Condensation (1 Viewer)

rex

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Nov 7, 2009
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Full timers hoping to tour Europe soon.
Currently living on a cl site on a damp field and starting to get condesation build up.
Have had to resort to using a dehumidifier to prevent future damp problems.
Although working well is this a common problem in living vans.
 

vwalan

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Sep 23, 2008
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yes. get yourself down to spain /portugal at least.dont come back till april may. maroc is even better. talk to people who live in statics they have the same problem .why do you think hippies have wood burners . its hard if the insulation isnt very good. (i do mean very very good)the more heat you put on the more damp it makes. open windows every chance air movement helps . but the dryness of spain etc is better. in maroc is the best even right in to your bones its great. cheers alan.
 
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rex

rex

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We agree, booked tunnel for mid december and will return june when even Northumbria starts getting warmer.
Cheers
Rex

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AlanVal

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Jan 3, 2008
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S W Scotland.
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yes. get yourself down to spain /portugal at least.dont come back till april may. maroc is even better. talk to people who live in statics they have the same problem .why do you think hippies have wood burners . its hard if the insulation isnt very good. (i do mean very very good)the more heat you put on the more damp it makes. open windows every chance air movement helps . but the dryness of spain etc is better. in maroc is the best even right in to your bones its great. cheers alan.




Thought you were away ! when are you off? we were up at fort william for a few days this week ,has your friend gone did`nt see him around looked in all the taxies lol.
We are off on 3 weeks time can`t wait now its getting a bit chilly here ...

Val
 

Landy lover

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Jul 11, 2009
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Camping Caravaning now 5'ering 49 years
Full timers hoping to tour Europe soon.
Currently living on a cl site on a damp field and starting to get condesation build up.
Have had to resort to using a dehumidifier to prevent future damp problems.
Although working well is this a common problem in living vans.

This is a problem we often get asked about but can honestly say we do not suffer with - when we started looking for our 5'er for full timing one of the many questions we asked was it 4 season habitation and we were assured the insulation was good for 20 degrees of frost. Sometime on really cold mornings when we lift the blinds there is a little bit on the windows but usually clears in a few minutes. We have double glazing and blown hot air central heating and have been in severe frosts and snow with it and had no problem with condensation.
 

vwalan

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Sep 23, 2008
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hi alanval. 22nov.bob finishes on the 15th. plymouth santander .on tonear barcelona then down the coast .no maroc this year .may have to dash home so not worth crossing over.doing a circle around spain n portugal if all goes well.make a change to go very slow. may do route 66 nx yr . me and bob both on monkey bikes is the idea at moment. born to be wild. ha ha cheers alan.

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Sundowners

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We live in a 5er and we produce a huge amount of moisture in our everyday living, this will condense wherever it can-------unless it is put outside. If you see it on the glass you know where it is, it may well find itself on outside walls and in the back of cupboards where it will create mildew !!

We have a de-humidifier running all day in the bedroom when it is cooler and this collects about a litre of water a week !! This seems to be keeping it under control for us.
We also have two small rechargeable ones in the clothes cupboards in the bedroom.

It's a balance between producing as little as possible, having enough ventilation as necessary and keeping warm.

Nigel and Pamala
 

Douglas

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Aug 22, 2008
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Its all down to humidity, E.I. At this moment the humidity in Malaga as reported by google is 55% where as in Milfordhaven its 78%.

Sometimes there is an even bigger difference, In 5 winters in Spain and Portugal we have never seen condensation. COME SOUTH YOUNG MAN.

Doug...

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Heyupluv

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Oct 7, 2008
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Full timers hoping to tour Europe soon.
Currently living on a cl site on a damp field and starting to get condesation build up.
Have had to resort to using a dehumidifier to prevent future damp problems.
Although working well is this a common problem in living vans.

Hi REX
This was a old trick caravaners used to do (I know it will not help on the large scale but it might help in some small corner or a out of the way spot, dashboard, in a cupboard, in a bedroom, toilet,) put some table salt in a container....the salt draws out the moisture from inside of the van...empty and replace..Salt is cheap enough...also they make a similar item over here in France you can buy from all the Supermarkets and Brico shops....it is a plastic container about 6" to a 9" cube with slots in the top and you put inside a sachet (most likely salt crystals inside, then change the sachet when full......(they also sell replacement sachets)........

YES the salt trick does work

I hope this of (small )help to you................. Mel
 

Heyupluv

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Oct 7, 2008
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Hi REX
This was a old trick caravaners used to do (I know it will not help on the large scale but it might help in some small corner or a out of the way spot, dashboard, in a cupboard, in a bedroom, toilet,) put some table salt in a container....the salt draws out the moisture from inside of the van...empty and replace..Salt is cheap enough...also they make a similar item over here in France you can buy from all the Supermarkets and Brico shops....it is a plastic container about 6" to a 9" cube with slots in the top and you put inside a sachet (most likely salt crystals inside, then change the sachet when full......(they also sell replacement sachets)........

YES the salt trick does work

I hope this is of (small )help to you................. Mel
 

Heyupluv

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Hi REX
This was a old trick caravaners used to do (I know it will not help on the large scale but it might help in some small corner or a out of the way spot, dashboard, in a cupboard, in a bedroom, toilet,) put some table salt in a container....the salt draws out the moisture from inside of the van...empty and replace..Salt is cheap enough...also they make a similar item over here in France you can buy from all the Supermarkets and Brico shops....it is a plastic container about 6" to a 9" cube with slots in the top and you put inside a sachet (most likely salt crystals inside, then change the sachet when full......(they also sell replacement sachets)........

YES the salt trick does work

I hope this is of (small )help to you................. Mel

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Heyupluv

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Sorry about the triple threads above made a mistake and a B--------
 
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2657

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If like ours your 5er is single glazed, condensation will be a problem, obviously much less of a problem in Southern Spain than in the UK.
We spent January this year in Lancs and were regularly filling the dehumidifier (2litres) every night this despite leaving small electric fire on all night.Worst problem was in the bedroom so I made some exterior"double glazing" panels from some super efficient foil bubble insulation from screwfix.This improves things a lot but is somewhat unsightely and inconvenient but I carry them with me and use them when necessary. In order to aid ventilation I have fitted louvered covers,available from ABP LEISURE, to three of the windows so that they can be partially opened without rain getting in.
Another problem area was the storage space under the bed, I have cut ventilation holes and louvered covers in the sides of the base to solve this problem.In wardrobe spaces etc we use small de humidifier boxes mentioned by others.
Condensation can still be a problem in Spain in the winter and a combination of these methods has worked in a cold winter in the UK and in France and Spain.
If you need links to any of the products mentioned or if I can help in any other way please ask and I will be glad to try.
 

Landy lover

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Seeing as we seem to be the only one without this issue we have tried to think what we do, that others might not. In the shower room we have a roof light and there is a powerfull extractor fan fitted in to it - when showering we always have this on and the rooflight open so any moisture is removed before it gets a chance to condense - forget and you cannot see in the mirror after a few seconds . Bedroom has a rooflight in it - we always sleep with that partially open - we always set the Central heating to 40 degrees f overnight so if it does get too cold it will kick in. Kitchen has a cooker hood with powerfull extractor fan and filter in it - always use that when cooking. Moisture is some thing I am paranoid about as in the past we have had caravans and some have had major problems with damp so to satisfy my paranoia I have a moisture meter which I check for moisture frequently. The only place we ever get a very minor reading is under the matteress for an hour or two after we get up. but once the bed is aired it goes. We check there because when we were looking for a 5'er it was always one place where you could find damp,mould and damage. Hope this helps

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Heyupluv

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Hi REX
This was a old trick caravaners used to do (I know it will not help on the large scale but it might help in some small corner or a out of the way spot, dashboard, in a cupboard, in a bedroom, toilet,) put some table salt in a container....the salt draws out the moisture from inside of the van...empty and replace..Salt is cheap enough...also they make a similar item over here in France you can buy from all the Supermarkets and Brico shops....it is a plastic container about 6" to a 9" cube with slots in the top and you put inside a sachet (most likely salt crystals inside, then change the sachet when full......(they also sell replacement sachets)........

YES the salt trick does work

I hope this is of (small )help to you................. Mel

there are many in france and at all prices and sizes....

These are some web sites that might help and explain what they look like and what to ask for in france (I would think they would have them in B&Q but just in case)

Link Removed

Link Removed

Link Removed


this a homemade somebody has made and put on the internet

Link Removed
 

Heyupluv

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there are many in france and at all prices and sizes....

These are some web sites that might help and explain what they look like and what to ask for in france (I would think they would have them in B&Q but just in case)

Link Removed

Link Removed

Link Removed


this a homemade somebody has made and put on the internet

Link Removed


I agree with other people (my work before I retired was Joiner/builder/and electrical ) and the most important part to combat damp is ventilation ...but the you loose all your heat as the condensation comes when it is cold, just try and strike a happy medium...it is easy to say but hard to do without loosing all your heat.....also the person that vented below his bed ..that is spot on .. To keep a circulation of air around your 5-er is crucial
Mel
This just something of YouTube
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ma4rGb01C7g]YouTube - eva dry video new[/ame]
it was for a RV on you tube
 

Heyupluv

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Rex............. the beauty about the salt it does not need electric.....so if you are not on a site with electric or you need to save your batteries (not running a mains dehumidifier) or over winter to keep your van dry when not in use........use the salt method you will be surprised.........
Mel

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Heyupluv

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Rex..........another tip you might need......before I retired we had flats and cottages we rented out........the only trouble was people never looked after them....one problem was the shower/bathroom even though they had fans in to remove condensation people would disconnect to save heat or not switch them on......so inside the shower cubicle you would have black mould forming around the edges.........I tried many products to combat this and none worked except one.........DETTOL anti bacterial MOULD & MILDEW remover....This is the Tops and works brilliant +++++ to remove but also as a preventive method +++

Also people would use the LPG bottle mobile heaters (so they only use what they could pay for) instead of using the heating supplied in the properties...now because they throw out a lot of water it does not take long for rooms to start to get black mould.....and you need something to prevent and remove

The Dettol, I also use over here in France to remove the green mould that forms on the out door vinyl canvas sun canopies...it works a treat, and again tried many products that are supposed to remove that does not ........the only trouble is I have to have the DETTOL imported from England as they do not sell the product over here..

The DETTOL is in a Lime green spray bottle....just becareful as it has a active bleach content in it

Hope that is some help to you
Mel
 
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Heyupluv

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Here is some more info......you are most likely fed up by now with all the other replies I have posted for you....sorry.......
You say you are parked up on a damp cl field.....I am most likely stating the obvious ....but if you are, I think a hard standing would most likely give you less moister/condensation.

When I purchased my motorhome in France, the dealer said never leave your motorhome parked up on grass (short period is ok) they said it destroys the tyres.....Why and how I do not know,...maybe another member, or Peter from PETER CROSS may know,
I can understand being parked up for long periods of time in the same spot would damage the tyre walls...........but on Grass !! ??

Mel
 
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rex

rex

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Condesation

Would love to be able to move but unable to until mid December,
Lets hope we get a period of dry werather soon.
We are almost a week in to using the dehumidifier which seems to be doing its job fine at the moment.
Great top tips from you all and have already started using some of them.
Cheers.

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