moisture control in storage

[jujustad]

Hi,
We live in Western Washington state and it is very wet for many months of the year...100" rain per year Our Cougar is stored outside. I would like to hear from folks about how they manage humidity inside their trailers. I purchased some Dri-Z-Air pellets but was thinking about a heater on low or a dehumidifier. The guy that did our initial trailer walk through suggested leaving a couple 110 light bulbs on for the winter.
Thanks,
Julie

[cjm]

I have the same conditions here in western BC... I leave an electric heater on low fan setting. Keeps air moving, and dries it out well.

[Bushman512000]

Cat litter in a plastic pail on the floor or floor dry as used to dry oil up in a shop.Change it out about every 3-4 weeks take it home and dry it out You can use it over and over some Cat litter smells nice also ...Bushman

[jujustad]

Hi cjm,
Do you have the heater with fan only or a little heat as well?

Hi Bushman,
Cat litter is a great idea...love that you can use it over and over

[gepaine]

Hi,

Where do you live that you get 100 inches of rain each year? Forks?

(I live near Carnation where we only (?) get about 38 inches of rain per year.)

We store our 24-foot Cougar TT on an uncovered, grass storage lot. All we do is open the dinette window about 1/4 inch and both roof vents about an inch. We have no moisture or dampness at all. I believe the trick is to prevent condensation from forming on the inside by allowing the inside and outside temps to be about the same. (No temperature difference = no condensation.) Keeping the window and vents open seems to accomplish this.

[jujustad]

Hi gepaine,
We live in Index...Cascade foothills...which means that we also get a fair amount of snow so I'm hesitant to leave the roof vents open even a little bit because I know we'll forget to close the vents when the snow starts to fall. I have the same concerns about heating the interior, even if only to 50 degrees, because it seems that would increase condensation.
Julie

[gepaine]

If you install vent covers over your vents, I think you can leave the vents and a snow-appropriate window open without snow getting in. (Vent covers also allow you to open the vents when camping in the rain.)

[jujustad]

thanks gepaine...we are planning on installing a maxx air fan with the built in cover at some point so maybe that will solve the snow problem and the humidity problem

[Festus2]

During our winter storage, I do the following:
1) crack open a window and/or the ceiling vents (we have Maxx Air covers)
2) place two containers of dry air crystals in the unit
3) I made a "heater" using 2 large coffee cans with a 60 watt bulb inside each. I drilled holes on the top and around the side to allow the warm air to escape into the room.
4) I also have an old computer fan which I use to circulate the air.

Adequate air circulation is the key.

[Bushman512000]

You got electricity at a out side storeage area wow I would just run a dehumidfire or the air on a high setting bet the owner would not know till the bill comes...lol...Bushman

[jewallac]

I have similar questions about storage. First, I'm on my sixth 5th wheel so have been doing this awhile. I've always stored outside and never had any moisture issues. I now store on the Gulf Coast under 3 sided cover on concrete. When I pulled it out last May, the rear cabinets with double doors were swollen so they wouldn't shut one door at a time but I had to bring both doors together and shut. After a few days with the a/c on the doors would shut fine. It went back into storage for 4 months and I left damp-rid with open windows and vents. Unfortunately, hurricane Isaac came through so I had the storage folks close the windows and vents. I arrived 2 weeks later and the cabinets again wouldn't shut plus I had mildew on my table, counter and stove top. After a week with the a/c on, the cabinets are closing again but tight. My questions:

Could the covered storage be causing the issue?
Should I go with a dehumidifier? (I have electricity)
If I go with a dehumidifier, do I close the trailer up tight or still leave vents open?

I'm going to have my cabinets sanded down a bit this winter to make them easier to shut (they were always a bit tight) but not sure why I'm having this problem. I'll be back to pick it up next month and this time left lots of windows & vents open along with multiple damp-rid bucket to see if this helps. Any advice is appreciated.

June

[JRTJH]

In a high humidity area like Georgia, leaving windows and doors open and trying to use a dehumidifier or "damp-rid" to keep things dry is akin to using a thimble to put out a housefire. Just aint gonna work because all the humidity that you remove will simply be replaced by "fresh humidity" from the open windows and vents. If you're going to try to keep it dry inside, you need to eliminate as much of the "water exchange" as possibly by closing everything as tightly as you can. If you go with "damp-rid" or another static dessicant, it will only remove mositure until it's "full" then it stops working. So, a couple weeks at the most and it's just "clay" If you use a dehumidifier, once the reservoir is full, it shuts off, so to be effective, you need to set it on a counter top and run the drain hose into your gray water tank (through a sink or shower drain) don't forget to leave the tank drain open so your gray tank doesnt fill up......

[jujustad]

Rats! Festus...I wish I had read this post prior to buying a little electric drier for $50 that is probably an expensive equivalent to your coffee can heaters. I think I need a little more heat for the cubic feet in my rig so I will make the next unit per your suggestion. Thanks! Julie

[bennydog]

We live near Duvall and store the trailer next to the house and plugged in to a 20amp outlet. And I cover it with an ADCO cover mostly to keep the needles and leaves off the roof which I hate cleaning. Roof vents with MAX Air covers open. I have 2 Air Dryr dehumidifiers that I set on the floor, one in the kitchen and the other at the foot of the bed. I also open all the cupboard / closet doors so the air can move around freely. We also don't store the linens in the trailer over the winter, for two reasons really, first so they don't hold the moister and second so the mice don't trash them. Never had a problem with moister or mold or mice.

Bob

[parkgirl]

We have a lot of condensation generally when our trailer is in use, and after advice received in another thread, we are going to be installing vent covers on our two overhead vents this weekend so that we can leave them open during wet weather in the spring.

We are also installing the vent covers now, as we are finishing up our winterizing, to help protect against the snow build-up. I have heard some people say that, with vent covers, they leave their vents open a crack for circulation and to prevent condensation when they have closed up for the winter. We are in northern Ontario, and at times there could be four feet of snow piling up and then melting. Even with a vent cover I don't think I'd feel comfortable leaving the vent open a crack. Wouldn't all that melting snow find a way in? I don't think I want to take a chance so maybe I'll just have to live with the possible condensation problems. Or does anyone here have experience with deep snow melting on the roof with a vent open?
Thanks,
parkgirl