Dehumidifier ?

valhalla360 wrote:

pianotuna wrote:
It depends on the ambient humidity and outside temperature. It is entirely possible to have a situation where the air in the rv is uncomfortably wet. The solution is to add some heat which basically turns the roof air into a huge dehumidifier.

If you have an oversized air/con, there is some truth to your idea as it will force the air/con to run longer to remove the heat you are adding which by default will provide more moisture removal.

But the OP said the air/con runs "pretty constant" which to me suggests it shouldn't need the heater trick to get the dehumidifying effect as it's already running enough to pull the humidity out of the air.

Which leads to the question...what is really happening?

given the size of the trailer the OP mentioned, I wonder if the AC fan is running but the AC compressor is cycling, which can be the case depending on how the thermostat and AC are set up.

If that is the case, a compressor driven dehumidifier may be the solution.

pianotuna wrote:
It depends on the ambient humidity and outside temperature. It is entirely possible to have a situation where the air in the rv is uncomfortably wet. The solution is to add some heat which basically turns the roof air into a huge dehumidifier.

If you have an oversized air/con, there is some truth to your idea as it will force the air/con to run longer to remove the heat you are adding which by default will provide more moisture removal.

But the OP said the air/con runs "pretty constant" which to me suggests it shouldn't need the heater trick to get the dehumidifying effect as it's already running enough to pull the humidity out of the air.

Which leads to the question...what is really happening?

It depends on the ambient humidity and outside temperature. It is entirely possible to have a situation where the air in the rv is uncomfortably wet. The solution is to add some heat which basically turns the roof air into a huge dehumidifier.

Something is not right here; An aircon is supposed to pull the humidity
out of the air. Dry air at the same temp feels a lot more comfortable.

To the OP, when your AC is on, does water drip out of the unit? It should as
the AC is pulling water out of the air. If not then you may have a problem -
plugged?

I think, Installing a dehumidifier is only masking the real problem.

All the AC in our campers have dried out the air.

An Air/Con by default dehumidifies.

So if the Air/Con is running "pretty constant" something is not right if it's still humid inside.

Where you would run into a problem is if the Air/Con is over sized and only runs for short periods of time to cool down but not enough time to pull a lot of moisture out of the air.

Hi,

I use a heater which allows the air conditioner to run without the air becoming clammy and damp.

Yes I have the same problem with my camper.

The factory spec is a 8000 btu side wall AC for my small cabin size. But my unit has an upgraded 13500 btu unit. So unless it's VERY HOT outside, it quickly cools the cabin before it can dehumidify it.

Two fixes I've found.

1. Compressor dehumidifier, I bought a 90 pint Frigidaire unit. Works great and fast.

OR

2. Small space heater set on medium. Keeps the air warm a bit longer so the AC can draw off the moisture.

If I'm on generator I'll run the dehumidifier it works better and faster, and takes less power.

If camping with included electric, I'll run the heater.

The AC should be dehumidifying the air adequately most of the time. Adding a dehumidifier will help.