Condensation

[hondababe55]

I've got slats under my mattress on overcab bed but made not difference really. Had 2 roof vents open, one window and no heating this weekend but front wall still dripping I have put some of that rubber grip matting under the seat and back cushions and that seemed to help there.

[Gary W]

Damp in boats is much more difficult to deal with than in campers and dehumidifiers are used extensively to dry them out over winter. We've tried various types over the years and been down a lot of blind alleys... For winter use in the UK 'Compressor' types are hopeless as they are extremely inefficient at lower temperatures. 'Desiccant' types are much better. They have a much lower headline efficiency but in winter in the real world they knock compressor types into a cocked hat. They also generate a significant amount of warmth as a useful bi-product, so much so they actually make a pretty decent heater. There are loads of different ones on the market but in the yachting world the Meaco DD8L is the popular choice. These are portable and small enough to use in a boat/caravan/camper but powerful enough for the average family home. We use them ourselves in the yachts, in the office, and at home and can't praise them highly enough.

Best wishes

Gary

[saDgit]

Damp in boats is much more difficult to deal with than in campers and dehumidifiers are used extensively to dry them out over winter. We've tried various types over the years and been down a lot of blind alleys... For winter use in the UK 'Compressor' types are hopeless as they are extremely inefficient at lower temperatures. 'Desiccant' types are much better. They have a much lower headline efficiency but in winter in the real world they knock compressor types into a cocked hat. They also generate a significant amount of warmth as a useful bi-product, so much so they actually make a pretty decent heater. There are loads of different ones on the market but in the yachting world the Meaco DD8L is the popular choice. These are portable and small enough to use in a boat/caravan/camper but powerful enough for the average family home. We use them ourselves in the yachts, in the office, and at home and can't praise them highly enough.

Best wishes

Gary

Very interesting. Thanks Gary.

[zildjian]

Gary, can you offer these for sale yourself
as how best to protect our campers over Winter is a recurring theme on here and would be good to look at

Zildjian

[derestrictor]

Wondered if this was the case actually They also generate a significant amount of warmth as a useful bi-product, so much so they actually make a pretty decent heater. thanks thats useful

[Gary W]

Gary, can you offer these for sale yourself
as how best to protect our campers over Winter is a recurring theme on here and would be good to look at

Zildjian

Not something we sell Zildjian, it's a specialist market and there are lots of people out there that can do that better than we.

We bought the last couple from www.healthy-house.co.uk. I expect you can find them cheaper if you look hard enough but we got really good service from the girls at 'healthy house' so no complaints.

Best wishes

Gary

[hondababe55]

Thanks to Gary's recommendation I have just purchased a Meaco DD8L Junior from Maplin's for £149.99 - good price after comparing. I shall put it in the van for a while to dry it out and then just take it with me when I go away. It is much bigger than I expected though. Good that I can just leave it with the hose on to drain itself.It isn't too noisy with the fan just on single speed (not much else needed in the small space of a demountable!).I shall also be using this in the house once the van has dried out.

The rubber slip matting seems to help with the condensation under the seat cushions and back cushions. I can't say that the bed slats have made much difference but once it has dried out fully up top I may put the slip matting under the slats too. Here's hoping less condensation.

[Bookend]

Please let us know how it works in the camper while in use and could you sleep with it running noise wise?

[Toshbins]

We have a boat, and has been mentioned earlier in the thread, the condensation problem is a least as bad as in a camper. The real worry is the condensation in all the areas that you can't see or get to like behind cupboard panels, round the water tank etc.
In our experience, shutting the sleeping area off from the rest of the boat, just makes the problem worse. The ceiling above where we sleep literally runs with water. We open the sleeping area to the rest of the boat and keep a window open. In the morning we dry the windows and aluminium frames with a towel which we dry outside. That way we are taking the water away, rather than turning on the heating to evaporate it back into the air.
I'm reading threads like this with interest as we look for our first camper. We like the sound of the Alde heating, but our list of wants is getting very long, so we may need to compromise on something.

[hondababe55]

Please let us know how it works in the camper while in use and could you sleep with it running noise wise?

Hi. It's actually not too noisy only single fan speed, which is plenty for the camper. It's only 650w too so ok for site electrics. It's a darn sight quieter than my Propex heater that's for sure, it's like a bloody jet engine! The heat from the dehumidifier would be enough to keep camper warm with no other heat source. I will let you know how it goes after I've slept in it.