No matter the season, controlling humidity inside your RV is an absolute must.
RV walls are not as thick as a sticks and bricks, which makes them prone to sweating. Combined that with breathing, showering, cooking, and propane heating and you could have a recipe for disaster.
But. An effective dehumidifier can handle the extra moisture load inside of your RV, prolonging the life of your tiny abode for many years to come.
Before I make any purchase, I typically exhaust myself with hours of market research. A dehumidifier presented a couple of challenges for me:
- Space. Where do I put a dehumidifier? They are usually pretty sizable.
- How much power will it draw? We had a 30A rig with 15A TOTAL for all appliances.
- Do I try to set up a direct-drain or deal with emptying a bucket?
- In 2016 during my quest, there were a ton of recalls on dehumidifiers that were causing fires!
Turns out, the recalls were all in a class of dehumidifiers that utilize a compressor driven motor to pull moisture from the air. I felt stuck until I realized there is another class of dehumidifiers: Dessicant.
I was skeptical. However, Amazon reviews are pretty honest and unforgiving when something does not meet customer expectations. Plus this particular dehumidifier had key features:
- Small footprint. Powerful, yet able to fit on our bathroom counter.
- Option to empty the internal ‘bucket’ or use a direct drain. We were able to utilize our bathroom sink to allow it to empty into our gray tank (note: I would advise leaving the gray tank OPEN if draining anything into it).
- An adjustable dial that determined what humidity level you were shooting for. 40-50% is ideal for preventing mold and improving the quality of breathing for those with asthma and other respiratory issues.
- A power draw range of 300-700 Watts (Low/High)
How well did the chosen one perform? Looking through my RV photos I realize that I was a bit obsessive about taking pics of the temp/humidity monitor. But it was always impressive how well the desiccant dehumidifier held the humidity in a desirable range, even when the air was completely saturated outside.
The days that are the humidity-building culprits are what I refer to as the ‘in between’ temp days. Raining, 90%+ humidity, 65 degrees. Your RV air conditioner does a good job removing humidity, as well as does electric heat. On days that are decently temperature controlled, the heat and air typically stay off, and the humidity builds.
So what are the downfalls of the desiccant dehumidifier? Nothing is perfect, of course.
- A unique odor. Do not let that deter you; it is not a pungent or unpleasant smell. I am a super sniffer and would not be able to handle it if so. Just unique, particularly at the onset of use.
- The internal water bucket is not huge. If I was not running direct-drain, I would empty is everyday.
