Anyone use a dehumidifier during off-season? - Fiberglass RV
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Old 10-29-2020, 04:49 AM   #1
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Name: Biker
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Anyone use a dehumidifier during off-season?

Hi,


Curious is anyone runs a dehumidifier in their trailer during the off-season?


If yes, would you provide details such as brand/model, how long you run it each day, and any additional information which may be useful on this topic?


Thank you!
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Old 10-29-2020, 05:09 AM   #2
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I do, and I set it on automatic. Bought it at Lowe’s or Home Depot, don’t remember which. I use a hose and run it into the sink and through the gray tank. The outlet cap has a hose fitting on it and I run the water to the outside of my carport onto the ground (landscape plantings) which I can do because I am in a rural area with no restrictions on disposal of gray water. The trailer stays at 50% relative humidity all the time it is in storage. I don’t like moist air so I also carry a small Peltier (non compressor dehumidifier made by Ecoseb...Amazon) and use that when on campsites with shore power.
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Old 10-29-2020, 05:20 AM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by CPW View Post
I do, and I set it on automatic. Bought it at Lowe’s or Home Depot, don’t remember which. I use a hose and run it into the sink and through the gray tank. The outlet cap has a hose fitting on it and I run the water to the outside of my carport onto the ground (landscape plantings) which I can do because I am in a rural area with no restrictions on disposal of gray water. The trailer stays at 50% relative humidity all the time it is in storage. I don’t like moist air so I also carry a small Peltier (non compressor dehumidifier made by Ecoseb...Amazon) and use that when on campsites with shore power.



Thank you


ALSO, I've kept the small bathroom window AND roof vent open during camping season for air circulation.


Any concern or risk about keeping these open during off-season?
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Old 10-29-2020, 09:14 AM   #4
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No power storage?

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Hi,Curious is anyone runs a dehumidifier in their trailer during the off-season?
I store my Scamp 16 in a shelter with no power and have found that Damp Rid works well. I use two of the 64 OZ size.
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Old 10-29-2020, 09:27 AM   #5
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I also use Damp Rid or some other brand of chemical dehumidifier. Either the large bucket one, which then goes in our basement in the summer, or two of the 64 oz ones, one in the bathroom and one in the living area. Of course, we are in Wisconsin and winters are pretty dry anyway.
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Old 10-29-2020, 10:16 AM   #6
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Here on the OR coast, I'd say it's absolutely essential to run a dehumidifier.

I also run mine with a hose into the kitchen sink so it runs when necessary which is a lot.

There are so many brands to choose from that it can be a bit overwhelming. I bought mine used on Craigslist.

Also, just in case, I set mine up so that, if the unit itself were to leak, HOH would run into the sink rather than onto the counter.

All-in-all, running a dehumidifier adds greatly to my peace of mind.
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Old 10-29-2020, 10:40 AM   #7
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Water from a dehumidifier is not gray water, even if you run the hose into your sink and gray water tank. It is actually distilled water, useful for steam irons (for those who still own one).
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Old 10-29-2020, 11:04 AM   #8
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But, when you are running potentially hundreds of gallons through a dehumidifier, you need a safe way to get it out of your trailer. I definitely wouldn't want to try collecting it in a vessel then forget and I would have emptied the reservoir on the dehumidifier just too many times to be practical. So it has to go out a window or down a drain.
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Old 10-29-2020, 11:37 AM   #9
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Humidity

I use a 90 watt RV heater with a built in fan. Leave a vent open and use a RV cover. Do I need anything more? Live on the wet coast, British Columbia, Canada
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Old 10-29-2020, 11:44 AM   #10
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Got your cupboards open? Cushions on end?
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Old 10-29-2020, 02:19 PM   #11
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Originally Posted by bobblangley View Post
But, when you are running potentially hundreds of gallons through a dehumidifier, you need a safe way to get it out of your trailer. I definitely wouldn't want to try collecting it in a vessel then forget and I would have emptied the reservoir on the dehumidifier just too many times to be practical. So it has to go out a window or down a drain.
Yes, I run one when the camper is stored. I have a through the floor connection to a flexible hose to the machine. You can gat a through the hull connection at a boat supply house. It needs to be long enoudh underneath so you do not wet the u derside floor.
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Old 10-29-2020, 02:20 PM   #12
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Also use Kanbera T tree oil. It kills mold.
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Old 10-29-2020, 02:32 PM   #13
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Dehumidifier water

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Water from a dehumidifier is not gray water, even if you run the hose into your sink and gray water tank. It is actually distilled water, useful for steam irons (for those who still own one).
Dehumidifier water
It depends on where you use it, I am sure a steam iron is ok, and yes I own one AND USE IT.. We wanted to use dehumidifier water in other equipment and the manufacturer said no. They reminded us that distilling kills bacteria.
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Old 10-29-2020, 02:45 PM   #14
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We use one of those small Peltier dehumidifiers like Carl does. I drill a hole in the tank and epoxy a 1/4" brass hose barb into it, then run a 1/4" clear vinyl hose into the sink to the grey water tank. I run it on a timer to run from a quarter to half time (alternating on and off multiple times). I currently have two of them set up this way in two trailers.

As someone else said, keep cabinet doors open.
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Old 10-29-2020, 04:09 PM   #15
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Water from a dehumidifier is not gray water, even if you run the hose into your sink and gray water tank. It is actually distilled water, useful for steam irons (for those who still own one).
Actually, once it goes into the gray water tank which has held gray water and likely comes in contact with residuals, it may be distilled water but it is still contaminated. If you dump distilled water, a can of beer, or a gallon of milk, etc. down the toilet and into a septic tank the environmental watchdogs will not say it is OK for you to pump your septic tank out onto the lawn because the sewage contains distilled water or other products not defined as bodily wastes. When distilled water goes into a container that has been used to store gray water, it becomes classified as gray water, and some States do not permit the application of untreated gray water wherever someone may want to spray it. At least, those were the rules before I retired after 22 years working at one of Florida’s Water Management District’s (there are 5, each overseeing a designated portion of the State. They are regulatory sub-entities which fall under the Department of Environmental Protection and are tasked with dealing with any issues related to water (fresh water, waste water, flooding, conservation and protection, etc.). Florida, because of its delicate environment, has some of the strongest and most progressive environmental laws in the nation.
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Old 10-29-2020, 04:12 PM   #16
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Dehumidifier justification

I purchased a 2008 Bigfoot 17.5 G in 2018 which at the time had a problem with most of the cupboard door frames falling apart. Suspecting high humidity in the winter as we have in BC west coast so I started using a dehumidifier. The unit has a drain hose fitting but I opted to collect the water in the unit. The concern here is running it into the sink or shower stall would flush the antifreeze out of the trap and risk freezing when the temperatures drop below zero. This is a bit of a nuisance emptying the water every few days but it is very effective in keeping the trailer dry and mould free. The unit is on a timer running 50% each day.
Highly recommended if you live in a high rainfall area in the winter.
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Old 10-29-2020, 07:08 PM   #17
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But, when you are running potentially hundreds of gallons through a dehumidifier, you need a safe way to get it out of your trailer. I definitely wouldn't want to try collecting it in a vessel then forget and I would have emptied the reservoir on the dehumidifier just too many times to be practical. So it has to go out a window or down a drain.
I have a Camco sewer hose cap with a hose connection. Cost about $8.00.

Simply drain the dehumidifier into the kitchen sink, then into the gray tank and finally right out of the system through the hose cap. You can direct the outflow by using a short hose.
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Old 10-29-2020, 09:23 PM   #18
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I see two kinds of dehumidifiers mentioned here. The compressor and the Peletier condense the water vapor from the air on a cold surface. Like the can of a cool one on a hot humid day! The DampRid, which is a salt, pulls the vapor out of the air by being hygroscopic. The first kind makes distilled water, which is as clean as normal rain, and there should be no problem dumping it on the ground (not through the gray water tank, of course, unless that one is reasonably clean). What comes out of the DampRid is a strong solution of whatever that salt happens to be, so its disposal is a different case. But as far as I remember, we poured it down the drain in the house. Distilled water is just water and nothing else.



I used the DampRid in the camper over the winter and kept the windows closed, cabinets open and cushions on their edge, or propped up. Also used the compressor kind, but more often in the house during the humid Vermont summers. No need for any of that here in Colorado, in the rain shadow of the Rockies.
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Old 10-30-2020, 07:44 AM   #19
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.....Distilled water is just water and nothing else.
Yes, until you mix it with something else e.g., lemon juice and sweetener, then it is lemonade made with distilled water, or if used to brew coffee, it becomes coffee brewed with distilled water. And if contaminated by bacteria or some other hazardous substance, it is just water that may be inappropriate for drinking or other uses. I’m just saying check with local environmental laws before making assumptions. Knowing the law and following it may prevent court fines.
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Old 10-30-2020, 12:46 PM   #20
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Yes, until you mix it with something else e.g., lemon juice and sweetener, then it is lemonade made with distilled water, or if used to brew coffee, it becomes coffee brewed with distilled water. And if contaminated by bacteria or some other hazardous substance, it is just water that may be inappropriate for drinking or other uses. I’m just saying check with local environmental laws before making assumptions. Knowing the law and following it may prevent court fines.
Thank you for amplifying my point. However, if there is a law that prohibits disposal of *uncontaminated* distilled water, I might have a problem with it.
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