We recently bought a QS 8.1 and have taken it out 3 times. Love it! This last trip was over the Christmas break and it was a bit chilly down here in Austin...35° at night. We had our Big Buddy LPG heater so we were warm but did get some significant condensation.
My question is what dehumidifiers would y'all recommend? I'd really like to not have to worry about an electrical unit as we plan on doing some boon-docking. Are there any good options?
I know to vent fresh air in at the bottom and warm, moist air out at the top to reduce vapor, but would like to have a dehumidifier as well.
Do the "rechargeable" bead units work? If so, would they work fast? What about a DC powered unit? Too much draw off the battery?
Thanks in advance!
Welcome to the LL forum!
We have an electric & non-electric DE-humidifier.
This is the non-electric one we use & it works fine:
http://www.campingworld.com/shopping/item/dri-z-air/4735
[quote timestamp="1420867936" source="/post/5929/thread" author="@redatx"] Big Buddy LPG heater so we were warm but did get some significant condensation.
[/quote]My layman's understanding of the by products from burning propane are some combination of water, carbon dioxide (co2) and carbon monoxide (co, poisonous) . Many people think cause you can safely use a heater like the big buddy or a wall mounted un-vented propane heater that propane doesn't produce carbon monoxide. But that's not true. For instance if you were to use your stove (cooking/range) for heat, poisonous co would build up inside your camper. The reason the big buddy does not produce co is cause the stones are designed to concentrate the heat into one spot so that the propane is burned more completely. (or my assumption anyways) I also read somewhere the stones have platinum in them similar to the catalytic converters in your car. Which for reasons I don't understand reduce co output to almost zero. (and why you should cover your big buddy when in storage so stones don't collect dust on them) But they (big buddies and the likes) still produce C02 and water. Allot! And that's probably to a large degree your problem with humidity. You might want to look into a vented wood burning stove designed for tent's and campers. And also a good co detector with a digital readout. (dirt cheap & at almost any hardware store) Ones in your camper probably don't trigger until they reach 200 to 400 parts per million. Where as the digital ones start reading at 30 parts per million.
Another suggestion is to only use the big buddy when your awake. Carry lot's of heavy blankets and sleeping bags, crack your vents, and just let the temperature drop at night while your sleeping. That way your not producing any moisture and everything will hopefully dry out some from all the use during the day.
I probably should not have said your not producing any moisture. You can create a substantial amount just from breathing. And why you would optimally want to crack some vents. And if you go the route of not heating at night wear a hooded sweater to keep your head warm. It's amazing how easy it is to stay warm with the right gear. I was in Lead, South Dakota 2 weeks ago and the inside of my camper dropped to zero. I was comfortable until I got out from underneath my covers. Outside of my blankets were covered with a small a layer of frost as was a lot of panels in my camper. I suspect some of this was from my breath.
1. The beads work, but very slowly. They won't keep up with the moisture you put into the air. If you have other passengers and dogs, it is only that much worse. DryZAire is for storage only.
2. H2O is a major output of propane combustion. It is for this reason that cooks and chefs prefer charcoal over propane for grilling, etc.
3. If you use a propane heater or furnace, including "vent free" and "catalytic", you can still be in mortal danger. CO is toxic. But in an enclosed, unvented space, such heaters (including the Buddy series) can easily and quickly consume all the oxygen, replacing it with "non-toxic" C02. But there's no oxygen to breathe, and you still die. Always have a window cracked, so there is oxygen supplied for the heater to burn, and for you to breathe.
Quote from: @pinstriper" source="/post/6351/thread" timestamp="14227581721. The beads work, but very slowly. They won't keep up with the moisture you put into the air. If you have other passengers and dogs, it is only that much worse. DryZAire is for storage only.
2. H2O is a major output of propane combustion. It is for this reason that cooks and chefs prefer charcoal over propane for grilling, etc.
3. If you use a propane heater or furnace, including "vent free" and "catalytic", you can still be in mortal danger. CO is toxic. But in an enclosed, unvented space, such heaters (including the Buddy series) can easily and quickly consume all the oxygen, replacing it with "non-toxic" C02. But there's no oxygen to breathe, and you still die. Always have a window cracked, so there is oxygen supplied for the heater to burn, and for you to breathe.
Big buddies are equipped with an oxygen sensor and will shut down provided it's working properly. I still would crack the windows as an added measure. I only use mine for backup and to heat the bathroom while I'm showering. I never liked the idea of breathing the by products. You have to assume that the propane has no other toxic materials in it (been contaminated somehow). That might not be safe even after it's been incinerated. Probably isn't an issue but I prefer not to take the chance. I would always use a good co detector with a digital display. Just in case it looses it's efficiency somehow and starts producing C0. Home depot has little battery powered wand type propane detectors you can wave around the fittings to make sure it's not leaking. (brasscraft safety+plus portable gas leak detector) detector) Probably something anyone who uses gas appliances should have. It's only 30 bucks.