skylight condensation
Living in my 26ft coachmen for the past 6 months now. Im in Myrtle beach. Just noticed water droplets on membrane between ceiling and skylight bubble. its colder here and running electric heat p...
Forum Discussion
Great steps so far.
Now I want to explain in more detail just how humidity works in your TT.... and why it is bad.
When you heat air, it can hold more moisture in vapor form.
Moisture comes from normal TT activities such as cooking, showering, washing dishes, perspiring, and breathing.
When the warm, humid air contacts a cold surface such as your, sky light, a window, or the outer skin of your TT, it condenses into water. You will see this first when your windows start to fog.
This water won't hurt anything, but the same thing is happening inside your walls. The warm humid air passes right thru the inside wall layers until it contacts the outer layer. It will be slower, as the insulation slows, but does NOT stop the process. When it arrives at the outer skin of your TT, it is stopped as that layer is not water permeable. Then the condensation starts. If you have typical filon etc. outer skin, it is glued to a luan backer board. The condensation will occur between the luan and the filon, swelling the wood fibers of the luan and destroying the glue bond between the luan and the filon... This is delamination.
It is extremely difficult to fix and is usually more expensive that the TT is worth.
So run the dehumidifier! And monitor your windows. At times, you may still have to open some windows and vents. Cooking and showering can load moisture into the air faster than the dehumidifier can remove it.
If you see window fogging, react!
Now I want to explain in more detail just how humidity works in your TT.... and why it is bad.
When you heat air, it can hold more moisture in vapor form.
Moisture comes from normal TT activities such as cooking, showering, washing dishes, perspiring, and breathing.
When the warm, humid air contacts a cold surface such as your, sky light, a window, or the outer skin of your TT, it condenses into water. You will see this first when your windows start to fog.
This water won't hurt anything, but the same thing is happening inside your walls. The warm humid air passes right thru the inside wall layers until it contacts the outer layer. It will be slower, as the insulation slows, but does NOT stop the process. When it arrives at the outer skin of your TT, it is stopped as that layer is not water permeable. Then the condensation starts. If you have typical filon etc. outer skin, it is glued to a luan backer board. The condensation will occur between the luan and the filon, swelling the wood fibers of the luan and destroying the glue bond between the luan and the filon... This is delamination.
It is extremely difficult to fix and is usually more expensive that the TT is worth.
So run the dehumidifier! And monitor your windows. At times, you may still have to open some windows and vents. Cooking and showering can load moisture into the air faster than the dehumidifier can remove it.
If you see window fogging, react!
