De-humidifer products for winter

[DBA Forum (B) - Stan Hammond]

Does anyone use the portable type, non-machine de-humidifiers with the absorbent material in refillable bags you can buy? They are the type that H2O apparently uses in winterising that we found on the boat when we got here this spring. They are in blue rectangular containers that end up filled with sticky liquid.

We have purchased some of a similar type but the directions seem to suggest they are only good for about 2 months. We will be gone 6 months, and our hivernage doesn't have an actual marina or captainerie over the winter months.

I'm wondering if others use this type product and have any suggestions. Is it useful? Will it last for more than 2 months? Will it just stop working or would it eventually overflow the container?

Anything else anyone knows about that would be helpful in discouraging too much moisture and mold or mildew? Previous owners left little pats that looked something liked dried dough all over the place but I couldn't see that they did anything. Of course - there was no mold or mildew, so maybe I am wrong. Any idea what that might have been.

I did search the Forum as best I could but couldn't find this anywhere.

Thanks in advance.

sharon hammond
Encore

[DBA Forum (B) - David Priest]

Sharon,

I've used these 'absorbent deshumidifiers' for some 14 or 15 years. Our
current boat is a 20 m x 4,6m tjalk that we have wintered in Burgundy
since buying it in 2009. We usually leave her toward the end of
August/early September and return about the following May so we are away
about 8 or 9 months. I put out about 6 of the 1kg deliquescent bags
scattered through the boat. I actually don't know how long they last
before turning completely to liquid but, on return, we've generally
found the interior of the boat in reasonable condition. I don't think
there is any particular 'life span' to these deshumidifiers. They will
keep pulling moisture out of the air as long as there are deliquescent
crystals there to do so, so, for any given degree of humidity, the
greater the amount of crystals the longer they will work. The 'blue'
containers that come in the package with the crystals match in capacity
the moisture that the pack of crystals draw from the air so don't try
and use a smaller container or put two packs on one container or you'll
have a sticky puddle on the floor when you return.

Regards,

David Priest
'Corita' currently wintering in the Old Lock at St Jean de Losne

Post by DBA Forum (B) - Stan Hammond
Does anyone use the portable type, non-machine de-humidifiers with the absorbent material in refillable bags you can buy? They are the type that H2O apparently uses in winterising that we found on the boat when we got here this spring. They are in blue rectangular containers that end up filled with sticky liquid.

[DBA Forum (B) - Chris Green]

Post by DBA Forum (B) - Stan Hammond
Anything else anyone knows about that would be helpful in discouraging
too much moisture and mold or mildew? Previous owners left little pats
that looked something liked dried dough all over the place but I couldn't
see that they did anything. Of course - there was no mold or mildew, so
maybe I am wrong. Any idea what that might have been.

We use one of the little Peltier effect dehumidiiers on our 14 metre
boat, it certainly collects quite a lot of water though whether it
collects enough is difficult to tell.

It's similar to this one:- http://www.reliantdirect.co.uk/HOME/Product-Detail/Aqua-Midi-De-Humidifier_D3812.htm?LGWCODE=11106;58699;3681&gclid=CL-fkorauMACFabMtAodsnYASQ

I don't believe it uses the quoted 75 watts though, it runs from a
little 12 volt wall wart power supply so I doubt if it uses as much as
20 watts.

[DBA Forum (B) - Peter Cawson]

Calcium Chloride is the stuff in moisture absorbant chrystaline form eg http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B004D4LNUA/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I'm sure you can buy the containers designed for the job, but a plastic container supporting the crystals in a coarse sieve would do just as well.

I loaded mine in late September last year with about half of one of these 2.5 kg bags and left them in my cabins at each end of the boat. All external appertures (windows, doors, vents) were fully closed and curtains closed, but internal doors left open unless you have buckets for every room. Halfway through the winter, I asked someone to check on them and to top up if necessary. My 15 m boat got through 3 to 4 Kg of crystals over the winter with no signs of damp.

Peter

[DBA Forum (B) - Mark Hughes]

We always use the ones from Aldi. Usually in store October time. They sell the containers and refills at a good price.

[DBA Forum (B) - Mark Hughes]

Re read the original post. Ours last the winter OK. We usually winterise late October/November until March/April and always come back to dry boat. We use plenty and find they work well.

[DBA Forum (B) - Mark Hattersley]

we use the £1 units from ASDA or other, place about 10 around the boat, we leave her for 7 months, the units are always full of water when we return but we have never had any damp or mould issues, I highly recommend them

[DBA Forum (B) - Pete. Milne]

Are dehumidifiers necessary? If they're present, they'll certainly take water out of the air, so appear to 'work' but was there really a problem?

The first winter we left the boat, we put most clothes and bedding in poly bags or boxes with sachets of silica gel. We left some as they hung or lay in cupboards as a control. There were no mould problems with the latter so ever since we've just left everything as is. Our heated winter flat in the UK however gets lots of damp problems with condensation from naff double-glazing. That needs the dehumidifier(s)!

We only get damp on the boat when we're living on it in the winter: Single-glazing + cooking &/ bodies = condensation. A sponge deals with it.


Pete

[DBA Forum (B) - Colin Stone]

I've never used DH kit. Once the vessel is sealed with no breathing and cooking inside, humidity should not be a problem.

Our open salt cellar, Sodium Chloride and not so different to Calcium Chloride, remains a dry powder Nov to Mar.

Colin Stone
KEI

Sent via BlackBerry® BIS

[DBA Forum (B) - David Oare]

Just to add to what Colin said, last winter we configured our mains dehumidifier to run off of a shore only circuit and to collect the water into a container in the kitchen sink where the overflow would drain overboard. Water was collected for about 24 hrs after we left and the barge cooled. After that there was no significant amount of water collected and the dehumidifier was shut off for rest of the winter. Once you get the inside of the barge dry and cool it stays dry.