[Shop-talk] Dehumidifier suddenly freezing up

[Randall]

> If it can still frost the condenser, then it is holding a 
> charge.  No seals
> or hoses to leak, so the charge is still in there.

I disagree.  I've seen (and owned) several appliances that took 5 years or
more to leak down far enough that they no longer worked properly.  They
still had some liquid Freon inside, just not enough to work properly.
Typically, the first 1/4 or so of the condenser would frost and eventually
freeze solid, while the rest was just cool.  Usually (before it was illegal
to do so), I just threw them away; but back in college I had a refrigerator
that I just added gas to every couple of years.  (The added service valves
leaked a bit too, so it needed attention more often than it had the first
time.)

And even when it has leaked down to where there is no liquid left, that is
still gaseous Freon inside, not air (and therefore illegal to vent).  The
requirement is that your recovery equipment pull a vacuum unless the leak is
so big that you can't.

-- Randall