condenastion or leak in corners?????

It sounds like you do have condensation then - not leaks.

We were out recently in our new TT (3rd in 3 years...) and it was cold and I think the temps. at night were down to around 40F or so. The furnace ran a lot to keep it comfortably warm. We usually turn it down a bit at night. I found the floors to be cold despite having a heated and enclosed underbelly. We always have one or more vents cracked open a tiny bit. We have vent covers and can leave them open 24/7 if wanted but usually close them if out of the TT for any length of time so the furnace won't run as much.

Unless you have a genuine 4-season TT with thicker and better insulation, your furnace will run a lot, esp. if it's in the 30s. It is what it is. If you have a heated and enclosed underbelly, they heat it by running a duct into the underbelly space near the tanks and it escapes into the outside. Not very efficient...

It will also help to open a window or two a wee bit to improve air flow. Single pane windows will pretty much fog up regardless unless nobody is inside. The weep holes in windows are there to drain away condensation. There is a significant amount of moisture released into the air by a human body and pets, showering and cooking. If it's not allowed to escape from a confined space, it will condense inside on cold surfaces. All you can do is vent it out and let the furnace run as needed. If you don't have the roof vent covers (like Maxxis) I would get at least one and for the the vent that has a fan. (You'll need the larger cover.)

People who full-time in the winter can actually cause damage to their RVs by not providing any or adequate ventilation. Unless you intend to camp in the winter or full-time year round, the good news is that the cold weather will be gone soon.

More so on a new/newer RV, with the lack of adequate ventilation, there's also the question of possible formaldehyde off-gassing and health effects.

Several decades ago, homeowners started to seal up houses to make them as air-tight as possible to save energy. Codes even required this for a time. Then mold and rot began to show up as well as health issues from the mold and stale air. Nowadays, timed or continuous fan forced ventilation is typically required to remove moisture and bring in fresh outside air.

im the OP.... Yes, this TT does have Aluminum framing... I woke up sunday morning also with wet corner in the bunk... but I also felt some other corners and they were wet also... the front of the camper inside the two small closets were wet on the corners...also wet on the slide corners... at this point, I think I will mark it off as condensation. I would be surprised if all four corners of this fairly new TT leaked...maybe Im wrong, but doubt it... there was tons of moisture on the windows also...so yes, I would think I suffered from condensation. I just wiped it off...I have a maxx air fan with the rain sensor just installed..maybe I will turn it on at night on low and let it get the moisture out... im just afraid that the furnace will then do double duty..its in the 30s right now at night in the Adirondacks... if I have the fan running it will let all the heat out... or maybe I should just crack open one window? or should I do both, window and exchaust fan? I just hate to waste heat if I don't have to..thanks again

If it's in the corners, condensation *could* make sense since it has aluminum framing. The corner framing studs will likely be 1x2 in size and conduct the heat away much better than if they were were wood.

But, if there is no condensation whatsoever elsewhere inside such as door and window frames, then I would think it'd more likely to be leakage. New TTs are known to have inadequate and/or failed caulking sometimes... Also, sometimes, even though a TT manufacturer says they have good insulation, it's not installed very well in some areas and there's voids or even no insulation where there should be some. Have seen that on 3 TTs now while doing some mods.

If you used an IR gun, you could see where the cold spots are. Not a bad tool to carry along anyway for checking things like brake temp.

When it's cold and damp outside, it's good practice to crack open one or more vents to allow moisture to escape. Resist the temptation to seal it up as tight as possible to retain heat inside. It's actually good to keep vents cracked open a little all the time, esp. at night to get some fresh air inside. If the furnace can't keep things warm enough with vents cracked open when it gets really cold out, you could always use an electric heater (be careful of type) to supplement the furnace.

Time for a visit to the dealer.

Pick the spot that was the wettest and get out there with a hose, and spray it good and wet. Keep the hose on it for a bit and then check the inside.


Jack L

My guess is it was condensation. That is one reason I added Maxx vent covers on my TT, I leave them open to help avoid condensation.

We spent the winter in southern Alabama and had condensation problems with rainy days or severe temperature changes. We left our three roof vents open about 1 to 2 inches which helped with the windows greatly. Also left the doors to the wardrobe open as the outside corner of it would be wet. We lined the wardrobe with insulation, hope it helps next winter. We used two electric heaters for heat and did not notice leaving the vents open to cause camper to be chilly.

Were your windows wet as well? We used to get a lot of condensation in the winter when running the heat. If you cook inside your coach, you are adding more moisture into the air. Once we got a dehumidifier, no more issues. When you get home, a simple run over the area with a water hose will let you know if you have a actual leak (be careful not to over wet if possible)

My first thought is condensation.

I am well experienced at that one, as I just "survived" a really nasty winter in Alberta in my TT.

I had to take some serious steps to address this in mine, as all my windows and vents were caked with ice and I could not open them.

Condensation occurs where there is cold transferring inside, such as the corners and behind insulative things like mattresses.

One suggestion I have in identifying condensation vs a leak is to look very closely at an open area where the problem occurs.

A leak will show up as a flow of water from the leak source, similar to putting a straw full of water against the wall and letting it run down from a local spot.

Condensation will show up in random places as little droplets of water forming on the cool surface. Look closely at all areas and see if there are tiny droplets forming on a wall. Also, run your hand on a cold wall surface away from a direct heat or ventilation source. You will likely feel moisture on your hand. This is a true sign of condensation, rather than a leak.

If you can, open a roof vent with fan at one end of the trailer and a window at the other during the day, if the temperature permits. This will exchange the moist air for outside air. This is what i do when it was warm enough to do it without my furnace running constantly. Even now, I battle moisture in here and it has warmed up from the minus 20's and -30's C I was living in.

I bought a fancy digital thermometer unit from Wally World. It has 3 remote sensors I can place where I want, inside or out. The unit also has humidity sensors built in. This helps to let you know how moist it actually is inside. Right now, mine is at 31%. Outside shows 51%, but the sensor is inside a ziploc bag so it doesnt get wet. The inside of my fridge is 77%.

Be sure to open the roof vent and fan when using the shower and also the range hood fan when cooking. It helps.

Whoa, slow down there, amigo.

When you say wet in the corners, does this mean running water, the paneling is damp, or some other? If it's running down the walls, you can probably assume it's a leak to the exterior. Some dampness, it is probably condensation. The corners and cabinet enclosures will be the last to heat up and have the most extremes of temps.

IMO, a pressurized leak test is the best for finding pinhole leaks but that doesn't remove the tasks of getting up on the roof, inspecting, and resealing any bad areas. If you can't figure out how to pressurize the interior, you're limited to observation and practical sense. I'd wipe down the corners, apply heat to the cabin and observe.

AFAIK, warranty for any item doesn;t include warranty of scheduled use and the upshots so, no, Primetime isn't going to be helping you with a lease. If you can't fathom how to do any maintenance to your trailer, hiring a mobile RV tech or hauling back to the dealer would be your options.

I have experienced the same thing in various trailers as you described and was condensation. I would try cracking a ceiling vent or two and running a fan which helps circulate air.