Moisture problems

[J. Sully]

What do others do about moisture in the camper when it rains for several days? We were out for a few days with lows in the 40's and rain. Condensation was heavy on the windows most of the time. We don't have a max fan or anything in our 5er. How do others handle this? We used a portable electric heater during the night. Thanks for any ideas.

[David B.]

John, it sounds like you had electric at your camping site. Many use a small dehumidifier and let the water it removes from the air, just run down the sower drain. Installing a MaxxFan is the way to go in my opinion. I have had both the MaxxFan and the Fantastic Fan.
Dave & Paula

[Glenn Baglo]

Crack a window or two.
That allows the moisture to escape.
Alternative is to stop breathing.

[thrifty bill]

+10 Buy an RV sized dehumidifier. Amazon sells several of them.

[J. Sully]

Thanks guys. I have been thinking that a dehumidifier would help. Any thoughts on a which one is best? We have a 1999 Scamp 5er.

[J. Sully]

Thanks guys. We have a 1999 Scamp 5er and it is hard to crack windows open in the rain. What dehumidifier seems best? Anyone have experiences on which one?

[Byron Kinnaman]

Originally Posted by J. Sully

Thanks guys. We have a 1999 Scamp 5er and it is hard to crack windows open in the rain. What dehumidifier seems best? Anyone have experiences on which one?

If you're always be connected to power then a small electric dehumidifier would work. If you're going to camping without power then I like Dri-Z-Air.

[Nicolas]

Our solution was to go to our local marine supply store and buy a Marinco Day/Night solar vent (powered with battery back-up for 24 hour service cockpit extraction). It comes in white or stainless. Ours is model N20803W.

Installed it over the table/double bed and it works like a charm. Because it is intended for boat use, it has a high collar and baffles to keep out water and sucks out all the moisture. Plus it works 365/24/7 keeping out the moisture during storage.

Not as inexpensive as a dehumidifier but it is worry free 24/7 and removes the need to empty.

[Rebecca D]

What a great idea, Nicolas!
Any chance you can post a picture or two of your install, so we can better visualize this solution?

[Nancy F]

Originally Posted by Nicolas

Our solution was to go to our local marine supply store and buy a Marinco Day/Night solar vent (powered with battery back-up for 24 hour service cockpit extraction). It comes in white or stainless. Ours is model N20803W.

Installed it over the table/double bed and it works like a charm. Because it is intended for boat use, it has a high collar and baffles to keep out water and sucks out all the moisture. Plus it works 365/24/7 keeping out the moisture during storage.

Not as inexpensive as a dehumidifier but it is worry free 24/7 and removes the need to empty.

Did you leave the original roof vent in, and put this is as additional venting, or did this replace the roof vent? I am looking for options to replace my broken roof vent, but don't want a noisy fan, I am a very light sleeper.

[Defenestrator]

The problem with electric dehumidifiers for small trailers is that they come in two types: Thermoelectric ones that aren't powerful enough to actually keep up with more than one person's humidity increases, and compressor-based ones that are expensive, noisy, and bulky.

If you can get away with just ventilating, that's the way to go.

[Nancy F]

Originally Posted by Defenestrator

The problem with electric dehumidifiers for small trailers is that they come in two types: Thermoelectric ones that aren't powerful enough to actually keep up with more than one person's humidity increases, and compressor-based ones that are expensive, noisy, and bulky.

If you can get away with just ventilating, that's the way to go.

Thank you, we usually leave a window open when sleeping, and have replaced the original vent with one that has a fan.

[jerrybob]

These work great....been using one for years in our trailers and before that....a boat. We live in very wet country....I have one of these plugged in during the whole winter when trailer is in storage. No water to be emptied....easy to use. Some will say they don't work.....they do...no noise....cheap to operate.

https://www.amazon.com/Davis-Instrum...9947051&sr=8-6

[Glenn Baglo]

If there is no water to be emptied, where is the water?
A 60 watt light bulb will also warm the air, allowing it to hold more moisture. A friend with a tug boat gave me his Davis. I eventually tossed it out, replacing it with Dri-Z-Air containers and crystals. I empty the containers every couple of weeks.

[jerrybob]

It's magic Glenn. Like I said....some folks say these do not work. They do....have been using it for years....my trailer stays dry and moisture free all winter long....I like not having to check or empty the water. Glad you found a solution that works for you.....stay dry my friend.

[Defenestrator]

It's a difference between maintaining in storage vs reducing humidity to counteract a moisture source.

If it's in storage, you only have to reduce humidity a little then maintain it. In a cool but mild climate especially, a heater like the Davis one will keep relative humidity low enough. Might not be a good idea in a hot climate, but a bucket of desiccant will do the job well in that case.

If it's in-use, you have to actively pull out something like half a liter of water per person per day from the air just to maintain humidity levels. A heater alone won't do, since it only lowers relative humidity a little. Desiccant won't work unless you replace it unreasonably often.

If it's hot out and you're using the trailer, the air conditioner is a very powerful dehumidifier and will be plenty by itself.

If it's cold out and you're using the trailer, letting a little outside air in will bring humidity down to outside levels then heating it up will lower relative humidity even more. So, as long as it's chilly it can help to let in outside air even when it's raining.

The hardest weather to deal with in terms of moisture is mild and humid, like 60F and over 80% humidity. Basically, Florida. I ended up running the A/C during the day instead of running the vent, just so it would pull enough water out of the air and keep the humidity down.

[Rnupnorthbrrr]

I just recently read where some guy posted about condensation when he doesn’t have power, he wipes the windows with a shammy like you use to dry a car, then rings it out, out side. He said it makes a big difference, worth a try I guess ...??

[Glass House]

We use chamois “towels” in the morning to wipe down the windows. Then turn on the maxx fan if appropriate.

[Nicolas]

Originally Posted by Nancy F

Did you leave the original roof vent in, and put this is as additional venting, or did this replace the roof vent? I am looking for options to replace my broken roof vent, but don't want a noisy fan, I am a very light sleeper.

Sorry that it has taken this long to reply to this but life got in the way [long story but I’m back].
The answer is that it is minimal noise wise. The nice thing is that it does not need supplemental power being a solar fan with its own battery. It runs on solar during the day [sunlight required] and will run all night on the battery. I’ll send pictures when I get out to the property upon which the Boler is stored. I will also try to get a sound recording of the vent fan.
This was added to supplement the original roof vent although it could replace it since it does a fine job of moving the air in or out [two way action].

[Barb and Alan]

Originally Posted by jerrybob

It's magic Glenn. Like I said....some folks say these do not work. They do....have been using it for years....my trailer stays dry and moisture free all winter long....I like not having to check or empty the water. Glad you found a solution that works for you.....stay dry my friend.

I couldn’t agree more. We use them in trailers, boats, cars that sit, closets that don’t have good air flow, etc. I have assumed that they break the water into its hydrogen and oxygen components. Sounds better than magic.