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drying out the interior

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after replacing my sunroof seal, and finally sorting out the leak around my rear lights, I want to dry out the interior to get rid of the condensation. I've towelled the carpets as much as possible, but it's not done the job. to "finish" it off, I was going to use one of those mini dehumidifiers from argos! has anyone done this or have any tips?

TIA
 
I had a Golf with a dodgy sunroof seal. When I replaced it it had a puddle in the footwell. I sucked it out with a wet vacuum cleaner and then left a fan heater in it on fairly low and with the windows cracked open for a few days and it dried out fine. Thankfully it didn't even smell afterwards.
 
I've squeezed house type dehumidifier in a damp car before -just the job!! -careful applying heat, things can warp and also will increase the chance of condensation as the relative humididty goes up.

Lift trim and expose as much as poss (ooh matron!) whilst dehumidifier in, and keep the windows closed.

Only prob with a large dehumidifer in a small space is that they do give off some heat, so the vehicle will need to be aired every so often.

And where am I coming from?

See:

www.firsthurdle.com/drdamp

Works for houses and cars!!!
 
ORIGINAL: Fen
I sucked it out with a wet vacuum cleaner and then left a fan heater in it on fairly low and with the windows cracked open for a few days and it dried out fine. Thankfully it didn't even smell afterwards.
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Exactly the method I've used many times in the past (though most of my experience is with water coming in from below, due to holes in floors, inner wings etc..... I drove some right heaps whilst I attended uni [:)] )

I always wound the window up to gently pinch the power cable (carefully of course!) of a fan heater and and suspend it "pointing towards the middle of the car". Need to make sure you don't melt something that's been in it's direct path for 8hrs overnight.....
 
Try putting some old newspapers on the carpet weighted down with something heavy.
It's amazing how much damp they soak up even when the carpets feel quite dry.
Doesn't risk any damage to your car either.
 
Cheers guys. This is the dehumidifier I was thinking of: http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/4159263.htm . for £40, it's worth a go I think.

The interior actually feels dry to the touch, but obviously isn't as there's condensation forming on the front and rear screens every morning. hence my thought for a dehumidifier to suck the moisture out of the air rather than the "car". that way, once it got rid of enough moisture, it'll stop condensating, but won't dry things out to the point where things will start to curl and crack.

I'd considered using a heater, but the only chance I'd get to give it a good go would be overnight, and leaving the window open with the weather these days is not really gonna happen.
 
In the cold surely a dehumidifier won't work? The temperature is too low to get the moisture in the air and the dehumidifer can only extract it from the air, not when it is concensed in the carpet. That was why I suggested a fan heater to make the water turn to vapour, then a window cracked open to let it breathe out. You could cover the window with a plastic bag of similar to stop rain getting in and it only has to be open a crack, or you could have the heater to vapourise the moisture and the dehumidifier to suck it out of the air inside I guess.
 
I'm not sure if the dehumidifier would be man enough for a car interior but I guess you can empty it regularly. Being rechargeable you can just leave it on all the time for a while, even driving around.
 
no, i doubt that aswell, hence i was looking at the larger ones, but i guess if after a couple of days just heating the vented interior, and then leaving that in for a day, then it should suck what excess there is out. Guilding the lily I suppose......
 
ORIGINAL: Fen

In the cold surely a dehumidifier won't work? The temperature is too low to get the moisture in the air and the dehumidifer can only extract it from the air, not when it is concensed in the carpet. That was why I suggested a fan heater to make the water turn to vapour, then a window cracked open to let it breathe out. You could cover the window with a plastic bag of similar to stop rain getting in and it only has to be open a crack, or you could have the heater to vapourise the moisture and the dehumidifier to suck it out of the air inside I guess.
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Surely if there is enough moisture in the air to condense on the windows then a dehumidifier will work?
 
the condensation is forming purely because of the temperature difference between inside and outside. by heating (well, and obviously because there's moisture on the inside), the moisture will be forced into the air, where it will either go out the window, or to the humidifier where it's grabbed, stored, and then dumped.

unfortunately, it would be a nice thing to do during the summer month(s?), but it only shows up in the winter, so it's not noticed until now. I'm actually getting rid of the triumph in the garage, so it will go in there for a while, but even so, it's not really gonna be warm and dry there (better sure, but...), so i'll still need to go through the palava (sp?). at least it'll give me an opportunity to keep the windows open a bit longer, and not have to worry about the rain (or maybe snow?).
 
ORIGINAL: mik_ok
Exactly. Sooooooo...... simply load the car up and fire over to Oz for a day or two. Jobs a goodun. [:D]
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My Sister's over there now. I'll get her to bring some of Oz back (it'd be easier to get through customs as hand baggage!) [&:]
 
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