Mold/mildew

[John and Debbie]

Out 2022 is stored outside uncovered with the night shades pulled down.  We're on a camping trip at the Oregon coast and today I noticed all three sliding windows have mold/mildew (not sure if there's any difference) in the track.  What's the best way to clean that?  We haven't used any dehumidifier yet.  What's the best electric dehumidifier?  Should I keep the night shades up a bit for air circulation?  Any other tips?  We're in the Portland area and it's stored by the house so I have electric to the trailer.

John

 

Edited April 4 by John Welte

[topgun2]

John - 

I assume that the attachments in your post above are pics of your windows.  Please repost those  in that I do not believe that the ".heic" extension on those files is an acceptable format in the platform we are using for the Forum.

Surely your location does not help given all the moisture you probably have.  The solutions will all have to do with keeping those tracks clean and drained and a bit of moisture control.

Bill

[John and Debbie]

4 minutes ago, topgun2 said:

John - 

I assume that the attachments in your post above are pics of your windows.  Please repost those  in that I do not believe that the ".heic" extension on those files is an acceptable format in the platform we are using for the Forum.

Surely your location does not help given all the moisture you probably have.  The solutions will all have to do with keeping those tracks clean and drained and a bit of moisture control.

Bill

Bill, I don't know why it posted as an ".heic".  Since they all look the same, I just took a picture and added it directly.

John 

[topgun2]

1 minute ago, John Welte said:

I just took a picture and added it directly.

Much better on the pic - thanks.

Before putting Twist to bed in the late Fall I make sure to clean those tracks well - this includes taking the black tracks out of the channel.  Then I use a CalMark cover over the winter and in the Spring those tracks are basically just as I left them in the Fall.  A dehumidifier might help a little but I believe that the major help will be in the cleaning.

Good luck.

Bill

[John Dorrer]

6 hours ago, John Welte said:

Out 2022 is stored outside uncovered with the night shades pulled down.  We're on a camping trip at the Oregon coast and today I noticed all three sliding windows have mold/mildew (not sure if there's any difference) in the track.  What's the best way to clean that?  We haven't used any dehumidifier yet.  What's the best electric dehumidifier?  Should I keep the night shades up a bit for air circulation?  Any other tips?  We're in the Portland area and it's stored by the house so I have electric to the trailer.

John

 

We keep 2 1-gallon containers of DampRid in our trailer. We also have Eva-Dry charcoal packets. I don't like leaving things plugged in as our storage place is 1 hour away.

Edited April 5 by John Dorrer
typo

[2008RN]

@John Welte, The humidity content is horrendous  here in the winter we had so many days this year with greater than 90% humidity. 

We have a 3 sided metal  RV port with tarps for the doors, so direct rain/snow is not on the Oli. We also can keep the Oli plugged in full time. The outside of the Oli itself during the winter along with the cement floor and the inside walls of the port would get dripping wet with moisture from the humidity.  The first couple of years I  opened the bathroom vent, and then turn the Maxair fan on it's lowest setting and l had the blinds completely open leaving the fan run all winter.  I learned from winter camping out here if we did have constant air flow the insides of the trailer would be wet.

This last year, I was so busy working on the inside of the trailer, that I left a little electric heater set to around 55 degrees in the Oli and lock the Oli up tight, with all the vents closed.  This year worked much better at lowering the humidity level in the trailer, although the electric bills were higher.

[DavePhelps]

On 4/4/2024 at 10:57 AM, topgun2 said:

Before putting Twist to bed in the late Fall I make sure to clean those tracks well - this includes taking the black tracks out of the channel. 

This has always been a problem for me. Just how do you get those things out? It would seem you have to lift up and remove the glass but I can't do that either....

John, I also am in Portland and store my Ollie outside uncovered. Wish I had a cover but that's another story.
In the winter, I keep the trailer plugged in with one of those oil filled radiators going inside at its lowest setting. I leave the bathroom window open a crack, unless I know a big freeze is coming. And also have my shades closed, though you may want to try leaving them open an inch or two for ventilation. I also always have some short pieces of paracord stuffed in the weep holes of the windows to aid water drainage out of the track. This was talked about a while back and it really helps keep the tracks dry. Those narrow weep holes do not drain water very effectively, but the paracord sucks the water out like a lantern wick. Some folks use pipe cleaners, but I have lots of paracord so use that with great success. Keeping those tracks clean is also important as Topgun2 mentioned. It's one of my least favorite maintenance jobs! Still trying to figure out an effective way to do it. With all of the above procedures employed, I have never had a mold issue.

As for getting the mold out, maybe a distilled white vinegar/water solution as an alternative to bleach? Hopefully someone will have a solid idea.
Good luck,

Dave

 

 

.picasa.ini

[Patriot]

@John Welte
To answer your original question on the best portable electric dehumidifier. I am sure there are other options out there, but this is what we use and it has worked great for the last few years. We also really like how quickly our Truma in dehumidify mode works. We also keep our frig door slightly cracked open during storage while running the dehumidifier. Naturally mold and mildew usually will not thrive with moving air. 
 

https://www.amazon.com/Pro-Breeze-Electric-Dehumidifier-Portable/dp/B01HXVUT7C/ref=pd_bxgy_d_sccl_1/142-3394087-9918246?pd_rd_w=FhzcQ&content-id=amzn1.sym.2b132e63-5dcd-4ba1-be9f-9e044543d59f&pf_rd_p=2b132e63-5dcd-4ba1-be9f-9e044543d59f&pf_rd_r=S2BGQD30T201BAZKD05G&pd_rd_wg=P44kG&pd_rd_r=624683bb-794c-4efb-b5ee-829214442647&pd_rd_i=B01HXVUT7C&psc=1

[topgun2]

On 4/5/2024 at 9:57 PM, Patriot said:

We also keep our frig door slightly cracked open during storage while running the dehumidifier.

Which reminds me of a "trick" I learned a number of years ago for a fridge in storage.

After all contents of the fridge are removed and the fridge cleaned and dried, place some crumpled newspaper in both the fridge and freezer - it only takes 6 or 7 sheets.  AS Patriot says - leave the fridge door cracked.

When its time to get the Ollie out of storage, simply remove the newspaper, turn on the fridge and stock it.  There will not be that funky fridge smell at all.

Bill 

Edited April 8 by topgun2
added pics

[John and Debbie]

On 4/5/2024 at 3:01 PM, DavePhelps said:

This has always been a problem for me. Just how do you get those things out? It would seem you have to lift up and remove the glass but I can't do that either....

John, I also am in Portland and store my Ollie outside uncovered. Wish I had a cover but that's another story.
In the winter, I keep the trailer plugged in with one of those oil filled radiators going inside at its lowest setting. I leave the bathroom window open a crack, unless I know a big freeze is coming. And also have my shades closed, though you may want to try leaving them open an inch or two for ventilation. I also always have some short pieces of paracord stuffed in the weep holes of the windows to aid water drainage out of the track. This was talked about a while back and it really helps keep the tracks dry. Those narrow weep holes do not drain water very effectively, but the paracord sucks the water out like a lantern wick. Some folks use pipe cleaners, but I have lots of paracord so use that with great success. Keeping those tracks clean is also important as Topgun2 mentioned. It's one of my least favorite maintenance jobs! Still trying to figure out an effective way to do it. With all of the above procedures employed, I have never had a mold issue.

As for getting the mold out, maybe a distilled white vinegar/water solution as an alternative to bleach? Hopefully someone will have a solid idea.
Good luck,

Dave

 

 

.picasa.ini 59 B · 3 downloads

I took a wet paper towel and ran it along the track.  That seemed to take care of the fuzzy look.  I will keep the night shades up a couple inches as I had them completely closed before.  I did check the drain holes and they're free of debris.  Thanks for your comments.

John 

[Patriot]

51 minutes ago, John Welte said:

I took a wet paper towel and ran it along the track.  That seemed to take care of the fuzzy look.  I will keep the night shades up a couple inches as I had them completely closed before.  I did check the drain holes and they're free of debris.  Thanks for your comments.

John 

John,

Consider a can of compressed air to help clear the window tracks of debris. This has worked well for me in the past. 👍🏻

 

[Geronimo John]

On 4/5/2024 at 3:57 PM, Patriot said:

I am sure there are other options out there, but this is what we use and it has worked great for the last few years.

GJ NOTE:  Below costs were created with total disregard for either the cost of money or inflation:

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Several times I, and other owners have discussed running dehumidifiers as you successfully do.  For a group of us though that can't monitor our trailers for months at a time, the issue becomes the condensate pan service.  Your post rekindled this problem and sparked an idea that may work.   I store Ollie covered in a dark barn.  In the fall, as part of my winterization I run the A/C temp down to around 60 degrees F to dehumidify as best as possible. 

OPTION ONE - DAMP RID:  To aid in humidity control, I use two of the large Damp Rid buckets and deploy them inside Ollie before I protect her further with a trailer cover.   Each summer I uncover her and the Damp Rid buckets have fully exhausted their abilities.  So, I know that at some point they have no longer been able to keep the humidity quite low.  That said, I have not had any problems so far. The Damp Rid costs $28.   Three year Damp Rid cost = $84

OPTION TWO - PRO BREEZE:  To use the Pro Breeze for extended unattended use, I would place it on the counter by the sink.  Then place a funnel and drain tube under the existing condensate drain port .  As the Pro Breeze worked it's magic, the condensate would drop into the funnel and down the drain tube.  I would run the tube down the kitchen sink drain and past its  P-Trap.  Once past the P-Trap,  the condensate would drain downhill to the gray water tank.  By running the hose past the kitchen sink P-trap it would not render the P-trap antifreeze in the trap ineffective.  I would keep the trailer nose  a bit high and crack the gray water tank drain valve a bit open to ameliorate the Pro Breeze condensate freezing concerns. The hardware to install likely would include a freeze stat to prevent running of the unit when temperatures are below freezing.  The costs of this would option are about:   $28/year in power (Assumes 4380 hours run time, at 16 cents/kwh.)  Three year power cost:  $84.    Hardware, about $30.  Assuming it lasts three years, $70.  Three year Pro Breeze cost = $184

Your thoughts?  Any better ideas?

[Patriot]

We empty our Pro Breeze condensate tank usually about every 5 days. It has an auto shut off in the any event if we are delayed in emptying it. So far we have had zero issues with mold or mildew and we factor this into our maintenance cost keeping XPLOR mold and mildew free during high seasonal high humidity. We don’t run the dehumidifier below 45 degrees or in the winter months.

[Geronimo John]

On 4/6/2024 at 1:43 PM, John Welte said:

took a wet paper towel and ran it along the track.  That seemed to take care of the fuzzy look.  I will keep the night shades up a couple inches as I had them completely closed before.  I did check the drain holes and they're free of debris. 

 

John:

Your keeping the shades a bit above the track is a good idea for winter storage as well.  The shades don't provide much insulation so why keep them in a potential wet zone?  

Good idea... Thanks

GJ

[rideandfly]

We store Ollie in an airplane hangar with one side open in the hangar (no power in the hangar) leaving the bath and Maxxair vents open (not running), unless wet weather is moving in and then close the vents temporarily until the weather has passed. We also keep the refrigerator and bathroom doors open with open boxes of baking soda in the refrigerator and camper.

We like the Pro Breeze de-humidifier, too. While camping sometimes condensation can be found between the hulls on the inside of the outer hull around the rear and Oliver sign area. Decided to use two Pro-Breeze de-humidifiers while camping placing one in the overhead compartment next to the Oliver sign and one on the kitchen counter.

Just made this modification last week, decided to install two vents on the bulkheads next to the rear Oliver sign to allow a little more air flow between the hulls attempting to reduce condensation. Will see how it works.

Edited April 9 by rideandfly

[Patriot]

Nice job Bill!
Please post up how often you need to empty your dehumidifier. We usually empty ours about every 5 days or so. Ours sits down on the floor in front of the closet door. We can just open the door, turn off the Pro Breeze and empty it.

 

 

Edited April 9 by Patriot

[rideandfly]

David, Thanks,

We only use de-humidfiers when we're camping and don't have power in the hangar to run them while Ollie is stored.

Can't give you a good reading on how long it takes to fill the tanks while camping because I always dump them when they are less than full.

The 5 day number sounds right!

Bill

Edited April 9 by rideandfly