Humidity's affect on our RV's...

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99dart

99dart

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 7, 2015
Posts
277
Location
Wenatchee, WA The hot side of the state
So, we live in Central Washington where is very dry. If we were to buy a motorhome from Florida would the unit suffer ill affects from drying her out here? We have been told it could be an issue. Anybody had a problem or no problem at all?  Thanks 
 
I live in Tampa Bay where it's humid all year long, especially in the summer. My rig is garage stored, but the humidity makes the inside stuffy to the extend that the seat and couch covers began to peel. The salvation was buying a 30 pint dehumidifier that keeps the unit dry. I would think that your naturally dry weather would be an improvement over Florida's heat the humidity.
 
Florida is like a lot of other places where the is a great deal of swing in the humidity levels. It's not like it's 80-90% humidity every hour every day. Even in Florida, there are days of low humidity, so it shouldn't affect the coach any.
 
  My home is in an area as dry  or dryer than yours,,I love it!  Western Utah is dry enough to keep everything in great shape and no rust issues. I wipe down all the interior wood with lemon oil each quarter and its all that's needed.>>>Dan
 
Yeah, we live in the desert , in the foothills east of San Diego, and with the exception of one or two weeks a year, it's pretty dry here too. Like utahclaimjumper, I wipe the wood cabinets down several times a year. I don't know if that's the reason our cabinets are fine, but they are. No problems with dry air at all.

Kev
 
99dart said:
So, we live in Central Washington where is very dry. If we were to buy a motorhome from Florida would the unit suffer ill affects from drying her out here? We have been told it could be an issue. Anybody had a problem or no problem at all?  Thanks
Click to expand...

Who told you that?

Do you have a problem with the wood in your house?

I have to believe that most wood in a MH has been stained and or sealed and that neither moisture or dryness should have
any effect on it.

I have never heard of furniture going from a damp climate to a dry climate and drying out and cracking or falling apart because of it.

Personally I wouldn't have a problem moving anything from FL to WA. 
 
We've spent time in very humid areas without hookups, so we don't use air conditioning.  Our wood most definitely swells up, such that one door in particular has a problem closing.  When we get back to air conditioning, or to a dry climate, it shrinks back after several weeks. 

I've also noticed cracking along the glue lines on tables and cabinet doors.  If a motorhome has spent a lot of time in Florida without a dehumidifier or air conditioning, then the wood probably has swelled up.  If it has, then drying it out will probably shrink it. 

That's why, when you install wood floors in a house, you bring the wood in and let it acclimate before installing it. 

So it is a known phenomenon.  What you can't predict is how much the wood in the motorhome will be affected.  Probably not enough to be a deal breaker, but it does happen.

 
RedandSilver said:
Who told you that?

Do you have a problem with the wood in your house?

I have to believe that most wood in a MH has been stained and or sealed and that neither moisture or dryness should have
any effect on it.

I have never heard of furniture going from a damp climate to a dry climate and drying out and cracking or falling apart because of it.

Personally I wouldn't have a problem moving anything from FL to WA.
Click to expand...

The son of a privately owned RV repair shop here in town warned me about humidity. He gave an example of a coach they worked on that the structure of the roof warped/buckled. I guess I am thinking of the hidden framework going from being moist from humidity to drying out and twisting & cracking.
 
Trivet said:
We've spent time in very humid areas without hookups, so we don't use air conditioning.  Our wood most definitely swells up, such that one door in particular has a problem closing.  When we get back to air conditioning, or to a dry climate, it shrinks back after several weeks. 

I've also noticed cracking along the glue lines on tables and cabinet doors.  If a motorhome has spent a lot of time in Florida without a dehumidifier or air conditioning, then the wood probably has swelled up.  If it has, then drying it out will probably shrink it. 

That's why, when you install wood floors in a house, you bring the wood in and let it acclimate before installing it. 

So it is a known phenomenon.  What you can't predict is how much the wood in the motorhome will be affected.  Probably not enough to be a deal breaker, but it does happen.
Click to expand...

Ok, so you have noticed some change in the interior wood, but probably not enough to worry about.  Thanks guys.
 
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