... Good morning... Got a AF TC and just noticed moisture under the mattress; we have a layer of Reflectix under the mattress for insulation purposes and moisture is on the Reflectix & bottom of the mattress.... What did you do to solve this issue???....TIA....

I lift up the mattress, hold it up with a foot stool and let my fan dry out the area under the mattress. In cold, damp weather I might need to do that every couple of weeks or so. In hot, dry conditions I can skip it entirely. Regardless of conditions I check for dampness under the mattress every few weeks.The area under my mattress was raw plywood. I greatly decreased the condensation problem when I applied several coats of paint.

BTW, Reflectix does a great job handling radiant heat, but it has low R value and does very little good for handling conductive heat transfer which occurs under a mattress. I would remove it since it might be contributing to the condensation.

We do have several topics about the issue. Some members are using special mats design for boats, so boating forum might give better responses. I had the moisture issue when we full timed in camper during the wettest California winter in last 50 years. My solution was to get two 4" plastic pipes used for irrigation, drill lot of big holes in them and stick under head side of the mattress. That was giving air flow in critical area and occasionally I would move the pipe to different part of bed, sticking small electric heater on the side.

Have a look at the Froli mattress foundation.

When I had a boat the recommendation was for a cross fiber material used for filters. I think it is available at the big box hardware stores in large sizes. Cut it to fit and put it under the mattress.There are also solutions made for boats but they are more expensive.

Moisture under mattress solutions please | Good Sam Community

37 Replies

_1Flyboy
Explorer II
Feb 03, 2020
Problem Solved.... On top of the 1/2” foam insulation board I put on a Queen sized Den-Dry (from Amazon; good reviews and instructions) .... Thanks to all you helpful posters!.....
brholt
Explorer II
Feb 03, 2020
We put something similar to these under the mattress. Worked nicely to insulate and provide a bit more cushioning. We haven't had any problems with condensation since.

Floor mats
_1Flyboy
Explorer II
Feb 01, 2020
Currently 94% humidity outside this morning in Columbia California....
_1Flyboy
Explorer II
Feb 01, 2020
jaycocreek.... check your messages....
crosscheck
Explorer II
Feb 01, 2020
We had TC's for many years and camped in cool/cold weather a lot. ( We are from Canada).Condensation under matress was an issue. The reason is there is a thin layer of insulation between the bottom of your mattress(warm, moist air) and outside cold air. This causes condensation. My solution was to put a sheet of 1" styro under the whole matress and along the sides which touch the exterior walls same height as mattress. Problems solved.

Dave
hedgehopper
Explorer
Jan 31, 2020
JimK-NY wrote:
jaycocreek wrote:
hedgehopper wrote:
We have not had a problem with moisture under the mattress, I think because we do not heat the cabover. In fact, we have drapes to keep the heat out of the cabover. We sleep best when the cabover is cool and we can pile on the covers.
Plus 1...
I would guess your TC is better insulated than mine. I try to stop for the year or move South when the temps start dipping below freezing. If I turn the heat off at night, I wake to a TC temp of about 10-15 degrees warmer than outdoors; i.e., about 45 degrees. That is a bit too cold for comfort as far as I am concerned.
We don't turn the heat off at night. We heat the bathroom area to somewhere between 57 and 60 degrees but like to keep the cabover around 50 degrees or a little less.
jaycocreek
Explorer II
Jan 31, 2020
#1Flyboy wrote:
hedge hopper & jaycocreek....We also sleep with windows & vent open.... We are also Full Time in the AF TC, so might be a different situation than yours???....Wasn’t an issue in the desert....

We fulltimed in a 24' Beaver Class C...Three of us and a dog..The top window was always open and the vent above the bed cracked mostly because we ran a catalytic heater 24/7 during the cold months and my wife likes it cold in the upper bunk to sleep..Also in the 21ft Class C we just sold to go back to a truck camper...We never had condensation problems in the bunk area probably because it was always vented heavily but the lower area was always warm..Kinda the wood stove effect with the catalytic heater.

All our full timing was done in the mountains with an occasional full hookups for laundry and re-stocking...We do the same in out TC and haven't had any condensation problems up stairs in the cold hunting months.

Where the AF 865 has a heat vent up stairs(memory) might be the issue.Let us know the fix if you find one because the AF-865 is my wifes choice for are next TC..Ya,over the Bigfoot Foot 10.4..Go figure LOL
harley4275
Explorer
Jan 31, 2020
Hi, I don't read all posts but I put the dimple barrier that foundation guys put on house foundation exterior walls before backfilling with dirt. Allows air to move and no moisture. Also not expensive for a small piece.
Kayteg1
Explorer II
Jan 30, 2020
Just to compare how the issue will change with location, in Las Vegas overnight temperatures will drop close to 40F, but I have to run 2 of "whole house" humidifiers to maintain 42% humidity in my house.
Suppose 42% kills flu virus.
_1Flyboy
Explorer II
Jan 30, 2020
hedge hopper & jaycocreek....We also sleep with windows & vent open.... We are also Full Time in the AF TC, so might be a different situation than yours???....Wasn’t an issue in the desert....