Condensation? November 20, 2021, 12:47:41 pm I used the cab heater yesterday and woke up to this. Am I correct in terming this condensation? (We had four days of pretty heavy rain a week ago, and this was not present).
Re: Condensation? Reply #1 – November 20, 2021, 05:16:15 pm Quote from: Mindispower - November 20, 2021, 12:47:41 pmI used the cab heater yesterday What heater was used? The dash heater, the furnace or a catalytic heater?Cat heaters produce water vapor, along with CO2.Larry
Re: Condensation? Reply #2 – November 20, 2021, 05:27:07 pm Quote from: Larry W - November 20, 2021, 05:16:15 pmWhat heater was used? The dash heater, the furnace or a catalytic heater?Cat heaters produce water vapor, along with CO2.LarryHey Larry. It was the engine heater if that makes sense. No house heater was used.
Re: Condensation? Reply #3 – November 21, 2021, 01:05:04 am Hi Mind; Humans also produce water vapor and CO2, so it could be exhaled air that condenses on cold parts. We routinely wake to water on our side windows in the back. We sleep in the back. Supposedly you can barely crack the roof vent somewhere, 1/16", and warm air will escape taking the moisture (at least some of it) with it. The aluminum framework around the escape hatch conducts heat away, providing a place for warm breath to condense. We have a vinyl cover that snaps over it, to keep it warmer, and to prevent 'rain' from falling on the bed. With a TK, the FFan in back has a cover also. RonB 1 Likes
Re: Condensation? Reply #4 – November 21, 2021, 01:56:16 am Any cool metal surface inside will cause moist air to condense out. This is particularly true of metal surfaces that conduct interior heat outside, such as window frames, vent frames, etc. The effect is most noticeable when the moist air source is near the metal, such as your breath when sleeping, or any combustion not using a heat exchanger - such as a cat heater, stove flame, etc.One option is to insulate the metal from the moist air by covering it. Vent covers are effective for those IF they completely cover all exposed metal of the frame.Steve
Re: Condensation? Reply #5 – November 21, 2021, 11:26:11 am Living full time at the moment in our TK we use one of these to help with moisture and humidity:Amazon.com - hysure Dehumidifier,700ml Compact Deshumidificador 1200 Cubic... As an Amazon Associate Lazy Daze Owners' Group earns from qualifying purchases.
Re: Condensation? Reply #6 – November 21, 2021, 10:00:37 pm Iv been getting LOTS of condensation lately since it's getting really cold where I'm at, so we just have a routine of drying everything out in the morning with a squeegee and towels.I would def consider a dehumidifier with the ability to drain out to the sink for constant dehumidifying. That's on my wish list but haven't found a DC power one that can do it yet...
Re: Condensation? Reply #7 – November 22, 2021, 12:06:35 am Hi,I bought a similar dehumidifier but did not get a chance to use it yet (actually it will get out of the box when I need it :-)). Power rating is similar to your unit .... around 20W means 1.7 amp plus DC->AC conversion overhead, say total of 2A. For 8-9 hours nightly use it would be around 20 ah with 440ah battery this is about 5% and I think I can afford it (usually battery is above 80% in am after nightly bipap usage). I can make all the assumptions but right now I have no idea how much small 150W converter overhead is or if humidifier run continuously or turn on only after humidity exceed certain level. If you have some real battery usage data I will like to hear.I did not realize keeping roof window little open will reduce the humidity, thanks for the information.As for DC unit, I looked pretty hard to find a unit which can be plugged in citrate lighter outlet but could not find one. If you find one, please put the link.thxQuote from: 73gitane - November 21, 2021, 11:26:11 amLiving full time at the moment in our TK we use one of these to help with moisture and humidity:Amazon.com - hysure Dehumidifier,700ml Compact Deshumidificador 1200 Cubic... As an Amazon Associate Lazy Daze Owners' Group earns from qualifying purchases.
Re: Condensation? Reply #8 – November 22, 2021, 10:59:50 am Muhammad, I’ve noticed that some of the smaller solid state units have an external wall wart that reduces 110 to 12V. So you could probably rig up a power cord to go directly to a cig lighter.Amazon.com: Pro Breeze Electric Dehumidifier 1200 Cubic Feet (215 sq ft) -...I think my particular unit has the adapter integrated in the cabinet. Conceivably you could open it up and wire 12V directly but I haven’t pursued it since we’ve connected to shore power for the winter.We still wipe down the aluminum frame windows though. Aluminum is very effective at transferring cold! Makes me wonder why we don’t see vinyl framed windows in the RV industry. I suppose rigidity is a big factor. Also, most RV’s are bought with warm sunny adventures in mind and not so much thought to insulation. 2 Likes As an Amazon Associate Lazy Daze Owners' Group earns from qualifying purchases.
Re: Condensation? Reply #9 – November 22, 2021, 11:06:49 am Quote from: Muhammad - November 22, 2021, 12:06:35 amAs for DC unit, I looked pretty hard to find a unit which can be plugged in citrate lighter outlet but could not find one.Muhammad,I found this review of the Hysure dehumidifier that Steve said he uses. In the review FAQ it says that the Hysure dehumidifier comes with a 9V/2.5A power supply. So, you could wire a 12V to 9V buck converter of sufficient amperage and properly fused, to the 12V coach battery. Buck converters are very efficient, usually 90% or greater, however they do generate a lot of radio interference… especially on AM radio. If that’s not a concern to you and you have the skills to accomplish the project, it should prove to be an efficient way to power the dehumidifier. Here’s a 9V/6A buck converter I found on Amazon that should work. SMAKNÂ DC-DC 12V to 9V 6A 54W Buck Power Converter- JohnEdit: I see that Steve has the same idea 😊. Thanks Steve… 1 Likes As an Amazon Associate Lazy Daze Owners' Group earns from qualifying purchases.
Re: Condensation? Reply #10 – November 22, 2021, 12:27:40 pm Looking at the various dehumidifiers specs, dehumidifiers do not work well at colder temps, the 60 to 80 degree range is preferred . At lower temps, any cold metal is a dehumidifier, such as the window frames.Cracking the vents helps a lot.Larry
Re: Condensation? Reply #11 – November 22, 2021, 12:48:31 pm So far using an electric ceramic tower heater with a fan hasn't done this.
Re: Condensation? Reply #12 – November 22, 2021, 05:34:48 pm Steve and John,Thanks. I completely forgot about solar generator which has built in inverter.So far I took three trips in RV and after each trip I have a list of additional things which will be useful. We saw other campers use fancy lights outside and of course we have to have lights as well but then we do not want to give up the flexibility of camping without the shore power. Lights purchase triggered looking into small portable solar generator. I was surprised with the price, size and weight of 2500+ cycle 500 watt unites and end up getting two of them … idea is to use one for outside and charge it with solar and other to stay inside and charge it while driving. One of the application of inside unit would be dehumidifier plus bipap with humidity and heated tube. Easy to collect toys but sooner or latter we will end up with no space ….. so far I think we are fine but need to be more careful with future toys.We will be going for months long trip to Florida followed by longest trip yet to Alaska in June. I want to be as light as possible and need to see all the toys I accumulated. As Larry and other folks mentioned perhaps aspirin is better then surgery in few cases, we usually have insulated cover on roof windows during cold weather but perhaps cracking a side window a bit is what we need in this case.I wish I can use electric heater with 500w generator but it will not last even an hour …Oh well, learning ….Recently I had to go to a tech shop to get stove changed in warranty and they refused to put cat heater connection. Reason was liability … true or bs?Quote from: JohnR - November 22, 2021, 11:06:49 amMuhammad,I found this review of the Hysure dehumidifier that Steve said he uses. In the review FAQ it says that the Hysure dehumidifier comes with a 9V/2.5A power supply. So, you could wire a 12V to 9V buck converter of sufficient amperage and properly fused, to the 12V coach battery. Buck converters are very efficient, usually 90% or greater, however they do generate a lot of radio interference… especially on AM radio. If that’s not a concern to you and you have the skills to accomplish the project, it should prove to be an efficient way to power the dehumidifier. Here’s a 9V/6A buck converter I found on Amazon that should work. SMAKNÂ DC-DC 12V to 9V 6A 54W Buck Power Converter- JohnEdit: I see that Steve has the same idea 😊. Thanks Steve… As an Amazon Associate Lazy Daze Owners' Group earns from qualifying purchases.
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