Believe it or not, there are just six more weeks until spring. As the weather warms up and humidity rises, homeowners will start to use their portable dehumidifiers. The use of portable dehumidifiers poses a significant fire risk, as almost every major dehumidifier brand has been recalled in the last ten years.
New Widetech recalled 2 million dehumidifiers in 2021 with brand names such as:
AeonAir, Amana, ArcticAire (Danby), Classic (Danby/Home Hardware Stores), Commercial Cool, Danby De’Longhi, EdgeStar, Friedrich, Haier, Honeywell, JMATEK (AirTek), Idylis, Ivation, Perfect Aire, SuperClima, and Whirlpool.
Midea recalled 3.4 million dehumidifiers in 2016 with brand names such as:
Airworks, Arcticaire, Arctic King, Beaumark, Coolworks, ComfortAire Comfort Star, Continental Electric, Crosley, Daewoo, Danby, Dayton, Degree, Diplomat, Edgestar, Excell, Fellini, Forest Air, Frigidaire, GE, Grunaire, Hanover, Honeywell, Homestyles, Hyundai, Ideal Air, Kenmore, Keystone, Kul, Midea, Nantucket, Ocean Breeze, Pelonis, Perfect Aire, Perfect Home, Polar Wind, Premiere, Professional Series, Royal Sovereign, Simplicity, Sunbeam, SPT, Sylvania, TGM, Touch Point, and Winix.
Gree recalled 2 million dehumidifiers in 2013 with brand names such as:
Danby, De’Longhi, Fedders, Fellini, Frigidaire, GE, Gree, Kenmore, Norpole, Premiere, Seabreeze, SoleusAir, and SuperClima.
Notwithstanding these recalls, a relatively low percentage of these dehumidifiers were returned, meaning that the vast majority remain in use. In many circumstances, it can be difficult to determine the brand and manufacturer of a dehumidifier because the fire destroys the identification markings, and the insured may not have retained a receipt or an operator’s manual. However, New Widetech, Midea, and Gree all have unique designs that, in most situations, enable us to identify the manufacturer from the fire-damaged remains of the dehumidifier. Needless to say, prompt action is required to coordinate a loss site inspection to document and preserve the pertinent evidence.
