Anyone Using A Dehumidifier When The Trailer Is Parked?

[CharlesinGA]

Ever since my first RV (a small Class C bought in 2015) I thought I should be using a dehumidifier inside to control the moisture. Now, with the Bigfoot I see it is a real problem, as they do not breath like other campers, being so tight.

I have found condensation in the upper cabinets frequently, to the point that I now remove the plastic containers in the cabinets and leave every door and drawer in the trailer open to allow for better air circulation.

Today, I was going into Walmart to get some RV antifreeze to put in the drain traps when I saw these dehumidifiers on Clearance. Regular price was $223 and it was on clearance for $178. This was an impulse buy but looking on the net at home, I see the $178 is basically the normal price for it.

What I bought is a Midea MAD20S1QTWT It might even be a bit large for this application, its capable of producing up to 20 pints per day of water, and its darn heavy, 38+ lbs, but it has lots of useful features and seems to be well made and thought out. And.... the instructions do NOT read like a Chinese translation, they appear to have been written by an English speaking person whose FIRST language is English.

The unit has a sturdy lifting handle and is designed to sit on a special bucket that is part of the package. The unit stores inside the bucket when not in use. You lift the unit out of the bucket (its a perfect smooth fit) and turn it 90° left and set it back in the bucket, it catches on a couple of lips in the bucket and trips a switch to tell it it is installed on the bucket. The bucket hold about 4 gallons and it uses (apparently) a sonic measuring method to determine the fluid level, as you can set the max that you want it to shut down at. It also has a recessed fitting on the side that is plugged but you can unplug it and put either a garden hose on it, or fit a 1/2 inch ID plastic hose inside of it. to allow it to drain into a sink, bathtub, shower, etc.

I plan to put it in the shower an keep the gray water valve pulled open and the cap off, with some screen wire secured over it to keep out critters and insects.

You can set it to run continuously on either high or low fan, or set a desired max humidity that it will run till the humidity gets below and it shuts off, or it can run for a desired amount of time.

Follow the link, lots of good pics and info.

Midea 20 pint dehumidifier

Charles

[gordon2]

Originally Posted by CharlesinGA

..
Follow the link, lots of good pics and info.

Midea 20 pint dehumidifier

The link only shows one photo.. no text, no other information.

Here's a link to their 50 pint model:
https://www.midea.com/us/Air-Conditi...ier-MAD50S1QWT

Here's a link to the 20 pint model at Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/Midea-dehumid...08ZMY8BC8?th=1

At Amazon the price is $179 and according to Honey (Amazon price tracker) that prices has been consistent for the last 120 days.

[Linda M R]

I have a 13' Scamp and run a very small dehumidifier all summer. In the winter, because I live in ND, I stick in one of those boxes that are meant to absorb moisture - even though I have no idea if there is any moisture to absorb.

[Bill Berry]

I use a hanging DampRid product. <https://damprid.com/> Available at Target, Home Depot, Amazon, etc. Keep interior doors open, especially storage areas. Check it weekly, replace as needed or about monthly. Works well for me.

[bobblangley]

I live in a humid environment and have run a dehumidifier in my trailer for several years now -- it makes a huge difference.

Like you, I leave cabinet doors, etc. open to promote air flow but I have the dehumidifier on the kitchen counter draining into the sink rather than in the shower because I feel that will promote better airflow throughout the entire space.

If you live in a humid environment, it may well be the best $178 you will ever spend on your trailer.

[CharlesinGA]

Here is the link I wanted to post.

https://www.midea.com/us/Air-Conditi...ier-MAD20S1QWT

Scroll way down near the bottom to a video. Guy wearing a blue jacket. Its a good video, but the guy has NO Expression at all, but very informative.

Ran it in the house last night, it recovered about two quarts of water, and was holding steady at about 46% humidity. I put it in the trailer with the short plastic drain hose, in the shower, set it on low blower, set the desired humidity to 40% and it was still running a little while ago. I left the gray water valve open and the cap off with some screen wire tied over the outlet. Thinking I might get a sewer cap with the garden hose fitting in it. Dripping steady into a bucket.

Originally Posted by bobblangley

I live in a humid environment and have run a dehumidifier in my trailer for several years now -- it makes a huge difference.

Like you, I leave cabinet doors, etc. open to promote air flow but I have the dehumidifier on the kitchen counter draining into the sink rather than in the shower because I feel that will promote better airflow throughout the entire space.

If you live in a humid environment, it may well be the best $178 you will ever spend on your trailer.

Well, Georgia sure isn't dry like the southwest. No room on the Kitchen counter and I figure in time the air will move around enough. It produces a fair amount of heat, even though it only draws 2 amps. I plugged it into the bath receptacle with a Kill-A-Watt meter and it was showing 2.02 amps when running on low fan and the compressor on.

Next project is to get some Hypervent Aire-Flow™ Mattress Underlay for Mattresses. The mattress sits on plywood and a outside storage compartment is under it. There is a small (useless) access door into that area from inside so I leave it open also

Charles

[bobblangley]

I have been using one of these for several months and it has been working really well -

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I don't think you need to screen the wastewater outlet; open it just a crack and it will be fine.

[floyd]

Remember that A/C is a dehumidifier and can be used to dry out your trailer before placing it in storage

[Shocksll]

I use this one

Eva-dry Edv-1100 Electric Petite... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000H0ZDD2...p_mob_ap_share

I bought the 12v adapter for it so i don’t need shore power to run it. It pulls about 2 amps or so.

I drilled a hole in the reservoir and connected some tubing that allows the water to drain into my sink / grey tank.

[jerrybob]

Oh boy....here we go again! I have used one of these for years in several trailers......it works for us in an area that gets 80 inches of rain per year. No empyting water.....just a dry moisture free trailer. In the next few posts.....you will hear several say they don't work or a light bulb will do the same thing......I can just tell you....they work great. Have at it folks!

https://www.amazon.com/Davis-Instrum...97263917&psc=1

Please smile when negatively responding. LOL!

[CharlesinGA]

Originally Posted by bobblangley

I don't think you need to screen the wastewater outlet; open it just a crack and it will be fine.

Squirrels, mice, birds....... 3 inch tube makes a nice nesting spot. I had a bunch of left over animal resistant screening from doing the porch screen door after the cat ripped it apart to get in (pet door blocked), so I just scissored out a piece and used a long tywrap to secure it.

Considering getting a cap with a garden hose threaded fitting in it.

Charles

[Derek Johnson]

I have used two different sizes of the Eva-dry units for several years. The aluminum fins freeze up into a solid block of ice when the temp gets below 40 degrees or so and then it no longer removes water from the air. I am now using a desiccant style dehumidifier that turns off when the desired humidity is reached. It has been keeping the trailer at 40% humidity and 55 degrees, whereas running the two Eva-dry units at the same time never got the humidity much below 55%.

Derek

[Linda M R]

Originally Posted by Shocksll

I use this one

Eva-dry Edv-1100 Electric Petite... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000H0ZDD2...p_mob_ap_share

I bought the 12v adapter for it so i don’t need shore power to run it. It pulls about 2 amps or so.

I drilled a hole in the reservoir and connected some tubing that allows the water to drain into my sink / grey tank.

I also use the small one pictured above and have good luck with it. I haven't drilled a drainage hole but think it's a good idea. Thanks!

[Deb Mac]

Originally Posted by jerrybob

Oh boy....here we go again! I have used one of these for years in several trailers......it works for us in an area that gets 80 inches of rain per year. No empyting water.....just a dry moisture free trailer. In the next few posts.....you will hear several say they don't work or a light bulb will do the same thing......I can just tell you....they work great. Have at it folks!

https://www.amazon.com/Davis-Instrum...97263917&psc=1

Please smile when negatively responding. LOL!

I have a Caframo Stor-Dry unit that is basically the same thing. Better than a light bulb because they actually warm (not a lot, just enough) AND circulate the air. Uses less than 70 watts. Does a nice job up here, though I am a LOT dryer and colder here than you are in WA state. Spring and fall are quite soggy.

[Geronimo John]

Originally Posted by bobblangley

.

I have the dehumidifier on the kitchen counter draining into the sink ...

Bob:

A consideration for those with trailers in really "Cold Storage" and are considering using such a unit: draining the condensate into any of your trailer "P-Traps" is a bad idea. Why? It will dilute the antifreeze in the P-Trap and could it could than freeze and fracture your drain line.

Better to figure out a way for the unit to drain directly to the ground or into a covered bucket in the trailer.

[imacd]

I have a dehumidifier on a time clock. Power to the trailer 1/2 hour per day. Keeps the battery charged too.

[Linda M R]

Thanks, John. A bucket would be great, too. I only run the dehumidifier in the warm months - bring it inside during freezing weather and replace with a damp rid bag. But running it into a bucket would mean I wouldn't need to empty the machine every day.

[Bigfoot 0995]

I've used a marine air dryer same as JerryBob described for over 20 years in a 5th wheel trailer parked in the rain forest on Vancouver Island. Had a Bigfoot 25 since 2014 and continue using the same unit. Open all the cupboard doors pull the cushions and mattress away from the walls, everything in the trailer stays dry all winter.

[Geronimo John]

Originally Posted by Linda M R

Thanks, John. A bucket would be great, too. I only run the dehumidifier in the warm months - bring it inside during freezing weather and replace with a damp rid bag. But running it into a bucket would mean I wouldn't need to empty the machine every day.

If your trailer has a sink, it most likely has a P-trap. For summer months using it for the dehumidifier would be fine. Just set it on the counter to, or for that matter in the sink (if it will fit) and let it drain. No freeze up worries for those warmer months.

Hope you get to enjoy your RV a lot in 2022!

[Linda M R]

Originally Posted by Geronimo John

If your trailer has a sink, it most likely has a P-trap. For summer months using it for the dehumidifier would be fine. Just set it on the counter to, or for that matter in the sink (if it will fit) and let it drain. No freeze up worries for those warmer months.

Hope you get to enjoy your RV a lot in 2022!

Hope so too! And you as well!