What Does It Mean Continuous Cycle for Dehum

Several "continuous" dehumidifiers all had the same problem. There is a bucket to collect water, and also an outlet for a hose where the water can flow out so water does not collect in the bucket. With a hose connected, from time to time, the bucket does fill up with water and then the float switch stops the machine.

I had this problem with 5 machines from 3 manufacturers over the last 15 years. With each one:

• The hose is not blocked. Water does flow from the unit into the drain. After I empty the bucket water continues to flow. The bucket does not immediately start to fill up again .... but sooner or later, weeks or months, it does.
• I place the dehumidifier up on blocks and the end of the hose inside a sump pit, so there is about 3 feet of vertical fall through the hose. The hose is not very long. About 6 feet. It does not coil or rise back up at any point.

My point is, there is no blockage. There is something that causes water to enter the bucket and fill it up under certain circumstances.

There must be something about the design of all these that is causing this.. Any clues?

(I've had Frigidaire, Delonghi, Kenmore).

[Edit] Adding some pics and thoughts on answers and comments

I disassembled several of the units, and they all used the same simple system to select hose or bucket: There is drip tray to collect moisture and the tray has two outlets, one higher than the other. The lower outlet goes to the hose. If it is sealed with a cap it fills up, and the water rises to the level of the higher outlet that goes to the bucket. It's impossible to photograph this without destroying the machine so here is a diagram:

Answers to questions in comments:

[Edit 2] Leading theories

Some truly enlightening discussion in the answers and comments here. I'm going to summarize the leading theories that I intend to test through experimentation in the coming weeks:

1. Negative Pressure at the continuous flow exit hole produces an inflow of air that prevents water from dripping out. Water collects in the pan. It drains out between cycles or, if there is enough humidity, it backs up to the point that it drains out to the bucket. The bucket exit hole is vertical, and it is usually larger than the continuous hole so it does not suffer the same problem.
2. The negative pressure theory would be exacerbated by a dirty filter, and by periods of high humidity such as after a storm, and by setting the machine's fan to run continuously rather than in cycle with the dehumidification.
3. Gunk buildup in the hose limits outflow, normally not significantly but during periods of peak humidity the limitation is enough to cause water to back up and overflow the pan into the bucket.
4. Possibly the two above things combine. Possibly gunk buildup near the continuous exit hole increases air inflow velocity to exacerbate the problem.
5. Possibly a P trap in the exit hose will help.
6. Possibly flushing the exit hose periodically will help. Maybe manually annually, or maybe by connecting the hose to the bucket instead of the hose connection, as described in one of the answers.

[Edit 3] An update, one month later

Edit 3 is 33 days after Edit 2. I've been watching the bucket level indicator daily. We have had a couple of rain storms over the past month where there was more moisture in the basement walls and air than usual. The bucket remained empty throughout. Not a drop of water in the bucket, ever ... until today. Between yesterday and today, the bucket filled up and the machine stopped. It was a bone dry day. It rained lightly yesterday, nothing special. Temps are in the 70s. I checked the hose, and ran water through it from a garden faucet ... it's completely clear and unobstructed.

I can positively say that high humidity, ice, and gunk are not the cause. of the bucket filling up today.

The only remaining theory is negative pressure. This is corroborated by my internet tutorials on a similar problem with central A/Cs.

I have created a makeshift "trap" for my unit using its cord keeper. It will be hard to say conclusively if this is working or not, since I cannot correlate this with weather or anything else, and it's quite normal to go more than a month without the problem. But we'll see.

chaceyoultas.blogspot.com

Source: https://diy.stackexchange.com/questions/234220/continuous-dehumidifier-randomly-fills-bucket-and-stops-why

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