This unit is unusually large for a peltier based thermoelectric dehumidifier. But it's very typical of these units inside.
The mystery capacitor was just across the power rails. The pair of switches also had a small signal wire to light the "Tank full" LED.
The small dehumidifiers are only suited to very warm and humid environments. They require a significant temperature differential to extract moisture from the air. I ran this unit in my cold house for three hours and it formed frost on the condenser fins which only dripped off when the unit was turned off.
If you need a dehumidifier and have a warm house I recommend getting a traditional compressor type dehumidifier as they will pay their way quickly with very efficient and fast extraction of water from the air
If you need to use a dehumidifier in a cold location then the best type is a desiccant drum dehumidifier, which uses a rotating drum of desiccant material to absorb moisture and then extract it again with heat. They will pull out a lot of water in cold areas, and also put out a stream of dry warm air.
I use both types. Compressor in the summer and desiccant drum in the winter.
Another valid option for reducing humidity in cool areas is ventilation. Particularly if you use a humidity controlled fan. In remote locations you could use a filtered 12V equipment fan with small solar panel to draw air out and a plain filtered grill to allow fresh air to flow in.
If you enjoy these videos you can help support the channel with a dollar for coffee, cookies and random gadgets for disassembly at:-
http://www.bigclive.com/coffee.htm
This also keeps the channel independent of YouTube's advertising algorithms allowing it to be a bit more dangerous and naughty.
The mystery capacitor was just across the power rails. The pair of switches also had a small signal wire to light the "Tank full" LED.
The small dehumidifiers are only suited to very warm and humid environments. They require a significant temperature differential to extract moisture from the air. I ran this unit in my cold house for three hours and it formed frost on the condenser fins which only dripped off when the unit was turned off.
If you need a dehumidifier and have a warm house I recommend getting a traditional compressor type dehumidifier as they will pay their way quickly with very efficient and fast extraction of water from the air
If you need to use a dehumidifier in a cold location then the best type is a desiccant drum dehumidifier, which uses a rotating drum of desiccant material to absorb moisture and then extract it again with heat. They will pull out a lot of water in cold areas, and also put out a stream of dry warm air.
I use both types. Compressor in the summer and desiccant drum in the winter.
Another valid option for reducing humidity in cool areas is ventilation. Particularly if you use a humidity controlled fan. In remote locations you could use a filtered 12V equipment fan with small solar panel to draw air out and a plain filtered grill to allow fresh air to flow in.
If you enjoy these videos you can help support the channel with a dollar for coffee, cookies and random gadgets for disassembly at:-
http://www.bigclive.com/coffee.htm
This also keeps the channel independent of YouTube's advertising algorithms allowing it to be a bit more dangerous and naughty.
The problem with the solar panel thing is, on sunny days, humidity is already going to be lower, unless it just rained. Humidity will be the highest on cloudy days.
A good place for an XT series connector, such as an XT-30. 30 amps is overkill but should last forever 😉
very cheaply made by looks
I'll definitely keep an eye out for dehumidifiers in the future! It's one of the few household electronics, so far, that I haven't ventured to tear down. Maybe the wife won't mind if I open up the one we have later…lol
We really need the "Perfect Amount of Thermal Paste" per Steve Porter from Tronnixfix.
"Thermal Paste" is American for "Heat Sink Compound".
It seems that the recipe is a closely guarded secret…
i have the same : the electrical outlet (at 7 mm 43) have overheated, melted down and i just avoid a fire ….
15mm 01 : yes there is a thermal cutout in case the fan shot down and the peletier overheat ..
I'd really like to see a new mre and a metal detector wand…..new series…dinner and a schematic
I've always wanted to know how it worked.
never heard of that little device, Thermal electric cooler very interesting.
every time i take apart a TEC. compound always crispy. always change for ne. these also are great for making voltage when hot or cold, I've made a bank of these for power in my cabin
I wonder what the cost would be to provide enough of these to provide a single adult human with enough drinking water for one day per day of operation? I would think that a well would probably be more cost effective. But I would be curious to know by how much? Both a well and a Peltier dehumidifier could be rigged up to pump their products into storage tanks, and could conceivably both run 24/7. But if you needed to pack up and move to a new location frequently enough, sinking a new well on each move could be tedious.
I bought a box of raw Peltier plates. Why? For fun, of course! Running them with the cold side exposed and the hot side properly cooled will result in substantial ice very quickly.
One is a very large one that I haven't figured out an effective way to keep it cool when running at full power. It's a powerful one. IIRC it's like 200w. Even computer grade heat sinks allow it to get uncomfortably hot, and I don't want to blow it up.
I've also got a peltier mini-fridge and a peltier drink cup cooler. The latter can also build substantial ice on it if I don't have a drink sitting on it while set for full power.
These things are just so neat! 😀 Also, use computer-grade thermal compound to replace the goop they put in there. It's what I use, but I also work on computers a lot, so have a lot of it.
It'll improve transfer efficiency. You can also get compounds designed for low temperature operation, or for ultra long service life.
I have had one of these for several years in my storage room which used to get very damp and even mouldy especially in winter on one wall which has the cold water pipe running along the skirting area. Pretty much cured it all year round by two to three years ago. Just wipe down with cold water as insurance against fungal build up every few months or so as the walls also dry quickly now, no sweat.
One thing I noticed a few years back which may have coincided with the improvement was that the noise has greatly reduced. I wonder if I didn't connect up quite snugly enough on original installment and it could have been ready to overload. I think it is a design flaw resulting in the tick and cross symbols. There is no noticeable 'click' to inform you that it is absolutely 'in'. I have an Epson printer with similar connectivity. Sorry to hear yours and others have been faulty but in full working order these are little beauties.
Thermo-electrisch… Nice accent 😂