We have also had these same kind of problems. On our last trip to Stone Mt. Ga., it was in the 40s at night, The pillows on our bed up against the front of our 5er (we do not have a slide out in bedroom) seemed to be damp from moisture and there was condensation on that front wall near the mattress. We have had this before in other areas especially when it is cold out and we have the heat going at night.

What can be done to stop this? (Does this have anything to do with amount/thickness of insulation our camper has in the walls?)

I wanted to ask also what important things does one look for in a RV, especially if your plans are to use it in cold weather??? I know to look for heated holding tanks. I know that there are 'all-season' RVs. What does that really mean. Are these units a lot more expensive?

Ann

 

 

Condensation in your unit comes from having too much moisture in the air inside the unit. The moisture comes from bathing, cooking and breathing. Of course some units just aren't sufficiently insulated to be used in colder weather but that is a done deal if you already own the RV. It is pretty tough to add insulation once it is built.

So what can you do about it? First limit how many showers are taken at one time, especially early in the morning when it is usually coolest out side. Open a roof vent after bathing to exhaust the moist air. Cool air from outside that will replace it will naturally be dryer when heated. Second limit the amount and type of cooking. Boiling water of any kind, (cooking a pot of stew or beans may sound good in cool weather but it puts a lot of water vapor into the air). If these things don't help resolve the problem to a manageable level, you can purchase a dehumidifier. They aren't cheap but they will help to resolve the condensation.

I have seen articles on this issue in Trailer Life magazine so a search of the archives for such articles might produce the article and you can find out what the experts say. I think the archived articles are available on the Trailer Life web site. You might just give it a try.

In any event we wish you good luck in resolve the problem.

A couple of lessons we have learned about condensation. First - Be prepared to wipe it up. Second - expect some place in the rig to condense the extra water from using the oven, catalytic heater, or using hot water for any reason. Third - power ventilate for a few minutes after a shower, it is worth the heat loss. Finally - if you have a spot that is just two much then insulate with a heavy towel or a more comercial insulating material. Note if you insulate the condensation moves to the next cold spot in the rig.

No matter what rig you have you will have some condensation problems seen or unseen. Double pane windows, covered tanks on the bottom, and good construction help a lot.

We were in Albuquerque for a week during the big snow. Condensed right off the fantastic fan in the highest point of the rig. It was all we could do to turn it on for a few minutes with it sub 20's outside.

Larry and Jacki

blijil wrote:

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  No matter what rig you have you will have some condensation problems seen or unseen. Double pane windows, covered tanks on the bottom, and good construction help a lot. Larry and Jacki

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Hi,

We have to say we've never had a condensation problem and we never turn on the exhaust fans for showering and hardly ever for cooking, although we do use the under counter exhaust when we're frying.

I think some brands are better insulated than others. Carriage is made for fulltiming, and we added the extra astro foil insulation and dual pane windows. It seems to be a good combination, as we've been is some really cold weather including -14 in Milwaukee and -7 in Gallup NM.

Fred