Pop out ceilings damp and dripping during a rain storm

[AAHLF]

We took our Feather Lite Hybrid tent trailer out this weekend for the first time. It poured down rain one night and the inside of our pop out ceilings had so much condensation (or what we think was condensations) that our faces got dripped on. The bottom of our mattresses were also wet. What happened? Why did it get so damp inside and how can we fix it for the next time? The main cabin didn't have any moisture probems, only the pop outs. Thank you!

[oldmanAZ]

Welcome to the forum.

Condensation (condensing water out of the air) shows up on the coldest surfaces.

Do you have the problem only at night? Are you running an air conditioner or furnace? Do you have a shower in the unit? Do you boil water for pasta, coffee, etc?

It's likely you need more ventilation. We had a class B that had condensation issues at night. We fixed that by keeping the ceiling vent open a bit and one side window open slightly all night.

Some other folks have reported dampness under their mattresses. IIRC, they just aired out their units when the camping trip was over.

[maromeo]

When we had our PUP we used these:

PopupGizmos

These helped a great deal with condensation and dampness.

Hope this helps.

[Isaacs]

We also have a hybrid. When the humidity outside is high there's not much you can do except heat the interior a bit. As has been stated, the gizmos may help. Or you could stop breathing when you sleep! It has never been a big problem for us; doesn't happen often, wipe it off with a towel.

One thing worth mentioning, if you're using the stove make sure you're running the vent fan above. And don't forget to unlatch the little vent door on the outside or it won't exhaust.

[Jagiven]

Congratulations on the new HTT!

Condensation is the number one complaint I have heard over the years. It takes a little learning curve to reduce if not eliminate it.

What I have found that works, keep the bathroom vent cracked open, I never close it. We have a max air vent cover and the vent stays open about 0.5 to 1 inch all year, even when the heat is on. We also keep the side bunk windows cracked open too. we bring the side wind zippers up to the highest point then unzip each about 1.5 to 2.5 inches. rain has never come in. By doing both of these things the moisture in the air has a place to escape.

As for moisture under the mattress, sometimes we get some condensation, but I never worry about it. The vinyl wall board is water resistant, maybe even water proof.

Showers, cooking and breathing release a lot of water into the air. So when cooking inside use the stove vent, when showering use the power vent, and unfortunately not much we can do about breathing, so do not seal up the HTT to tight, so the moisture can escape.

Good luck

[Tunce the traveler]

Along with the Popup Gizmo's I unzip the tent ends a bit for a little cross ventilation, bath ceiling vent open about an inch along with cracking a wondow or two. I find that if I use the Jayco mattress heating pads( in the off position) on top of the mattress it helps a great deal in keeping the bottom of the mattress dry.

[AAHLF]

Thanks for the tips!
I feel better prepared for our next outing!