Using a dehumidifier

As my garage door gives only a 1.80 height I cannot put my camper in there without alteration of the entrance and probably suspension lowered. Therefore I will have to park in my driveway and have a cover over it during any long non use period.
My question is will the cover increase humidity levels and therefore amounts of moisture inside the camper? As moisture seems to be the No 1 enemy I was thinking that it may be useful to use a domestic dehumidifier in the camper during the winter. Will the device attract the moisture away from the roof lining and interior panels and put them safely in the water container of the dehumidifier? Or would the difference be so marginal as to be a waste of time and money?
I would be grateful for any advice, ether scientific or from experience to help me make a decision


Thanks in advance

There has been much talk on the forum about both the use of dehumidifiers and of covers.

While a dehumidifier is generally regarded as a good idea, spending lots of money on one may not be worthwhile.

Covers are a different ball game. While all/most will protect your pride and joy from the elements, unless the cover is 'breathable' it may create additional moisture between the cover and the camper thus defeating the object.

The bigger concern however is the cover causing damage to paintwork if incorrectly fitted or if it's loose fitting generally.

Personally, we don't have a cover and Tallulah stays outside in all weathers. We just make sure she's cleaned and waxed regularly. Others do use covers with some success.

I previously investigated Pro-Tec covers and have a sample of their unique three layer material somewhere. It looked very good and had a soft 'velvety' underside which I doubt would cause any damage, but I don't believe they have a template for a BraziBay and they are quite expensive.

I use a danbury cover and a dehumidier as this keeps the damp away inside when not using the camper for longer periods . I also plug it into mains and a battery conditioner on the vehicle battery itself. This way it's all ready to go whenever we want to jump in it

I never cease to be amazed how quickly people reply to posts on this forum. Thanks again for the info. I did search for previous posts on the subject and noticed one stated that the electrical dehumidifiers are not effective below 15 degrees. As the camper will be outside and temperature in Winter will nearly always below that perhaps chemical dehumidifier would be more effective. I use them regularly in my caravan as it is in a storage facility some miles away from me and no simple access to electricity. But since the year 2000 on wards the 3 caravans I have had since  collected virtually no moisture at all even after 4 months non use. I assume this  to be due to better insulation techniques of later model caravans. This is probably not something a Brazilian bay could claim. However would it be better to go for electrical or chemical device?

We keep Absinthe outside uncovered all winter, with a battery conditioner connected and the EHU plugged into the mains. We have a thermostatically controlled fan heater in her as well so if the temperature drops it prevents things getting too cold.

AbsintheKombi wrote:

We keep Absinthe outside uncovered all winter, with a battery conditioner connected and the EHU plugged into the mains. We have a thermostatically controlled fan heater in her as well so if the temperature drops it prevents things getting too cold.

Ah yes I forgot about our radiator.

If/when Tallulah is not being used, she gets parked up beside our house (no cover) with EHU attached - I turn off the battery charger after a few days to avoid boiling the battery - and we plug in our oil radiator with the thermostat down low. As Abs says, this just helps keeps the chill off.

Occasionally we have friends/family to stay so if we run out of space in the house we crank up the thermostat and switch on the electric under blanket too, but keep the roof down as this is by far the highest heat loss area.

Scooby is outside all year - free range if you will - he seems to like the freedom!
We use two of the following dehumidifier bags in the winter - seems to help.

Pingi

I have kept Dizzy outside for 5 years, in all weathers and without a cover. One of my first purchases was wind deflectors for the top of the windows. My reason was that it meant I could drive in the rain with the windows down slightly and still get fresh air.

I tend to leave the windows down an inch, and the air can still circulate, but the gap is covered by the deflector.

I don't know if this is the reason, but I've never had any trouble with mould or condensation.





http://www.justkampers.com/cab-rain-and-wind-deflectors-vw-t2-bay-1967-1979-and-brazilian-bay.html

They are easy to fit (with care) without drilling, and have stayed in place for the whole time.

DL - how do you fit them?

Around the edge there is a thin piece of the moulding Abs (almost razor sharp). This pushes in between the window frame, (the hard black bit) and the outside surface of the 'furry' bit the window slides in.

The reason I said with care was that these plastic edges were very thin, and the gap you push it into was quite tight. I ran round the gap with a thin paint scraper to make sure the deflector would slide in easily, as I was worried the plastic would break as I pushed it in.

I think some were worried about it falling out, and used a small amount of glue, but to be honest mine haven't budged at all in five years.

I might investigate fitting some of those.