Condensation

wef3rd · 08-01-2018, 11:11 AM

I live in the southeast and it has been very hot and humid. I run the both air conditioners to keep the humidity and temperature down. The ac vent in the bathroon has developed condensation on the vent. That is the only one where this happens. I dry it and overnight it is back. Ideas? I have a couple but want to hear everyone's thougnts. Thanks.

rkelly · 08-01-2018, 11:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wef3rd

I live in the southeast and it has been very hot and humid. I run the both air conditioners to keep the humidity and temperature down. The ac vent in the bathroon has developed condensation on the vent. That is the only one where this happens. I dry it and overnight it is back. Ideas? I have a couple but want to hear everyone's thougnts. Thanks.

Mine does the same thing. I live in south Fl.

Mopar_Earl · 08-01-2018, 11:38 AM

Dehumidifier?

Earl

TWP723 · 08-01-2018, 11:41 AM

Not sure there's much you can do about it really. Mine does it too.

bdreinv · 08-01-2018, 11:45 AM

Could it be something as the vent cover is so much cooler than the outside air. Water condenses on it, not sure that was your issue!We live in Phoenix very dry here. Thanks

bearkeller · 08-01-2018, 12:09 PM

Condensation collects on the warm side not the cool side. Make sure condensation is not leaking in from the exterior of the A/C unit. It should be dripping off the roof and not getting inside. Could also be condensation on the outside of the A/C duct running in the roof area.

Da Bud Man · 08-01-2018, 05:52 PM

Same thing happens to ours, but only at night. But we also turn it down to around 68 at night, while the outside temps are high 70's or low 80's.

BigJohnD · 08-01-2018, 10:02 PM

A dehumidifier will rid of the issue. Used one while full timing and still use same unit now. World of difference. Wake up with camper feeling dry, towels dry etc. Worth every penny.

RedHorse1 · 08-02-2018, 11:50 AM

We had that issue in the bathroom on the ceiling where the AC duct runs and on the vent in the bathroom. I discovered it was caused by leaving the fan vent open. I now close it when it’s hot/humid and no longer have condensation issues until someone takes a shower, helps with the cooling too.

Camper_bob · 08-02-2018, 12:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RedHorse1

We had that issue in the bathroom on the ceiling where the AC duct runs and on the vent in the bathroom. I discovered it was caused by leaving the fan vent open. I now close it when it’s hot/humid and no longer have condensation issues until someone takes a shower, helps with the cooling too.

We had virtually the exact same experience.

The amount of condensation was never enough for me to be concerned about it, and mostly it just happened after someone took a shower.

RedHorse1 · 08-02-2018, 03:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Camper_bob

We had virtually the exact same experience.

The amount of condensation was never enough for me to be concerned about it, and mostly it just happened after someone took a shower.

A couple of times there was quite a bit, the AC vent collected enough to drip which created a medium sized puddle. I spotted the puddle and was going to blame the dog after I cleaned it up. Wasn’t the right color and had no smell. What the heck? Trying to figure out where it came from when I saw the condensation on the ceiling, I then noticed the warm, moist air pouring in thru the open fan vent and put it all together.

wef3rd · 08-02-2018, 06:52 PM

Thanks for all the ideas. I need to check to see if vent is open. Also I have left the bathdoom door open to see if that help. Will check in later.

edatlanta · 08-03-2018, 06:14 AM

I figured out how to stop this. Turn the vent louvers to throw the air 90 degrees away from the duct run direction and toward the ceiling vent fan opening. This stopped the condensation problem I was having.

Camper_bob · 08-03-2018, 08:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RedHorse1

A couple of times there was quite a bit, the AC vent collected enough to drip which created a medium sized puddle. I spotted the puddle and was going to blame the dog after I cleaned it up. Wasn’t the right color and had no smell. What the heck? Trying to figure out where it came from when I saw the condensation on the ceiling, I then noticed the warm, moist air pouring in thru the open fan vent and put it all together.

Poor dog!! LOL!! Mine has been blamed on any manner of mysterious wet spots! Only a couple times has it actually been his fault!

Anyway, that's some serious condensation. Our worst has been at the coast after someone took a shower. At that, just the register had a little moisture on it, just barely enough to drip once or twice. If someone's not actually showering, I have started closing the vent. I tend to leave it open just a crack sometimes just in case.

We've had no condensation problems at all in the motorhome ... yet

vcbice · 08-03-2018, 03:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RedHorse1

We had that issue in the bathroom on the ceiling where the AC duct runs and on the vent in the bathroom. I discovered it was caused by leaving the fan vent open. I now close it when it’s hot/humid and no longer have condensation issues until someone takes a shower, helps with the cooling too.

This is what I found in mine as well.

When taking a shower I also found that I needed to close the AC vent in the bathroom as well. The extra air flow would cause that vent to get cold and have condensation on it.

RedHorse1 · 08-03-2018, 07:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vcbice

This is what I found in mine as well.

When taking a shower I also found that I needed to close the AC vent in the bathroom as well. The extra air flow would cause that vent to get cold and have condensation on it.

Yeah, there’s some due to showers but a quick wipe with the towel takes care of it. The open fan vent seems to be the big culprit, I used to leave it open all the time but now close it when camping in the hot n humid weather. In colder weather I leave it partially open to let the humidity out.

wef3rd · 08-05-2018, 09:41 PM

I checked to see if the vent fan was open and it was. Hard to tell if open just looking at it. Since I closed it the problem has not occured. Thanks for all the imput.

JetTech · 08-06-2018, 04:42 AM

My $.02 worth: I've had condensation there in the bathroom, and also in the bedroom of our 377. The big fix for us was ensuring the ducts were sealed properly as the cold air was getting into the ceiling cavity. Like opening a fridge on a moist day or walking out of a cold room with your glasses on, or heck, even the droplets that form on a frosty beverage can, the humidity collects on the cold surfaces. By sealing those ducts, it eliminated a path for cold air to get into the ceiling. By virtue of how an A/C works, it should be blowing dry air out of the vents already, with the humidity getting dumped and draining off of your roof. The humidity on some days though never seems to drop much in our fiver, even with two units running nonstop, and I'm envious of those with dehumidifiers! Perhaps my next purchase?

CHV_FRK · 08-11-2018, 10:25 PM

Always have the same issue before the dehumidifier catches up the second day. It will take care of your issues. Same as said above. Dry towels alone are worth it.

hikerjohn7 · 08-13-2018, 09:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigJohnD

A dehumidifier will rid of the issue. Used one while full timing and still use same unit now. World of difference. Wake up with camper feeling dry, towels dry etc. Worth every penny.

I like your dehumidifier idea. Once, it was so humid in St Augustine, because it had rained a lot, that our rear AC starting dripping water on to the bed. I later found that it wasn't leaking from the rain but perhaps from condensation building up in the ceiling ducting. Some suggested preventive action was to run the AC fans continuously to help dry out any condensation in the ducts.

But your humidifier idea also sounds good. It could help to remove the moister from the air before it returns to the ACs. I just might try one.

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