Why are we waking up wet?

[Angel73]

Can someone pls tell me How to stop this problem.Every morning when we where camping in the A/S we all wake up damp to the point we had to take thing out to dry for the rest of the day.I had forgot about the problem until i was telling the kids we could go camping in the tent for this summer.While the A/S was getting redone.
Then they said whats the differences mom we still get up wet every morning..So i was hoping someone could tell me ,How to stop or prevent this problem


Weather it raining or not we still wake up damp.I even tryed closing the windows and vent one night.Didn't help much..

[Happycampers]

Hello Beck.. The answer is Damp Rid.. can get it at Walmart.. get the ones to hang in the closets.. put a couple of those in there and than there is one in a large tablet form and it has its own container with a reservoir... check it out.. we did it and used it with GREAT success... Annie

[AYRSTRM2]

Um, can someone chime in about LP and condensation? I seem to remember something about that.

My advice is to have a fan moving air through the trailer. You have water in the air and it is coming from somewhere either inside, such as your breath, like when you breathe on a mirrow, or the ground, or LP burning exhaust, that causes water, I think. Get a fan and open a window at one end and put the fan at the open window at the other end and point it OUT. Turn it on, even low should help.

[Angel73]

Originally Posted by Happycampers

Hello Beck.. The answer is Damp Rid.. can get it at Walmart.. get the ones to hang in the closets.. put a couple of those in there and than there is one in a large tablet form and it has its own container with a reservoir... check it out.. we did it and used it with GREAT success... Annie

happycampers... I've never hear of that.Does it need anything to run?

AYRSTRM2 ...we have two fans that run in the two big windows one pulling air in one pulling it out.But then we just wake up cold and wet....it help some to close it completely up .But then so stuffy my kids and i wake up stuffed up.And as far as the LP we didnt use it the last few times we went and still had the problem

[Happycampers]

Damp rid has particles that are encased in a package with a pouch below ( all this hangs on its own hanger). In the pouch the moisture accumulates and each hanging pouch is good for 6-8 weeks. Just ask at any Walmart in the US. We do not have it here in Canada . We only found out about it from fellow campers.. Annie

[Silverhobby]

New to me as well , but thanks for telling about it. I think my trailer needs some Damp Rid too.
Kev

[Angel73]

Am glad its not just me....i thought we were going nut there for awhile.I told my kids that where in a tin can how can we still be waking up wet.Where not it a tent anymore so what gives.The sad thing is what you'll find at wally world and home depot we can't get here which really bits...But i will look for it

[CanoeStream]

Angel73 -- I thought of suggesting a Search on keyword: condensation. But then I tried that myself and was overwhelmed by the number of hits, most of them not directed at your question. You might try that anyway -- but pay more attention to threads seeming to focus on cool weather issues.

2 or more people will exhale a very large amount of moisture during the night. This will all condense on any cool surface, so the windows and walls seem to be soaked in the morning -- these surfaces are cooler than air temperature even when you run the heater.

With the door, vents and windows closed, try putting a pot of water on to boil some cool evening. Do not run the stove hood. Notice how quick the windows fog up. Multiply that many times and you are closer to what gets breathed out by the time your family wakes up.

I find less condensation if I open a ceiling vent (if weather is fair) or a window a crack. You've got to have some way to vent the humidity buildup inside the trailer. I accept that a bit more LP will burn if I need the heater on and a window open a bit, but that's the price of living inside a metal shell. That is pretty thin insulation and the ribs are metal...

I haven't used DampRid but really doubt it would deal with this size of a problem -- it is more suited to preventing humidity during storage.

[Angel73]

So you think i making it worse by closing it up instead of me thinking it could be less the wetness.ill try anything at this point

[StreamNTyme]

We have been using Damp Rid ever since we bought our first Airstream, usually two at a time, one in front and one in the rear. Use it in closets in the house too. Walmart is good for the packets, Home Depot carries large plastic buckets of the stuff. We use it in our enclosed HVAC room too. We do wish it came in BIGGER sizes.

[Steve & Susan]

This is a very common problem when you tent-camp. I'm a Scout Master and I always have the kids keep a window on each side of the tent open for ventelation. They sleep two or three to a tent.

The cool aluminum in your AS will exacerbate the problem.

Make sure you run the exhaust fan when showering to reduce humidity and use the range hood exhaust fan when cooking also.

Keeping your roof vents open a bit at night should help too. If you can keep a window cracked in the LR when you are sleeping in the BR that could help too.

Good Luck!

steve

[CanoeStream]

Yes, closing it up during sleeping is the biggest part of the problem. Body heat and warm breath rises, so venting as high as you dare works best. My name will be mud if it rains hard and you have a ceiling vent open!

The windows don't wipe dry very well with a terry towel in the morning. We have found a chamois will finish the job better.

[silverleeper]

Take a look at this site. store/catalog/product_16154_Davis_AirDryr_Mildew_Fighter_1000_Ha ppy's.html
Keeps the moisture out of the trailers. The Pacific NW gets fairly damp in the winter time. Good luck.

[CanoeStream]

Lee -- Do you use the AirDryr for storage? It appears to be a heater only and would not remove humidity. Humidity will stay around to condense on cool surfaces. Running my furnace alone doesn't help reduce morning condensation if the windows and vents are all shut. Please help me out if I'm not understanding how you use it.

[2airishuman]

hello wet ones.....

i've posted about this before here......

http://www.airforums.com/forum...t=condensation

while breathing is a large part of this so is water vapor from skin...not sweat, just water evaporating from every square cm of skin....

so the whole shebang is called insensible water loss. how many people inside? i'll guess 2-3 kids and 2 adults....so this is gonna be 4-8 LITERS of water left each day inside the trailer....

imagine hosing down the insides with water.....and then hoping it will all evaporate before tomorrow......ain't gonna happen.

if you were some place really dry this would be easier to deal with, but in tennessee.....

so during the day you are probably not getting all of the water out from the previous day/night and it just builds up....

also consider wet towels, cooking, coffee pots...

you need to keep all exhaust fans running and some lower fresh air intake...like a window in each area where people sleep...so 1 front and 1 back.... towels and bedding may need to go outside to dry in the sun everyday....

this issue is particularly hard to deal with in mild temps...50-60s because it's just a little too cool to open all the windows...but not cold enough for full furnace use... and not hot enough for full a/c use, or a fully drying sun in the daytime....

also your kids are sleeping up against walls? this traps the moisture and allows it to condense back right there on the spot........so polyester rolls or wool batting needs to be along the walls....and taken outside each day to dry. look over the other things i suggested, because you need to do all of them....

lastly...in your climate anything left outside or not under cover will collect LOTS of dew.....
tennessee is the wettest state i've ever enjoyed....
in the early mornings....
i take that back.....
iowa is pretty wet too with summer dew.....

cheers
2air'

[Angel73]

Originally Posted by Canoe stream

Yes, closing it up during sleeping is the biggest part of the problem. Body heat and warm breath rises, so venting as high as you dare works best. My name will be mud if it rains hard and you have a ceiling vent open!

The windows don't wipe dry very well with a terry towel in the morning. We have found a chamois will finish the job better.

We tryed with the windows open that didn't work we tryed with one fan blowing it and one blowing out that didn't work either..

silverleeper if i understand that producted right it doesn't run off 12 v and right now that all i use besides Lp if need....is this corrected?

[silverleeper]

Lee -- Do you use the AirDryr for storage? I use it for storage and on damp nights.

It appears to be a heater only and would not remove humidity. Humidity will stay around to condense on cool surfaces. The unit only puts out a small amount of heat but if set in the middle of the floor it will control moisture.

I can't explain exactly how it works, but it has holes in the top and bottom and a center plate that heated. I used to work in a marine dist warehouse and they where very popular with boaters. Hope that help a little.

[2airishuman]

Originally Posted by Canoe stream

Lee -- Do you use the AirDryr for storage? It appears to be a heater only and would not remove humidity. Humidity will stay around to condense on cool surfaces. Please help me out if I'm not understanding how you use it.

i used one of these under the rear bed/goucho in my moho when i lived in the pacific north wet.....and another one in the main closet.

basically it puts out about as much heat as an electric food dehydrator....

but with a full metal box around it which prevents hot spots/fires....and basically it dehydrates a few cubic feet of space that may be prone to moisture accumulation...

placed in a closed area like a closet or underbed...it keeps all surfaces just a tad warmer so condensation doesn't occur...it also seems that the air is these closed-in spaces is drier......and actually i used a small gauge (hygrometer?) that measured humidity and zones with the airdryr would be 20-40% less humid....which is alot.

i think this may be enough to keep mold spores and mildew from growing....

anyway they absolutely do prevent mold/mildew on bedding, clothing and things that come into contact with potentially cold/hard surfaces, like sofas(walls/sking/framing) i used them whenever the moho was stored for more than a week.....

but they don't help during the time the tube is inhabited....

cheers
2air'

[Angel73]

Originally Posted by 2airishuman

hello wet ones.....

i've posted about this before here......

http://www.airforums.com/forum...t=condensation

while breathing is a large part of this so is water vapor from skin...not sweat, just water evaporating from every square cm of skin....

so the whole shebang is called insensible water loss. how many people inside? i'll guess 2-3 kids and 2 adults....so this is gonna be 4-8 LITERS of water left each day inside the trailer....

imagine hosing down the insides with water.....and then hoping it will all evaporate before tomorrow......ain't gonna happen.

if you were some place really dry this would be easier to deal with, but in tennessee.....

so during the day you are probably not getting all of the water out from the previous day/night and it just builds up....

also consider wet towels, cooking, coffee pots...

you need to keep all exhaust fans running and some lower fresh air intake...like a window in each area where people sleep...so 1 front and 1 back.... towels and bedding may need to go outside to dry in the sun everyday....

this issue is particularly hard to deal with in mild temps...50-60s because it's just a little too cool to open all the windows...but not cold enough for full furnace use... and not hot enough for full a/c use, or a fully drying sun in the daytime....

also your kids are sleeping up against walls? this traps the moisture and allows it to condense back right there on the spot........so polyester rolls or wool batting needs to be along the walls....and taken outside each day to dry. look over the other things i suggested, because you need to do all of them....

lastly...in your climate anything left outside or not under cover will collect LOTS of dew.....
tennessee is the wettest state i've ever enjoyed....
in the early mornings....
i take that back.....
iowa is pretty wet too with summer dew.....

cheers
2air'

Well it me two kids a hubby sometimes and a Boston terr.I don't cook inside at all.I dont use the LP at all unless it gets cold.I use coolers for the food & drinks cause it normal just a weekend thing.We mainly take showers in the showers stalls at the camp ground.And we do hang all the towels out side...
We where leaving the windows and fans running 24*7 for the most part.Until we tryed it with the windows closed...But it didn't help much either and this year we haven't went yet so am willing to try anything onces...to stay dry this year

[silverleeper]

but they don't help during the time the tube is inhabited....

cheers
2air'[/quote]

Angle73, Please look at every option. Hope all this info will help in some way.