We got away for a last minute camping trip and knew the nights were going to be cool. I think the coldest night was in the upper 20's and the others were at or just above 32 degrees.In the mornings, there was a LOT of condensation on the inside of all windows, the insides of the vents and even on some walls. We did run the furnace but I had a vent open a bit at night and during the day; had the bathroom fan and the Fan-Tastic fan in the front area running for several hours. I tried to dry off the windows with a towel which I hung outside to dry. We each took one shower with the fan on in the bathroom. I did most of the cooking outside but did do dishes inside. It didn't seem to make a difference! Every morning the windows were dripping wet. There are 2 adult 2 leggers and 2 boxer dawg 4 leggers that share the MH so I know there is going to be some moisture from just breathing. Is there anything that can be done to reduce if not eliminate the condensation?

Hi Karen, You are getting into the oldest problem all campers have. Cold weather and hot bodies ;=) Every one gets it and most keep wiping till it's gone. My wife and I have found that , as soon as you can dry off the windows, if you are on shore power get a small elec heater and put it up high directed to the largest window.(this doesn't need to be set on high) Not only will it produce some heat but to circulate it throughout the camper.Next IF you use the hot water "shower, washing dishes" do that early in the evening. The moisture will dissipate some what. Your cooking stove also generates moisture from the propane gas heat, so if and when you are on shore , get an elec skillet. That really helps.Well welcome to the world of wet windows and insides of the house.Take care and Good LuckC

Cold surface(Windows, walls, hatch covers etc. Next to warm air inside the rv is a recipe for condensation and if temp difference is great enough, frost. Better insulation is your best defense. Covering Windows and hatches with insulating materials like reflectex or similar will help.One very effective way to dry Windows is using a squeegee like used at gas stations for washing car windshield. Wal-Mart has them for a very low price.

In our camper, I crack a window in each area...at least three. I also crack every vent. This really helps. When showering, use the vent. Cooking....I open the kitchen window and use the vents. Circulation is the biggest key.....

We use a synthetic chamois called the "absorber" to dry cars, windows, shower ect... keep one in the tt for any moisture. You can find them at Wally World for under 10 bucks. They do an outstanding job, just wring it out when it gets waterlogged and store it damp. We do keep a vent or two cracked when running the furnace, it does help.

Hi,Place an electric heater near a window. Open the window a bit. Open a vent a bit as far away from that window as is possible.

Condensation! | Good Sam Community

22 Replies

AlmostBoatless
Explorer
Nov 15, 2013
We had a 28' boat for many years and dealt with this issue. I wholeheartedly recommend an air circulator. It is a plug in unit that is about 10" in diameter with a whole bunch of small holes on the top of this metal thing that is about 4" high and extremely light weight. Just plug it in and we had no mildew or moisture in our boat at all. We now use it in our 21' TT all winter, plugged in on top of the stove and check it weekly and no mildew, moisture at all last winter.

We got it from West Marine a while ago.
Padlin
Explorer
Nov 12, 2013
Ordered this dehumidifier the other day.

25 pint
KarenS144
Explorer
Nov 11, 2013
I like the dehumidifier idea if I can find one small enough. Our MH is just under 30' so space is a consideration. I had planned on taking an electric heater but it was commandeered for another job but will have it for our next cool/cold weather excursion.

I'm sure our MH isn't insulated much if at all and the windows are single panes. I was just surprised at the amount of moisture that collected.

Thanks for the suggestions and relating your experiences!
sowego
Explorer
Nov 11, 2013
Indeed it is a problem in cold weather and with high humidity. If you have a humidistat check to see what your indoor and outdoor numbers are. If the outside humidity goes high then cracking a vent will only let moisture in. The colder the walls & glass, all you can do is try to keep the indoor percentages low enough to minimize the water buildup. The furnace will help reduce condensation if you set it warm enough but the next best option is to invest in a dehumidifer unit. The bad news is with cold walls any humidity at all will build up on walls &/or glass.

In our dry climate, when we wintered at home we had to run a humidifier to keep it damper than 15% in our arid climate. If you get the humidity too low it's very uncomfortable and gives you lots of static shocks. So, try to find a balance that is comfortable and wipe down all surfaces each morning.
RambleOnNW
Explorer II
Nov 11, 2013
We have encountered this before and started bringing along the Frigidaire 50 pint/day dehumidifier we normally use in the garage. This is when we are at the coast or cold weather camping w/ electrical hookup. Keeping the humidity at 60% or below keeps the windows clear. We'll get it down to 50% and then shut it off overnight. Windows and vents are kept closed. In the morning humidity will be back up to 70% and we just turn it on again. This unit consumes 470 watts.

For road trips where we don't take the big unit we will take the small Eva-Dry EDV-2200 unit which has much less but some capability and will leave it running all the time if plugged in and humidity is high. It uses Peltola technology and consumes about 80 watts.
Cobra21
Explorer
Nov 11, 2013
It helps if we run our roof air on fan only with curtains open.
We of course have our furnace running also.
Brian
doxiemom11
Explorer II
Nov 11, 2013
If you have hookups, run a dehumidifier! Many full time rvers have one and use it. Hang wet towels outside to dry, use a squeegee to dry the shower after use.
You can also purchase small Damp Rid containers to put in closets or enclosed areas to absorb the moisture. They work very well (not in an open room area) We have double pane windows and the bedroom windows where we are at night, and the windshield (single pane) have condensation, the others not much unless I boil something while cooking. I try to avoid that when it's really cold out.
down_home
Explorer II
Nov 11, 2013
We finally bought a dehumidifier, at Lowes. 70qt I think.
prior to this and still we opened a window, slightly at the ft of the bed. Where there is lots of moisture that still won't stop it, such as here in the southeast.
I have cranked up the engine and ran the dash air defroster, a time or two,for a few minutes, to clear it up. If it is warm enough the heat pumps pull the moisture out. Cool or cold weather it appears the dehumidifier is perhaps the better option.
Pangaea_Ron
Explorer
Nov 11, 2013
Large front windshield is single glazed, and aluminum window frames are not thermal break, so there are lots of places for the dew point to occur in the wrong place.
NC_Hauler
Explorer
Nov 11, 2013
2oldman wrote:
Single pane windows?

Don't seem to have the problem with dual pane windows....

Forum Discussion

Condensation!

22 Replies

About RV Tips & Tricks

Related Content

Another condensation ?

skylight condensation

Condensation

condensation

Condensation