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My dehumidifier fried the wiring in my barn after 3 winters
Ran a $200 dehumidifier out in the pole barn near Madison for three straight winters and never checked the cord. Last month it shorted out, melted the plug, and killed the whole circuit that also ran the block heater on my 67 Camaro. I got lucky nothing caught fire but now I'm redoing the outlets with GFCI and a drop cord rated for cold temps. Anyone else run into moisture control setups that just give up without warning?
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nathan_barnes1mo ago
Man, that stinks, but honestly you got off easy if the only damage was a melted plug. Ive seen cords in barns turn into brittle messes after two seasons, the cold makes the insulation crack and then moisture gets in. The smart plug thing is a good move, but also check the outlet boxes for condensation pooling, sometimes the problem isnt the dehumidifier itself but the damp air collecting right behind it. I learned the hard way to swap out those cheap stock cords for a heavy duty rubber one, and I zip tie the plug end up off the concrete so any water drips away. Also, if you can, put the GFCI on a separate breaker from the block heater, that way one hiccup doesnt kill your car startup in January.
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