Just wondered if I am the only one who has a humidity meter in my campervan 
and leaves a dehumidifier on inside most of the year. I don't hear much talk 
about it and wondered if anyone else does the same?

In winter the humidity meter creeps up to 100% without the dehumidifier 
running and I expect the upholstery would not stay in good condition like 
that for many years. What I would really like is a garage, but not many 
about with the height clearance (nearly 9 feet).

Graham

"Graham"  wrote in message 
news:gZmdnappmuhj5aTVnZ2dnUVZ8sXinZ2d@giganews.com...
> Just wondered if I am the only one who has a humidity meter in my 
> campervan and leaves a dehumidifier on inside most of the year. I don't 
> hear much talk about it and wondered if anyone else does the same?
>
> In winter the humidity meter creeps up to 100% without the dehumidifier 
> running and I expect the upholstery would not stay in good condition like 
> that for many years. What I would really like is a garage, but not many 
> about with the height clearance (nearly 9 feet).
>
> Graham
>

I'm using a Dehumidifier to dry out my vans damp, before I seal it all up 
nice and dry.  for example, I have a leaky roof light and the ceiling 
wallpaper that must be waterproof and held in the damp.  I have used old 
screws to hold the paper away from the wood.  I have also masking taped up 
all the ventilation vents I can find.

I have it switched on full, so I doesn't turn off, and is keeping the inside 
nice and warm.

Steve

"Mr Sandman"  wrote in message 
news:N_udneCWFs7NhdzVnZ2dneKdnZzinZ2d@posted.plusnet...
>
> "Graham"  wrote in message 
> news:gZmdnappmuhj5aTVnZ2dnUVZ8sXinZ2d@giganews.com...
>> Just wondered if I am the only one who has a humidity meter in my 
>> campervan and leaves a dehumidifier on inside most of the year. I don't 
>> hear much talk about it and wondered if anyone else does the same?
>>
>> In winter the humidity meter creeps up to 100% without the dehumidifier 
>> running and I expect the upholstery would not stay in good condition like 
>> that for many years. What I would really like is a garage, but not many 
>> about with the height clearance (nearly 9 feet).
>>
>> Graham
>>
>
> I'm using a Dehumidifier to dry out my vans damp, before I seal it all up 
> nice and dry.  for example, I have a leaky roof light and the ceiling 
> wallpaper that must be waterproof and held in the damp.  I have used old 
> screws to hold the paper away from the wood.  I have also masking taped up 
> all the ventilation vents I can find.
>
> I have it switched on full, so I doesn't turn off, and is keeping the 
> inside nice and warm.

When you say "seal it all up nice and dry", are you intending to seal all 
ventilation. This won't work. There will always be moisture in the air 
inside the caravan. As a minimum, it needs ventilation to stop damp, high 
humidity and condensation. I still think leaving a dehumidifier on 24/7 all 
year and keeping the van interior to around 60% is a good idea to keep the 
wood and upholstery in good nick. Especially if the van is not being used 
like mine. If not convinced, but a cheap humidity meter. Plenty on ebay and 
all garden centres have them. At least then you will see if it needs the 
dehumidifier or not. This time of year its probably ok without it, but in 
winter it can get to 100% inside.

Graham

"Graham"  wrote in message 
news:atCdnfI-3pUUS9zVRVnyiQA@giganews.com...
>
> "Mr Sandman"  wrote in message 
> news:N_udneCWFs7NhdzVnZ2dneKdnZzinZ2d@posted.plusnet...
>>
>> "Graham"  wrote in message 
>> news:gZmdnappmuhj5aTVnZ2dnUVZ8sXinZ2d@giganews.com...
>>> Just wondered if I am the only one who has a humidity meter in my 
>>> campervan and leaves a dehumidifier on inside most of the year. I don't 
>>> hear much talk about it and wondered if anyone else does the same?
>>>
>>> In winter the humidity meter creeps up to 100% without the dehumidifier 
>>> running and I expect the upholstery would not stay in good condition 
>>> like that for many years. What I would really like is a garage, but not 
>>> many about with the height clearance (nearly 9 feet).
>>>
>>> Graham
>>>
>>
>> I'm using a Dehumidifier to dry out my vans damp, before I seal it all up 
>> nice and dry.  for example, I have a leaky roof light and the ceiling 
>> wallpaper that must be waterproof and held in the damp.  I have used old 
>> screws to hold the paper away from the wood.  I have also masking taped 
>> up all the ventilation vents I can find.
>>
>> I have it switched on full, so I doesn't turn off, and is keeping the 
>> inside nice and warm.
>
> When you say "seal it all up nice and dry", are you intending to seal all 
> ventilation. This won't work. There will always be moisture in the air 
> inside the caravan. As a minimum, it needs ventilation to stop damp, high 
> humidity and condensation. I still think leaving a dehumidifier on 24/7 
> all year and keeping the van interior to around 60% is a good idea to keep 
> the wood and upholstery in good nick. Especially if the van is not being 
> used like mine. If not convinced, but a cheap humidity meter. Plenty on 
> ebay and all garden centres have them. At least then you will see if it 
> needs the dehumidifier or not. This time of year its probably ok without 
> it, but in winter it can get to 100% inside.
>
> Graham
>
Graham, I meant I seal it up so the dehumidifier is not dehumidifying the 
earth!  Its pointless trying to dehumidify a caravan without sealing all 
openings first.  When drying out a caravan, I force the dehumidifier on full 
i.e. not humidity dependant.  This creates enough warmth to encourage the 
moisture out of the walls for the dehumidifier to extract it.  My van is 
drying out really well, after 3 days dehumidifying...the dehumidiyer only 
uses 200wats so is cheaper to run than a fan heater too.

Steve

"Mr Sandman"  wrote in message 
news:4tmdnbtw97K2yd_VnZ2dnUVZ8szinZ2d@posted.plusnet...
>
> "Graham"  wrote in message 
> news:atCdnfI-3pUUS9zVRVnyiQA@giganews.com...
>>
>> "Mr Sandman"  wrote in message 
>> news:N_udneCWFs7NhdzVnZ2dneKdnZzinZ2d@posted.plusnet...
>>>
>>> "Graham"  wrote in message 
>>> news:gZmdnappmuhj5aTVnZ2dnUVZ8sXinZ2d@giganews.com...
>>>> Just wondered if I am the only one who has a humidity meter in my 
>>>> campervan and leaves a dehumidifier on inside most of the year. I don't 
>>>> hear much talk about it and wondered if anyone else does the same?
>>>>
>>>> In winter the humidity meter creeps up to 100% without the dehumidifier 
>>>> running and I expect the upholstery would not stay in good condition 
>>>> like that for many years. What I would really like is a garage, but not 
>>>> many about with the height clearance (nearly 9 feet).
>>>>
>>>> Graham
>>>>
>>>
>>> I'm using a Dehumidifier to dry out my vans damp, before I seal it all 
>>> up nice and dry.  for example, I have a leaky roof light and the ceiling 
>>> wallpaper that must be waterproof and held in the damp.  I have used old 
>>> screws to hold the paper away from the wood.  I have also masking taped 
>>> up all the ventilation vents I can find.
>>>
>>> I have it switched on full, so I doesn't turn off, and is keeping the 
>>> inside nice and warm.
>>
>> When you say "seal it all up nice and dry", are you intending to seal all 
>> ventilation. This won't work. There will always be moisture in the air 
>> inside the caravan. As a minimum, it needs ventilation to stop damp, high 
>> humidity and condensation. I still think leaving a dehumidifier on 24/7 
>> all year and keeping the van interior to around 60% is a good idea to 
>> keep the wood and upholstery in good nick. Especially if the van is not 
>> being used like mine. If not convinced, but a cheap humidity meter. 
>> Plenty on ebay and all garden centres have them. At least then you will 
>> see if it needs the dehumidifier or not. This time of year its probably 
>> ok without it, but in winter it can get to 100% inside.
>>
>> Graham
>>
> Graham, I meant I seal it up so the dehumidifier is not dehumidifying the 
> earth!  Its pointless trying to dehumidify a caravan without sealing all 
> openings first.  When drying out a caravan, I force the dehumidifier on 
> full i.e. not humidity dependant.  This creates enough warmth to encourage 
> the moisture out of the walls for the dehumidifier to extract it.  My van 
> is drying out really well, after 3 days dehumidifying...the dehumidiyer 
> only uses 200wats so is cheaper to run than a fan heater too.

Yes, I agree about not dehumidifying the outside air. Mine has a few gaps, 
but of course it needs a bit of ventilation too. I think we are doing 
different things though as I am not drying out my van (actually a 
campervan), just keeping the humidity constant and as close to indoors 
atmosphere as possible. IE around 60%. Of course it starts by quickly 
reducing the humidity in the air inside the van and after a few weeks this 
slowly lets the wood, upholstery and everything else reach the same 
humidity. I don't like things drying out too fast as wood tends to warp, 
especially when a lot of heat is used from say a fan heater. So I am doing 
things in the very long term, months/years, not just a few days. Mine will 
always be fighting against a little outside air, but the upshot is the 
interior humidity is around 60% and that keeps everything nice and free from 
risk of mould or dampness.

My original post was prompted by never hearing much talk about using 
dehumidifiers all year around (especially winter) and that surprised me as 
with the wall construction of caravans, I would have thought it was even 
more important than with my campervan. I have thick (2-3 inches) walls with 
loft type insulation in them, but not the sandwich construction of caravans. 
Its interesting that when I go away and use my campervan, the humidity meter 
takes much longer to get to high levels with sleeping, cooking, weather etc. 
This must be because the wood and upholstery is already nice and dry (60%) 
as opposed to a van that has just been sitting there at higher humidity. For 
the small cost of running the dehumidifier, its money well spent in my 
opinion.

Graham

>>>>> Just wondered if I am the only one who has a humidity meter in my 
>>>>> campervan and leaves a dehumidifier on inside most of the year. I 
>>>>> don't hear much talk about it and wondered if anyone else does the 
>>>>> same?
>>>>>
>>>>> In winter the humidity meter creeps up to 100% without the 
>>>>> dehumidifier running and I expect the upholstery would not stay in 
>>>>> good condition like that for many years. What I would really like is a 
>>>>> garage, but not many about with the height clearance (nearly 9 feet).
>>>>>
>>>>> Graham
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>> I'm using a Dehumidifier to dry out my vans damp, before I seal it all 
>>>> up nice and dry.  for example, I have a leaky roof light and the 
>>>> ceiling wallpaper that must be waterproof and held in the damp.  I have 
>>>> used old screws to hold the paper away from the wood.  I have also 
>>>> masking taped up all the ventilation vents I can find.
>>>>
>>>> I have it switched on full, so I doesn't turn off, and is keeping the 
>>>> inside nice and warm.
>>>
>>> When you say "seal it all up nice and dry", are you intending to seal 
>>> all ventilation. This won't work. There will always be moisture in the 
>>> air inside the caravan. As a minimum, it needs ventilation to stop damp, 
>>> high humidity and condensation. I still think leaving a dehumidifier on 
>>> 24/7 all year and keeping the van interior to around 60% is a good idea 
>>> to keep the wood and upholstery in good nick. Especially if the van is 
>>> not being used like mine. If not convinced, but a cheap humidity meter. 
>>> Plenty on ebay and all garden centres have them. At least then you will 
>>> see if it needs the dehumidifier or not. This time of year its probably 
>>> ok without it, but in winter it can get to 100% inside.
>>>
>>> Graham
>>>
>> Graham, I meant I seal it up so the dehumidifier is not dehumidifying the 
>> earth!  Its pointless trying to dehumidify a caravan without sealing all 
>> openings first.  When drying out a caravan, I force the dehumidifier on 
>> full i.e. not humidity dependant.  This creates enough warmth to 
>> encourage the moisture out of the walls for the dehumidifier to extract 
>> it.  My van is drying out really well, after 3 days dehumidifying...the 
>> dehumidiyer only uses 200wats so is cheaper to run than a fan heater too.
>
> Yes, I agree about not dehumidifying the outside air. Mine has a few gaps, 
> but of course it needs a bit of ventilation too. I think we are doing 
> different things though as I am not drying out my van (actually a 
> campervan), just keeping the humidity constant and as close to indoors 
> atmosphere as possible. IE around 60%. Of course it starts by quickly 
> reducing the humidity in the air inside the van and after a few weeks this 
> slowly lets the wood, upholstery and everything else reach the same 
> humidity. I don't like things drying out too fast as wood tends to warp, 
> especially when a lot of heat is used from say a fan heater. So I am doing 
> things in the very long term, months/years, not just a few days. Mine will 
> always be fighting against a little outside air, but the upshot is the 
> interior humidity is around 60% and that keeps everything nice and free 
> from risk of mould or dampness.
>
> My original post was prompted by never hearing much talk about using 
> dehumidifiers all year around (especially winter) and that surprised me as 
> with the wall construction of caravans, I would have thought it was even 
> more important than with my campervan. I have thick (2-3 inches) walls 
> with loft type insulation in them, but not the sandwich construction of 
> caravans. Its interesting that when I go away and use my campervan, the 
> humidity meter takes much longer to get to high levels with sleeping, 
> cooking, weather etc. This must be because the wood and upholstery is 
> already nice and dry (60%) as opposed to a van that has just been sitting 
> there at higher humidity. For the small cost of running the dehumidifier, 
> its money well spent in my opinion.
>
> Graham
>
>

When its just sensing the humidity, its not using much power at all, and if 
it only turns on a couple of times a week for a couple of hours, then its 
hardly costing anything all, so its worth doing if you have one sitting 
around....but make sure you cover as many vents as poss.

Steve

On Sun, 25 May 2008 15:34:20 +0100, "Graham" 
wrote:

>Just wondered if I am the only one who has a humidity meter in my campervan 
>and leaves a dehumidifier on inside most of the year. I don't hear much talk 
>about it and wondered if anyone else does the same?
>
>In winter the humidity meter creeps up to 100% without the dehumidifier 
>running and I expect the upholstery would not stay in good condition like 
>that for many years. What I would really like is a garage, but not many 
>about with the height clearance (nearly 9 feet).
>
>Graham 
>

I have used a dehumidifier in my caravans for quite a few years now,
during periods between use, mainly in the winter and early spring.  I
haven't used a hygrometer though!  I have the DH on a time switch and
on its humidistat, so it's not on permanently.  I agree it's very
effective at keeping the inside nice and dry and all the fabrics feel
warm to the touch.  While the DH is in use, I seal up all the
ventilation holes and the roof lights so that I'm keeping the dry air
in and the cold, damp air out.  This way the DH initially collects a
large amount of moisture when first brought into use following a
period of habitation.  Then the amount of water being collected
diminishes significantly after about a week.

The DH is an old Ebac Humidex 7(ancient) which I bought second-hand
about 16 or more years ago for £40.  I keep repairing the fan motor
and it works as well now as when I first bought it.

Neil

(Reply via NG please)