Good Dehumidifier

[Magnum]

Hello all. I was looking to buy a dehumidifier for my 21' Escape. Currently I am using a few containers using those DriZair packets. I'm pretty sure this is not adequate. Any suggestions?

[Tom W]

I asked the same question with boat owners and they recommended an air circulator. I purchased a Caframo Limited stor-dry warm air circulator. You can get it at most boat chandlers or Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/Caframo-Limit...ywords=Caframo.

It seems to do the job when the trailer is not in use and we are in a similar climate zone. I store my trailer outside.

[tractors1]

I like this one, as my rig is plugged in when stored. I drilled a hole in the tank and place it in the sink so I don't have to empty it every week in the NorthWest winters...

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

[tdf-texas]

Same here; Houston TX tends to have high humidity. 100% is the norm. It takes something that removes the moisture to keep out the mold - not just heat it up above the dew point.

I use one of these - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...e?ie=UTF8&th=1

I also treated any wood that contacts the walls with Mold-Care and sealed it with polyurethane. The vinyl walls seem to be where the moisture wants to condense and then run down to the wood to start problems.

I let it drain into the shower pan in the bathroom - the hepvo keeps the water from coming back up out of the grey tank. Just make sure to open the grey drain valve - it will fill the grey tank in a short time otherwise.

[gbaglo]

I've been using two Dri-Z-Air containers in my 17B since 2008. It's worked for me. But, I buy a large container of the crystals, not the little packets.

[gbaglo]

Originally Posted by Tom W

I asked the same question with boat owners and they recommended an air circulator. I purchased a Caframo Limited stor-dry warm air circulator. You can get it at most boat chandlers or Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/Caframo-Limit...ywords=Caframo.

It seems to do the job when the trailer is not in use and we are in a similar climate zone. I store my trailer outside.

Friend gave me his that he had used in his tugboat. Not sure what he replaced it with. I used it for a bit, but couldn't understand the concept. Where does the moisture go? It doesn't collect in the thing. Anyway, I junked it and replaced it with two Dri-Z-Air.

[padlin]

We carry this one with us and use it frequently, fits under the step perfectly in the 5.0 TA. https://www.amazon.com/NewAir-AD-250.../dp/B002NXVWGS

Doesn't do you any good though as it's been discontinued, guess they've gotten out of the dehumidifier business. If I had known I would have bought a spare.

[skiman]

We used a Cafrono this past winter and it seemed to work. Doesn't really take humidity out, just keeps air above the the dewpoint. It is really just a small heater with a recirculating fan. I had a Peltier type with a hole in the reservoir sitting in the sink, but it just didn't seem to do much. I recently purchased a regular compressor type for summer use. I turned it down to 35% and it seemed to run continuously and the trailer was like an oven. Finally tuned it up to 50% or 60% and it wasn't bad. They caution that below 41 degrees that it will frost up.

So the plan is to use it in the summer and the Cafrano in late fall until early spring. I think you want the smallest compressor type since the trailer is such a small space. Mine is a 30 pint that I got at Menards on sale with a rebate.

[dragoon]

I use 2 Dri-Z air containers, they work well.

[skiman]

Originally Posted by dragoon

I use 2 Dri-Z air containers, they work well.

We used the Dri-Z buckets too. I found out that they don't do much at cold temp because they are a chemical reaction. We don't have near the issue in Ohio so I never noticed. Sailboat forums are a great source of info.

[NW Cat Owner]

I've been using two EvaDry devices, but they're rather a pain to take care of. The beads in the window will change from orange to dark when they're getting filled with water. You have to plug them in and they heat up to dry out. If it's humid in the house, I think it's also sucking in water as it's trying to dry, so it can take several days to dry out. And they're hot! They're not the easiest to plug in either as the thing is so big and heavy you can't just plug it in to an outlet, so I use a power strip or extension cord and hope it doesn't fall over as it's not balanced properly. Like I said - a pain. I would not recommend these to anyone else.

I plan to look at the links supplied in this thread to see if there's something I like that will work better for me.

[Bobbito]

We live in the same PNW area with cool, wet winters and springs. We use both the Caframo device and the DriZair crystals in our covered and closed up Escape and it certainly does the job. We leave all cupboard doors open.


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[Magnum]

Thanks everyone for your thoughts and suggestions.

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by tractors1

I like this one, as my rig is plugged in when stored. I drilled a hole in the tank and place it in the sink so I don't have to empty it every week in the NorthWest winters...

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

The same dehumidifier seems to appear on Amazon.com under several brand names, usually with "peltier" or "thermo-electric" in the name or description. These are real dehumidifiers - not just air circulators, heaters, or desiccant containers. They use a Peltier junction instead of a compressor, which makes them inefficient (which doesn't matter), simple, reliable, and small.

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by gbaglo

I used it for a bit, but couldn't understand the concept. Where does the moisture go? It doesn't collect in the thing.

The moisture goes nowhere, since this is not a dehumidifier or desiccant. It just doesn't condense on surfaces as much as without a heater and air circulating device, because surfaces don't get as cold.

[Kountrykamper]

We use this at home and also carry it on trips if it's going to be wet.

https://www.amazon.com/EcoSeb-DD122E...C0FHHKEVD67H0P

[C&G in FL]

I use an Ecoseb, available from Amazon. It works well and is smaller and lighter than a compressor dehumidifier. Pricey at around $200, but works in low temps. At home in Florida I use a compressor dehumidifier which I run into sink, through gray water tank, and through a hose to landscape plants.

[Donna D.]

There's also a huge difference between dehumidifiers that require "electricity" and passive dehumidifiers. Where I store Ten Forward, there's NO power. I use two canisters of Dri-Z-Air (inside tubs, because the liquid is caustic). One placed at the rear at the dinette, the other at the steps. YES, I need to empty the "water" out and put more crystals inside the canisters a couple of times during the winter. I just use the opportunity to make certain that everything is "doing well." I leave all the cabinet doors open too. This works as it's supposed to for me.

[David H]

Originally Posted by gbaglo

I've been using two Dri-Z-Air containers in my 17B since 2008. It's worked for me. But, I buy a large container of the crystals, not the little packets.

Likewise I also use two Dri-Z-Air containers in my 17B and won't buy the small packets just the larger crystals, need to empty the water out of both and add crystals once a month during the late fall through early spring while the trailer is stored. I also remove all items in particular the upholstery during the time its stored and not used late fall through early spring. I close the unit up tight no vents open or windows. The surfaces are always dry when I check the trailer to maintain the Dri-Z-Air containers. In the spring there are no musty smells whatsoever. Works for me.

[Defenestrator]

The dehumidifiers all fall into a few categories with different tradeoffs:

1. "warm air circulator" - basically, a space heater. Not actually a dehumidifier and doesn't remove any humidity from the air. Just warms it up to lower the relative humidity. Might work well in tandem with a dehumidifier. Personally, I'd just stick with an actual space heater.

2. Reusable chemical dehumidifier. Little cartridges that absorb moisture, then can be plugged in or microwaved to release it. They don't hold much moisture, so mostly good for small enclosed areas. Keep in mind, when you "recharge" them by plugging them in they release the moisture they absorbed.

3. Disposable chemical dehumidifier. Just a bucket of desiccant, basically. Very effective, especially with something circulating air across it, but when it's full you basically throw it out and buy more desiccant.

4. Peltier-based electric dehumidifier. This is a little peltier cooler with a fan blowing across it. It cools the air, which causes condensation on the heatsink which then drips into a reservoir. These can be pretty quiet, cheap, and low energy, though they're not actually very efficient. The low efficiency means they don't scale up well to dehumidifying larger areas compared to a compressor.

5. Compressor-based dehumidifier. Basically the same principle in terms of making condensation with a cold heatsink, except using a compressor to make it cold. Bulky, noisy and high power draw, these don't really scale down very well, but they can pull a lot of moisture out of the air. If you have A/C, it's somewhat similar (though not designed specifically to maximize water removal).


Personally, my plan is to have a small peltier-based dehumidifier that I run most of the time, to be supplemented by the air conditioner and disposable desiccant as needed.