Dealing with humitidy at the coast

[TxCowboy]

We're moving our 5er to the coast in just a couple of weeks and will be using it as a "mobile apartment" for the next year as we plan to take extended weekends there on alternating weekends, weather permitting.

 

Where our home is in south Texas, humidity normally isn't a problem. It's very common to have humidity in the 20% to 40% range normally. This area is arid, but not a desert.

 

At the coast, however, humidity may be a concern so I'm here to ask your advice and guidance on a couple of questions.

 

1. How much humidity (I guess it's a range) would you consider appropriate for the inside of your RV?

 

2. Would you recommend an electric dehumidifier for when the wife and I are actually using the RV?

 

3. When the RV is closed up during our absence, should I leave the roof vents open? (I have Max Air vent covers installed.) I have a supply of Damp Rid hangers that I'll use when the RV is closed up. I also normally leave a small tabletop fan on a timer that runs a couple of hours per day.

 

4. Which question(s) am I not asking that should be asked and answered?

 

I've seen what mold and mildew can do to a home that has been closed up and I do NOT want that situation in my 5er. Any insight and guidance you might provide will be greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks!

[skp51443]

A powered dehumidifier is always the best option for reducing humidity, the noise and power use can be aggravating but it will do the job. Passive stuff like damp-rid can help but you need to be sure to change it out for dry stuff before it gets soaked. If you have the heat to reactivate stuff do heat it outside, otherwise you are just putting the absorbed moisture back into the air.

 

I'd leave the vents closed at a coastal location, likely to let in more damp than they let out.

 

A fan won't do anything for the air quality or moisture unless it is swapping inside and outside air. That comes back to pulling in damper air than is in the RV.

 

 

 

Wax good and touch up any bare metal before it gets a coat of salt mist and starts rusting. Lube any hydraulic pistons with what the manufacturer recommends.

[Kirk W]

 

1. How much humidity (I guess it's a range) would you consider appropriate for the inside of your RV?

That is very difficult to say in terms of numbers. You want to control the condensation inside of the RV and to prevent any mold problems. Temperature and ventilation are also factors in all of this.

 

3. When the RV is closed up during our absence, should I leave the roof vents open?

A lot of this comes to the inside temperatures that will happen inside. It is not a good thing for the interior to get to extremely high temperatures in the summer when it is closed up. You won't gain much by using a dehumidifier if you don't leave it closed up but if you do it could get awfully hot inside, particularly if the RV is out in direct sun The ideal would be to leave it closed up and with the air conditioner on in the summer time and perhaps some heat on in winter. But that comes with a cost so.............. If it isn't cost prohibitive,that is how I would deal with it.

[Newt]

I have lived on the Texas Gulf coast most of my life. I have had a RV of some kind since the 70's. I have never taken any special precautions. The humidity has never been a problem for the RV.

 

Newt

[Jimalberta]

Just dont stay close to the beach. We made the mistake of staying close to the beach in Galveston and the sticky humidity and salt spray got all over and our bikes got rusty. Never again...couldnt wait to get back to the desert.

[Truckman]

Until we retired we had left our camper on the eastern shore of Maryland just a few miles from either the Atlantic or the Chesapeake Bay and never did anything special in summer or winter when it wasn't in use and never had any issues. Just closed everything up and left for a week or 2 in summer and all winter.

[Don and Judith]

We are wintering in the BC lower mainland. We get plenty of the liquid sunshine so we have a lot of moisture. A lot of people say we're over cautious but we are more afraid of moisture damage than a high heating bill. we leave our bedroom window open 24/7. All three of our roof vents are open and on low speed. Fireplace when needed, furnace set around 69 during day and 63 at nite. We have two dogs that come in soaked after their walks, our wet coats etc. we have no moisture issues at all! We go through a 40lb propane about every 3-5 days. Temps are around 25-50

[TxCowboy]

Thanks for all of the comments.

 

I've been testing a hygrometer in my home and the inside humidity is about 50 percent with two people and three small dogs. I guess we'll try to keep that level in the RV at the coast.

 

When we're away from the RV this summer, we'll hang a couple of Damp Rids up in the RV and will probably set the AC to something in the mid-80s which should also help control the humidity as well.

[ccsimpson]

Before we started fulltiming from Va. Beach, VA, when the RV was in storage, we also cleaned out the fridge. Then rolled up a couple of towels and put between the doors to keep thembopen a bit o keep any mildew out.

 

Carol

[grumpydoc]

We winter within several hundred yards of the Gulf and as mentioned above the salt and corrosion are a definite concern. When close to the ocean like we are what is the major issue is Sea Fog which rolls in off the ocean most evenings. Once you get inland a few miles like our storage shed the salt/corrosion are not an issue. Yes, sometimes it's humid but no different than most other humid places and we usually have a daytime breeze and temps are moderated by the Gulf. On the other hand the salt ruins stuff very quickly and measures need to be taken to mitigate damage. Spraying metal surfaces with thick oils is a common practice. Covering thinks like the hitch and pin box is necessary. Wheel covers help some. Some people would wash off their rig several times a week. We are now in water restrictions and are limited to rig washing once a week and may go to every two weeks. Products like Fluid Film, a spray on lanolin protectant from auto supply stores and Salt Away are popular here. Folks here will leave the AC on and turn off the fridge and leave the fridge door open when they leave the rig for any period of time to help mold and mildew. It's all a trade off for being at the beach while the rest of the country is shoveling snow, Best wishes, Jay