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01-12-2025, 10:29 PM
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#1
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Junior Member
Join Date: Jan 2025
Posts: 6
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I have a major moisture problem!
I've tried everything i can think of to keep the moisture levels down but nothing is keeping me out of the wet air feeling. My moisture inside is at 60 on a good day and at 80 on a bad day. I have a large dehumidifier running and removing a lot of water from the air 24/7 (it's killing me on the power bill) and I have the dehumidifier beads in every nook and cranny. I open the Hatches every time we shower, cook, clean, etc. I bubble wrapped tge windows to better insulate them. And yet with all this I still watch the water running down my walls. I can't seem to win. Any suggestions?
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01-13-2025, 11:38 AM
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#2
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Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Full time RV'er
Posts: 5,532
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So what brand and model RV? Size? I can see from your name it's a 5th wheel but more info would help. Can we assume you're parking in a cold wet area? What's the humidity outside? Next to the coast or inland?
If it's cold where you are, are you using an indoor propane heater? Those pump out lots of moisture. I used one up in Alaska but had to dump it as it was just far to wet inside the RV. Changed to electric floor heaters.
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01-13-2025, 01:09 PM
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#3
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Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2019
Posts: 6,901
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What does large dehumidifier mean in pints? What does a lot of water removed mean? How large is the tank?
Numbers are needed.
What are the temperatures where you are? If it's cold, near or below freezing, there may be no way to stop condensation in a poorly insulated RV. As Jim noted, what model year and exact model do you have?
Ray
__________________
2020 Forest River Georgetown GT5 34H5
2020 Equinox Premier AWD 2.0L/9-speed
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01-13-2025, 03:04 PM
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#4
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Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2024
Location: WI Driftlesser
Posts: 2,547
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The dehumidifier is not wasting electricity, every watt it's burning is going into heating the air, along with the heat of the water condensation.
Moisture on the windows is normal, depending on the temp. 60-80% indoor humidity means there is way more moisture than the dehumidifier can handle. Why so much water? lot of people and pets? cooking? roof leaks?
__________________
"Bringing third world electrical work to first world luxury." RV makers of Murica!
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01-13-2025, 07:42 PM
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#5
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Senior Member
Ford Super Duty Owner Grand Design Owners Club
Join Date: Feb 2000
Location: Titusville, FL
Posts: 1,557
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Things that produce moisture....
> shower (maybe run a fan immediately after for a few minutes and be sure to keep the showers short and the bathroom doors closed.
> cooking, making coffee, boiling water (cooking).
> exercising inside (sweating)
> keeping the inside temperature really high (compared to outside temps)
Someone said it - electric heat is a dry heat.
Consider if the dehumidifier is sized right for the square feet of the RV.
__________________
2018 F350 CC, SB
2022 F-350, CC, LB, Reese Gooseball
2019 Grand Design Solitude 310GKR
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01-13-2025, 08:06 PM
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#6
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Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 1969
Posts: 3,053
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Quote:
Originally Posted by FT5thWheelrz
.... Any suggestions?
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I am in the Mojave desert and do not have that problem.
Many years ago when winter camping in Idaho in a TT designed for summer camping, I put plastic over the single pane windows.
However the moisture froze the door lock and needed to use a hair dryer to open the door.
__________________
Kit & Rita (in memory)
37 foot ‘98 HolidayRambler Endeavor diesel pusher
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01-13-2025, 08:17 PM
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#7
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Senior Member
Monaco Owners Club
Join Date: Jun 2014
Posts: 16,181
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What are you using to heat with???
Electric
Propane furnace
Propane radiant type heat
__________________
Jim J
2002 Monaco Windsor 38 PKD Cummins ISC 350 8.3L
2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee w/5.7 Hemi
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01-14-2025, 07:34 PM
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#8
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Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2004
Posts: 2,341
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Brings back bad memories of our stay in a '96 29' 5th wheel camper with a super slide/bed room slide in 1999 winter with temps down in single digit
This trailer had R7 insulation in all walls/roof/floor.
The unit was a typical summer camper with 10 single windows/2 doubles/and the door.
I made 1/8" Lexan inside window covers for each window sticky back foam tape sealing all around the inside edges..
Mobile home skirting all around.
Thick pillow cover in roof vents.
But still had wet walls specially wet in closets.
WE tried the usual crack a vent and several fans to move air...resulting in a very cold drafty camper the the furnace running 18 hrs a day.
We bought a dehumidifier which helped. Bought a second one ...no more wet walls.
Google the subject has lots of input on causes and fixes.
__________________
'03 Dodge 2500 Cummins HO 3.73 NV5600 Jacobs
'98 3500 DRW 454 4x4 4.10 crew cab
'97 Park Avanue RK 28' 2 slides
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01-14-2025, 08:14 PM
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#9
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Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2024
Location: Bohemia NY
Posts: 1,976
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Quote:
Originally Posted by FT5thWheelrz
I've tried everything i can think of to keep the moisture levels down but nothing is keeping me out of the wet air feeling. My moisture inside is at 60 on a good day and at 80 on a bad day. I have a large dehumidifier running and removing a lot of water from the air 24/7 (it's killing me on the power bill) and I have the dehumidifier beads in every nook and cranny. I open the Hatches every time we shower, cook, clean, etc. I bubble wrapped tge windows to better insulate them. And yet with all this I still watch the water running down my walls. I can't seem to win. Any suggestions?
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There are Dehumidifiers and then there are dehumidifiers that can really pull humidity. Often these are known as low grain dehumidifiers. Normal store type units have limited performance at cooler temps and usually can't get below 50-60% humidity no matter how hard they try. They work best in hot humid basements. For my 2 homes I now use large Aloair units. I have seen them fill a 5 gallon pails in a day.
https://www.amazon.com/s?k=alorair+d...s_ts-doa-p_1_6
If you do get down to 60% and still have water collecting on the walls that is due to the surface temp of the wall being below the dew point. Your trailer was not designed for winter use. Covering the outside walls with foam sheets or even heavy cloth tarps will help.
__________________
Dennis
Bohemia NY
2008 Nimbus 342 SE Carlyle
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01-17-2025, 01:16 AM
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#10
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Junior Member
Join Date: Jan 2025
Posts: 6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jim_HiTek
So what brand and model RV? Size? I can see from your name it's a 5th wheel but more info would help. Can we assume you're parking in a cold wet area? What's the humidity outside? Next to the coast or inland?
If it's cold where you are, are you using an indoor propane heater? Those pump out lots of moisture. I used one up in Alaska but had to dump it as it was just far to wet inside the RV. Changed to electric floor heaters.
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It's a 1998 coachmen catalina 26' 5th wheel. I'm inland. I don't know the humidity. It's very cold here. I'm in Truckee, CA. And yes it has propane furnace
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01-17-2025, 07:50 AM
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#11
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Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2013
Posts: 1,579
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Quote:
Originally Posted by traveldawg
Things that produce moisture....
> shower (maybe run a fan immediately after for a few minutes and be sure to keep the showers short and the bathroom doors closed.
> cooking, making coffee, boiling water (cooking).
> exercising inside (sweating)
> keeping the inside temperature really high (compared to outside temps)
Someone said it - electric heat is a dry heat.
Consider if the dehumidifier is sized right for the square feet of the RV.
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More on this, we run the bath exhaust fan from the time we start to run the shower until after we are dressed.
Cooking our range hood exhaust outside, run anytime we are cooking.
We have a GE compressor style dehumidifier keep it at 35%
Interior plastic film storm windows on all windows.
Our furnace runs on either gas or electric and keeps air dry.
__________________
Russ & Paula, Portland, OR. The Beagle Gus.
2016 Ram Laramie 3500 DRW Aisin 4X4 14,000# GVWR.
2005 Keystone Copper Canyon 293FWSLS Rear Kitchen 12,360 GVWR
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01-17-2025, 08:06 AM
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#12
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Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2013
Location: Near Anderson, Indiana
Posts: 784
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Quote:
Originally Posted by traveldawg
Things that produce moisture....
> shower (maybe run a fan immediately after for a few minutes and be sure to keep the showers short and the bathroom doors closed.
> cooking, making coffee, boiling water (cooking).
> exercising inside (sweating)
> keeping the inside temperature really high (compared to outside temps)
Someone said it - electric heat is a dry heat.
Consider if the dehumidifier is sized right for the square feet of the RV.
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And don't forget, the "average" human exhales over a pound of water vapor too every night ... by simply breathing! Add a second person, some children, and the pet dogs, and that's a lot of moisture being released into the air. Add that to a cold skin on the camper, and the water vapor has to collect somewhere.
__________________
2019 Montana High Country 375FL Fifth Wheel
2014 Chevy Silverado 3500 6.6L HD Dually, Long Bed, Crew Cab
Just because the horse looks good doesn't make it a banjo player!
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01-17-2025, 08:42 AM
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#13
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Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2024
Location: WI Driftlesser
Posts: 2,547
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If it's below freezing, then the outside moisture is not the issue. It's coming from all the inside sources. You don't say if it's excessive water overwhelming the dehumidifier, or a dehumidifier failing to keep up with minimal cooking and one person. Beads are a gimmick, get a better dehumidifier if it's not producing the water it should based on temp and humidity.
The propane furnace does not add water to the inside, unless it's leaking very badly, you do have a CO alarm, right?
I don't know what your electric and propane prices are, there are calculators that will easily tell you which is the cheaper heat source with your prices. I'd figure 50-70% for the furnace efficiency, but some claim 80%. Running a better dehumidifier I'd count as 120% efficient compared to opening a window with the propane furnace.
__________________
"Bringing third world electrical work to first world luxury." RV makers of Murica!
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01-18-2025, 02:35 PM
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#14
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Junior Member
Join Date: Jan 2025
Posts: 6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SafariBen
If it's below freezing, then the outside moisture is not the issue. It's coming from all the inside sources. You don't say if it's excessive water overwhelming the dehumidifier, or a dehumidifier failing to keep up with minimal cooking and one person. Beads are a gimmick, get a better dehumidifier if it's not producing the water it should based on temp and humidity.
The propane furnace does not add water to the inside, unless it's leaking very badly, you do have a CO alarm, right?
I don't know what your electric and propane prices are, there are calculators that will easily tell you which is the cheaper heat source with your prices. I'd figure 50-70% for the furnace efficiency, but some claim 80%. Running a better dehumidifier I'd count as 120% efficient compared to opening a window with the propane furnace.
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Yes of course I have a CO alarm
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