Hello to all, First timer at this forum, may have run into you at other ones. Anyway, We are narrowing our choice down on our first TT. We used to camp a lot and then you know how it goes when your kids (6) grow out it but you don't. I think we are going into a 19, 21,or 23RB of some sort. We foresee crisscrossing the US and Canada each year for the next 4-5 years. The shorter TT with the RB floorplan gives us what we basically need for trips of 4-6 weeks in duration and won't overtax our 5.7 Tundra. So, I am pretty anal about keeping things in shape and at the ready to go. However, we are now based in Sarasota County FL and things tend, as you know, to get a bit moist and muggy here. Best part is we would expect to be outta here during the worst of it but still we can't escape it completely. So to my question, What say you about when we are storing at home if I was to pull a 30 or 50 amp service to the outside of the garage plug in the TT and keep the A/C running at some nominal degree to keep things fresh inside and to avoid the mustiness and possible mold. I used to keep one of those moisture control buckets in my boat,s cuddy. It did a respectable but not complete job and of course there is much more room to deal with in a TT.
Hi P and K - - - Welcome to the forum. Living in a hot and humid area such as you do you might consider, in addition to hooking up while at your home base and running the AC off and on, buying a small portable dehumidifier to help pull the excess moisture from the air that the AC won't do. With just the AC the air will be cool.but it won't a good job of removing the moisture and therefore you will have cool moist air instead of hot moist air. That's what I learned when we first started out so I think I'm passing on correct info here. Someone can correct me if I am incorrect on this and I won't take offense but I'll sure give it to the guy who convinced me to spend the money for a dehumidifier.. Which really does the job by the way. I set it to keep the moisture content in the air to around 35%.... Hope this helps............ Regards and Happy Travels in your new TT..... BankShot.......(aka Terry)
Terry thought about the dehumidifier but was concerned about it might overheat. I tried one in my garage and it did tend to warm the place up. I might just look into a smaller unit to see if it would work for the TT. Thanks P.
P and K welcome to the forum! Coming from CT I should be the LAST person to ask so I will pose this as a question. Is you RV under cover when in storage? just wondering if that would help with the Florida Tropical Humidity that you folks deal with. Mike
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- We've used ours for about three years now and never once had it overheat. We set it to come on for four hours each day and four hours overnight during the damp and wet months and that has kept our coach dry and free from mold and mildew while keeping it from getting odors inside when it's closed up for the winter months. We bought ours at Home Depot as they have a pretty selection of sizes and at affordable prices also.............. BankShot.............(aka Terry)
Having spent a good number of years living in a rain forest where relative humidity can reach into the 90s, We agree with Bankshot. A dehumidifier is the only way to go. We have a Danby DDR030 that is rated for a 1500 Sqft room. That may seem overkill but it's not. If you do some research, you will find that you will need a similar machine because of the extreme humidity in your location. Ours is quite compact, does not overheat, will not let the tank overflow (you can bypass the tank and have it drain directly outside if you can) and it will require less energy than running your AC. At times we have removed a couple of gallons from the air per day. This also minimizes the risk of mold forming inside of your coach. https://www.danby.com/products/home-comfort/ddr030becwdb/ https://www.amazon.com/Danby-DDR030BDWDB-Energy-Star-Dehumidifier/dp/B06XQ59B1T Good to hear you are getting back into the travel mode. Good luck. Darrell & Jerry
Twice that Darrell & Jerry said - that's the only way to go, since only a dehumidifier can actually remove enough moisture to prevent mold and mildew growth. We set ours on the kitchen counter and it drains into the sink and gray water tank. Set the humidity between 50-60% to prevent mold but not dry out the wood. I also heat the van to about 45-50 degrees so the air can absorb a little more moisture. There is never any condensation on the windows, in the walls or under the flooring. And don't forget about the airing - I had an issue with mildew after last summer's rains and the fact that I had not left any ventilation open.
Ran across this thread from last year and am wondering if P and K ever did buy a dehumidifier and solve their humidity problem. We continue to use ours during periods of humidity and we also run it at times during the winter months when it's raining or snowing and damp. We have never in the years we've been doing this had a problem with mold or fungus. Or wood expansion in cupboard door joints. that was also one of the reasons we installed one in the first place. Hey P and K, you folks still out there? If so maybe shoot a post in this direction and let us know how it all worked out for you...... Hope you are enjoying some great times on your trips................ Regards, BankShot...............(aka Terry)
