Condensation problem

krcarter54 · 01-01-2015, 09:14 PM

I just recently did a week long camping trip at Myrtle Beach in our 2015 Jayco 18 S RB. It was quite rainy and chilly outside. We ran a ceramic heater constantly which kept the enterior very comfortable. We had a pretty fair amount of water around the upper edges where the walls and ceiling met. Is this a common problem? Was this a condensation problem? I don't think we had leaking roof since the problem was throuhout the trailer. We had no windows or bathroom vents open, therefor there was no air circulation. This particular model trailer didn't come equipped with a vent fan. Is this something I should consider purchasing and installing. Our cold weather camping is very limited. Thanks for any advice!

KR

Fawcett · 01-01-2015, 09:23 PM

Yes just condensation. I experienced the same issue while camping in Tofino bc on the Wild West coast of Vancouver Island. All the metal was wet and where my body touched and rested against the wall in my dinette/bed while sleeping got wet. It's the humidity and oceanic pressures so close to the ocean combined with cooler temps. Nothing to lose sleep over!

GMC · 01-01-2015, 09:23 PM

We had the same problem in the Smokies this thanksgiving. (we have a 154 that only has a gas furnace) We cracked our roof vents and that made a huge difference. However the trade-off was that our furnace ran more often. If you camp in the cold weather regularly, although limited, you may want to invest in a small dehumidifier. They really aren't that expensive for the smaller ones.

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but don't some of the roof mounted a/c units also have a heater function that works like the defroster in a car? (By that I mean it still runs the compressor and dries the air)

Tunce the traveler · 01-01-2015, 09:31 PM

You need one of these

Jagiven · 01-01-2015, 10:32 PM

We Crack the roof vent about a 1/2 inch and crack one window on each end. Doing this has eliminated nearly all condensation.

DieselX · 01-01-2015, 11:11 PM

I'm in North Dakota now, using a dehumidifier. Hard to open windows when it's below zero haha.

Grumpy · 01-02-2015, 08:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GMC

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but don't some of the roof mounted a/c units also have a heater function that works like the defroster in a car? (By that I mean it still runs the compressor and dries the air)

The ones that have a heat strip installed would do that. The compressor would only run if it was the heat-pump unit.

Seann45 · 01-02-2015, 08:49 AM

if you install a roof fan it will just suck the hot air out.. (heat rises) just crack the roof vent a little bit you wont loose much heat but the humidity will have a place to go (outside)

Witt74 · 01-02-2015, 09:38 AM

Here in south MS, it normally doesn't get terribley cold, but I crack the living room roof vent 1/2 to 1 inch, havent had any condensation issues yet. I also have the vent covers on the living room and bedroom vents, so unless there's a hurricane blowing outside rain comming in is not a problem.

dsmith3 · 01-02-2015, 04:04 PM

We've had our new 32BHDS parked on our driveway for the last two weeks for the kids during Christmas break. They've had several sleepovers with friends and our family has "camped" several times. Nights have been pretty cold so propane furnace has run almost nightly.

As a result, I noticed quite a bit of condensation on walls, windows and carpet. So much so that the first morning I was crawling around with a flashlight and towel wiping everything down. It's also been cold and rainy here in Austin so windows and roof vents have not been open (but did open it all up when we've had a couple of sunny breezy days).

As a result of this "field testing", we recently purchased a 30-pint GE dehumidifier and Lasko electric oscillating ceramic tower heater from Wal-Mart. Both of these items have made a big difference in comfort and reduced condensation. We'll also be adding the MaxxAir vent covers for sure which will allow us to crack the vents and improve air circulation.

-Dave

SecretCoveDave · 01-02-2015, 04:29 PM

MaxxAir vents made a huge improvement for us.

Dave

BCx213 · 01-05-2015, 12:34 AM

I installed a MaxAir II vent cover on my vent and leave it open, I do not run heat at night, I only turn it on when I get up in the morning since I usually don't camp where there is power. The warmer you try to keep the trailer on a cold day the more likely you will get condensation. I only run the heater sparingly just to take the edge off the cold. I have had very little issues with condensation since. The key is ventilation especially if you have a number of people sleeping in the trailer.

dsmith3 · 01-05-2015, 05:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BCx213

I installed a MaxAir II vent cover on my vent and leave it open, I do not run heat at night, I only turn it on when I get up in the morning since I usually don't camp where there is power. The warmer you try to keep the trailer on a cold day the more likely you will get condensation. I only run the heater sparingly just to take the edge off the cold. I have had very little issues with condensation since. The key is ventilation especially if you have a number of people sleeping in the trailer.

How do you like your MaxAir II covers compared to the original MaxAir covers (if you owned those)? How about colors (smoke/clear vs. white)?

exjay1 · 01-05-2015, 12:38 PM

Crack the vents and a window or two as others have stated. Also if you have the single layer glass windows you will typically see condensation pool up at the bottom.

RedHorse1 · 01-05-2015, 01:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dsmith3

How do you like your MaxAir II covers compared to the original MaxAir covers (if you owned those)? How about colors (smoke/clear vs. white)?

I installed the original MaxxAir (white) on our first TT (X23B) and the MAxx II (smoke) on the newer 5th. I don't see much (any) difference in performance but the Maxx folks claim the II vents better due to a larger vent area. The II has the "hinged" mounts which is nice. Both keep the rain out and we leave the vent open pretty much full time even in storage.

paula.p.spencer · 01-07-2015, 09:27 AM

I'm glad you asked this question, we are having the same issues!

dsmith3 · 01-07-2015, 10:15 AM

Do any MaxAir owners have a preference on color?

I have read that they darken the room since the vent is being covered. Curious if the "clear smoke" color is worth the extra cost or if standard white works just as well with letting in adequate light.

RedHorse1 · 01-07-2015, 10:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dsmith3

Do any MaxAir owners have a preference on color?

I have read that they darken the room since the vent is being covered. Curious if the "clear smoke" color is worth the extra cost or if standard white works just as well with letting in adequate light.

Hmmm, haven't considered this before. The first TT had a white Maxx and it didn't affect the light much. Our 5th that has the smoke Maxx also has a skylight so it hasn't affected it either.

I would expect a bath without a skylight would be darker. The smoke does let some light in and I would expect the black to pretty much block light but the vents will allow some in so I wouldn't expect a total blackout.

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