Humidity

[Photolomy]

What do most of you in the south do for humidity? The flakes (DampRid etc.) or dehumidifiers? I know some just run the AC, but I am not on the boat all the time. I am leaning towards DampRid for now, because I don't have to stow a pair of dehumidifiers, but if that isn't enough I will just get the dehumidifiers.

[q240z]

When I'm not on my Commander 42, I leave V-berth portholes and the screened portion of the salon door open. If it's hot, I put a solar fan on the door. I also leave cabinets open. I've never used the chemical dehumidifiers.

[wpc691]

I keep a big dehumidifier running in the salon and small fans running in the V-berth and aft cabin. The dehumidifier produces an amazing amount of water every day. Have never had any problem with mold or mildew. I think you would need a really big pile of crystals to equal a dehumidifier.

[kingsley_oasis]

I live on the boat when not traveling for work, so most weekends at boat.
I fought the same humidity issue here in NE Florida. Then found out that my SMX controllers have a dehumidify setting. Its been a while but believe they cycle on every 12 hours for 30 minutes. So now I leave three stateroom units in HU mode when gone. Mold and damp issues gone. Is there a risk. Yes. But keep the boat maintained and it is minimal.

[Westfield 11]

It takes a month for the big Damp-Rid to pull a gallon of water out of the air. Our dehumidifiers do that in a day..... which do you want to use to protect your boat?

[Photolomy]

Thanks, it sounds like dehumidifier is the answer. I don't have the digital controls on the AC (yet), but when I get them I wouldn't have an issue with the units running only 60 minutes a day.

[rustybucket]

I installed solar vent exhaust fans in 2 of our overhead hatches one port, one starboard. They run pretty much all day and have done a phenomenal job at keeping the boat much fresher smelling/feeling. I opted for cheaper versions off amazon, think they were $70/ea but when they bite the dust I'll go for the higher end versions. I'm REALLY impressed with how much better smelling the boat is when we leave her shut up for a couple weeks in the summer.

I had tried damp rid and other stuff in the past without much success. The damp rid cannisters are kinda a pita, especially if you leave the dock without securing one and spill it everywhere....

[Reefgeorge]

I know that this is more than most people will want to tackle but it shows what is possible. I did all this because of my wife’s asthma and my mold allergy:

Sealed all HVAC returns from intake to evaporator.

Put filters on all intakes

Put temp sensors in the cabin space away from the evap coils

Set the evap fans on intermittent (fans only with compressor)

Lowered fan speed (don’t go too low or coils freeze up)

Set temps around 80F (with low humidity temps can be higher due to evaporative cooling).

The result is 3X% humidity and air as clean and comfortable as the house. Extremely comfortable and zero mold problems.

George

[racclarkson@gmail.com]

Run one squirrel cage blower in ER and another one below decks 24/7. No condensation anywhere and no mold mildew issues inside the boat.

[Reefgeorge]

Run one squirrel cage blower in ER and another one below decks 24/7. No condensation anywhere and no mold mildew issues inside the boat.

Is this moving air around (std ceiling mount engine room cooling fan style) or pushing out (std ER blower fan)?

I still get some mildew in the ER.

George