condensation

[linmar]

Our first winter in our 25' Safari--we are in south Texas the weather has turned cold--heater on & our interior windows are full of condensation--we are continuosly wipeing them off-----any suggestions

[Melody Ranch]

I think I'd try cracking open one of the overhead vents....fan on low to get the air circulating. I know the Valley humidity well...it can be miserable.....better than ice and snow.

[28totow]

Welcome to Texas - where the weather can be hot and cold all in the same day! We always leave either the shower/bath vent open, and if that does not do it, open the Fantastic Fan just a little. In addition, while cooking you may even have to open a window just a bit. The idea is to provide humid air an escape route.

[CanoeStream]

You've noticed how it's hard to prevent condensation on the inner skin when you're boiling water (eg, for pasta) in cooler weather. Dontcha just love that the smoke detector is so close to the stove?

Condensation is worse in the morning if you've buttoned up tight. Ditto to opening a roof vent an inch or so. I also unlatch one of the windows at the other end of the trailer -- just let it hang. Enough air will circulate. You have to manually open a roof vent (eg, Fantastic Fan) to have it be only an inch or so open. This overrides the automatic close if rain starts. So this works if there's no chance of rain or if any raindrops would wake you. I like to wake up just for that nice sound! I imagine living on a tropical beach with the drops on my tin roof and gentle sounds of surf...

If it's raining and cool enough for condensation inside, I'll just unlatch a few windows and let them hang. In some situations open the handle but don't turn the latch -- the latch tongue will keep the window from flying if it's going to be windy conditions.

[Inland RV Center, In]

Originally Posted by linmar

Our first winter in our 25' Safari--we are in south Texas the weather has turned cold--heater on & our interior windows are full of condensation--we are continuosly wipeing them off-----any suggestions

The furnace does not remove water, but the AC does.

During those strange days of weather, you can run the AC to remove the moisture, as well as run the furnace at the same time, to keep the temperature comfortable.

The furnace has many more BTU's than the AC, which limits the cold air.

Opening a window, I think, would just let in more moisture.

Andy

[crazylev]

I agree with Andy.

Every time we open a window or vent a crack, it just let's in cold air without the desired drying effect and wastes propane running the furnace more often. I go around with a towel and wipe down surfaces when I think about it.

J

[CanoeStream]

One person, three, or five sleeping exhale a lot of moisture inside. Mornings below 60 degrees will see dew on the grass outside. All the exhalation moisture can yield a much higher humidity buildup inside the trailer than outside. C'mon -- the insulation isn't great to begin with. The ribs conduct cool to the inside very well (see boiling pasta comment -- you can see the pattern on the interior SE bare skins). Higher humidity inside plus cool skins equals a condensation surface.

Yes, air conditioning naturally dehumidifies. But we're talking about shoulder season camping with early AM cool temps from 35-55 degrees. Who has more experience hee-yar folks?

Leave the upper vent open a bit and windows cracked a bit -- if nobody is sleeping inside you'll never see any condensation on the inner shell or windows. When people are sleeping inside, if you let some of that respiration moisture escape and humidity equalize -- voila! No condensation like the excesses linmar has been seeing. Been there. More than done that.

This works whether you camp in the north in April or October. Texas in February. Or the mountains any time.

[CanoeStream]

BTW - I do bring warm bedding, old sleeping bags, etc. Anything to avoid sleeping under those 20 pound OEM Airstream bedspreads.

[CanoeStream]

That didn't just count for one more post....


(Saturday night -- can't we all just have a little more fun if sitting in front of the computer is our fate?")

[karanmk]

We have a dehumidifier that works well. Two adults and 2 dogs generate a lot of moisture. Running the stove vent and sometime the bathroom vent along with the dehumidifier will drop the humidity to 45% (on cold, rainy days). No boondocking in the winter here!

[Whirlaway]

What type, size and brand dehumifier?

[Donster]

We found the place for waking up to the sounds of surf and the pinging of rain on the skin of Spud and it is NOT tropical. We camped at Crescent Beach west of Port Angeles, WA over Thanksgiving. And we awoke to that very pleasant sound CanoeStream speaks of...

[ROBERT CROSS]

Small cell bubble wrap worked behind the screens in our 63.

[74"Twinkie"]

When we are not boondocking, we use a dehumidifier (SoleusAir Dehumidifier). This unit has worked well and is pretty quiet. We use this unit while parked at home to keep moister levels in check. In general, wood will collect moister at or below about 55 degrees and start to swell. If you have tight dolerances on your cabinet doors or other woodwork you know what I mean.

[RoadKingMoe]

Originally Posted by Inland RV Center, In

...you can run the AC to remove the moisture, as well as run the furnace at the same time, to keep the temperature comfortable.

This is exactly what a dehumidifier does, except rather than dump the heat outside like the air-conditioner does, it uses it to reheat the air it chilled down to remove the moisture.

In warmer weather, a vehicle windshield defroster may also turn on the cars air-conditioner to remove moisture from the air before heating it back up and blowing it on the windshield.

Breathing, cooking, and showering generate a tremendous amount of moisture. Venting is necessary to let it escape, not to mention replace the carbon dioxide you're generating with fresh oxygen.

[karanmk]

We also use the Soleus dehumidifier. It kept things nice and dry during the recent snowy, wet weekend camping trip in Port Townsend. I believe that I ordered it from Amazon.

[mandolindave]

Originally Posted by Inland RV Center, In

The furnace does not remove water, but the AC does.

During those strange days of weather, you can run the AC to remove the moisture, as well as run the furnace at the same time, to keep the temperature comfortable.

The furnace has many more BTU's than the AC, which limits the cold air.

Opening a window, I think, would just let in more moisture.

Andy

Warm air will hold more moisture than cold air. So with the furnace running and a roof vent cracked, Won't the warm air collect the moisture and exhale it thru the roof vent? I maybe fooling myself but it sure feels dryer with the furnace on.
In the wintertime in my neck of the woods, I would have thoughts of shooting the AC unit before I had thoughts of turning in on.
Dave

[mbmbstreamer]

We live in GA and have high humidity, as well. We leave a vent open a small amount, always. In warm weather, even with the A/C on, it is usually the bathroom vent. In cold weather, it is normally the back vent (with a Maxxair cover). If the outside temperature is lower than the inside temperature, the air will remove moisture. Using a small heater will also help.

I'm sure using a de-humidifier or the A/C will dry the trailer, but we prefer to use as little as possible. After all, we are camping.

One other thought. In GA you WILL get condensation in a stored camper. If it is warm or damp when you store the camper, colder nights will cause condensation. You need to think about water leaking into the camper from rain. Remember, THEY ALL LEAK! We keep the vent open in storage as well.

Finally, think about the building products that are used in a camper. These include wood with glues, fabrics, and plastics. Ever notice a film on the inside of your car windows? All these products give off gas. In low concentrations this gas is not a problem. Let it build up and it can be unhealthy. In the extreme, you can have significant issues.

My thoughts.

[Airslide]

We use the exact same dehumidifier. It has been very reiable and quiet. I just leave it in the center of the trailer SoleusAir Dehumidifier
and it works perfectly. There is no condensation on the windows an i know my new cabinent doors are not splitting apart from the moisture. It amazing how full the water bucket is in the morning after two adults, one child and dog inhabit the space.

Vin

[nickcrowhurst]

We bought a bunch of those silver bubble car windscreen sun protectors from WalMart, and cut them to shape to push accurately into each window recess. That cures our condensation on the windows, and makes the trailer much more comfortable, as well as economical.
Nick.