Vehicle dehumidifier - recommendations

[Maverik]

Hi folks,

Does anyone have any experience with any moisture removal in vehicles, either mini dehumidifier or silica bags?

Cheers

Mav

[monkie]

I have in the past with the silica bags that can be recharged, but with only moderate success both in my 110 and my wife's car. They did take up moisture but I think I wasnt using enough of them. 

[reb78]

I tried silica bags... they are long gone. Waste of time. Far too much water in a 110 - wet winter, soggy carpets etc... you would need to fill it with silica! When it got really bad I used to keep a proper dehumidifier in the back an run it at night via an extension lead. Curing leaks always helps too

[monkie]

41 minutes ago, reb78 said:

Curing leaks always helps too

Let me know when you find a way to do this in a Defender! 

If water isn't entering significantly, leaving the windows open slightly to aid ventilation does much more than a load of silica bags in my experience 

[SteveG]

A dehumidifier is better, but you can also use a fan heater. Once you’ve got it dry, the best thing to do is to use it daily. It’s infrequent use that causes most of the issues and allows the moisture to build up to a level that it’s a problem. 
 

[Nonimouse]

I use Ansio dehumidifier traps

 

 

[elbekko]

I bought a dehumidifier to use in the car, but honestly it's just constantly running in the basement now because it does a much better job there. The main issue is it can't really pull moisture out of the carpets and such, only out of the air. But it does work a treat to stop more from building up.

Just remembered, last time I used it in the car I chucked an electric heater in there with it, that seemed to work a lot better to get moisture out of the carpets.

Edited January 6, 2022 by elbekko

[geoffbeaumont]

Dehumidifiers don't work well at low temperatures (particularly compressor type), and even if you dry the air you won't get a great deal of evaporation from a cold carpet. A combination of dehumidifier and heater should do a good job of getting things dry in the first place (aiming it's not leaving in faster than you can dry it). In the winter, if you can only run one go for the heater - ideally with some ventilation too.

[Mo Murphy]

Or better still, chuck the water holding carpets. They have no place in a Land Rover of any kind 😬

Mo

[Nonimouse]

30 minutes ago, Mo Murphy said:

Or better still, chuck the water holding carpets. They have no place in a Land Rover of any kind 😬

Mo

Amen to that Father Moseph

[Mo Murphy]

Blessed are the rubber mats.

Mo

[miketomcat]

I have some experience of removing moisture. We bag entire boats with industrial dehumidifiers inside. The current record at work is 270 litres out of a 33ft wooden power boat (there was no standing water, carpets or owners gear in it). We used to use house hold dehumidifiers but needed 6, they worked well but emptying them was a pain hence the switch to 2 industrial. You need both heat and air movement to be effective and the collected water needs to be removed regularly. Best you can do in a landy is get it dry (as above) then keep it dry with the crystal and trap type.

Mike

[cackshifter]

We have the Climair shields, and though I do have aesthetic reservations, they are practical, inasmuch as you can leave windows down a bit with no chance of rain getting in if you have parked somewhere secure.

[landroversforever]

I've used a couple of different types in cars, the bean bag style and the plastic box type with silica stuff in the top and a lower tray for the water. 

The bags work well, but you have to be religious at taking them inside and drying them out. Bigger the better! Used them in the parent's run around (with a leaky boot) and they work a treat. 

The other kind also work well... but if it's properly wet in there needs opening up and draining regularly. 

Both work, both need a bit of time and effort and neither like the cold. 

[smallfry]

As said, compressor type do not work well unless its warm, at least 18 degrees C. Will not work outside at this time of year.

I had a desiccant type which work better at low temperature, but it caught alight in our cabin and nearly burnt it down. Would NOT have another, although to be fair, it probably ingested a lot of dust.

Tried the beanbag things years ago, but you would need a lot of them and keep drying them out, and its a right fag.

What about one of those tubular greenhouse heaters. SWMBO puts one in her Jimny when frost is forecast. Jimny isnt damp, but it might help. 

[HoSS]

Having had this in a few vehicles, the primary solution is always to stop the water getting in. Look at door & window seals.

Then for minor removal - aircon. Run that with the heater and you have a dehumidifier.

[bishbosh]

What is this people talk of moisture in the car? Surely one just turns the A/C on to preserve the Axminster?

[Mo Murphy]

Really Bish old boy ? Surely one sends one's staff to complete such an onerous task ?

Mo

[simonr]

I bought one of these: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dehumidifier-Moisture-Electric-Dehumidifiers-Portable/dp/B09JP1HK4R/ref=pd_b2b_qd_subs_2/258-8065420-9823962?pd_rd_w=33sCc&pf_rd_p=4151aa3b-aa7e-4c28-b13d-49d06eba8c9f&pf_rd_r=8RXX2JR1TSB1JKR3K25Q&pd_rd_r=56d37469-4332-4270-8e6a-e86519f7a8e8&pd_rd_wg=kwRrX&pd_rd_i=B09JP1HK4R&psc=1

 

And, in cold weather, it was useless!

However, with a simple modification, it became pretty good regardless of the weather!

The units use a Peltier effect heat pump to chill a heat-sink and a fan to blow (moist) air over the heatsink.  The water condenses on the heatsink & drops into the tank.  The problem is, in cold weather, the water freezes on the heatsink and the whole thing blocks itself up with ice.

Peltier devices are reversible - if you reverse the power polarity, they pump heat in the opposite direction (warming the previously cold heatsink).  I just put a timer on it, so every 15 mins or so, the polarity reversed for a few mins.  It was enough that it didn't freeze and caried on working regardless.

The water tank (also prone to freezing) was replaced with a pipe which went outside.

It used about 60W to run and seemed able to extract a couple of litres of water per day initially.  It kept the inside of my 110 pretty dry over several years - and used a lot less power than a heater.

[elbekko]

Oh, that's definitely interesting Simon! I believe my dehumidifier has that built in.

I still think it won't do much for getting water out of carpets without heating them up though.

[simonr]

47 minutes ago, elbekko said:

I still think it won't do much for getting water out of carpets without heating them up though.

I've never had carpets 😥

It did cure the seats going green - and the steering wheel kind of disolving & going sticky.

[geoffbeaumont]

2 hours ago, simonr said:

Peltier devices are reversible - if you reverse the power polarity, they pump heat in the opposite direction (warming the previously cold heatsink).  I just put a timer on it, so every 15 mins or so, the polarity reversed for a few mins.  It was enough that it didn't freeze and caried on working regardless.

Pretty sure you can get ones that do this or of the box - never had one (or any other peltier type), though, so can't say how well they work.