Happy Holidays All!

I have a 25 foot travel trailer that we use for weekend camping each month.

Living in Florida, humidity is a year-round issue.

So far to date I have been using a tub of damp-rid while parked, and I have to store it when traveling.

Plus I am having to constantly empty and refill it.

So I started investigating electric dehumidifiers that I could plug in and let drain into the sink. There seem to be quite a few available.

Do any of you have any specific suggestions for make, model, etc.?

Thanks.

Regards,
Steve.

 

I've used several different ones in buildings and I'm about to put one in a car that has been parked for about a year that is a bit damp.

I've not found any one to be better than another, but have found that not all of them have provision to add a drain line, so make sure the one you select does.

It is amazing how quickly a reservoir will fill up here in Florida!

 

A couple of points to consider when looking for a dehumidifier for your RV:

First, remember that the drainage is by gravity only. That suggests you'd want to set the dehumidifier up on a counter or table and drain into the sink or shower. (Some bathrooms in RV's are kind of closed off so draining into the shower is not necessarily effective because you would not circulate air to the whole rig. My old Sunline would been great for that, but our Cougar isn't.) Anyway, where ever you plan to put the unit, it needs to fit where you want to use it. Size may matter a lot.

Secondly, in humid climates, you could pull an awful lot of water out of the air while the RV is not in use. Be sure your holding tank is drained before putting the unit away.

Since most RV's are a physically smaller space (cubic footage) than many dehumidifiers are designed for, a smaller capacity unit may be advisable, especially if it is a lower current draw than others.

Along with that, if you plan to take the dehumidifier with you on camping trips, size matters again on storage while traveling and weight.

I'm a brand name shopper when it comes to appliances so I'd be more interested in the ones made by well known manufacturers. YMMV. Warranty and service matter, too.

 

Keep in mind that a dehumidifier is nothing more than an air conditioner. The only real difference is that it's controlled by a humidistat instead of a thermostat.

You'd be better off adding a humidistat control to your existing A/C unit and using it since that solves several problems with dehumidifiers, namely draining the condensate and the heat that stays in the conditioned space.

 

Dehumidifiers in a camper in Florida are probably a good idea. Other points have been covered, but be aware that they can add a bunch of bucks to your monthly power bill.As noted, they really are an air conditioner but with a different control.

Check out the Lowe's and Home Depot offerings and choose what would work the best for you. We have an old (Lowe's)Whirlpool in one area of our S&B basement and a new (Home Depot) Keystone Model # KSTAD70B which so far is a much better unit. I've also added a small condensate pump to dump the water into a drain - Little Giant VCMX-20ULST 554550 for that Keystone.