Condensation (1 Viewer)

[Ninovan]

Morning all. Does anybody have any ideas of how to stop or get rid of condensation that forms on the inside of our Heki roof lights? The van is parked outside with no heating & unused at the moment. Don't appear to be any problems anywhere else, just the roof lights. Thanks.
Chris

 

[MC 55 FUN]

Adequate ventilation is key I believe.

 

[Deleted member 29692]

I put a couple of moisture traps in ours during the winter. They end up with water in them and we don't have condensation so they're doing something.

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[iandsm]

As I understand it, if the condensation is inside it means there has been a leak into the rooflight from the little plastic bungs. I carefully removed mine on a nice sunny day and left it for the humid air to escape, them replaced the bungs. No problem since. I have read that some people have remove the bungs and used a hairdryer to carefully warmth rooflight then replace the bungs. I did put cling film around the bung to give a better seal and just snipped off the excess with nail scissors.

The instructions on the sticker on my rooflight state you mustn't leave the night blind completely shut on hot days, I suppose this is because it would reflect too much heat upwards onto the rooflight and cause the air inside it to expand thus breaking the seal and expelling some of it through the little bung and on cooling down possibly absorbing some humid air.

 

[Feltwell]

Not sure if these fit the Heki or not, but this chap on Ebay sells these for the polyplast windows. They're a soft rubbery material and so seal well.

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[Ninovan]

Sorry, should have made it clearer! The condensation is on the underside of the rooflight, not sandwiched between the two panes. Thanks.

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[MitchandJenny]

There MUST be damp in the van somewhere.
Moisture traps with all the lockers open for as long as necessary.
Good luck.
Mitch.

 

[Spanda]

There MUST be damp in the van somewhere.
Moisture traps with all the lockers open for as long as necessary.
Good luck.
Mitch.

I would go with Mitch's suggestion about the moisture traps, but would also get a damp check done. The moisture will condense on the coldest surfaces first, like the roof light, but it has to be coming in from somewhere. Our Swift lives outside and hasn't been used since Dec 15th but there is no sign of condensation.

 

[WillH]

We find a small thermostatically controlled convector heater solves the problem but I assume you have no power available for this. More ventilation would probably hep though.

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[pappajohn]

Crack the Heki into it ventilation position.
Should be open just enough not to allow water in

 

[Ninovan]

Just had a hab service & damp check done only 6 weeks ago & no reading was above 13% anywhere. I went over it as well afterwards with my own meter & the readings tallied. I was thinking of cold outside, slightly warmer inside so condensation is going to form on flat (shiny) surfaces. Strange that it should be on inside of what is effectively a double glazed unit though. Thought I had some disposable moisture traps but can't find them! Looks like I'll have to go shopping

 

[Badknee]

No not damp, moisture. Two different things, as has been said, ventilation is the key, warm air carries more moisture so keep it cool.

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[PhilandMena]

Ventilation is the answer. Crack open in two places so you have an air flow.

 

[PP Bear]

Been using one of these for years. They're really good at keeping it all at bay and shows just how much moisture there is in the motorhome.

Robert Dyas
http://www.robertdyas.co.uk/unibond-aero-360-moisture-absorber-white-dehumidifier

 

[PeteH]

The design of (most) of these plastic "double glazed" type units has a potential "Cold" area about the rim where the two layers that form the unit meet and are sealed together?. This cold bridge could be attracting condensation?. It was an issue with the early design of double glazing which used aluminium framing and led most D-G manufacturers eventually to UPVC. Without access to a Dehumidifier to reduce overall moisture in the Air Mass, then through ventilation is key. I regularly put the dehumidifier in the van, along with a 2Kw Heater which increases it`s efficiency. it can remove a surprising amount of moisture in 24hrs.

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