Condensation issues on motorhome
We are trying to find a way of reducing or even better eradicating condensation within our motorhome when it is left on our drive between trips. We have considered dehumidifiers or low wattage cartridge heaters placed in the unit.
Can anyone offer any help on this based on experience?
any help would be greatly appreciated
Comments
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We just don't get condensation inside when not using the motorhome.
The trick is ventilation. This will partly depend on whether your drive gets a good flow of air, whether your motorhome is well ventilated inside [varies considerably by make/model], and how frequently hot blooded people go in the motorhome - the more frequent, the greater the condensation risk.
We've never used heaters or dehumidifiers in our twenty plus years of motorhoming. Some people do and say it works. In the early days, we would remove the soft furnishing and bedding but we haven't even bothered with that for the last 16 years. We leave the curtains tied back and the blinds up. When we do go in - perhaps once or twice a week, we leave the door open.
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Dehumidifiers are a wast of time because all you are doing is dehumidifying all the air. Motorhomes have so many holes in them that new air just keeps coming in. Even the roof lights don't have a tight seal they just have deep lips all the way round. Small heaters don't work as the warmth from them on the windows can cause condensation. So you are left with good ventilation and keeping an eye on whats happening inside the MH. Best thing to do is use it rather than leave it sitting around. That way you move all the air round and warm everything up.
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Caravans and motorhomes are extremely well ventilated, they have to be and there are essential reasons for this. The air inside is constantly being replaced with that outside so dehumidifies are a waste of time and money. For them to work you would need to seal the vents completely. The best things to do is remove all possible water storage and materials that absorb water from the stored van. If condensation is an issue whilst you are living in it them the problem is most likely to be a lack of ventilation.
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we have our Arto on the drive at home ,always hooked up,Alde heating on low all the time .insulated blind down on the windscreen,does the job a treat no condensation at all :-)
Brian & Jo
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We leave all the doors and cupboards open, including under the seats. The coldest spot in our van is usually at the back in a low kitchen cupboard. We get some condensation if the humidity outside suddenly increases, same with our car. We don't own or use silver screens, ventilation is the key. We sometimes leave a heater on a frost stat but that's because we have easy access to outside electrics at home.
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Ours is on the drive with elect access. Will use dehumidifier after prolonged wet weather and fan heater=.Mostly we open all doors in dry weather and air well. Never remove bedding etc. but we use regularly through the winter. Supposed to be nice day tomorrow so will open all doors for most of the daytime.
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I have to disagree with the statement that "dehumidifiers are a waste of time" from personal experience when my Swift roof developed corrosion and let a lot of water into the roof structure.
I removed the fridge vent covers and sealed them up on the inside with light weight plastic sheets (shopping bags) and refitted them, then set the dehumidifier to work 24/7.
At first I was getting more than 8 litres per day, but after 2 weeks it started to reduce, after10 weeks it had gone down to 2 or 3 litres per day and my moisture meter tests had gone from soaking wet to an exceptionable level 10 or 12 percent proving that the water had been removed by the dehumidifier.
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It sounds like there was a serious water ingress and absorption problem. Where was so much water entering the van from and what material in the van was retaining it in such quantities?
Ventilation and circulation is the only real solution as these dehumifiers really should not be required at all if all is well and 'healthy' as far as the van's construction and ventilation is concerned!
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It sounds like there was a serious water ingress and absorption problem. Where was so much water entering the van from and what material in the van was retaining it in such quantities?
Ventilation and circulation is the only real solution as these dehumifiers really should not be required at all if all is well and 'healthy' as far as the van's construction and ventilation is concerned!
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It sounds like there was a serious water ingress and absorption problem. Where was so much water entering the van from and what material in the van was retaining it in such quantities?
Ventilation and circulation is the only real solution as these dehumifiers really should not be required at all if all is well and 'healthy' as far as the van's construction and ventilation is concerned!
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