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Old 06-06-2020, 07:57 AM   #1
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Name: Jim
Trailer: Bigfoot 25RQ
Mississippi
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Camper sweating

We live in and mostly camp in high humidity areas. On all of our trips to the FL Keys our camper is on the atlantic side facing east, the wind is generally blowing from this direction. On several mornings we noticed drips of water or sweat on the oven hood/exhaust fan, stove top and a small amount of dampness on the overhead carpet between the AC outlet and range hood. When checking the ceiling behind the microwave it's dry, it was driving me nuts. We left before daylight one morning for a trip to Key West when we returned I noticed the outside exhaust vent had a lot of moisture below it. You cannot close it on the Bigfoot 25RQ like we could on our Escape 21. After considering what I saw and the fact that during rainstorms we have no leaks I cut a sponge to push up into the outside exhaust vent. We have never noticed the above issue again!

Im assuming with the high humidity, wind speed and direction it was blowing into the exhaust ducting hitting the cold air from the AC duct blowing right at the outlet and condenseating causing the little bit of water/dampness we were finding.

If anyone else is seeing this it may be the reason. Now to find a outside exhaust vent we can close or just keep a sponge handy!
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Old 06-08-2020, 11:16 PM   #2
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Good to know. The flap on the Escape could be a pain to remember to open and close, but it was nice to be able to actually close it.
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Old 06-09-2020, 05:15 AM   #3
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Originally Posted by snuffy2 View Post
We live in and mostly camp in high humidity areas. On all of our trips to the FL Keys our camper is on the atlantic side facing east, the wind is generally blowing from this direction. On several mornings we noticed drips of water or sweat on the oven hood/exhaust fan, stove top and a small amount of dampness on the overhead carpet between the AC outlet and range hood. When checking the ceiling behind the microwave it's dry, it was driving me nuts. We left before daylight one morning for a trip to Key West when we returned I noticed the outside exhaust vent had a lot of moisture below it. You cannot close it on the Bigfoot 25RQ like we could on our Escape 21. After considering what I saw and the fact that during rainstorms we have no leaks I cut a sponge to push up into the outside exhaust vent. We have never noticed the above issue again!

Im assuming with the high humidity, wind speed and direction it was blowing into the exhaust ducting hitting the cold air from the AC duct blowing right at the outlet and condenseating causing the little bit of water/dampness we were finding.

If anyone else is seeing this it may be the reason. Now to find a outside exhaust vent we can close or just keep a sponge handy!
Should be easy to convert your assumption into a proven fact by taping a plastic garbage bag over the exhaust fan’s outlet.
I’m a bit surprised because Florida at this time of year requires a lot of A/C run time, as Arnold the Terminator would say, “If you want to live....!” When the A/C is almost constantly running in my trailer, the amount of moisture it removes could cause a minor flood. However, if you really prefer “dry,” you may want to consider a small, Peltier type dehumidifier like an EcoSeb (see Amazon). They are smaller and lighter than compressor type dehumidifiers. I dislike moist air so much that I carry one in my trailer and use it accordingly. It is the second most important appliance to me (after the coffee maker!). I have never had condensation form inside under any climatic conditions.
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Old 06-12-2020, 03:33 PM   #4
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Originally Posted by CPW View Post
Should be easy to convert your assumption into a proven fact by taping a plastic garbage bag over the exhaust fan’s outlet.

I’m a bit surprised because Florida at this time of year requires a lot of A/C run time, as Arnold the Terminator would say, “If you want to live....!” When the A/C is almost constantly running in my trailer, the amount of moisture it removes could cause a minor flood. However, if you really prefer “dry,” you may want to consider a small, Peltier type dehumidifier like an EcoSeb (see Amazon). They are smaller and lighter than compressor type dehumidifiers. I dislike moist air so much that I carry one in my trailer and use it accordingly. It is the second most important appliance to me (after the coffee maker!). I have never had condensation form inside under any climatic conditions.


I have two of these. I use one when traveling. When the trailer is stored I use both. One in the living are and another in the under bed storage. They work great and make very little noise.
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Old 06-12-2020, 06:51 PM   #5
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This is the one I use. A lot cheaper than the EcoSeb.

Pro Breeze Electric Mini Dehumidifier, 1200 Cubic Feet (150 sq ft), Compact and Portable for High Humidity in Home, Kitchen, Bedroom, Bathroom, Basement, Caravan, Office, RV, Garage with Auto Shut Off https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01DC5PPWM..._6jc5EbHSXJPSA
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Old 06-13-2020, 10:28 AM   #6
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We have never had a problem with humidity when using our trailer, but I was concerned about the humidity when it is in storage as we live on an island in Maine and are surrounded close in by water on three sides. I purchased two of these on Amazon and they keep the humidity down to acceptable levels without the need for any maintenance on my part such as having to empty water, dry out filters, etc. https://www.amazon.com/AMRD-1458-Dav...065135&sr=8-13
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Old 06-13-2020, 11:01 AM   #7
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Since you don't have to empty a water container, where do you think the water goes?
It goes nowhere. It's still in the air, but because this device warms the air, it can hold more water. You can do the same with a 60 watt bulb.
Friend gave me a Davis from his boat and I tossed it, replacing it with Dry-Z-Air containers and crystals. I empty the containers every two or three weeks.
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Old 06-13-2020, 01:31 PM   #8
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Originally Posted by charlsara View Post
This is the one I use. A lot cheaper than the EcoSeb.

Pro Breeze Electric Mini Dehumidifier, 1200 Cubic Feet (150 sq ft), Compact and Portable for High Humidity in Home, Kitchen, Bedroom, Bathroom, Basement, Caravan, Office, RV, Garage with Auto Shut Off https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01DC5PPWM..._6jc5EbHSXJPSA
The little Peltier-based dehumidifiers like this are cheap, compact, and quiet.. but not very effective or efficient. That one removes a half-pint of water per day, which is less than one human typically exhales and sweats. It'll reduce humidity a little, but not much unless it's in a sealed space with no moisture sources like humans. It'll slow down the humidity rise overnight, but only some. I have one, but have mostly abandoned using it in favor of either ventilation or air conditioning.

The EcoSeb looks like it's a desiccant wheel and is rated to remove 15 pints a day, or 30x more. Massive power draw at 600W, though. Might be a really good option if you're running an electric space heater anyways.

The most efficient option is the compressor style like this one: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B079V7WV1N/
Slightly lower rating than the EcoSeb (though I bet it's fairly similar in practice) and 230W instead of 615W. Slightly larger and heavier, but actually cheaper. It's 10x as much peak power as the little Pro Breeze, but more like 25x as effective so it'll use less than half as much total power.
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Old 06-13-2020, 04:02 PM   #9
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Originally Posted by Glenn Baglo View Post
Since you don't have to empty a water container, where do you think the water goes?
It goes nowhere. It's still in the air, but because this device warms the air, it can hold more water. You can do the same with a 60 watt bulb.
Friend gave me a Davis from his boat and I tossed it, replacing it with Dry-Z-Air containers and crystals. I empty the containers every two or three weeks.
I leave both overhead vents slightly open and the warmer, moist air escapes up and out the vents. I monitor the humidity and it stays 20 to 30 points below the outside humidity. That works for me. Do you monitor the inside and outside humidity using the containers?
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Old 06-13-2020, 05:10 PM   #10
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Do you monitor the inside and outside humidity using the containers?

I do.
Not concerned about outside humidity, because there is nothing I can do about that, especially in Vancouver.
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Old 06-13-2020, 06:12 PM   #11
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If you don't dehumidify at all the inside of the trailer will quite quickly match the outside humidity and stay there. No matter what you do to dehumidify, the humidity inside the trailer will go up or down relative to the outside humidity. I wanted to know what the differential was to know how effectively my dehumidifiers were working and I was satisfied that they were doing a good job keeping the humidity inside the trailer well below the outside humidity.
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Old 06-13-2020, 06:28 PM   #12
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I'll check. I've had door open most of the day. What I do know is that I have two Dry-Z-Air containers in the trailer and that the containers have to be emptied every two or three weeks, and the trailer has no mould or mildew or dampness, here on the wet coast, parked under a cedar tree.
Not sure this is any help, but the instrument inside the trailer indicates 78% humidity. Weather Network app claims 55% and Environment Canada says 71%.
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