Condensation on windows

brw549 · 01-13-2012, 10:38 AM

I know I may beating a dead horse here but, is there anything that can be done to reduce the condensation that is created on the single pane widows of a camper in the winter? I live in Georgia and the moisture content in the air is high even during the winter. I know when hot or warm air meets cold surfaces there will be some moisture but, I'm afraid the amount I have here will cause me problems down the road with mole and sidewall rot. Any suggestions other than moving to a warmer climate would be appreciated.

grhodes50 · 01-13-2012, 10:42 AM

There are a few things you can do.
Leave the roof vents open an inch or two. You can also leave a couple of windows slightly opened.
Air movement is important, so either buy a small fan or run your AC fan to help with that.
You can also purchase dehumidifiers.

Hope this helps you.

brw549 · 01-13-2012, 11:07 AM

Thanks for the info. I've tried electric heaters that move the air and have notice only the lower section of the windows having and issue. The gas heat really creates a large amount of condensation but, it also creates more heat. I tried the chemical buckets placing two large one in my Flagstaff 30WRKSS but hey can't keep up. This is our first camper and next time I will look for better windows.

grhodes50 · 01-13-2012, 11:52 AM

Actually your tt's gas furnace doesn't produce the moisture your experiencing. Most of it comes from our breathing and our water usage, such as the shower.
Which reminds me, always use the bathroom vent fan when showering.

I use a couple of the buckets too, but only when the tt's not being used.

Hob · 01-13-2012, 12:09 PM

I know this isnt a 100% answer. This is what we are experiencing in ID with temps dropping to 10 degrees at night. We run a dehumidifier 24 hours a day and get roughly 1/2 gallon of water in a 24 hour period to empty. We get up every morning with condensation on the windows. Right after the first cup of coffee one of us opens the curtains, blinds, and turns on the fan to circulate the air. We also wipe the windows down to get rid of the large amount of moisture. Day time temp is held at 70 degrees for comfort and to keep from freezing up we hold the night time temp to 65. I think the dehumidifier might be a good idea. I won't give ours up anyway. The other thing we do, as suggested by grhodes50, is shower with the vent open and fan on. The temp dropping to 10 and sometimes to 0 at night I'm sure is what is condensing the moisture in the air. We try to keep our humidity to 30% and below but is hard to do with the outside and inside temps.

Sorry we couldn't give you the 100% solution. We feel we have only a 70% solution at best but keep working at it. I do worry about the condensation, that is the reason for us doing so much to try to keep it dry in here. BTW we only have a 27 ft trailer so it might be easier for us than larger trailers.

Best Regards,

Hob

brw549 · 01-13-2012, 12:51 PM

Thanks Guys, I thought this was limited to just TT but about a week ago I was camping and there was a very expensive motor home next to me and there unit had the same problem. I grew up in house that had no insulation and gas heat. I remember the windows and wall sweating during the winter and the water on the glass would sometime freeze on the inside...when spring came we had to wash the walls because of the yellows stains the gas left on the walls. Thanks again for all of your help.

Vols · 01-13-2012, 05:35 PM

I run the exhaust fan above the stove if my furnace is on. No moisture since I started that.

Hob · 01-13-2012, 05:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vols

I run the exhaust fan above the stove if my furnace is on. No moisture since I started that.

My problem only occurs after we go to bed. Wish I could figure out a way to turn on and off the exhaust fan over the stove while we are in bed. I'm way too old to stay up all night to turn it on and off when the furnace turns on and off.

Regards,

Hob

dnaraG_1M · 01-13-2012, 05:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vols

I run the exhaust fan above the stove if my furnace is on. No moisture since I started that.

I know that I'm a real n00b here, not having run the furnace yet
on our recently purchased TT, but I see again and again the
idea that the moisture in the trailer is from the furnace. (from
the fact that burning propane generates water)

I thought that the combustion chamber of the furnace was sealed
off from the internal air - meaning that the combustion products
like CO, CO2, H2O, etc would go out the exhaust and not mingle
with the internal air. If that is correct, how could water from the
propane combustion be getting inside the trailer? If water gets in,
would not gasses like CO and CO2 get in also?

I must be missing something. Be nice to find out now before
I start using the furnace!!!

cheers,
johnd

brw549 · 01-13-2012, 06:07 PM

It has nothing to do with the furnace. Its due to hot or warm air on one side of the window and cold air on the other side. Same thing happens when you breath on a mirror...

Hob · 01-13-2012, 06:40 PM

I believe, there is often excess humidity in a trailer. It then becomes condensation on the coldest area of a wall, which is normally the windows. The warmer the air, the more moisture it will retain, so when air in your trailer comes in contact with the colder glass surface, it is subsequently cooled and moisture is released in the form of condensation on the glass and on the inside sill. That is one of the reasons for storm windows. It slows the moisture release because of the ambient air being heated slower. Were you to get double paned windows, much of the condensation on the inner window would be slowed.

The air in your trailer will always be fairly high in humidity due to your and your animals breathing relases moisture into the air. The answer could be what they call high E windows. I believe this would be cost prohibitive for most trailer owners. Your propane stove and oven also release moisture into the air. I think the heater works like a home gas furnace and gives you some drying effect in your trailer.

Our answer is a dehumidifier. It made the problem smaller but still need to turn on the fan in the morning and wipe down the windows and sills. We are camping in Idaho right now so we see temps from 10 degrees to -10 degrees at night. We just put up with it and wipe windows as well as run the dehumidifier all the time. The fan comes on in the morning and runs until we go to bed, the next morning the wiping and fan starts all over until bedtime. I really believe the double paned windows might be the answer but that would cut into our money we have for camping. The 70% solution is our answer for now.

Regards,

Hob

caper · 01-13-2012, 08:23 PM

Use a dehumidifier and do not forget to open the doors the the cupboards.

dnaraG_1M · 01-14-2012, 09:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by brw549

It has nothing to do with the furnace. Its due to hot or warm air on one side of the window and cold air on the other side. Same thing happens when you breath on a mirror...

Yeah, I know that. Was not focusing on the condensation
issue. We all know what happens when warm air hits a
cold surface.

What I was seeing is that some folks on this and other RV
sites seem to believe is that the furnace is responsible for
the moisture in the first place. That doesn't make sense
to me as the furnace, fridge, and cold water heater all
vent to the outside.

This n00b is beginning to believe that that is just
another Urbane Myth.
No, wait. Make that a Campground Myth!

cheers,
johnd

Vols · 01-14-2012, 03:00 PM

I enjoy the low hummm noise of the fan so it doesn't bother us. I just gotta say I love this forum! So much info it's amazing!!

DDC · 01-14-2012, 04:49 PM

If you go with double pane windows you might find the walls sweating a lot more.

trudif · 01-24-2012, 11:48 AM

The new 2011 Windjammer FK is one of the worst units i have owned for Condensation... we even have the so called thermal windows. We live in Las Vegas (which is not warm all the time) full timing it for 3mos soon we will go to CA. I have full timed it in other RVs before and never had it this bad. I have to remove the cloths out of the closet because of walls being wet. We have a dehumidifier, crack vents windows, still not much better, looking to line the inside closet walls with something not sure what to use, even leaving the doors open does not help. Other wise this is a great trailer. Can anyone help?

You may also like: