After looking at various de-humidification processes am finding that I can drop humidity by having my small electric space heater work to increase temperature, while having my Air Conditioner work to cool. Just needed to find the sweet spot between the two independent thermostats so they do not come on constantly. Result is about 70F and 55% humidity. So far it feels comfortable. In Florida winter (Orlando) and humidity is high outside. Alternatives to above?1) Use DAMP RID in strategic areas. Likely will do this anyway as its good policy to keep the humidity down and reduce chance of mold.2) get a good Peltier Junction dehumidifier device. These suck heat out of the air with electricity (inefficiently, and humidity will condense). Very quiet but effective in smaller spaces and only at certain humidity. Think they can drop humidity to 60% or lower, best case; and only over several hours of the day. If you get one, get the one with the largest capacity.3) Buy a refrigerator dehumidifier device (uses Freon). These can drop humidity faster and dump more humidity out of the air (70 pints a day for some). Many feel they need this if they do several air exchanges (open doors) during the day.Still we like to have some fresh air exchanges, so we do turn off all devices and just deal with humidity on occasion with strategic fans.

Me thinks you are over-thinking this. An air 'conditioner' conditions the air by REMOVING moisture from it and then cools it by blowing inside air over the cooling coils. When I run my a/c in humid conditions, the water (condensate) is quite visible as it runs off the roof and down the side of the motorhome. If this isn't happening on your unit, I would suspect a problem with the a/c. But since you say the air temp is 70 degrees, I would think the a/c is doing its job. If you feel the a/c is not removing the moisture sufficiently, I would invest in a small dehumidifier.As for the storage spaces that do not receive conditioned air, Damp Rid would be a solution.Also, today's refrigeration units of any kind no longer use Freon.

ktjensen wrote:After looking at various de-humidification processes am finding that I can drop humidity by having my small electric space heater work to increase temperature, while having my Air Conditioner work to cool. J.This is the way a real dehumidifier works. The dehumidifier is simply an air conditioner with no outside "vent". An air conditioner cools the air (which causes condensation the same as a cold can of beer get wet on the outside) then it moves the hot air to the outside of the room to the compressor this is outside. A dehumidifier simply has the compressor inside the room.

Just buy a dehumifier. Plug it in, turn the dial to the desired level, done - problem solved.

bid_time wrote:Just buy a dehumifier. Plug it in, turn the dial to the desired level, done - problem solved.X2And the plus is you would gain more dehumidification with less use of energy.

Go to number 3, 1 & 2 are pretty much useless.

Dehumidify - Air Conditioner & Electric Space Heater FIGHT!

smthbros
Explorer
Dec 10, 2018
pianotuna wrote:

However, cold humid air, raised in temperature becomes warm dry air. Crack a roof vent, and crack a window with an electric heater and humidity can plummet, inside an RV.

I would think your method vs a dehumidifier, would result in humidity reduction in about 1/10 the time and consequently 1/10 the cost. But it is based on my experience only.
valhalla360
Navigator
Dec 10, 2018
I'll leave the dehumidifier debate alone as you've already decided you know better than everyone else.

As far as DampRid and similar products...they help avoid mold in small enclosed areas where there is little airflow or volume. But aren't viable for large spaces. In the main living space you need to remove gallons per day and these generally handle ounces and need to be replaced once used (some can be heated to release the water but don't do it in your oven or you just put the moisture back in the air).
doxiemom11
Explorer II
Dec 10, 2018
We have had times, when its too cool for A/C, but very humid, that we have turned on the furnace and heated the interior to say 80. We then switch to the A/C and cool it back down to 72 or so which removed moisture. We then use an electric heater which helps keep the humidity down because of the blowing air from it ( any air movement helps). We do also use damp rid in the closets or any small enclosed area like under the dinnette seats, or the storage area under the bed.
jharrell
Explorer
Dec 09, 2018
coolmom42 wrote:
A dehumidifier will remove humidity and also generates a fair amount of heat which will make the AC run some, too.

In the winter that's what you want, a dehumidifier is also an electric heater, all the electrical power going into it turns into heat.

An air conditioner exhausts that heat outside along with a bunch it pulled out of your inside air making it colder, which now must be put back in by another heater, extremely inefficient.
coolmom42
Explorer II
Dec 09, 2018
Sounds like a good idea if you don't want to invest in a separate dehumidifier (or haul it around.)

What you are doing is making the AC run by heating up the trailer inside, which it otherwise wouldn't be doing, and that removes the humidity.

A dehumidifier will remove humidity and also generates a fair amount of heat which will make the AC run some, too.
jharrell
Explorer
Dec 09, 2018
Wouldn't it be great if RV A/C's had a dehumidify mode where they somehow ran the indoor output air over the outside coils to recapture the heat? Some sort of baffling system, probably too complicated but they would make great dehumidfiers already ducted with proper draining.

Have thought about putting the smallest ducted whole house dehumidifier I could find in one of the basement compartments like this one: https://www.amazon.com/Aprilaire-1830-Pint-Whole-Dehumidifier/dp/B00ITE09ZA pricey though.

Wish someone would make a smaller ducted dehumidifer for RV's that wouldn't break the bank, hate to lose the space with a floor standing one and the little peltier ones don't pull enough pints.
Lynnmor
Explorer
Dec 09, 2018
wildtoad wrote:
Swap your AC only unit for a heat pump. Both operations remove water.

I think you will find that the heating mode removes water from outside air.
wildtoad
Explorer II
Dec 09, 2018
Swap your AC only unit for a heat pump. Both operations remove water.
pianotuna
Nomad III
Dec 09, 2018
I've often used a heater plus roof air in the summer time.

Where it gets a bit tricky is when outdoor temperatures are in the -20 C (-4 f) range. The roof air no longer want to run at those temperatures.

However, cold humid air, raised in temperature becomes warm dry air. Crack a roof vent, and crack a window with an electric heater and humidity can plummet, inside an RV.
ktmrfs
Explorer II
Dec 09, 2018
smthbros wrote:
DownTheAvenue wrote:
bid_time wrote:
Just buy a dehumifier. Plug it in, turn the dial to the desired level, done - problem solved.

X2

And the plus is you would gain more dehumidification with less use of energy.

I have doubt about this claim of using less energy, but have not performed the calculations. Have you?

well, in our case the dehumidifier draws about 300W and will pull as much as 10 gallons of water out of the air each day if needed. worst case we only need to run it at night and maybe a few hours during the day. Most of the time running it for a few hours in the morning then again for a few hours in the afternoon is more than adequate.

so worst power draw is about the same as running the AC for a few hours. or a heater for a few hours. Typically like running the AC OR heater for an hour. and it works in the background, no need to fuss about heater vs AC, and it's convienient, worth something.