Off-season storage & condensation

[TimC]

I read the recent condensation post with interest. So not to hijack that post about condensation, which has a good bit of in-season condensation defense suggestions, I thought I would start this one about off-season condensation issues. My TD is insulated, floor, ceiling and walls. When in use my ventilation fans change the cabin air either every four minutes or every two minutes depending on whether I have one fan or both running. I made sure to air it out after every trip even though I have never had condensation issues in use. I have a piece of indoor/outdoor carpeting over the floor (loose fit, not glued down). On top of that is a six inch memory foam mattress, wall to wall.

Should I be concerned about condensation during storage? The trailer is under cover with an occasional dusting of snow landing on horizontal surfaces. Weather extremes will likely be as cold as -20 degrees F; the average winter temp is probably in the 20s. I remember some folks mentioning that they prop their mattress up off the floor to provide air movement. That would be easy to do with a few pieces of 1 1/2" pvc pipe I have laying around. What do experienced cold climate TDers do to fight the condensation?

[jonw]

I seal it up and put a container of DampRid out on a shelf. When I haven't done that I've had problems with mold.

[tony.latham]

I don't have a problem with winter condensation. It's probably 15ºF and dark as a black dog out there right now.



Tony

[Shadow Catcher]

I picked up a couple of silica gel dehumidifiers with built in heaters to dry them out once they have reached saturation. The gel turns pink dries to blue.
What this taught me is how much moisture there is, A LOT except in a northern winter.
One of my concerns was the hazards of dealing with calcium chloride (Damp Rid) [minor but there].

[lfhoward]

My solution has been to open the roof vent, slightly crack open the windows (1" is enough), and run an electric space heater in there on a low setting for a couple of days. The convective heat not only reduced humidity but dried out wooden interior boards that had swelled as they had taken on moisture from the air. Doing this every so often has kept the trailer smelling nice inside and kept wooden doors from sticking.

[bbrider]

I bought an ivation dehumidifier that holds something like two pints of water when it is full. I also added the silica canisters with the built in heater to recharge them as well. Here in Louisiana we have had all kinds of wet cold, wet hot, and everything between. I have been in and out of my wee-go adding bits and pieces to make it better. It is sealed tight otherwise. My humidity gauge sometimes shows high and sometimes shows low. I dump a couple of coups of water out of my dehumidifier once a week too. The inside always feels dry regardless of what the gauge says. I have been watching it and have noticed it only reads high when the temps go up outside. My wee-go is solid built 3/4" ply with no insulation. As I posted on the other thread you referenced, I only have condensation when we are camping in the cold so far.

[TimC]

Thanks all for the responses. I guess I will not worry too much about it as it lives in a fairly "dry" climate and when in use I make sure to run at least one fan and air it out afterwards. I have been camping in down to about 40 deg F on Lake Superior and noticed no condensation. I always leave a window cracked with the fan going and have been very comfortable.