Trailer ventilation

I live in central Europe - where the weather is neither too hot nor too
cold.

Seems to me that in the not too distant past many people fitted little solar
powered extractor fans to their trailers to improve ventilation. Looking
round our club trailer park the other day I noted that only one out of 25
trailers was so equipped.

What are the pros and cons of fitting such fans and is there a trend not to
fit them?

I just added such a fan to my aluminum tube trailer. The job was
simple and easy, took maybe 1/2 hour. If there are any cons, I would
like to here about them before it's too late !

Todd Smith

I believe that the major reason to actively ventilate is to try and
keep the humidity as low as possible inside the trailer. I can't think
of any reason why ventilation would not be used.

Most trailers I've seen with glass gliders inside have these solar
powered fans (I'm in Pennsylvania, where the weather is probably
similar to Central Europe). However, trailers at my gliderport that
contain metal gliders do not have such fans.

As far as trends go, I can only say that my all metal Cobra trailer has
had a solar fan (as well as extra ventilation intakes) for the last 15
years.

-John

Simon Waddell wrote:
I live in central Europe - where the weather is neither too hot nor too
cold.

Seems to me that in the not too distant past many people fitted little solar
powered extractor fans to their trailers to improve ventilation. Looking
round our club trailer park the other day I noted that only one out of 25
trailers was so equipped.

What are the pros and cons of fitting such fans and is there a trend not to
fit them?

If the source of the moisture were from inside the trailer then one of
these vent fans used for drying would make more sense to me. As it is
I believe all they can do is draw outside air, at whatever humidity it
may be, into the trailer. Now if the vent fan is only turned on when
the outside air is relatively dry then perhaps there is some logic for
trying to dry the inside of the trailer. But this scheme is hopeless
when the outside air remains wet for days (weeks?) on end, IMHO.

The route I have chosen is to seal the trailer up as tightly as
possible and install a small dehumidifier inside the trailer. I then
do whatever it takes to get power to the trailer to run the
dehumidifier. The extracted water is drained through a small screened
hole in the bottom of the trailer. It all stays bone dry inside even
during the wet season where it can rain continuously for days or weeks.
The dehumidifier cycles itself on and off as necessary via its
built-in humidistat.

Regards,

-Doug

"Doug Hoffman" wrote in message
ups.com...

Simon Waddell wrote:
I live in central Europe - where the weather is neither too hot nor too
cold.

Seems to me that in the not too distant past many people fitted little
solar
powered extractor fans to their trailers to improve ventilation. Looking
round our club trailer park the other day I noted that only one out of 25
trailers was so equipped.

What are the pros and cons of fitting such fans and is there a trend not
to
fit them?

If the source of the moisture were from inside the trailer then one of
these vent fans used for drying would make more sense to me. As it is
I believe all they can do is draw outside air, at whatever humidity it
may be, into the trailer. Now if the vent fan is only turned on when
the outside air is relatively dry then perhaps there is some logic for
trying to dry the inside of the trailer. But this scheme is hopeless
when the outside air remains wet for days (weeks?) on end, IMHO.

The route I have chosen is to seal the trailer up as tightly as
possible and install a small dehumidifier inside the trailer. I then
do whatever it takes to get power to the trailer to run the
dehumidifier. The extracted water is drained through a small screened
hole in the bottom of the trailer. It all stays bone dry inside even
during the wet season where it can rain continuously for days or weeks.
The dehumidifier cycles itself on and off as necessary via its
built-in humidistat.

Regards,

-Doug

Doug
what would you think a max sustain humidity level could be for a set up like
that and still have good result?
Udo

Udo Rumpf wrote:
The route I have chosen is to seal the trailer up as tightly as
possible and install a small dehumidifier inside the trailer. I then
do whatever it takes to get power to the trailer to run the
dehumidifier. The extracted water is drained through a small screened
hole in the bottom of the trailer. It all stays bone dry inside even
during the wet season where it can rain continuously for days or weeks.
The dehumidifier cycles itself on and off as necessary via its
built-in humidistat.

what would you think a max sustain humidity level could be for a set up like
that and still have good result?

Udo,

I'm not sure. But I have quickly opened the trailer door during a
steady rain, after 3-4 days of raining, and wiped my hand over the
glider surface. It was dry.

I should mention that sealing the trailer up tight (silicone seal
around the door frame, etc.) is also a good way to keep out bugs.

Regards,

-Doug

Too much dryness can be a bad thing. It seems that some gaskets in =
difficult-to-reach positions inside the wings can become brittle in =
bone-dry environments. When using an electrical dehumidifier, it may be =
a good idea to set it at least at 50% RH. The goal is to store the =
glider in its trailer at more or less the same relative humidity it =
experiences when outdoors, minus some margin to allow for the quick =
increase in RH as temperature drops throughout the night.

A positive side of trailer vents is that whatever the temperature =
fluctuations, it will not become dripping wet inside even if the trailer =
is left unattended for a long time. Vents also help to moderate internal =
temperatures in hot weather.

My trailer has both a solar vent (with adjustable inlets) and a small =
dehumidifier, but if I lived in a very humid climate I would probably =
seal it in the winter and check every week or so.

Francisco De Almeida wrote:
Too much dryness can be a bad thing. It seems that some gaskets in =
difficult-to-reach positions inside the wings can become brittle in =
bone-dry environments. When using an electrical dehumidifier, it may be =
a good idea to set it at least at 50% RH.

Right. This is what I do. It need not run much to keep things
reasonably dry.

A positive side of trailer vents is that whatever the temperature =
fluctuations, it will not become dripping wet inside even if the trailer =
is left unattended for a long time. Vents also help to moderate internal =
temperatures in hot weather.

My trailer has both a solar vent (with adjustable inlets) and a small =
dehumidifier, but if I lived in a very humid climate I would probably =
seal it in the winter and check every week or so.

Yes. Certainly a dehumidifier is not appropriate for all situations.
Use judgement. When the wet weather comes, if you live in an area
where it becomes wet for days and weeks at a time, the dehumidifier has
worked great for me. Even when not so wet one can avoid the daily dew
cycle...

Regards,

-Doug

In a rough calculation, a 40W bulb would raise the temperature inside a =
typical trailer by only a fraction of a degree (although it could create =
a local hot spot if carelessly placed). This would only reduce humidity =
by a couple of percentage points and would be quite less energy =
efficient than using a dehumidifier.

Any thoughts on whether a continuously lit low wattage light bulb =
would=20
provide dehumidification or would it put out too much heat inside a =
glider=20
trailer?

Bryan