Dehumidifiers (1 Viewer)

Rudkin

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Apr 28, 2009
5
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Dorset
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6,494
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Coachbuilt
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4 years
Having invested in a dehumidifier I would be interested to hear other user's views on most efficient usage. Is it better to use continuously, daily, timed, etc.? Thanks in anticipation.
 

dazzer

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Jul 30, 2007
1,620
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In my house
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41
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Keep it on 24/7

Most have a setting which works a bit like a thermostat but to be honest we have ours on high and it never switches off except to tell you the bucket is full
 

scotjimland

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Jul 25, 2007
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Timberland
I have to ask, why do you need one ?

Nature abhors imbalance, unless your van is hermitically sealed it's a total waste of energy, the dryer only pulls in more moisture from outside.. the air in a van will always be at the same humidity as the ambient outside, it's doing absolutely no good whatsoever, unless of course your van has a leak in which case it would be better to rectify.

jim

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dazzer

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Jul 30, 2007
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I have to ask, why do you need one ?

Nature abhors imbalance, unless your van is hermitically sealed it's a total waste of energy, the dryer only pulls in more moisture from outside.. the air in a van will always be at the same humidity as the ambient outside, it's doing absolutely no good whatsoever, unless of course your van has a leak in which case it would be better to rectify.

jim

I assumed he was talking about one in his house :Eeek:

Agree with you if its for the van......far to much ventilation/holes in the vans to make them any use at all.
 

bazfergy

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Apr 20, 2009
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I have to ask, why do you need one ?

Nature abhors imbalance, unless your van is hermitically sealed it's a total waste of energy, the dryer only pulls in more moisture from outside.. the air in a van will always be at the same humidity as the ambient outside, it's doing absolutely no good whatsoever, unless of course your van has a leak in which case it would be better to rectify.

jim

Got to agree:thumb:
 

Wildman

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May 30, 2008
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I think maybe you have your answer now, useless in the motorhome unless you have a leak. But then perhaps you intend using it in the house. Dry heat, i.e. not from gas is the best way to keep the damp outeven a low wattage greenhouse heater will do the trick.
 

scotjimland

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Jul 25, 2007
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why's that then Jim......is the house hermetically sealed.

just the same as the van, it will only pull in more moist air from outside.

Hi John

No and correct, but if your living in a house or van you are producing a lot of moisture, cooking, showering, washing etc .. not forgetting what we breathe out, which can be removed by a dehumidifier, but again, not lower than outside humidity..

jim

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Oct 23, 2009
782
607
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Adria Twin 640SLB
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I have to ask, why do you need one ?
Having owned a boat for years all I can say it without one I had to remove all the cushions every winter to avoid the dreaded black mildew spots but with one even set low I could leave the soft furnishings in and no spots ever.
I agree though that having it work flat out is a waste of energy. I tend to use mine for a few days after I have been out on the road just to get any excess moisture out then I leave off .
 

imprint

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Jul 14, 2009
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Stick a few Funsters in.

The hot air will keep everything in good shape

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scotjimland

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Jul 25, 2007
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Having owned a boat for years all I can say it without one I had to remove all the cushions every winter to avoid the dreaded black mildew spots but with one even set low I could leave the soft furnishings in and no spots ever.
I agree though that having it work flat out is a waste of energy. I tend to use mine for a few days after I have been out on the road just to get any excess moisture out then I leave off .

Hi

I can understand why a boat in storage would benefit, different set of conditions, with a virtually sealed space and no air circulating moisture would be trapped and as you say cause mildew.. I don't imagine there are many drop out vents in a boat .. :roflmto:

jim
 

Geo

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Jul 29, 2007
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Having owned a boat for years all I can say it without one I had to remove all the cushions every winter to avoid the dreaded black mildew spots but with one even set low I could leave the soft furnishings in and no spots ever.
I agree though that having it work flat out is a waste of energy. I tend to use mine for a few days after I have been out on the road just to get any excess moisture out then I leave off .

How long have you had a boat:whatthe:

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TonyIsh UK

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Oct 31, 2008
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Having invested in a dehumidifier I would be interested to hear other user's views on most efficient usage. Is it better to use continuously, daily, timed, etc.? Thanks in anticipation.


Back to the subject in hand, ::bigsmile:

About a couple of hours a day @ night just to lower the RH. I take on board comments about waste of energy, but the action of dehumidifier seems to "sweeten" the air and make the interior not smell "damp" (If you can smell such a thing).



Rgds

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Last edited:

Spacerunner

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Apr 7, 2008
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We know that moist air will still get into a van, but what the point of a dehumidifier is, is to stop the soft furnishings absorbing excess moisture. Which they will do and eventually reach the point where the moisture and stagnant air could produce mildew and mould.

A dehumidifier will lower the humidity in a van, I have compared it with an unused, closed bedroom and the humidity in the bedroom is consistently higher than the van with a dehumidifier.

Another benefit is that as the dehumidifier uses a fan to draw the moist air in it also whooshes the air around the van to stop any stagnation occurring.

I have mine set at a medium level which roughly equates to 50% humidity on a wet day. At this setting in switches itself on and off as required and I get about 1.5 litres a day out of it.
 

Sundowners

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Oct 30, 2007
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I can understand your views on humidity-----but--------our weather moniter reads 99% humidity outside very often, at this time of the year it is nearly always 90%+--------so if it is the same inside, then we add all of our created moisture, what would we expect all our bedding and upholstery to be like ???
In the bus that we used to live in, we installed a small antique cast-iron range, when the
weather was cold and damp it used to create loads of dry heat so with loads of ventilation this kept the interior dry.
In an ideal world we would generate enough heat to allow the moisture to escape with masses of ventilation---------the problem is that this amount of heat is very expensive.
In a smaller motorhome you could change all the air and run a smaller heater (the US units are not the most effecient), so with enough ventilation a smaller area can be kept 'dry'.
If you ran an unvented gas heater you would need to leave one roof vent open to clear the moisture created!!!!!
So my answer to OP is that --------- IMHO--------------- a small de-humidifier will not draw moisture in but could possibly save actual heating to make the interior drier.
Nigel & Pamala

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woodyold

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Aug 20, 2007
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Poole
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panel van
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Well whatever anybody says it worked for me , i left the heki open during a heavy downpoor and the seats were drenched i used the d/humidifier set on full over a couple of days and it did the job , hope it works for you . :thumb:
 

imprint

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Jul 14, 2009
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To WP 1234

A "DUKW" pronounced "Duck" was my own first motor-home.

It's a WW2 American amphibian. D = 1942, year of design, U = Utility (Americans can't spell amphibious, and can't read Greek), C= All wheel drive, K = two rear axles driven.

Mine was one of first 4 which crossed the CHannel under its own power, though one hero did a solo crossing (from Plymouth!) in another last year.

Best MH ever, with superb hot air heating, and far more space than my present outfit, but something like 7 mpg would be expensive today. When I had her we got 50 gallons or so of aviation spirit at every Air Show which helped a bit.

She was eventually called Fergie after another amply-proportioned and much-loved lady of the time.

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don

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Apr 27, 2008
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Those that said a dehumidifier is useless don't really know what they are talking about.
They must only be used at a temp above,(I think 50 Deg. This temp might be wrong) have to look at my books.
We have used 0ne for years, both in a caravan and M/H, we do not remove any bedding etc at all during the year(except to wash, when clean, is put straight in.)
We have had many people on sites remark how dry and crisp our upholstery etc is.
I have also had much experience in the housing field as an ex domestic Heating engineer.
Don't forget bodies, gas flames,cooking,opening the fridge, washing and boiling a kettle all give of extra moisture, this can all be REMOVED, not just moved by heat.
 
OP
OP
R

Rudkin

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Apr 28, 2009
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Many thanks everyone. I will see how things develop over the winter period. Merry Christmas to all!
 

pappajohn

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Aug 26, 2007
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Those that said a dehumidifier is useless don't really know what they are talking about.
They must only be used at a temp above,(I think 50 Deg. This temp might be wrong) have to look at my books.
We have used 0ne for years, both in a caravan and M/H, we do not remove any bedding etc at all during the year(except to wash, when clean, is put straight in.)
We have had many people on sites remark how dry and crisp our upholstery etc is.
I have also had much experience in the housing field as an ex domestic Heating engineer.
Don't forget bodies, gas flames,cooking,opening the fridge, washing and boiling a kettle all give of extra moisture, this can all be REMOVED, not just moved by heat.

i assume thats 50deg Fahrenheit...10deg Celcius.

how long since YOU worked as a heating engineer ? :roflmto:

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don

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Apr 27, 2008
26
5
hingham
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Hi papajohn,have been ret nearly 9 years and memory not so good but at least after forming one of the leading domestic heating companies in our area, having over 4000
yearly customers I don't have to say any Bu----t just for fun, As in business I deal honest facts :Doh:
 

errpaul

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Feb 27, 2009
538
82
Wiltshire
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5,757
MH
A Class
Exp
11 yrs
We've got a small dehumidifier that sits on the worktop in the van. On a time so it comes on at intervals throuhout the day for a total of around 4 hrs a day.
We also have a fan heater set to 750w and on thermostat to keep everything from freezing.
So far so good with this set up.:thumb:
 

wayfarer

Free Member
Sep 27, 2007
125
2
Co. Clare. Ireland
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450
MH
Low Profile
Exp
6
Hi John

No and correct, but if your living in a house or van you are producing a lot of moisture, cooking, showering, washing etc .. not forgetting what we breathe out, which can be removed by a dehumidifier, but again, not lower than outside humidity..

jim

Looking at my "weather station" the outside humidity is 88% and the inside is 48% and that is with no dehumidifier. Dehumidifiers do not create a vacum, they remove moisture, so there will be no major imbalance between inside and outside. Sure if you open the door in the van for a while the humidity level will rise as damp air flows in but with doors closed as normal the rise is minimal. I agree with Dom, I leave mine on all the time set at about 30 - 40% and the interior is dry and crisp, we leave everything on board all year round so we can take advantage of any good weekends and go at a moments notice without any big packing deal. About two months ago I forgot to turn the dehumidifier on for about a week after a trip and when I checked the van everything felt damp. Using the dehumidifier also keeps all the electrics and electronics dry and these are a lot harder to change that the bed clothes. I still think is is well woth the few extra quid on the elec. bill. And that's my tuppence worth.

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