Fire! - dehumidifier O/B catches alight.........Help!

[Piers]

Piers, as said above the fire was caused by a compressor driven unit, the replacement is desiccant and considered safer.

Thanks mjf. So my compressor de-humidifiers and not desiccant. This thread is really Interesting so I'll investigate changing. Cheers.

 

[rafiki_]

If the timer switches off power to the whole unit, this can create situations where the drum may overheat and be a fire risk. As you may have noticed, when you switch off the Meaco without switching off the mains supply, it continues to run for a few minutes to cool the drum. Desiccant driers can be a fire risk if used with a time switch that controls the mains supply. I leave mine running continuously, and it starts/stops as required to manage the humidity. I use the 'two thumbs' setting.

Interesting. Will investigate further. Many others use the device as I do, with no issues to date, but we could all have been lucky so far!

 

[Falcoron]

I run 2 of the Eco Air dessicant type, draining into heads sinks in both cases and in winter left on full time. One of my original ones seemed to cut out and not come back on so it went back to Eco Air through their very helpful Customer Services Dept for repair, hasn't missed a beat since. In all communication with them they have been keen to impress on me the importance of regularly cleaning the air filter. I have looked for any implication of Eco Air ones having overheat or fire problems and haven't found anything yet so am comfortable with them running full time. They do put out a little bit of warmth with the exhausted air which I am fine with, thinking it might just raise the local air temp a tiny bit and appears to me a welcome by-product or their dehumidifying process. They def drag moisture out as the drain pipe can be seen with droplets running through it.

A worrying start to this thread from MJF but glad it ended up being contained and controlled, well done with quick thinking. Another aspect from reading this is that I'll be looking into those water mist extinguishers.

Andy

Andy,
I have just purchased an ECOAIR DD122 Mk5 after reading reviews, gets best in class in which reviews and more importantly these are well reviwed in boat magazine and again other reviews are stating these are best available at this present time. I hope to have this in time for our next boat visit this weekend so will let you know how it performs. 5 star for customer service too which means a great deal to me. £145 well spent I hope.

 

[Piers]

Having just read 'how do desiccant dehumidifiers work' (http://www.dehumidifierbuyersguide.com/desiccant-dehumidifier-reviews/) I see that one drawback is 'smell'. "This occurs because the desiccant material...can also absorb odors contained within the...air. It will often absorb odors you may not even be aware of but it will especially absorb odors from items such as cigarettes, cosmetics, building materials, and new furniture. The smell ...is not due to the absorption of that odor, but rather the heating up of that odor when the desiccant material is reheated (in order to liberate moisture from it). Note that this smell isn’t harmful and should only be temporary."

Have you ever noticed a smell?

 

[bigwow]

I've been using one every winter for the last 5 yrs haven't noticed any smells, however no smoking allowed on board and I don't wear makeup

 

[Questor]

Having just read 'how do desiccant dehumidifiers work' (http://www.dehumidifierbuyersguide.com/desiccant-dehumidifier-reviews/) I see that one drawback is 'smell'. "This occurs because the desiccant material...can also absorb odors contained within the...air. It will often absorb odors you may not even be aware of but it will especially absorb odors from items such as cigarettes, cosmetics, building materials, and new furniture. The smell ...is not due to the absorption of that odor, but rather the heating up of that odor when the desiccant material is reheated (in order to liberate moisture from it). Note that this smell isn’t harmful and should only be temporary."

Have you ever noticed a smell?

Bought a Meaco desiccant model last year, and it definitely emits a certain smell when running. Not pleasant, not unpleasant, but it's there.

 

[jfm]

Just for anyone reading this who isn't aware, and apologies for telling how to suck eggs, but Meaco and EcoAir are the same thing. Same company, same product, two different brands (with the Meaco brand being phased out)

 

[Andrew M]

Yep, both our EcoAirs do emit some degree of smell, not massive, not offensive and doesn't fill the boat with it either, so I really wouldn't consider it to be any sort of issue. Interesting to read how the unit produces it though.

Thanks Falcoron, that's good to hear, lovely little unit you'll get on fine with it, I think 1 of mine is an earlier Mk3 (or "simple") and 1 a Dd122 Classic which might now be the mk5, Thanks also JFM , didn't realise that.

 

[rafiki_]

I've run a Meaco for 3 winters, and never noticed any odd smells. The instructions suggest a regular clean of the filter. Would this have anything to do with lingering aroma's?

 

[NoviceRod]

I too have run my Meaco for 3 seasons, and not noticed any smell.

 

[alt]

I use a compressor and never had an issue.

That said, I would have no issue purchasing an alternative for peace of mind.

Could anyone recommend a Maeco model (240v) for a 37ft sports cruiser? (Cranchi Smeraldo)

 

[rafiki_]

I use a compressor and never had an issue.

That said, I would have no issue purchasing an alternative for peace of mind.

Could anyone recommend a Maeco model (240v) for a 37ft sports cruiser? (Cranchi Smeraldo)

DD8L. Works well in my Azi 39.

 

[asteven221]

The Maeco DL8 (I think) Junior is a desiccant drier not Peltier. The culprit in Mike's boat was a Peltier type. The Maeco comes with a hose that I pipe into the galley sink, so any water drains away. I have not heard of any issues with the Maeco dehumidifier. Mine is 3 years old, and I set it to activate for a couple of hours a day, using a timer.

+1 Has one for a few years. Great bit of kit and really pulls moisture out the air.

 

[JumbleDuck]

For what it's worth, I have just bought a dehumidifier to use at home, but I can't see any reason not to use it on a boat. It's a Mitsubishi MJ-E20BG-E1 with compressor and, having had it for five hours, I am very impressed with it. It has all sorts of programmes, timed operation, hot air defrost for low temperature operation, automatic restart after power failure, continuous drain and will pull up to 20 litres per day out of the air. The only downside is that it cost a penny short of £400 but having tried cheap makes before I'm happy to lay out for a good one.

 

[Questor]

The only downside is that it cost a penny short of £400 but having tried cheap makes before I'm happy to lay out for a good one.

I agree. I ran an Ebac CD-30 (not cheap even at dealer prices) on our boats for near on 20 years. An excellent machine. Swapped it for a Meaco desiccant type last year, purely due to its age.

The Ebac inside still looks as good as new, and I can't see that there's actually much to catch fire, since all steel case etc. Really no different to any fridge or freezer.

The Meaco feels very inferior quality wise - very light & plasticy, although works well, apart from the strange smell it gives off. It's done this from day one.

I can't see it lasting anything like twenty years, whereas the Ebac unit probably still has a further twenty years in it.

 

[mjf]

No smell noticed on my unit, because it's so quiet and a bit smaller in size than my last one I run it at night in the master suite. Use the deioniser switch and leave cabin door ajar. Keeps the area dry and warm overnight.
In the summer it's in the mid cabin 'cos chucks out too much heat.

 

[Scubadoo]

The Meaco DD8L is a good unit but has one flaw, it has a poor dust filter and that eventually blocks the pipe work for the water flow, and hence it starts to leak, even when vacuumed regularly.

 

[mjf]

The Meaco DD8L is a good unit but has one flaw, it has a poor dust filter and that eventually blocks the pipe work for the water flow, and hence it starts to leak, even when vacuumed regularly.

Mine has a removable filter that is the width of the thing and about half its height. I don't quite understand how water flow is blocked and where the leak occurs.

 

[Scubadoo]

So does mine, but the filter gauze is too large and hence over time allows dust to build up. The dust finds it way into the pipe work to where the water drains through (don't know how, it just does). The water eventually misses the tray and makes a puddle on the floor, the water appears to backup in the pipe and escapes elsewhere and also along the outside of the pipe. Mine is used at home, so on a boat you may not have so much of a dust issue and you probably don't use the tray and instead use the drain connection.

 

[mjf]

Oh. I see, the dust gets behind the large filter screen around the sides and then builds up around the water outlet pipes and thus bypasses the drain plug outlet which when used without hose drains to the tank or when the hose is connected takes the water away to bypass the tank

I will look next time I'm O/B

Thanks