Contemplating a trip to the South East in June. RH ~90%.Dehumidifier is large, size of carry-on luggage, and space in a "C" is at a premium. Piano-tuna said he "tricks" his AC (into running more to remove moisture) by running a heater simultaneously, effectively creating a dehumidifier.This seems clever, logical and appealing; any reason a dehumidifier would perform better? Slightly lower noise is the main advantage I see.

Hi,Advantage to heater--one can "scale" the size.Advantage to "stand alone" can be used without the air conditioner.Disadvantage to heater--on a 30 amp RV you may be pushing the limits of the pedestal. Solution, use a lower wattage on heater.Disadvantage to "stand alone" much noisier when used with the air conditioner and definitely pushes the power pedestal HARD especially when the compressor in it cycles. If Air and stand alone happen to cycle at the same time on a 30 a serious brown out can occur which may possibly cause damage to both the air and the stand alone.Advantage (low wattage) heater and air can be used on a 3000 watt generator.Disadvantage "stand alone" draws too much power to use on generator at the same time as the air conditioner (but I'd be looking for shore power, anyway).

I can't speak to your amp draw... I'll leave that to Pianotuna.What I can say, though, is "tricking" your AC into running more by using a heater is going to be harder wear on the AC. On the other hand, if you use a dehumidifier, that will help so that the AC can keep up better... making it easier on the AC. Personally, I think the answer is obvious.

The running power consumption of a dehumidifier is much lower than an air conditioner (and I assume the startup power requirements would also be less). The 50 pint dehumidifier in my basement lists 6.5A on its data plate, not much different from a typical electric heater on low. (The startup surge power draw is, of course, bigger than a heater which has essentially none.) It is rather on the noisy side, and the bucket can fill up pretty quickly if one doesn't use a drain hose.If the temperature is such that you need/want air conditioning, you probably don't need a separate dehumidifier. If the temperature is cool enough that you need heat, the furnace will also reduce the relative humidity to some extent because warmer air can hold more moisture than cooler air, but the actual amount of water in the air remains the same.Fiddling with the thermostat such that you can run the furnace and the air conditioner simultaneously (perhaps by installing two separate thermostats, or by putting in an override switch for one or the other) would eliminate the need to carry any additional equipment.A dehumidifier would probably be a lot quicker at reducing the humidity than the air conditioner and heater together.

SE in June you won't need to "trick" your a/c to make it run a bunch. I doubt you'd be happy with the results adding a heater into the mix. All I would do is run it on the lower fan speed settings (IF you can keep cool enough that way). Less airflow = lower coil temperatures = more moisture extracted.

I don't do cold and clammy. That is when using a heater with the air conditioner shines.I've only needed to dehumidify a few times. Spending money on something I'd use less than once per year is not good husbandry.

Dehumidifier or AC + space heater? | Good Sam Community

11 Replies

pianotuna
Nomad III
Apr 14, 2015
Hi,

Advantage to heater--one can "scale" the size.

Advantage to "stand alone" can be used without the air conditioner.

Disadvantage to heater--on a 30 amp RV you may be pushing the limits of the pedestal. Solution, use a lower wattage on heater.

Disadvantage to "stand alone" much noisier when used with the air conditioner and definitely pushes the power pedestal HARD especially when the compressor in it cycles. If Air and stand alone happen to cycle at the same time on a 30 a serious brown out can occur which may possibly cause damage to both the air and the stand alone.

Advantage (low wattage) heater and air can be used on a 3000 watt generator.

Disadvantage "stand alone" draws too much power to use on generator at the same time as the air conditioner (but I'd be looking for shore power, anyway).

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Dehumidifier or AC + space heater?

11 Replies

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