Humidity - Montana Owners Club

crandallbradley · 11-03-2006, 07:53 AM

I am going to buy the eva-dry EDV 1100 dehumidifier from RVupgrades.com. Good price and they seem to be good people. My question is about humidity,if the temperature is between 65-70 what humidity level and above is bad.

noneck · 11-03-2006, 11:10 AM

Hmmm, Humidity control in an RV. During cool/cold days humidity helps to make it feel warm and keeps from drying out your air passages. Problem is managing a sterile humidification system...not easy nor cheap. Dehumidification is a summer seasonal thing as it helps to make things feel cool. Dehumidification is done by running an air conditioning coil system in reverse...dump hot air back into room while condensing moisture on cooling side. Having said all this not clear what your trying to do but I have yet to find something that can be set and left alone to manage humidity without a ton of maintenance intervals. Just MHO...I would like to hear others discuss this topic to see where they are/go with it. Very interesting...
Chuck

Mrs. CountryGuy · 11-03-2006, 12:16 PM

As ya all know, we are long timers, not full timers, but we have done some extensive fall and winter and cold weather camping.

To start, we do what Richfaa has suggested: Open up one ceiling vent about 1/2 inch and leave it that way! 24/7.

Then we heat the unit. Furnace and electric heaters, depending on who is paying for what, and if there is enough juice to run the electric heaters. Usually we can run them, but not always on 1500 for both.

The first day of fall/winter/cold weather camping we usually find some condensation on the windows. I put the blinds up and use the humidity as an excuse to clean the windows, paper towels come out and I wipe and clean at the same time. If we have a lot of steam, we may put the Maxair vent on low and let her run forever how long.

Next: cooking and showers mandate that you run a exhaust fan to get the excessive moisture out.

After 2 to 3 days of living in the unit, 2 adults, 4 yorks and number of house plants, with that vent open 1/2 inch and running the exhaust fans as required by cooking and showers, we usually find very little if any condensation in the AM when we put the blinds up. The trailer feels comfortable, in fact, we have good camping friends that came into our unit after 5 days of this and asked us how we got Tana so warm.

We do not open the closets or anything, as we have never found moisture there, but, I will be watching for that after some reports here at MOC.

IF, it is really cold outside, like 25 and below, then we usually open cupboard doors to allow what is inside to keep from freezing.

We have never felt it necessary to have a dehumidfier, but depending on what climes you spent a lot of time in, you might need one. Until we really feel we do, and we prove it to ourselves that we do, we will save the $$ and the storage area, and the area required to put it when running, and save the hassle from not cleaning it and do without.

We find that in hot weather, we are quite satisfied with the A/C in the unit, only have one, but it did pretty good in Iowa last summer in 100 plus temps, and very humid, enough humid that our glasses steamed up when we went outside. Now, if we were going to spend several months a year in temps like that, we might add a 2nd air, but would count on the A/C unit(s) to draw the humidity out of the unit, that is part of their job description.

Ok, long winded ole Carol is done. Hope this helps some.

Parrothead · 11-03-2006, 01:32 PM

I have a suggestion - stay out of high humidity areas. That is what we plan to do. We have lived now for 26 years with almost no humidity and I don't think I want to go back. I agree with Carol about vents however. When we have been in areas where there is humidity keeping the vents open is the key. We also carry the Dri-EZ crystals thingys in case we need them. We used them a bit in our previous fiver but have not needed them in Monty yet.
Happy trails..................

richfaa · 11-03-2006, 02:05 PM

What Carol(Mrs County Guy) post is good advise. We, like them, have been camping for many years under all kinds of conditions and many of those tips and tricks will keep the camper comfortable. Ventilation, ventilation, ventilation..can't stress that enough. I really don't think that humidifiers/dehumidifiers and all the good stuff will work properly in something as contained as a RV. We use that Dri-Ez crystal stuff down in our family room when needed and it does work. Having worked in a temperature/ humidity controled Computer/ electronic equipment room for years I understand how exacting that process is, as a matter of fact the temp/ humidity was computer controlled... Can't do that in a RV. We are solving partof that that problem by wintering in Arizona.

crandallbradley · 11-03-2006, 04:49 PM

Right now my humdity level is 60. I can not run to a nice weather area. I live in the S.F. bay area and I full time. I have a Mountaineer and they do not come with the roof vents that Montanas come with so I have to worry about moisture more. I had a humidity level of 49 this morning (I have seen less) I thought that I would lower it so I poened the door and sucked in a higher level of moisture. I do keep the bath room vent open and it is a full vent fan witch I run for an hour or more after a shower (I also wipe all the water up and out after every shower).But still none of the answers so far answer my ouestion. WITCH IS, If the temp in the unit is between 65-70 what humidity level becomes bad.

Wrenchtraveller · 11-04-2006, 12:27 AM

Indoor humidity

Recommended humidity level in the winter is 30 to 40 percent in cold climates. A relative humidity above about 40 percent increases the potential for condensation on windows and other cool surfaces. Humidity levels below about 30 percent lead to dry skin and nasal passages, increasing the potential for respiratory illnesses. Overly dry air can inflame the symptoms of sinusitis, lead to laryngitis and get in the way of a good night's sleep. Also, low humidity levels cause problems in furniture and pianos due to wood shrinkage and increase the incidence of static electricity shocks.

During the summer, indoor humidity levels should be kept below about 65 percent to minimize the potential for mold growth and below about 50 percent to minimize dust mites.

Hygrometers (relative humidity gauges) may not be accurate. Mechanical hygrometers are frequently in error by more than 20 percent. Calibrate your hygrometer by sealing it in a plastic bag along with a cup containing ½ cup of water and ¼ cup of table salt (Figure 3). After at least 12 hours at room temperature, the meter should read 75 percent relative humidity. Electronic meters tend to be more accurate, but they should also be calibrated.
Here is the link to the whole article.
//www.ag.ndsu.edu/pubs/ageng/structu/ae1204w.htm

I copied this from a search I just did. Our house is 48% humidity and 74 degrees. Outside it is 54 degrees and 98% humidity but this is Vancouver Island in November.

As the article above states, air that is too dry is not healthy and can cause dandruff, dry skin and a whole bunch of other nasties.

Mrs. CountryGuy · 11-04-2006, 01:47 AM

crandallbradley

OK, just to be sure we are all on the same playing field here

The roof vents you are talking about do come on the Montana and not the Mountaineer, you are 100% on that.

The vents I was discussing, would be one of the ceiling vents, like one that the have the Fantasitic Vent Fans or Maxair Vent Fans in.

I take it you are not running the heat (which should help dry out some of the humidity) and you are not needing the A/C (again would dry out the humidity).

So, considering you are fulltiming, cannot move to Arizona or the desert at this time, and are keeping a ceiling vent open 1/2 or so, 24/7 and still have 50 to 60% humidity in there, I think I would say, you might be a strong candidate for a dehumidfier.

Just wondering aloud, do you run any fans in there, like ceiling fan, or small desk top type?? Have you tried moving the little monitor that reads your humidity in the rig around to different positions?? Maybe it is sitting in a particularly damp area. Best to take an average.

Would assume you have. Sure sounds like you are a clear candidate for a dehumidifer.

Agree with Wrenchtraveller, during our heating season here, we aim for around 35 % humidity in the house. Less than that and my sinus' burn.

Please let us know how this works out for you. If you get the unit, please report back on how affective you feel it is.

Oh, to get rid of that duplicate post, if you go to that post, and look on the task bar just above it, and run your mouse over it, you will find a icon that will let you DELETE it. Only the poster or a moderator can do that.

Good luck with this, keep us posted!

So, are you parked near the Bay, do you see the fog roll in?? Have never been to San Francisco, it looks beautiful when they show the bridge and the fog. Not sure I would want to be driving in it, but it still looks beautiful!

crandallbradley · 11-04-2006, 04:12 AM

Thank you WrenchTraveler for your responce and your link I will be looking at that later this after noon. Thank you also Mrs. Country Guy for the post delete. I am parked over the first set of hills from S.F. to the east,I have never liked the city just packed too tight for me. When it comes to this kind of fog most of the time it looks like it's going to rain and stays up so you are under it. Unlike tule fog.

Parrothead · 11-04-2006, 06:24 AM

Crandallbradley
What campground are you staying at? I worked in the bay area for 5 or 6 years and lived in the Monty and previous 5er while there. I worked in San Rafael for about 4 years and we stayed at Petaluma. Then I worked in San Jose a couple of years and we stayed in Morgan Hill. My daughter lives in Benicia and we are hunting for a campground to stay in when visiting her.
Happy trails....................

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