Winter Storage - in very wet climate

[Kurt in BC]

I am storing my Boler outside in a very wet climate (Hope, BC).

Every year I run into issues of mold/mildew creeping up and settling on my ensolite.

I have no leaks.....

I use the Dri-Z-Air with some success but the trailer still has a ton of moisture int he air. I usually tarp it but find that keeping the windows shut tight and the tarp over everything it just traps in the moisture making it worse......

while leaving the windows open just invites more moisture....


I think the portable heater is way to $$ on the hydro bill and do not feel to safe fire wise.

I have thought about hanging a trouble light from the ceiling with one of those new flourescent energy efficient bulbs to create a bit of heat and take care of the moisture in the air while leaving one of the windows cracked slightly? Would a regular light bulbe be better to generate more heat??

Anyone know if this will work?


Thanks!!!

[Roger H]

Kurt, we used the light bulb trick in our barracks lockers on Guam many years ago. I think it helped a little, but probably only ran up the electric bill. I don't think the low-wattage flourescent would produce enough heat to bother with.

A small de-humidifier running all winter with the windows closed would probably do more for you. They can be set up with a hose to drain the water out of the tank. We run two year-round in our basement.

Roger

[Donna D.]

Consider removing anything from inside the trailer that would hold moisture. All the foam cushions, throw rugs and maybe even the drapery. I have used two Dry-Z-Air canisters with success. One in the sink and one near the door. The trick is to check them often and dump the water out of the canister holding tanks. If the canisters are allowed to fill up, all you're doing is recycling that moisture back into the air. In the wettest part of our winter, I'll check the canisters every couple of weeks, at a minimum.

[Taylor Kissinger]

We had a strange leak in our Scamp last winter. After finding and fixing I put in a Dehumidfiyer, It really worked. We have our Kenmore running now it cycles on and off . We use the low setting and check and dump the water about once a week. The smallest at Sears was $160. US. But they really do solve the problem. There are smaller available .
Nancy had one at the Northern Oregon Gathering. This is a bit of a spendy fix but we found it really does sove the problem.
Keep Dry this winter

[Taylor Kissinger]

We had a strange leak in our Scamp last winter. After finding and fixing I put in a Dehumidfiyer, It really worked. We have our Kenmore running now it cycles on and off . We use the low setting and check and dump the water about once a week. The smallest at Sears was $160. US. But they really do solve the problem. There are smaller available .
Nancy had one at the Northern Oregon Gathering. This is a bit of a spendy fix but we found it really does sove the problem.
Keep Dry this winter

I googled Mini dehumidifyers and found a number of products from $40 up

[Al V]

Try storeing under a breathable cover or try placeing the tarp so there is an opening near the top to let moiture out. Plastic tarps just trap the moisture underneath which is great if you want to start plants from seeds or grow mold .
I use a bucket of Damp Rid for the times the Casita is closed up for weeks at a time.

[Brian B-P]

The purpose of the classic light bulb trick is only to add heat. The point of a fluorescent light is to make light, and not heat. A low-power conventional bulb would put out the same heat as a fluorescent of the same wattage, at lower cost (for the light). There is no more efficient way to convert electricity to heat than any old resistor, which is what a light bulb is.

Like Roger, I don't see the heat output of any common fluorescent (40 W or less) being useful. On the other hand, a useful amount of heat will mean a significant amount of energy. Electricity is an expensive way to buy energy, so I agree that might be important, but I don't know if it is in this case. For instance, 100W for 24 hours a day for 6 months is 432 kW-hours, or perhaps fifty bucks for the whole winter. I don't run a heater in my Boler, but it's not really the cost which stops me.

Electric heaters have high temperature and (I assume) tip-over cutoff features; a light bulb does not. Maybe, if electric heat is the goal, the best device would be the lowest-powered portable electric heater you can find, set on "low" or (if it has a thermostat) at its lowest temperature setting. A heater with a fan would also have the advantage of distributing the heat more effectively through the trailer.

[Doug Mager]

Kurt, a little closer to the coast here, but last year I just used a l'il micro furnace and cracked one or two side windows open. I DID neglect to open cupboard doors and storage compartment doors, resulting in a bout of green guck in all "closed" areas.

This year we have a portable storage shelter ( from Home Depot at about $250) and we have moved our Trillium in under it. We are in the process of removing EVERYTHING that isn't nailed/riveted down and opening ALL storage areas and are going to try leaving some windows open to let the air move on its own accord. I have an idea that the cost of the shelter might add up to the (wasted?) cost of the heater plus the clean up this last spring. If our plan doesn't work right this season, then next year we will reinstall the l'il micro furnace and try all over again.

What difference does/could it make (dollar wise) to keep these little jewels clean and mould free???

[Kurt & Ann K.]

if you have a Maxx-Aire cover for your roof vent and Maxx-Aire louvers for at least one window you can leave them partially open for air circulation. Warm air (a light bulb is perhaps easiest since you can if it is burnt out or not working) will accomplish 2 things, warm air holds more moisture and will also create a convection current. The open window will supply air to replace the warm, rising air which has flowed out the roof vent. Since no air is trapped inside, the humidity willl not accumulate. Kind of like "a rolling stone gathers no moss", the moving air grows no mold.

The electric heater we use for heat has a "freeze prevention" setting which is much lower than the normal thermostat settings so I can't give a realistic wattage comparable to a light bulb.. We also left all the cabinets open so no moisture could be trapped inside. It would probably be prudent to change back to a dinette set-up so there would not be stagnant air trapped under the bed (if you are so inclined and/or your TT allows that option). This system has worked for us for 2 previous years without a cover of any kind on "Nuestra Casita". This year she has become our bedroom each night while our home is under major remodel. Even so, we have the roof vent open at least an inch and a window open about the same 24/7. Maybe it's just that we enjoy fresh air, but we have not had the distinction of propagating a personal mold patch.
That's our experience so, since it works for us, were sticking to it!

Dealing with a moldy TT is not our idea of an enjoyable way to spend our time! We are willing to spend a little money now, to prevent having to spend money, time and energy later when we could be camping.

We wish you success with whatever method you choose,
Kurt & Ann K.

[Alf S.]

Hi: I just heard on another forum...Tarp the top and use an oscillating fan on a timer..seems the least energy $$$'s spent to keep a 13' Boler etc. DRY Having had about 9" of rain in the last month I think I should have bought an ARK!!! but I do like "CHEAP" Alf S. North shore of Lake Erie

[Kurt in BC]

thanks for the replies. I am not against the heater idea either...odes anyone here know what the difference is intheir Hydro bills for running one at a low temp?

thanks!!

[Steve C.]

thanks for the replies. I am not against the heater idea either...odes anyone here know what the difference is intheir Hydro bills for running one at a low temp?

thanks!!

Kurt,

I have used a 120V heater ( tip-over protected) for a number of years during storage in the winter and have never had any problems with moisture or mold. I use a standard 120V household thermostat housed in a metal electrical box which is wired into an extension cord connected to the heater. This thermostat is much more accurate and reliable than the crude light duty thermostats employed in most small heaters. I set the temperature for about 50 degrees F and select the lower power setting on my heater (750W). In this way the heater does not run continously except when it is extremely cold outside - not a common occurance on the wet West Coast. The heater has a built in fan which circulates the air and I leave the roof vent slightly open.


I'm not certain how much power is used with this method, but what ever it is, I think having a dry and mold free trailer is well worth the modest cost.

Steve.

[Byron Kinnaman]

Last winter I put a small electric heater in the trailer and tried to keep the temp around 50°. I keep the roof vent open a very small amount, and the window over the kitchen open a bit. Add a little Dri-Z-Air and eveything seemed to stay good. We also used the trailer all year, at least once a month. We plan on doing the same thing this year except I put up a steel carport and the trailer now lives under that.

[Taylor Kissinger]

I still favor the dehumidifier especially after I need to use the trailer and find the bedding dry and not all musty smelling. I run my dehumdifier on low and do not notice any increase in my power bill. I need to check it and drain the water once a week .

[Darwin Maring]

The new digitial controled dehumidifyers turn off if there is a power outtage and do not turn back on when the power is restored. You have to go and restart the thing.

Finding an older analog model (One with dials and no digital readout) will just power back up when the power is turned on.

[Loren G. Hedahl]

I still favor the dehumidifier especially after I need to use the trailer and find the bedding dry and not all musty smelling. I run my dehumdifier on low and do not notice any increase in my power bill. I need to check it and drain the water once a week .

Taylor,

I've never owned or even thought much about a dehumidifier and have some questions.

1. I was just wondering how big a unit you are using, or would recommend?

2. Would it be possible to provide a drain, so the water just ran out on the ground under the trailer?

3. Do you just run it in the winter months?

4. When using it, do you keep all the windows and vents closed?

Loren

[Taylor Kissinger]

I am running my dehumidfyer now. it is a 32 pint Kenmore from Sears , got it last year. I close up the trailer and open up the fridge and doors and place it in the center of the floor.
I leave it set on low, it is the old style with nobs. Check it once a week and it works wonderful. I most noticed the dry no musty smell of the bedding. We have not ran a drain for it but if you did and used the drain hole it would be allmost self tending. There are small ones out there but this one we got for the house and I procurred it for the 5er.
We take it with us in the winter and use it. It heats the trailer but the dry air really makes a difference in cold damp climate. We set it under the table and it is not in the way. We really like it. I went with a bigger one for the house but I find it is nice because it is good for a minimium of a week with out draining. It is a Sears product and is dependable . It was $160.00 but After seeing what water and mold can do I think it is a good investment if you live in damp Climate.

[Doug & Anna-Marie P]

For the past 5-6 years we have been using a "Caframo-Stor-Dry" unit.
We live in Vancouver area where you all know how wet it is... We bought the unit at an RV show---but I am sure "O'Connor RV" or other places in Langley carry it---but I did just read about it on line when I googled it to find out the proper name!!!!

No mold, no mildew----this unit has a small fan so it keeps the air circulating and uses about the power of a small lightbulb.. NO real noticeable change in our power consumption..

We have a tarp over the top half of our trailer and have the window above the sink cranked a bit---sometimes the roof vent is open a touch...
I usually open the cupboard doors a smidge and put the mattress up on a stool or something so air gets around it.

We have had no problems with any mold or mildew or smells or anything...

[Brian B-P]

By "dehumidifier", I assume that we are talking about an appliance which chills the air to the point of condensing water, then puts the heat back in, so the net effect is primarily to dry the air. I use one of these in my house, but not the Boler.

I think that the dehumidifier idea makes sense, in the right circumstances. Since the problem is moisture, this is a direct solution. As a side effect which would be beneficial in the winter, the waste heat will slightly warm the trailer interior.

If there is little or no circulation of air from the outside, the unit would not need to be large, since there is no moisture being created in the trailer while it is stored. A little bit of air circulation seems like a good idea to me, but too much and you're just trying to dehumidify the great outdoors, which seems futile.

Normally dehumidifiers collect water in a removable bucket built into the unit. It is common to have some provision for a drain line, to allow continuous operation without the need to empty the bucket. The one I use in my house required drilling out a blanked-off threaded port, and screwing on a garden hose fitting.

Even a small dehumidifier is a heavy and bulky item for use with a trailer - I assume it would be a portable unit, used only in storage. Air conditioners dry air, by the same method, as a side effect of cooling; if dehumidification was needed while camping, presumably an air conditioner would be used instead. If moisture is a problem in winter, it might be during non-use times in the summer as well (depending on climate), so I think it might make sense to use it any time the trailer is sitting idle.

The biggest problem I can think of - aside from the power-reset issue - is that at low temperatures the cooling coils will likely form frost, instead of just condensation; that kills the operation, so winter conditions in a trailer are likely to be unacceptable for dehumidifier operation in many locations, at least without supplemental heat.

[jefh]

Go to a boat store, stevenson or west marine,
get the round low amperage dryers. Thats what kept our boat dry, safe and effective.
and in the spring use vinegar to get rid of mold.