Use dehumidify mode or reverse cycle heat

[psneeld]

How do you get over the anxiety of having a running pump that is open to sea while you are away?? We have thought about having two of our four heaters run while we are gone too, but I can't force myself to get over this mental hurdle.

(BTW we made it to Manteo and are in the slip right next to the T-head where you were all those years ago )

I have that same anxiety to a point and mine are brand new with new plumbing.

I posted a thought of having a float switch or two be able to cut off the AC power to the ac units or even just the pump.

RickB sent me a link to a relay he thought would be suitable and thought the idea was fine.

I haven't done it yet, but is probably a next summer project.

 

[Larry M]

When we leave Hobo in the summer (Jacksonville, FL), we have an Eva Dry EDV 2200 in the galley which drains into the sink. The specs say it will remove about 20.5oz of water per day (at 86° F), We also leave 2 Hella fans running down below to keep air moving. Last summer we were gone from Mid June to September 1. We had no mold or mildew when came back and the boat smelled fine.

 

[psneeld]

When we leave Hobo in the summer (Jacksonville, FL), we have an Eva Dry EDV 2200 in the galley which drains into the sink. The specs say it will remove about 20.5oz of water per day (at 86° F), We also leave 2 Hella fans running down below to keep air moving. Last summer we were gone from Mid June to September 1. We had no mold or mildew when came back and the boat smelled fine.

It's nice that your boat can be kept that way, that easily. Great for liveaboards.

Unfortunately part of smell, mildew, humidity control, etc is very dependent on boat design.

The bottom line is how tight different spaces are...including ventilation into cabinets, etc and how the air moves through the whole boat.

My sportfish had the decks built up off the stringers allowing air to circulate through much of the boat. The Sea Rays I worked on or ran were tighter than drums for the most part and the expresses due to darker interiors would develope mildew seemingly the minute you closed them up.

So whatever it takes for your boat to stay dry, ya gotta do.....or pay the piper.

But just adding humidity control, without its capability to exceed the ability for humid air to replace it seems like it would just frustrate me. So without having a pretty good idea what methods I used could really do, I would be looking for overkill on several levels.

 

[ktdtx]

My boat is shrink wrapped for the winter and I also am using the Eva-Dry dehumidifiers.
https://www.eva-dry.com/dehumidifiers/eva-dry-2200-electric-dehumidifier/

I have 3-one in galley, one in each head. I drilled hole near bottom of removable tank and glued in some PVC so it auto drains into the sinks.

This past summer I had some moisture problems and I got a little too irritated and went with some overkill. Bought the only dehumidifier in whatever town we were in (house size)..a little large for the boat but in a couple hours I can get the humidity down to 50%. I have it in the master cabin. I would run it when on shore power or generator. Solved the problem.

 

[evansrr]

I found that the simplest solution was to put several small Damp Rid containers in different areas of the boat and a Damp Rid bucket in the engine room. I figured it was worth a try as a first step but it worked so well that I have stuck with it for three years now.

 

[LarryM]

Last year I was fighting a moisture problem on my trawler Boomarang. I tried solar ventilators, dehumidify mode on the A/C and finally simply leaving the A/C running, which worked the best, but with all of the risks and expenses of running it continuously.

I started looking for dehumidifiers and came across a used Mermaid Dry-Pal Marine Dehumidifier on Ebay. It was local so I was able to see it in action, and bought it on the spot. These are expensive units at around $700 from Mermaid. They are heavy, and the fans are somewhat noisy, but they are effective and built to last a lifetime. Boomarang was instantly dry and sweet-smelling inside.

My new boat has even more humidity issues, it seemed to be raining inside on some days, water dripping off the aluminum window frames and hatches when the weather changed. I moved the Dry-Pal to the new boat and voila, bone dry inside. I am going to build it in permanently under a settee seat and wire it to a dedicated breaker. It consumes only a third of the current of A/C and has no pumps, etc. to fail or wear out.

Just my $.02, but I like it.

 

[JDCAVE]

We use a 28 pint Garrison dehumidifier. Works very well but it isn't necessary this time of year since it is so cold out. Your situation in Florida would be different. If you take air from outside and raise it 20 degrees the % humidity drops. Here's a useful calculator:
http://www.richard-stanton.com/humidity-calculator/
Jim

 

[Capt.Bill11]

How do you get over the anxiety of having a running pump that is open to sea while you are away??

Single malt and Xanax.

Or, high water alarms, good plumbing and the knowledge that there are other things more important to worry about.

 

[Ka_sea_ta]

We use a compressor driven de-humidifier , but on a timer so it runs about 3 hours a day.... A friend of mine with a similar boat ran his 24/7. it dried out boat enough that the wood shrunk around the windows and they started leaking...

 

[dhays]

We use a compressor driven de-humidifier , but on a timer so it runs about 3 hours a day.... A friend of mine with a similar boat ran his 24/7. it dried out boat enough that the wood shrunk around the windows and they started leaking...

Good point. Do NOT use a dehumidifier in a wood boat.

 

[Ski in NC]

Or if you do, get one that controls at a set RH level and don't set it too low.

 

[Baker]

I had a sailboat that had a "Dry Air Systems" unit mounted in a locker with a dedicated drain out of a(above waterline) thru hull. Those have the ability to set a desired RH. It was my first "big boat" and was full of interior teak. I used to worry that it would dry out the interior wood. Anyway, it was damn slick as it was totally out of sight and pretty much automatic when plugged into shore power.

 

[seasalt007]

Someone should jump on this Dry Air Systems unit on Craig's List.

Dehumidifier (MarineStainless Steel)

I bought one like this in 1995 for about $350 and it is still going strong.

 

[Baker]

Someone should jump on this Dry Air Systems unit on Craig's List.

Dehumidifier (MarineStainless Steel)

I bought one like this in 1995 for about $350 and it is still going strong.

That's the one!!!! Very nice unit!!!!