I have been told that if you leave a few dishes of salt in the van in winter it helps to absorbe any condensation, therefore helping to avoid damp. Has anyone else heard this, and if so does it work?????
Does anyone else do this???
- Thread starter Melanie_374363360
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Melanie,
you would be better off leaving loosely screwed up balls of kitchen roll on the floof of your van that you change every couple of weeks, taking the old paper indoors to dry out and use again. The salt you would have to change every few days and have very little effect.
Good luck, JTS
you would be better off leaving loosely screwed up balls of kitchen roll on the floof of your van that you change every couple of weeks, taking the old paper indoors to dry out and use again. The salt you would have to change every few days and have very little effect.
Good luck, JTS
hi all
sorry JTS I would not agree salt is a very good moisture collector if you use enough, 2 cereal bowls (one front and one back) half full with salt will collect all the moisture from a van for about 4 weeks if left longer the bowls could over flow as it absorbs that much, I have been using it for years ever since silica gel became scarce.
colin
sorry JTS I would not agree salt is a very good moisture collector if you use enough, 2 cereal bowls (one front and one back) half full with salt will collect all the moisture from a van for about 4 weeks if left longer the bowls could over flow as it absorbs that much, I have been using it for years ever since silica gel became scarce.
colin
I can't buy the concept of a bowl of salt being adequate to dry out any caravan for very long.
It simply has not got the capacity to hold the amount of water held in all the air that the ventilation of the van should permit to flow in. Yes if you near perfectly hermetically the van it can glean what air borne water is there and little more air leaks in. Just as silica gel is used for.
If your not convinced of the facts about the amount water normally held in the air ask anyone with a dehumidifier if they get get more than a few dishes of water, even in 24 hours.
Cheers John
It simply has not got the capacity to hold the amount of water held in all the air that the ventilation of the van should permit to flow in. Yes if you near perfectly hermetically the van it can glean what air borne water is there and little more air leaks in. Just as silica gel is used for.
If your not convinced of the facts about the amount water normally held in the air ask anyone with a dehumidifier if they get get more than a few dishes of water, even in 24 hours.
Cheers John
Hi there
I used salt last year placed salt into three old ice cream containers it worked very well. But I was told on this forum salt would make metal rust? This year I am trying Kontrol Krystals
I used salt last year placed salt into three old ice cream containers it worked very well. But I was told on this forum salt would make metal rust? This year I am trying Kontrol Krystals
Hi,
I use a dehumidifier in our van. We use the van and the dehumidifier all year round and after a trip away the built in bucket which holds about 3 litres fills within a couple of days. After that it is much less, but it would still need to be emptied once a week or so. I now use a pipe that exits via a hole near the door in the plastic mat area. In Winter I also place a small electric oil filled radiator with thermostatic control in the van to keep it warm. We open all cupboard doors, move cushions away from walls and leave the bathroom door open. We use our van all year round, so this is the extent of our Winterised storage, and it is kept at home in the back garden were we can supply permanent power to it which obviously helps.
I use a dehumidifier in our van. We use the van and the dehumidifier all year round and after a trip away the built in bucket which holds about 3 litres fills within a couple of days. After that it is much less, but it would still need to be emptied once a week or so. I now use a pipe that exits via a hole near the door in the plastic mat area. In Winter I also place a small electric oil filled radiator with thermostatic control in the van to keep it warm. We open all cupboard doors, move cushions away from walls and leave the bathroom door open. We use our van all year round, so this is the extent of our Winterised storage, and it is kept at home in the back garden were we can supply permanent power to it which obviously helps.
i agree i have used salt in old ice cream tubs for many years and always find it works out a lot cheaper than buying expensive alternatives johnhi all
sorry JTS I would not agree salt is a very good moisture collector if you use enough, 2 cereal bowls (one front and one back) half full with salt will collect all the moisture from a van for about 4 weeks if left longer the bowls could over flow as it absorbs that much, I have been using it for years ever since silica gel became scarce.
colin
Colin - Yorkshire,
If David gets that amount of water from his dehumidifier, even using an electric radiator which is probably the most efficient method of drying the air in a caravan, what use is a couple of cereal bowls filled with salt. Yes salt will absorb moisture but I equate that to beating a large carpet with a teaspoon.
My own method is to thoroughly heat my van once evey two weeks when it is not in use.
Good luck. JTS.
If David gets that amount of water from his dehumidifier, even using an electric radiator which is probably the most efficient method of drying the air in a caravan, what use is a couple of cereal bowls filled with salt. Yes salt will absorb moisture but I equate that to beating a large carpet with a teaspoon.
My own method is to thoroughly heat my van once evey two weeks when it is not in use.
Good luck. JTS.
hi all
yes JTS but david uses his van all year round so in the winter months the van is conitually exposed to the cold and damp so the starting point for the drying process is allways the same if you like first base. after the inital drying stage there is less moisture to recover.
I dont know why salt works but it does when I was at the pit it was easy to get silica jel crystals as they were used in the compressors to reduce the moisture content of the compressed air after a week or so the crystals became saturated and were thrown away it was easy to recover the spent crystals by drying them out in a low heat oven a kilo of them in bucket kept the van bone dry all winter.
when the silica gel was no longer obtainable in a loose form a friend who had a static at the coast suggested using salt as an alternative I did and it worked, like I said no idea why but it does it will still absorb the moisture even after it is fully saturated so much so that the bowl will overflow if left too long before changing.
still sceptical then try it and see!!
colin
yes JTS but david uses his van all year round so in the winter months the van is conitually exposed to the cold and damp so the starting point for the drying process is allways the same if you like first base. after the inital drying stage there is less moisture to recover.
I dont know why salt works but it does when I was at the pit it was easy to get silica jel crystals as they were used in the compressors to reduce the moisture content of the compressed air after a week or so the crystals became saturated and were thrown away it was easy to recover the spent crystals by drying them out in a low heat oven a kilo of them in bucket kept the van bone dry all winter.
when the silica gel was no longer obtainable in a loose form a friend who had a static at the coast suggested using salt as an alternative I did and it worked, like I said no idea why but it does it will still absorb the moisture even after it is fully saturated so much so that the bowl will overflow if left too long before changing.
still sceptical then try it and see!!
colin
BTW stephen the control crystals do work well BUT, read the labels to see what the crystals are made of if it is silica then ok but some of the crystals sometimes used are toxic.
the liquid collected in the btm of the container IS ACID so be careful where you put them in the van it will take the shine of any surface that the liquid comes into contact with it will also irritate and can burn exposed skin so be warned.
colin
the liquid collected in the btm of the container IS ACID so be careful where you put them in the van it will take the shine of any surface that the liquid comes into contact with it will also irritate and can burn exposed skin so be warned.
colin
hi rogerP I just throw it away as salt is quite cheap but there is no reason why it cannot be dried out on a tray in a low oven once the liquid has been drained off, colinwhat do you do with the salt when its saturated?
juat throw it out or dry it out (if so how?)
To my mind this is a waste of time. Any moisture you extract from the air will just be replaced by air entering the ventilation holes of which there are many. so nothing is gained.
I have found absorbent rock catlitter with salt sprinkled over the top,in a cat litter tray very effective.The salt attracts the moisture and the litter absorbs it.It also helps in keeping musty over winter smells down.One tray is place at the front of the van and another at the rear.The trays usage lasts a fairly reasonable time,sometimes upto a month+ before a change is needed,but I check mine every three weeks and replace as necessary when the colour of the catlitter has changed uniformily in the tray.
Julian - "To my mind this is a waste of time. Any moisture you extract from the air will just be replaced by air entering the ventilation holes of which there are many. so nothing is gained."
Rita = "Well said Julian"
I agree too. The more you try to dry the air out in a caravan, the more moisture enters the caravan again through the many vents a caravan has. In other words, you're facing a vicious circle and fighting a losing battle.
Dehumidifiers? Silica Gel? Salt? Forget it. They're all a waste of time and money and effort. I'm with JTS. Just heat the van every coupla weeks.
Rita = "Well said Julian"
I agree too. The more you try to dry the air out in a caravan, the more moisture enters the caravan again through the many vents a caravan has. In other words, you're facing a vicious circle and fighting a losing battle.
Dehumidifiers? Silica Gel? Salt? Forget it. They're all a waste of time and money and effort. I'm with JTS. Just heat the van every coupla weeks.
Hi,
I cant get my head around using a heater in a van when not being used. if its cold outside and you warm up the van then you cause condensation therfore put moisture back in the van
Trev
I cant get my head around using a heater in a van when not being used. if its cold outside and you warm up the van then you cause condensation therfore put moisture back in the van
Trev
Not if the van is vented, Trev. Try it. It really works.
In fact, last trip away (Littleover Farm) I popped the gas fire on and opened the roof vent while we loaded the car, removed the wheel clamp, hitchlock etc. and hitched up. Before setting off, I closed the roof vent and was going to turn the gas fire off but since the site was only an hour away, decided to leave the gas fire on.
The result was one lovely dry warm caravan when we arrived which benefited my disabled wife. She was able to set about her duties in the caravan in the warm while I set about the usual outside duties. I know some of you are gonna disagree with this but there's no law against travelling with the gas on. (Except petrol stations, tunnels, ferries and the Chunnel)
In fact, last trip away (Littleover Farm) I popped the gas fire on and opened the roof vent while we loaded the car, removed the wheel clamp, hitchlock etc. and hitched up. Before setting off, I closed the roof vent and was going to turn the gas fire off but since the site was only an hour away, decided to leave the gas fire on.
The result was one lovely dry warm caravan when we arrived which benefited my disabled wife. She was able to set about her duties in the caravan in the warm while I set about the usual outside duties. I know some of you are gonna disagree with this but there's no law against travelling with the gas on. (Except petrol stations, tunnels, ferries and the Chunnel)
hi all
so there you are melanie a diffinative answer from the experts on caravan hibernation. dont bother !!!as nothing really works unless you have access to a 24/7 power supply or are prepared to leave the van unattended with the gas heating on and risk the possibility of drying the van out completely with the use of a fire.
or alternatively you get 2 bowls half fill them with salt and place one in the front and one in the back and then f'ohcUFUFfufUFHf-ee⇨.yawn ⇨yawn again ⇨....and then go into a nice damp van in spring.
colin
so there you are melanie a diffinative answer from the experts on caravan hibernation. dont bother !!!as nothing really works unless you have access to a 24/7 power supply or are prepared to leave the van unattended with the gas heating on and risk the possibility of drying the van out completely with the use of a fire.
or alternatively you get 2 bowls half fill them with salt and place one in the front and one in the back and then f'ohcUFUFfufUFHf-ee⇨.yawn ⇨yawn again ⇨....and then go into a nice damp van in spring.
colin
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