Humidity... arg!!

[kenandterry]

Stormer.....

Can’t answer your questions as we’ve never camped in any weather conditions that produced the dampness you’re discussing. That being said, I’ve used this Reflectix in a number of situations for sound proofing and heat dissipation and worked well. It is primarily marketed as an insulation product. They also market their own metallic tape.....like for sealing heating pipes in a house. Use it to air tight seal the reflectix.

[10Ranger]

Originally Posted by kenandterry

How about lining the back walls with this......

https://www.lowes.ca/roll-insulation...E&gclsrc=aw.ds

If you use any type of insulation I would be careful about trapping moisture between the insulation and the wall. Could cause more problems than it solves.

[NJKris]

I'm kind of crazy about controlling indoor humidity levels, even in the winter (to prevent condensation issues). This chart is good to go by, it is based on indoor temperature of 70 deg. F. Humidity in excess of this guide with colder outdoor temperatures will result in condensation issues, especially in an RV, which is not insulated anywhere near a normal home is.

[kenandterry]

Originally Posted by NJKris

I'm kind of crazy about controlling indoor humidity levels, even in the winter (to prevent condensation issues). This chart is good to go by, it is based on indoor temperature of 70 deg. F. Humidity in excess of this guide with colder outdoor temperatures will result in condensation issues, especially in an RV, which is not insulated anywhere near a normal home is.

Good to know

[myxkp]

Originally Posted by ben31

Perfect, stormer. After the air conditioner, a dehumidifier is the next best thing. The damp-rid in the closet should keep that area under control. The vents you're adding to your closet doors should help a lot.

What a lot of people don't realize is the opening of the roof vent only helps if the outside humidity is less than the inside. In many areas, that is not the case. Opening the vents in those situations only lets in more moisture. Even if it is lower outside, the process is passive and very slow.

The best thing to do is take an active role in controlling your moisture by using the air conditioner and/or a dehumidifier. Get a thermometer with a hygrometer to keep track of the humidity and keep it at about 45-50%.

It may help to remember it is "relative humidity". As the indoor temperature drops overnight the relative humidity goes up leading to more condensation.
I personally don't mind a little condensation when I wake because as soon as the furnace brings the temperature back up the relative humidity is back down to normal.
If I have condensation an hour after the morning warm up I raise the temperature and crack a couple of windows to let the heat carry the moisture out. By the way, I sound proofed my furnace space and highly recommend it.

[nayther]

Why not a small computer fan in the closet to circulate the air and get the moisture out of the closet where it can be picked up by the dehumidifier? We don't worry about low moisture much on So Cal but I do commercial HVAC and we have some accounts with tight humidity specs. so I'm pretty familiar with dehumidifiers and humidifiers. There are two major types of dehumidifiers, refrigerated (that's why our A/C works to pull moisture out of the air) and desiccant (that's what your little dehumidifier uses). An RV is too small for refrigerated type so dessicant is the best you can do. If one doesn't remove enough then you'll need more, maybe one in the slideout and one or two in the living area.


Also need to understand how vapor pressure works. Very similar to water equalizing in two inter connected tanks it will always attempt to reach equilibrium (high vapor pressure moving to low) plus it is doing it at the molecular level, so it happens very fast and this moisture will pass right through anything permeable so you need a "vapor barrier" such as plastic, simple insulation will not work.

[shopinful]

Originally Posted by condoonwheels

does running a/c help with moisture?

I don't know about an RV because we are just picking ours up but living in Florida for 37 years I don't open the windows even on nice days to keep the humidity out of the house. A/C does two things - cools and takes out humidity.

[PapaSmurf31]

Have a 2016 Georgetown 371XL motorhome. We have recently noticed that the corners on the inside of our slides are sweating within an inch or so from the corners. These corners are open to the inside of the motorhome. This occurs when the temperature is colder outside. Is this a humidity problem or factory insulation problem? Has anybody else had this happen to them?

[NJKris]

If it is colder outside than in, and you have condensation/sweating, it means the humidity level is too high inside and must be addressed. I do not know your location, because it is not under your user name (you can edit that info and add it), so I don't know how cold it gets where you are. Most compressor style dehumidifiers cannot be operated below 41 degrees. I put several desiccant Eva Dry units in my small trailer, but they only bring the humidity down to 62-63%. When it gets warmer, I will use a 30 pint dehumidifier I bought for this purpose.

[timfromma]

Get a bucket of damp rid and put it inside the wardrobe.

[PapaSmurf31]

Originally Posted by NJKris

If it is colder outside than in, and you have condensation/sweating, it means the humidity level is too high inside and must be addressed. I do not know your location, because it is not under your user name (you can edit that info and add it), so I don't know how cold it gets where you are. Most compressor style dehumidifiers cannot be operated below 41 degrees. I put several desiccant Eva Dry units in my small trailer, but they only bring the humidity down to 62-63%. When it gets warmer, I will use a 30 pint dehumidifier I bought for this purpose.

Changed my profile. Thanks. We are presently making our way from Ontario, did a month in Southern British Columbia and presently in
central California. We have had a lot of rain on the way. I guess a dehumidifier is my next investment.

[JohnD10]

Originally Posted by PapaSmurf31

Changed my profile. Thanks. We are presently making our way from Ontario, did a month in Southern British Columbia and presently in
central California. We have had a lot of rain on the way. I guess a dehumidifier is my next investment.

Keep going south and you won't need it!

[pgandw]

Originally Posted by PapaSmurf31

Changed my profile. Thanks. We are presently making our way from Ontario, did a month in Southern British Columbia and presently in
central California. We have had a lot of rain on the way. I guess a dehumidifier is my next investment.

Ship some of your humidity to us. It is a regular battle in my house to keep the humidity at 27% or better, even with a whole house humidifier attached to the furnace. Earlier this week, we hit 18% thanks to humidifier valve failure. Sparks were flying - literally.

Fred W

[myxkp]

Originally Posted by pgandw

Ship some of your humidity to us. It is a regular battle in my house to keep the humidity at 27% or better, even with a whole house humidifier attached to the furnace. Earlier this week, we hit 18% thanks to humidifier valve failure. Sparks were flying - literally.

Fred W

A little off topic but house plants can be very good for adding humidity and can be selected to remove specific contaminants as well.