condensation advice (1 Viewer)

[shrly]

Hi all, its our first winter with the van and have decided not to overnight during the winter this year although we may get a day trip or 2 in. Cleared out all the clothes and bedding and found them a little damp, I'm assuming its condensation....any advice on wintering the van would be appreciated.
thanks.

 

[injebreck99]

we always have a window cracked open a touch to aid airflow, on the leeward side next to the house, we also have an oil filled radiator plugged in on mimimum settings as well, no condensation as yet for us.

 

[pappajohn]

Condensation = poor air circulation.
Leave all cupboard doors and drawers open and if possible leave a roof window very slightly open.
Any ventilation is better than no ventilation.

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[Larrynwin]

After drain down I always leave a very low level of heat with an oil filled rad all cupboard doors ajar and a top vent cracked open , never a damp problem.

 

[Deleted member 29692]

There are a few factors to consider.

The first one is how badly your van suffers. From your post it appears that yours is quite bad.

Secondly where do you keep it? If it's at home and you can keep it on hook up then one solution would be to use a small electric heater and also open it up to air it out as often as possible.

If you don't keep it at home or can't keep it plugged in then you might consider a crystal based moisture trap. I use two in our van if it's parked up for any length of time over the winter and have never had an issue although the van doesn't really suffer from condensation much anyway. Something like this:

Amazon product ASIN B0017RPIKM

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[pappajohn]

I wonder how long before dehumidifiers come into the equation ?

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[magicsurfbus]

Ours is in outdoor storage for most of the winter. I leave all the internal doors, lockers and drawers open, a crystal moisture collector in the sink (in case it overflows), the overcab double mattress is propped up on its side and any loose bedding, towels etc go into bin bags. I also give it a 2-3 day blast with a small dehumidifier before taking it to the storage site, especially if it's been washed and mopped down.

 

[magicsurfbus]

I wonder how long before dehumidifiers come into the equation ?

Ker-chiiing!

 

[funflair]

As far as I am concerned heat just makes problems, if you wear glasses just try walking from a cold outside into a warm room, the same happens on the cold bits of a warm van, it might be OK with plenty of ventilation but then you are just letting any heat straight out.

Martin

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[2657]

A question that I have often pondered when people advise leaving windows open etc, presumably so the inside atmosphere is the same as the outside, quite often the conditions outside result in condensation onto outside surfaces (dew on grass etc).

Would this not result in the same condensation inside as outside? and if not why not?

 

[MC 55 FUN]

One thing to bear in mind is that calor gas fires cause condensation, so an oil filled heater or a non gas fired source of heat, in conjunction with ventilation may help.

 

[Larrynwin]

I have central heating in the house to a much higher temperature than outside with trickle vents open , no condensation .

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[two]

Condensation will happen on cold surfaces when the air is very moist. As there are some very cold surfaces in Winter, you’ll get more of it. Warm air will hold much more vapour, which is why you don’t experience it in Summer.

Good ventilation is the answer, to avoid trapping overly moist air. Open up all cupboards to allow free movement of air and leave top vents open. Tip seat cushions on their side and draw curtains. Remove towels and clothing.

There is no need to heat if you ventilate well, nor for dehumidification. You cannot seal the van, so don’t try to control its surrounding atmosphere.

 

[Daz n Tina]

Insulate screen and side windows I use my silverscreen

 

[Riverbankannie]

Condensation will happen on cold surfaces when the air is very moist. As there are some very cold surfaces in Winter, you’ll get more of it. Warm air will hold much more vapour, which is why you don’t experience it in Summer.

Good ventilation is the answer, to avoid trapping overly moist air. Open up all cupboards to allow free movement of air and leave top vents open. Tip seat cushions on their side and draw curtains. Remove towels and clothing.

There is no need to heat if you ventilate well, nor for dehumidification. You cannot seal the van, so don’t try to control its surrounding atmosphere.

Ditto

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[TUCANO]

Ditto Ditto,
I would also advise you to take the van for a short run, 20 miles once a fortnight to keep all the essentials circulating around the engine and to get the wheels turning instead of just being parked up.
Norman.

 

[Hettie's Crew]

We have a roof vent in the toilet and one in an upper cupboard. We leave all cupboards open, and fridge doors. Ventilation and air movement is the answer.

 

[Boringfrog]

Clothing etc kept in cupboards will (I find) allways stay cold and in these temperatures, 4° in mine overnight. Possibly the OP has mistaken items that are almost frozen for dampness?

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[Rob and Val]

Long before we bought our MH we used to have a small caravan that was permanently parked on a site - we used it as a weekend retreat to chill out after a stressful working week. We were told that in the winter we should pull all cushions etc away from outside walls and put a couple of cereal bowls filled with salt on the floor. We did this and after a couple of winter months went to check that all was OK with our caravan. We opened the door and, to our surprise, found what looked like milk in the cereal bowls. The salt had attracted an incredible amount of moisture from the air. We emptied both bowls and refilled with fresh salt and, again, the next time we visited the bowls were full of water.

 

[shrly]

interesting selection of answers!! ours is a very small van, the bedding was definitely wet, I will open all the cupboards and try some moisture trapper thingy majigs! Cant leave it hooked up but can give it a good spin on days off.
Thanks all

 

[smithy184]

Ours is parked up at a storage yard so reluctant to leave any hatches partially open (would it affect an insurance claim if anything happened?). We use crystal traps as previously mentioned and make sure they are emptied if necessary. Mattresses are wrapped in a bubble wrap and left in the moho. Not had any problems with damp (touch wood).

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[2657]

We have used dehumidifying crystals in our static caravan when it is empty over the winter, we have never had a damp problem but we have always used the crystals so can't say for sure if they work or not but for the cost we will carry on using them.

A word of warning though make sure that you do not spill or let any of the accumulated liquid leak onto carpet, wood etc, it will continue to absorb moisture as I found out to my cost!

 

[two]

Ours is parked up at a storage yard so reluctant to leave any hatches partially open (would it affect an insurance claim if anything happened?). We use crystal traps as previously mentioned and make sure they are emptied if necessary. Mattresses are wrapped in a bubble wrap and left in the moho. Not had any problems with damp (touch wood).

You should be able to leave your top vents open but in a locked position, rather than battened down. You certainly don't want to invite problems by making your vehicle look insecure,

 

[Lorryman100]

Another user of dehumidifying crystals in both the caravan and the motorhome. In my experience they do work, did not check the caravan for 2 months over the last winter and the plastic tubs were full of water with no salt left on the top. Ended up with slight mould patches on the ceiling and woodwork which were easily cleaned with zoflora. The motorhome rarely has any water collected in the traps but it is well ventilated from both the toilet and shower skylights which even though they are dubbed up tight still allow air to recirculate but after what happened with the caravan I will always use these when the MoHo and caravan are in storage.

http://www.homebase.co.uk/en/homeba...vc:c|adp:1o2&gclid=CI3F5b6wvdACFcGfGwod0YsHeg

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[Littlewheels]

Feed the Damp!!! Allow a little air to pass through i.e.: roof vent open slightly and place Newspapers atop all surfaces that could attract/absorb moisture that basically comes from the changes in temperature, the paper not only absorbs it but dries out rapidly when temperatures rises and damp dissipates from the air.

It's a constant cycle, it works and it's free.

Brian.

 

[EyUp]

Im in the zero heat and ventilate well camp.

 

[mjltigger]

If I can't get away in it I use it for my commute once a week over the winter. Put the deisel heater on for the drive there and back.