produce?
If you have a Frigidaire dehumidifier blowing cold air, it is faulty. It is not supposed to do that! At the same time, if you have a dehumidifier blowing too hot air, it is faulty.
You might consider buying the hOmeLabs Energy Star Dehumidifier from amazon.com for your home’s basement and other dehumidifying needs.
You can also try any of the dehumidifiers below:
Dehumidifier | Features | Price | |
Gocheer Upgraded Dehumidifier | 2000ml tank Space rating of up to 480 sq. ft Auto shut-off and red LED light when tank is full Energy saving and low noise level | ||
SEAVON Dehumidifiers | Low noise level and auto shut off Mini dehumidifier for small rooms of up to 215 sq. ft Starts working when humidity rises higher than 45% | ||
Airplus Large Room Dehumidifier | Space rating of 1500 sq. ft Comes with 52 inch drain hose For basements and large rooms 30-pint tank size |