Does your XM dehumidifier work?

Robin

Robin

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I bought an XM in December to replace an Ebac that had had 3 rides back to the factory. I have now discovered (by chance) that the XM has stopped working too. We recently antifouled with water based Optima and because I didn't want it to wash off in the stream from the sink drain from the dehumidifier I was going to turn it off for a day or so. But then I noticed the drain was bone dry. The humidifier was running with all the right lights showing as if it was working, but when I ran it 24 hrs with the tube in a bowl not a drop of water came out.

I took ours back to Force 4 and have a full refund. They said that meant they had now had ALL the ones they had sold back as faulty and that they have been withdrawn by XM. So if you have one, make sure it really is working and it isn't just running the fan!



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Bad luck Robin - I bought mine secondhand from a fellow Moody owner, and it has worked fine. I wasn't sure how I would know it was doing anything at first, so I put the hose into a mug which then over flowed into the sink.

Each weekend I went back to the boat the mug was full, but now there is only half a mug a week. I've turned the setting right down to the lowest to avoid drying out the woodwork. Previous owners suggested a timer on the mains plug for the same reason, but I haven't bothered.

<hr width=100% size=1>I'm average size, Its just that everybody else is short.
 
Had the same problem with the XM .. so I bought an Ebac from B&Q

<hr width=100% size=1>.. whit way roon should it be again ..
 
That's a sensible idea. When we first put ours on board I left it on the tank option and checked it every day then put the overboard hose on. Usually there was a few drops of water seen in the hose. This one still looked fine when it had actually failed but the hose was dry, only the fan was working and the green light.

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Another \'Marine\' Rip-Off?

Over six years ago I bought the cheapest one available from Argos after seeking advice on this forum and being told a non-marine version wouldn't last five minutes. But the smallest marine version was three times the price for less power. The Argos model has been humped back and forth to the boat each year, occasionally dropped or bounced around in a winter thrash, and run non-stop for six months each year ever since, still working perfectly.

(Apologies for the gloat, Robin, couldn't resist but sorry to hear of your problems).



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Re: Another \'Marine\' Rip-Off?

I bought this to be replace the Ebac (top of the range model) that went wrong for the 3rd time, tried B & Q, Homebase and Argos and none of them had a suitable one in stock at the time (didn't want another Ebac that's for sure!). The XM was on sale at Force 4, no wonder! After a huge argument with Ebac, they ageed to 'fix' it free (otherwise £70) which they did and it is now back on the boat - by past experience it should last until next week....



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I purchased an XM back in January and when checking on it last weekend I had my doubts as to whether it was working. I've just phoned Yachtmail in Lymington who say of 140 sold they have had 3 returned (4 with mine!). They have offered to check a new one out for me and exchange it for the duff one next time i'm down. Maybe I should just take the money!

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Ours came from Force 4 in Poole. They did say when we bought it that there had been problems, enough for them to try each one out in the shop before selling it, ours said 'shop tested and working' on the box. Next day, when I couldn't find out how to get it to work via the hose (it came with no instructions) I went back to Force 4 who rang XM whilst I was there, basically XM didn't give a hoot, didn't know how to do it and didn't have any instructions - all their stock had been returned to the manufacturer I think they said!!!! Force 4 said to me if there was a problem they would refund my money. Well I found out via a previous posting how to get the continuous running set up and it was working, but I became suspicious a couple of weeks ago that it wasn't perhaps extracting what it should and this was later confirmed. It looks as if it IS working, the fan is running and the green light is on dehumidifying cycle - but on test at home, back on the tank rather than overboard hose, no water at all was collected.

I will NEVER buy anything with XM involved again, like them I don't want to know!

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I guess then like my faulty "Frigo" fridge unit, they need re-gassing from time to time, if they're leaky?

Cos mine seems dodgy too!

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I went to B&Q but they only had 3 in stock which were at the top of the racking and had no price on them. I queued for 15 minutes for some oik to tell me a) he didn't know the price b) I would have to wait until he could get someone to take one down. So we went to Homebase, they had loads but all were Ebac, we have a history with Ebac, I think it is rhyming slang. Roll on summer!

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I think mine works ok and it does fill the water tank but will check the pipe drain carefully....

Thanks

Nick

<hr width=100% size=1><A target="_blank" HREF=http://arweb.co.uk/argallery/Nick2>http://arweb.co.uk/argallery/Nick2</A>
 
If it fills the tank OK it is working because the only difference is where the rubber plug is placed to divert it to the tube.

Worth checking for sure because as I say ours looked alright, but it certainly wasn't extracting water, tried at home using the tank the tank remained dry after 24hrs on continuous setting.

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Defective XM Dehumidifiers

We bought one two winters ago and it has now stopped working, like most I have read about in this thread. The fan which draws air into the cooling veins is not rotating, although the compressor runs and the veins get cold.

I am currently in contact with XM regarding aftersales warranty, service and spares. I would be grateful to everyone on this thread if they also contact XM Yachting to make a complaint. It sounds to me like the units have an endemic fault and should be recalled. If they do not respond in an appropriate manor I intend to take a complaint to Trading Standards
 
Robin said:
Ours came from Force 4 in Poole. They did say when we bought it that there had been problems, enough for them to try each one out in the shop before selling it, ours said 'shop tested and working' on the box. Next day, when I couldn't find out how to get it to work via the hose (it came with no instructions) I went back to Force 4 who rang XM whilst I was there, basically XM didn't give a hoot, didn't know how to do it and didn't have any instructions - all their stock had been returned to the manufacturer I think they said!!!! Force 4 said to me if there was a problem they would refund my money. Well I found out via a previous posting how to get the continuous running set up and it was working, but I became suspicious a couple of weeks ago that it wasn't perhaps extracting what it should and this was later confirmed. It looks as if it IS working, the fan is running and the green light is on dehumidifying cycle - but on test at home, back on the tank rather than overboard hose, no water at all was collected.

I will NEVER buy anything with XM involved again, like them I don't want to know!

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Click to expand...

I have just found our XM dehumidifier no longer working - the compressor runs and cools the condenser but the fan which draws in air is no longer running. A check of the wiring indicates that there is power going to the fan motor but it won't run. I have contacted XM but have not had a reply in the past two days. Please keep i9n touch via this Thread
 
Not on the boat but I've had a succession of dehumidifiers in the garage to keep it dry, as there are loads of tools in it. The only one that has lasted the distance is a Ruby Dry, this blows air over a silica gel disc & the air exiting it is quite warm. Aside from cleaning the filter it gets no other maintenance & extracts around 2-3 litres a day on average.
 
Phill Barnes said:
...I would be grateful to everyone on this thread if they also contact XM Yachting to make a complaint. It sounds to me like the units have an endemic fault and should be recalled. If they do not respond in an appropriate manor I intend to take a complaint to Trading Standards
Click to expand...

The thread is nearly 9 years old, I don't think XM will consider any warranty issues after that length of time :)
 
l'escargot said:
The thread is nearly 9 years old, I don't think XM will consider any warranty issues after that length of time :)
Click to expand...

They didn't do anything for mine that was 54 weeks old when it died last year either.

It may be an old thread, but a few places still seem to have them on sale. Don't buy one.

I now have two Meaco DDL8 Juniors, one just over a year old, which died last week at (guess what) exactly 367 days since I ordered it, and 366 days since it was delivered.

Via the online seller, Meaco have just repaired it FOC. The other one was bought 3 weeks ago for use in the house. Cheaper than the XM and far more efficient in low temperatures. I hope the 366 day failure was a one-off.
 
Although this thread may be some years old there are others much more recent and there is definitely a pattern in the reported defects and the model is still being sold. Initially I had no reply from XM hoever after my wife emailed a follow up - copy to Trading standards I have had a reply from the parent company of XM and await a further report on their spares holdings. This product is from a generic maker in China and in common with a lot of such products are prone to component quality failures - importers know this and accept a certain amount of returns. Not fair on the consumer and the only way to get your recon-pence is to know how to play the game to your advantage.
 
The fan may be a standard dehum motor- any1 got a make & model no. ?

Refrigeration wholesalers may well stock them
 
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