Condensation control in spring/fall

[Shane826]

When I put my TM away for the winter there is no getting in or around it until spring. Would you leave the battery disconnected to keep the converter from drying the battery in that situation?

[tentcamper]

I would disconnect the battery. I would take it out and store it where I could every few months charge it for 24 hrs.

[Larryjb]

Originally Posted by Shane826

When I put my TM away for the winter there is no getting in or around it until spring. Would you leave the battery disconnected to keep the converter from drying the battery in that situation?

I was just wondering that myself. I can run power to the TM, but I like to disconnect the battery. Would plugging in the TM to 120V with the battery disconnected work? Would it be hard on the converter? I could always run power directly to the dehumidifier.

I'm probably going to pull the trigger on the Ivation IVADM55. However, I'm thinking I probably want to run a small heater to warm the air and maintain the trailer temperature at about 10°C (55°F). Of course, now that I'm talking about a heater, I also have to consider fire safety.

EDIT: I just remembered I cannot keep the TM plugged in when it is closed up. I'll have to feed a power cord directly to the dehumidifier and heater.

[Bill]

Originally Posted by Shane826

Would you leave the battery disconnected to keep the converter from drying the battery in that situation?

That's a good question, Shane. I can think of several ways to handle this.

It wouldn't be hard to snake an extension cord into the interior, and plug the humidifier directly into that cord. The TM electric system (converter, outlets, etc) would not be powered up through this cord, so you could do whatever you want with the battery.

My personal choice would be snake the cord in and power up the dehumidifier. Then leave the battery in place, but disconnect it from the TM. Connect a small smart charger to it, such as the Battery Tender Jr. or one of the small SMART chargers mentioned in this thread

http://www.trailmanorowners.com/foru...ad.php?t=18726

Removing the battery from the TM and putting a small smart battery maintainer on it while the battery is in storage would also be a good solution. I just hate lifting that heavy battery out of the back compartment on my 2720SL.

I've never been a real fan of the approach that says "leave the battery hooked up to the converter, and plug the TM in for a couple hours each month". Just too inexact. But a lot of folks swear by it.

Hope this helps.

Bill

[Bill]

Originally Posted by Larryjb

I was just wondering that myself. I can run power to the TM, but I like to disconnect the battery. Would plugging in the TM to 120V with the battery disconnected work? Would it be hard on the converter? I could always run power directly to the dehumidifier.

I'm probably going to pull the trigger on the Ivation IVADM55. However, I'm thinking I probably want to run a small heater to warm the air and maintain the trailer temperature at about 10°C (55°F). Of course, now that I'm talking about a heater, I also have to consider fire safety.

EDIT: I just remembered I cannot keep the TM plugged in when it is closed up. I'll have to feed a power cord directly to the dehumidifier and heater.

Larry -

Yes, you could power up the TM with the battery disconnected. I don't think anything would be affected. The converter doesn't care - and of course you could snap off the circuit breaker that feeds it.

That IVATION dehumidifier looks nice. I would question the claim that it is more energy-efficient than a conventional dehumidifier (thermo-electric devices are notoriously inefficient), but that is no big deal. There are also much less expensive dehumidifiers, of course. Walmart has a small thermo-electric unit for $33, instead of $120.

If you store the TM in an area that is subject to freezing, you could buy a small heater as you suggest. Like you, I would be worried about fire. Or you could buy a thermal switch to simply shut off the dehumidifier when the temperature drops too low. No need to dehumidify when the temp is below freezing.

By the way, why can't you power up the TM when it is closed? It is easy to pull the power cord out before you close it. Just my thought.

Bill

[Larryjb]

Originally Posted by Bill

...
http://www.trailmanorowners.com/foru...ad.php?t=18726



Bill

I get the message "invalid thread- please contact administrator"

[Bill]

Larry -

See those dots in the middle of the link? The forum software substitutes them for some of the real info, to make long links look nice. Then, when you click on the link, the software puts the real info back. On the other hand, if you copy the link as it appears in the post, you copy the dots, not the real information. If you then paste the copy into something (like a browser), you put in the dots because the real info isn't there. Naturally this doesn't work.

So did you click directly on the link in my post? Or did you copy and paste it?

Bill

[Larryjb]

Originally Posted by Bill

Larry -

Yes, you could power up the TM with the battery disconnected. I don't think anything would be affected. The converter doesn't care - and of course you could snap off the circuit breaker that feeds it.

That IVATION dehumidifier looks nice. I would question the claim that it is more energy-efficient than a conventional dehumidifier (thermoelectric devices are notoriously inefficient), but that is no big deal.

If you store the TM in an area that is subject to freezing, you could buy a small heater as you suggest. Like you, I would be worried about fire. Or you could buy a thermal switch to simply shut off the dehumidifier when the temperature drops too low. No need to dehumidify when the temp is below freezing.

By the way, why can't you power up the TM when it is closed? It is easy to pull the power cord out before you close it. Just my thought.

Bill

1) You're quite right that the thermoelectric devices aren't all that efficient. But, rated in the 80 Watt range, they will use less energy than a compressor type dehumidifier as long as I'm not trying to drop the humidity below a certain amount. Using a heater may unravel all my power savings though.

Perhaps I can plug the dehumidifier to the trailer plug and pull the plug during the coldest times. Then use a separate extension cord to power the heater so I can use the heater during the 0-5°C temperatures.

2) I thought about shutting the dehumidifier off when the temperatures get below 5°C. However, that's when I'll get the most condensation. The moisture won't be in the air, as you say, but it could very well be in the form of condensation. However, if the dehumidifier was keeping the humidity low beforehand, there wouldn't be much humidity to begin with. The other thing to consider is that warming the air in the TM might help the dehumidifier remove moisture more effectively.

3) I forgot that, yes, it is possible to plug in the TM when closed. You just have to pull the plug out before closing the TM. Just remember to close the plastic cover before closing the TM. I almost lost it once!

[Larryjb]

Bill,

I'm clicking directly on it, I tried right clicking and opening in a new tab. Neither worked.

[Bill]

I'm not sure what to say. It works perfectly for me. Anybody else able/unable to click the link successfully?

Larry, when you click the link, the full link address should show in your browser's address bar. Can you confirm that the dots are NOT there? Try this abbreviated version of the link.

trailmanorowners.com/forum/showthread.php?t=18726

Note that without the www prefix, the forum software does not recognize this as a link, so it doesn't shorten it with dots. You will need to copy and paste this abbreviated version into your browser's address bar. What browser are you using?

Bill