Does a Vented RV Furnace Add Moisture To The Air?

A standard Atwood or Surburan RV furnace adds moisture to the air OUTSIDE the motor home since it is a byproduct of combustion.. It only adds HEAT inside, if you need humidity you will need either a vaporizor or humidifier to add it. I use both when in the desert, plus saline nasal spray or .. Well, it's not fun.

One of the great misconceptions about Arizona is that it is all barren desert which is simply not true. There are probably as many acres of mountains as there are desert. We spend most of the summer up in the mountains at 6,000 to 9,000'. Rest assured there are lots of lakes and trees and it is gorgeous.

In 8 years I have never seen Tucson with the high temp in the nation. All over the US summer temps are just as high as here but with ridiculous humidity levels and bugs, I'll take Arizona any day. :C

Travelnutz wrote:
Another constant complaint we hear is that the sun side of your body is often boiling hot while the opposite side is ice cold and needs a coat. Very normal without moisture in the air to hold and disperse the sun's heat.

On what planet do you experience this phenomenon? This sounds like a complaint to fit an opinion, barring any known science.

Your family's needs regarding humidity are not the norm. If so, the State of AZ would be covered with blood trail and have no inhabitants. Think about this for a minute.

travelnutz wrote:
Desert Captain,

I'm also glad to hear the dry air works for you and your wife.

So many from our area have tried Arizona for wintering and I only know of one couple who didn't quit after the first year mainly due to the very dry air and the boring bleak barren landscapes and now those same people go other places like Florida, South Alabama, or S.E. Georgia. Another constant complaint we hear is that the sun side of your body is often boiling hot while the opposite side is ice cold and needs a coat. Very normal without moisture in the air to hold and disperse the sun's heat. We've found the very same thing when there! The ones who'd quit the southwest still are going to the S.E. states, so the humidity etc must be good with them.

It's very hard to come from living in a lush green heavily forested with real trees and green grass growing even wild everywhere state having more than 11,000 inland lakes and more than 3200 miles of fresh water Great Lakes shoreline to enjoy a dry dusty barren virtually real treeless land where about the only water you see is in a glass or in someone's pool as you pass by.

We all have different wants and desires and needs and what make us happy or want to even be somewhere.

I agree. We went last year for one month and will return this year for one month to visit friends. Next year we're going someplace that has real trees and lawns..

B.O.

Desert Captain,

I'm also glad to hear the dry air works for you and your wife.

So many from our area have tried Arizona for wintering and I only know of one couple who didn't quit after the first year mainly due to the very dry air and the boring bleak barren landscapes and now those same people go other places like Florida, South Alabama, or S.E. Georgia. Another constant complaint we hear is that the sun side of your body is often boiling hot while the opposite side is ice cold and needs a coat. Very normal without moisture in the air to hold and disperse the sun's heat. We've found the very same thing when there! The ones who'd quit the southwest still are going to the S.E. states, so the humidity etc must be good with them.

It's very hard to come from living in a lush green heavily forested with real trees and green grass growing even wild everywhere state having more than 11,000 inland lakes and more than 3200 miles of fresh water Great Lakes shoreline to enjoy a dry dusty barren virtually real treeless land where about the only water you see is in a glass or in someone's pool as you pass by.

We all have different wants and desires and needs and what make us happy or want to even be somewhere.

"We'll second that as if the humidity where humans are living in drops below 30%, noses and throats dry and often get scratchy feeling and sore like a sore throat cold and our lips start cracking. Below 20% a nose will even crack inside and bleed and a very big reason we stay away for deserts and the southwest."


I believe, and am sorry to hear, that you and your wife suffer in drier climates but your numbers are simply not true. We have lived in the Tucson area for 8+ years. Our humidity is typically 12 to 20% and we suffer no ill affects whatsoever. Quite the contrary, at temps up to 100 degrees 12 to 20% humidity is very pleasant.

Neither of us has so much as a cold in more than 8 years, no dry or scratchy throats, no cracked lips and we came from a relatively humid climate, San Diego (yes boys and girls San Diego is often 70% or higher but then they have that big blue thing to west).

Now come springtime they measure the pollen count in Tucson much like lake effect snowfall in Buffalo and allergies can be a serious problem when the high Sonoran desert is in bloom. Fortunately it is so beautiful we don't mind. :C

We'll second that as if the humidity where humans are living in drops below 30%, noses and throats dry and often get scratchy feeling and sore like a sore throat cold and our lips start cracking. Below 20% a nose will even crack inside and bleed and a very big reason we stay away for deserts and the southwwest. Everytime we've gone to those dry air areas, she has to turn on the small high intensity humidifer we take along and breath the wet air in deeply a while every hour or two. Sleeping in the dry air is miserable! It also helps me a lot staying out of the dry air too but staying out of those areas eliminates the problems entirely.

My wife's fingers also get splits near the ends in dry air and bleed and she has to use a special very expensive prescription ointment applied to them every couple hours. The dry air nose bleeds are even worse. Takes 4-6 days for her fingers to heal enough so she can even touch things with them without real sharp pains. They never split when in above 30-40% humidity and I breath so much better too.

Putting decently sealed storm windows on inside virtually eliminates window sweating, other sweating, or even ice inside when it's -10 F outside and you only need to vent the cooking moisture while cooking out. In a very amall camper with 2 people inside, crack a roof vent 1/4" for an hour 2 times during each 24 hour day. Any heat escaping carries most of the moisture inside out with it. Heat always naturally rises! Every time you open the door fresh drier air rushes in and further lowers the relative humidity inside. You learn to keep the humidity level comfortable real quick!

tlukasavige172 wrote:
I'm wondering if your common furnace that you find on an RV that is vented to the outside adds moisture or condensation to the air compared to an airtronic type heater like a Webasto or Espar? I'm camping in the winter and trying to find if the airtronic type is better. I know the BTU for diesel is better than propane but just curious about the moisture. Any advice or insight is appreciated.

no,
condensation comes from LACK of insulation..
Unfortunately most RVs dont have enough...or hardly any in many places!!

I use Espar and have r10 hard board foam insulation everywhere,plus double pane windows and the TC is completely dry..except for the dead bolt door lock thats sweats a litle,as theres really no way to insulate it..

As previously stated a closed system like an RV furnace does not add moisture to the air.

And I fully agree with RV walls and glass being cold...they will collect moisture and may even freeze a nice jack frost affect for you!

Also agree...try to reduce interior humidity if your percentages go above about 35%. We found in extreme cold we had to add moisture to keep humans comfortable because after monitoring with a humidistat our interior moisture level would drop below 15%. We were showering in the house so we had to actually run a humidifier 24/7. If you find your humidity is way too high buy a dehumidifier.

No matter what you do...even with the humidity below 10% at certain outdoor temps you will get condensation...it's just a fact of life! We just found it was just too durn uncomfortable to let the humidity drop below 20%.

Where you will get the moist moisture is from cooking, both from the LPG and from the food. A lot more than from the furnace. If concerned you can hook up a 110AC dehumidifier and run it when you are connected to shore power.