Condensation control in spring/fall

[Kush Wood]

Last year my wife and I stayed in the TM up until late fall on Vancouver Island, BC and the temperature was a steady 12 degrees Celsius (or 53F). As a result we dealt with a lot of condensation issues and the main one that I want to bring attention to here is that our matresses ended up damp on the bottom.

We tried placing a sheet of vapor barrier underneath but that didn't help it. We also placed a layer of straw between vapor barrier sheets and the mattress with no success.

Since we are planning some spring time camping at the end of this week I wonder what my best options would be to rectify this issue. The temperature will be about the same as it was when we left off in the fall (the plus side is that we can at least anticipate eventual rising temperatures versus dropping).

We are considering trying 2" foam board insulation pieces to fit the bed area. Otherwise would skirting make a big difference here? And does anybody have skirting for their TM that they could recommend?

On the upside we have a woodstove but the downside is that we don't have the proper heat shielding yet to be able to use it. It seems difficult in this small town to find someone who can make a custom heat shield for what we need.

So in conclusion my main question is: will the 2" foam board work for the beds or is skirting necessary?

Any suggestions are appreciated..

[inghamm]

We camped on Vancouver Island December 2015 into January 2016. It got below freezing at night, and we did have condensation problems. Since then we

1. Used Damp Rid
2. Turned on the bathroom fan while showering and left it on until the bathroom is not steamy

In fall of 2016 we took a trip where we had several nights below freezing, although it would warm up during the day. We didn't have much condensation. We were connected to shore power and using electric heater(s) during the night /morning
Concerning heat - if you have shore power, consider getting a little electric heater. If not, I would think the propane heater would be much safer than a woodstove.

[Bill]

Condensation happens when moisture (humidity) builds up in the air inside the trailer. When you get the TM sealed up tight, the moisture has no place to go, and eventually it will condense on any cool (not just cold) surface. The cure is to get the moisture out of the air. Products like Damp-Rid will help. If you have shore power, a small dehumidifier is easy. If you don't, then the solution is to open a window, open the vent on the ceiling, turn on the vent fan, and get a complete air change once or twice a day. Yes, it will get cold inside, so when you have finished venting, run the furnace or electric heater to warm the place back up. But the longer you collect moisture in the air, the worse the problem will get.

Bill

[Kush Wood]

Great thanks. We used the damp-rid or particularly Driz-air I think it was called before we put the RV into storage for the winter. But since we were new to camping last fall we were unaware of this product. We'll definitely be using them this spring to ensure condensation reduction.

[LoveToCamp]

I had a Coleman air mattress plus 3" egg-crate foam in our TM. I didn't realize for a couple years that we had condensation on the top of the air mattress, and on the bottom of the foam. Once I realized this was happening, I began folding the bedding and foam forward for a few hours each morning. Not a big problem, but it kept any mold from growing.

I recently put ½" of firm-foam workshop comfort pads under the mattress, but it didn't help.

I am in Colorado, and it is normally pretty dry where we camp. I think we just generate our own humidity when we sleep, so condensation happens. I thought it was due to the bed being exposed to the outside at the bottom. But, we slept in our new TT with a bed not exposed to the outside, and we still had condensation between the air mattress and the foam.

I don't know if you can keep it from happening. I don't notice condensation in our home bed (Select Comfort with their foam pad), but maybe it does get some condensation.

Good luck!

[tentcamper]

we keep the vent open about 1/2 inch.

[ShrimpBurrito]

If you want to get a bit more technical, pick up a hygrometer. Even better, get a wireless one that measures indoor and outdoor simultaneously. They are cheap. That way you can assess at a glance if it is more humid inside than outside, which would be a good time to ventilate. There is certainly no point in ventilating when it is more humid outside.

In many regions here in the southwest US, there are huge intra-day swings in humidity. Often more humid in the morning and drying out as the day goes on, it could be in the 90%-range in the morning, and then 30-40% by afternoon.

A hygrometer would also give you an indication as to whether your ventilation methods are adequate, and when perhaps "enough is enough".

Dave

[scrubjaysnest]

We always cracked a window and vent with no problems. For the bed I got a piece of foam carpet padding placed between the bed frame and sleeping pads we used.

[Larryjb]

Related to this is storing a TM in the cold damp weather. I just opened up the TM and found mold spots where water had condensed over the last winter. It's inconvenient to monitor and replenish products like Damp-Rid throughout the winter.

I had most trouble with the wood cabinets. Moisture seems to have gotten into the foam core of the wood and caused some separation.

[Bill]

During storage, a good solution would be a dehumidifier. This assumes that you have shore power available, and that the dehumidifier has a dump hose fitting that would replace the bucket. It is certainly better than mold and delaminated wood work.

Bill