Ebac 2650e fault. What is wrong?

[Chapelgirl]

I have an Ebac 2650e home dehumidifier which runs 24/7 in my cellar. I noticed yesterday that it was making an odd noise - similar to the noise a petrol mower engine makes when it is 'hunting', and the display on the front is flashing between the normal 'AUTO' display and all the lights displaying at the same time. Also the buttons to change the speed etc. are unresponsive. I empty the container every couple of days and I have changed the filter, so I can discount those as the cause. Any clues? Thanks.

 

[jj4091]

See post #5 by Leccy https://www.diynot.com/diy/threads/ebac-dehumidifiers-big-problem.261057/

 

[Chapelgirl]

Thanks, jj4091. It is not a temperature problem. I think it is probably a component on the circuit board which has failed - maybe a capacitor? But I'm not an electrical engineer so I was hoping to pin it down a bit closer. I unplugged it and let it settle, then plugged it in again later, and it does run normally, so whatever it is is probably failing as the components heat up. I don't want to run it again until I've diagnosed the fault as if the compressor is starting and stopping over and over this might damage it.

 

[jj4091]

Don't know anything about dehumidifiers just thought you might be interested in Leccies post about the problems that are encountered with them.
Usually if electrolytic capapacitors on PCBs fail it is fairly obvious as they become bloated. That is something you can check visually. I also wondered if the motor has a start run caoacitor which could be a seperate component usually fastened to the motor. It is not unusual for them to fail which would affect the running of the motor and they are usually cheap and easy to replace if you don't have the means to test it. Having several symptoms is indeed indicative of a pcb fault but I can't help with specific comonents I'm afraid.

 

[Chapelgirl]

I have contacted a friend of mine and sent him photos of the board. He suspects it's an electrolytic capacitor to the right of the chip, which is a non-isolated flyback power supply. He thinks it's a 100uF 16V one. It doesn't look bloated but he says they can start to fail without any visible signs, and in that case the power to the processor will become unstable and cause it to keep resetting or doing mad stuff, which tallies with the symptoms I've observed. I stall try and find someone local to me who is handy with a soldering iron. I'm not!