We are new owners of a fifth wheel. Living in it full time. We are currently in New Mexico, and the weather is very wintry. Colllllllllllddddddddd. We have been experiencing condensation in a few different places in our fiver. Any suggestions to eliminate the condensation?
Thanks
Al Viscardi
Auburn War Eagle said
02:40 PM Jan 17, 2007
We have also had these same kind of problems. On our last trip to Stone Mt. Ga., it was in the 40s at night, The pillows on our bed up against the front of our 5er (we do not have a slide out in bedroom) seemed to be damp from moisture and there was condensation on that front wall near the mattress. We have had this before in other areas especially when it is cold out and we have the heat going at night.
What can be done to stop this? (Does this have anything to do with amount/thickness of insulation our camper has in the walls?)
I wanted to ask also what important things does one look for in a RV, especially if your plans are to use it in cold weather??? I know to look for heated holding tanks. I know that there are 'all-season' RVs. What does that really mean. Are these units a lot more expensive?
Ann
Judy said
07:57 PM Jan 17, 2007
Hi Ann, we are now in Tucson and are from New Mexico, haviing lived there 10 yrs we sold our home and are now full timing it...knowing how cold it gets in New Mex. we moved to warmer weather here in Az. although its been down to 22 deg. What you need to ck in a fiver is dual pane windows and it will also tell you in the Consumer Rv Group a CD that you can get. You join this gp for 75 $ and it of course has other benefits. It will tell you if your unit is a FULL season unit....ours is a 3 which means we will ALWAYS try to be in warm weather in the winters. The New Horizons fiver is a 5 star unit for ALL seasons. There are also others out there the Artic Fox comes to mind and the Excel is another....a heated underbelly in the unit is another factor along with more insulation in the wall of the unit. This all will help. So dont believe what a dealer tells you till you know for sure what you are buying....in other words do the homework first. Maybe more in this gp can be of more help.
southwestjudy & Bob & 2blackdogs
ahoweth said
07:38 AM Jan 18, 2007
Condensation in your unit comes from having too much moisture in the air inside the unit. The moisture comes from bathing, cooking and breathing. Of course some units just aren't sufficiently insulated to be used in colder weather but that is a done deal if you already own the RV. It is pretty tough to add insulation once it is built.
So what can you do about it? First limit how many showers are taken at one time, especially early in the morning when it is usually coolest out side. Open a roof vent after bathing to exhaust the moist air. Cool air from outside that will replace it will naturally be dryer when heated. Second limit the amount and type of cooking. Boiling water of any kind, (cooking a pot of stew or beans may sound good in cool weather but it puts a lot of water vapor into the air). If these things don't help resolve the problem to a manageable level, you can purchase a dehumidifier. They aren't cheap but they will help to resolve the condensation.
I have seen articles on this issue in Trailer Life magazine so a search of the archives for such articles might produce the article and you can find out what the experts say. I think the archived articles are available on the Trailer Life web site. You might just give it a try.
In any event we wish you good luck in resolve the problem.
Sonia said
01:12 PM Jan 23, 2007
To minimize condensation, I have found it helpful to keep a window open slightly. If your roof vent/fan can be opened partially, you could open it a bit instead. Do be sure to exhaust (again with a window open a bit) when you shower and when you cook. When running the furnace, it is a good idea to keep a window slightly open anyway. It aids in circulation and prevents operating in a vacuum, that is if your coach is tight.
blijil said
08:51 AM Jan 24, 2007
A couple of lessons we have learned about condensation. First - Be prepared to wipe it up. Second - expect some place in the rig to condense the extra water from using the oven, catalytic heater, or using hot water for any reason. Third - power ventilate for a few minutes after a shower, it is worth the heat loss. Finally - if you have a spot that is just two much then insulate with a heavy towel or a more comercial insulating material. Note if you insulate the condensation moves to the next cold spot in the rig.
No matter what rig you have you will have some condensation problems seen or unseen. Double pane windows, covered tanks on the bottom, and good construction help a lot.
We were in Albuquerque for a week during the big snow. Condensed right off the fantastic fan in the highest point of the rig. It was all we could do to turn it on for a few minutes with it sub 20's outside.
Larry and Jacki
wmalefyt said
12:00 PM Jan 24, 2007
Ventilation to get rid of excess humidity from showers and cooking especially, Fantastic Fan is the best. This is another reason we want a 5th wheel with dual pane windows and extra insulation in the walls, floor and roof.
Luvglass said
03:16 PM Jan 24, 2007
blijil wrote:No matter what rig you have you will have some condensation problems seen or unseen. Double pane windows, covered tanks on the bottom, and good construction help a lot. Larry and Jacki
Hi,
We have to say we've never had a condensation problem and we never turn on the exhaust fans for showering and hardly ever for cooking, although we do use the under counter exhaust when we're frying.
I think some brands are better insulated than others. Carriage is made for fulltiming, and we added the extra astro foil insulation and dual pane windows. It seems to be a good combination, as we've been is some really cold weather including -14 in Milwaukee and -7 in Gallup NM.
Fred
fulltimer said
08:49 AM Jan 25, 2007
We purchased a small dehumidifier on the internet. I believe it cost $119.00. It sits on the floor next to the sink and it is operated when we shower. This unit is approximately five inches square and ten inches tall. The unit has a small reservoir that you empty. My wife and I live full time in our Heartland/Landmark/Grand Canyon and condensation is not a problem.
You could also go to Camping World and purchase the crystals that absorb water. This product was orginally intended for use in units that were going to be stored.
We are new owners of a fifth wheel. Living in it full time. We are currently in New Mexico, and the weather is very wintry. Colllllllllllddddddddd. We have been experiencing condensation in a few different places in our fiver. Any suggestions to eliminate the condensation?
Thanks
Al Viscardi
We have also had these same kind of problems. On our last trip to Stone Mt. Ga., it was in the 40s at night, The pillows on our bed up against the front of our 5er (we do not have a slide out in bedroom) seemed to be damp from moisture and there was condensation on that front wall near the mattress. We have had this before in other areas especially when it is cold out and we have the heat going at night.
What can be done to stop this? (Does this have anything to do with amount/thickness of insulation our camper has in the walls?)
I wanted to ask also what important things does one look for in a RV, especially if your plans are to use it in cold weather??? I know to look for heated holding tanks. I know that there are 'all-season' RVs. What does that really mean. Are these units a lot more expensive?
Ann
Hi Ann, we are now in Tucson and are from New Mexico, haviing lived there 10 yrs we sold our home and are now full timing it...knowing how cold it gets in New Mex. we moved to warmer weather here in Az. although its been down to 22 deg. What you need to ck in a fiver is dual pane windows and it will also tell you in the Consumer Rv Group a CD that you can get. You join this gp for 75 $ and it of course has other benefits. It will tell you if your unit is a FULL season unit....ours is a 3 which means we will ALWAYS try to be in warm weather in the winters. The New Horizons fiver is a 5 star unit for ALL seasons. There are also others out there the Artic Fox comes to mind and the Excel is another....a heated underbelly in the unit is another factor along with more insulation in the wall of the unit. This all will help. So dont believe what a dealer tells you till you know for sure what you are buying....in other words do the homework first. Maybe more in this gp can be of more help.
southwestjudy & Bob & 2blackdogs
So what can you do about it? First limit how many showers are taken at one time, especially early in the morning when it is usually coolest out side. Open a roof vent after bathing to exhaust the moist air. Cool air from outside that will replace it will naturally be dryer when heated. Second limit the amount and type of cooking. Boiling water of any kind, (cooking a pot of stew or beans may sound good in cool weather but it puts a lot of water vapor into the air). If these things don't help resolve the problem to a manageable level, you can purchase a dehumidifier. They aren't cheap but they will help to resolve the condensation.
I have seen articles on this issue in Trailer Life magazine so a search of the archives for such articles might produce the article and you can find out what the experts say. I think the archived articles are available on the Trailer Life web site. You might just give it a try.
In any event we wish you good luck in resolve the problem.
To minimize condensation, I have found it helpful to keep a window open slightly. If your roof vent/fan can be opened partially, you could open it a bit instead. Do be sure to exhaust (again with a window open a bit) when you shower and when you cook. When running the furnace, it is a good idea to keep a window slightly open anyway. It aids in circulation and prevents operating in a vacuum, that is if your coach is tight.
Hi,
We have to say we've never had a condensation problem and we never turn on the exhaust fans for showering and hardly ever for cooking, although we do use the under counter exhaust when we're frying.
I think some brands are better insulated than others. Carriage is made for fulltiming, and we added the extra astro foil insulation and dual pane windows. It seems to be a good combination, as we've been is some really cold weather including -14 in Milwaukee and -7 in Gallup NM.
Fred
You could also go to Camping World and purchase the crystals that absorb water. This product was orginally intended for use in units that were going to be stored.