A dehumidifier that runs all day and collects nothing is annoying, and often the cause is simple. A cold room, a clogged filter, a tank that is not seated or a humidistat set too high can all look like a fault. Real faults, such as a failed fan, a leaking tank or low refrigerant, need a technician. This page covers dehumidifier repairs and servicing: what to check yourself, what a service includes and when replacing the unit makes more sense. Send one request and independent appliance technicians near you quote you directly.
Simple checks before you call anyone
- Room temperature: compressor units collect little below about 15 degrees and the coil can ice up. A cold bedroom in a Cape winter is the usual culprit.
- Humidistat: if the target humidity is already reached, the compressor stops. Set it lower to test.
- Filter: wash a dusty filter and let it dry. A blocked filter chokes the airflow.
- Tank: it must sit properly or the full-tank sensor stops the unit. Check the float is not stuck.
- Doors and windows: open ones mean the unit is drying the street.
Common faults
A unit that leaks usually has a cracked tank, a blocked or kinked drain hose or a tilted base. One that ices up is in too cold a room or has a dirty coil or a weak fan; many units have auto-defrost, which pauses the cycle. A noisy fan may only need dust cleaned off the blades. Error codes are listed in the maker's manual. A unit that runs but never collects water may have lost refrigerant or have a failing compressor, and that is not a home job. Also read our dehumidifiers guide to confirm the unit is the right size for the room.
Servicing and refrigerant work
A service usually means cleaning or replacing filters, cleaning the coils and fan, checking the drain, the pump and the tank sensor, and testing that the unit reaches the target humidity. Refrigerant work, including regassing and compressor replacement, must be done by a technician registered for it; in South Africa that means SAQCC Gas registration for refrigeration and air conditioning. Some newer units use R290, a natural refrigerant that is flammable, so follow the manual and use a technician who knows these units. Industrial units on industrial dehumidifiers pages often run on service contracts.
Repair or replace
Ask for a written quote including the call-out, parts and labour. If the repair costs more than about half the price of a comparable new unit, or the unit is old and the compressor is failing, replacing it is often better. Check whether the warranty is still valid before anyone opens the casing, because an unregistered repair can void it. Keep your invoice.
What to put in your request
- The type of unit (compressor or desiccant) and its age
- The fault: not collecting, leaking, icing or noisy
- Any error code and what you have already tried
- Whether it is still under warranty
- Where the unit is, and whether it can be brought in
Dehumidifier Repairs and Servicing for homes, rentals, businesses and industry
- Homeowners and tenants: a bedroom unit that stopped collecting water in winter cleaned, checked and brought back to work
- Landlords, agents and body corporates: units supplied to rentals serviced between tenants so they work when a damp complaint comes in
- Offices, schools and clinics: a unit in a records room cleaned and checked so documents stay dry through the wet season
- Warehouses, archives and storage: several units on castors serviced in one visit with filters, drains and pumps checked
- Factories and food plants: process dehumidifiers kept on a service schedule so humidity targets are held
- Growers, nurseries and farms: units that run all day in a tunnel or grow room cleaned and checked before the humid season
- Hotels, gyms, spas and pools: units in guest rooms and spas serviced so they run quietly and do not leak onto floors
- Insurers, assessors and restoration firms: a fleet of hire units checked, cleaned and tested between jobs
- Builders, HVAC engineers and contractors: a repair or service quote for a client whose installed unit has stopped working
Frequently asked questions
Do you repair dehumidifiers yourselves?
Why is my dehumidifier running but not collecting water?
Why is my dehumidifier leaking?
How often should it be serviced?
Dehumidifier Repairs and Servicing by province and city
- Johannesburg
- Pretoria
- Centurion
- Midrand
- Sandton
- Randburg
- Roodepoort
- Krugersdorp
- Randfontein
- Germiston
- Boksburg
- Benoni
- Kempton Park
- Alberton
- Vanderbijlpark
- Vereeniging
- Durban
- Pinetown
- Pietermaritzburg
- Richards Bay
- Newcastle
- Ladysmith
- Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth)
- East London
- Kariega (Uitenhage)
- Mthatha
- Cape Town
- Bellville
- Paarl
- Stellenbosch
- George
- Worcester
- eMalahleni (Witbank)
- Middelburg
- Secunda
- Mbombela (Nelspruit)
- Rustenburg
- Brits
- Klerksdorp
- Potchefstroom
- Mahikeng
- Polokwane
- Tzaneen
- Kimberley
- Upington
- Bloemfontein
- Welkom
- Sasolburg