Dehumidifier Keeps Beeping? What It’s Trying To Tell You

Does your dehumidifier keep beeping? It might be time to empty the water tank again. Here’s what your appliance is trying to tell you.

Let me paint you a picture. It’s the middle of the night and your dehumidifier is working as usual. You’re about to go to sleep, and all of a sudden, you start hearing a hellish beeping noise coming from it.

“What is going on?”, you think to yourself.

You wait a couple of minutes, hoping that the problem will resolve itself, but the beeping continues. Frustrated, and somewhat sleepy, you get up and start walking towards the machine looking for answers, but you find none.

Are you stuck with this nuisance forever? Of course not!

There are several reasons why your dehumidifier might keep beeping like it’s your household appliances’ New Year’s Eve party. From a bad power source, to a compromised pumping system. You name it, it’s possible.

Whether you just recently bought your machine, or have been using it for a while, one thing’s for sure. You need to restore the peace and quiet that you cherish in your home.

And I want to help you do that.

This is why I’ve prepared the list below, where you’ll find the most common causes to this occurrence, and the simplest steps you can take to address them. There’s no doubt in my mind that, if you follow them to a tee, your dehumidifier will be silent again in the blink of an eye.

Are you ready? Let’s get busy!

Fixing a Beeping Dehumidifier

Hey, I get it. You’re eager to get your appliance back to normal as soon as possible, but that is no excuse to pry it open without the need to do so. This is strongly advised against, as there are several explanations to your problem that do not involve an internal component.

We will open your unit, but only as a last resort. Failing to go about the troubleshooting process in a detailed and orderly way, is the quickest path to wasting precious time, and money.

Not to mention that you risk doing further damage to the appliance, and voiding your warranty.

Here’s what your beeping dehumidifier might be trying to tell you:

• The power source is working normally
• The power source is compromised
• The water tank is full
• There are pumping issues
• Your filters are dirty

#1 Appropriate Power Supply

I want to start off this list by addressing something that seems like a problem, but isn’t. I’m talking, of course, about the appropriate supply beeping notification.

This is not true for all models, but a lot of dehumidifiers are equipped with a beeping noise that lets you, the user, know that everything is fine, and that there’s enough electricity reaching the appliance for it to work normally.

A lot of people mistake this beeping for some kind of malfunction, but, if this is your case, you can relax.

The best way to tell between regular beeping, and malfunction beeping. is the frequency of the sound. The former will likely occur once every 10 to 30 minutes, whereas the latter might be much more frequent.

Solution: Not much to do here. If you think this is your case, take it easy. I know it can still be annoying to hear this beep, as infrequent as it may be, but look at the bright side. You’ll always know your dehumidifier is working perfectly. 

#2 Your Power Source Is Compromised

You’d be surprised at how many people spend copious amounts of money every year trying to find what’s wrong with their dehumidifier, only to find too late, that the source of the problem lied elsewhere.

As you learned in the point above, your appliance is designed to notify you when the power supply is appropriate. So, it should come as no surprise, that it can also let you know when your power sources are compromised.

It can be a little tricky to diagnose a malfunctioning outlet, as the signs of it are very similar to those of overheating or general appliance malfunction.

Depending on the severity of the damage to it, your outlet could be supplying your unit intermittently with electricity, thus causing the beeping. It is of the utmost importance that you stop using your machine as soon as you suspect this to be the issue.

Solution: Test, test, test.

Unplug your dehumidifier, and let it cool down. After about 10 minutes, you can take it to a different section of your house, and plug it back into a different outlet, preferrably, as far removed as possible from the one you normally use.

Should the outlet be the culprit, the new power source will get rid of the beeping.

Provided that you want a DIY challenge and own a multimeter, you can use it to test the power source for continuity. This is optional, but strongly encouraged, as a faulty outlet can sometimes be the first sign of a greater malfunction in your home.

#3 Empty Your Water Tank

When dehumidifiers are equipped with pumps, they constantly send the accumulated water to the outside world, thus preventing the reservoir from overfilling. However, if you own a simpler model that does not boast this feature, you’ll have to empty the tank now and then.

If your dehumidifier keeps beeping, there’s a very good chance that the tank has already exceeded the maximum recommended level.

This can not only cause the incessant beeping noise, but also overheating, which, as you know, is extremely detrimental to your appliance’s normal functioning and lifespan.

Solution: This requires a little trial and error. The rate at which your appliance’s water tank fills will be greatly determined by the amount of moisture in your home, so there’s no set time as to how long it will take.

Monitor your unit carefully, and eventually, you’ll have a clearer idea as to how long you should wait between emptying cycles. 

#4 Check the Pump

Assuming that you do own a model that has a pump, you can forget about having to empty the tank yourself; however, there’s always the possibility of obstruction.

If you’re in the habit of waiting too long between cleaning cycles, there’s a very good chance that your pumps have become obstructed by built up sediment, thus compromising its water pumping capabilities.

A dehumidifier that keeps beeping could be trying to tell you that you need to clean your pumps immediately. Failing to do so can cause severe overheating, and permanent damage to your appliance.

Solution: Ideally, you want to clean your dehumidifier’s tank once a month, and descale it bimestrally.

If you’ve never done this, don’t worry, it’s fairly simple. Prepare a mixture made up of equal parts of water and white vinegar, and pour it into your appliance’s water tank. Let it run normally until the water reserves have been nearly depleted.

This should remove most of the sediment, but if there is any left, you can use a soft brush, and scrub off any residue.

#5 Clean Your Filters

You might be wondering why you need an air filter for an appliance that is mainly water based.

Simple. To prevent any debris from reaching the water tank.

I won’t bore you with the technical details, but in a nutshell, your unit draws air into itself with the help of a fan, then removes the excessive moisture, and finally releases it drier back into the room.

Your air filters are responsible for catching any unwanted particles that might be present when the air is sucked in.

When your filter gets excessively dirty, it can obstruct airflow, and make the fan work harder to pull in the surrounding air. If your dehumidifier keeps beeping, there’s a very good chance that you either need to clean or replace the part.

Solution: Carefully remove the filter from your appliance, and wash it under running water with soap. Let it dry completely, and vacuum it delicately to ensure no debris is left on it.

Most manufacturers recommend that, after six months of continuous operation, you replace the filter, so, if your part is older than that, no amount of cleaning will make it work better.

Where Can You Find Your Model Number?

This will depend greatly on your appliance’s model. You might think the best place to look for it would be your user manual, but, more often than not, the number in there is either incorrect, or incomplete.

Your best bet is to look for it in the appliance’s body.

Sometimes, you’ll be able to find a label with the model number on the side or the back of the unit; however, it’s not unheard of for it to be located behind the water reservoir, or next to one of the vents.

This label should have your complete model number, which can help you get the right spare parts, and try the right fixes when a problem arises.

If you want to get any replacement part – or see how much one would cost – click to enter your model number in the search bar below. Our partners at AppliancePartsPros stock almost every part with free guides on how to install them.

Conclusion

To have your dehumidifier keep beeping, can be a modern day nightmare. Especially if you live in an area that is extremely humid, as your walls and furniture might be exposed to moisture damage if the noise stems from a malfunction.

Fortunately, as you’ve learned in this piece, addressing most of the causes behind this beeping noise is fairly simple, and should not take up a lot of your time.

More often than not, all you need to do is try a different power source, clean your dehumidifier regularly, and make sure that your water reservoir is not overfilling.

Thank you very much for reading. If you found this article helpful, why not keep the learning going through our other incredible resources below?

Humidity begone!