Sweating - Fiberglass RV
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Old 08-30-2012, 11:02 AM   #1
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Name: Dale
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Sweating

Since most of these FG trailers are single wall, and the one I'm zeroing in on is, do they have a tendancy to sweat on the inside at times? I'm in Washington State (on the wet side) and will store the trailer out doors, so moisture buildup, especially in the winter, could be an issue.
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Old 08-30-2012, 11:20 AM   #2
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not if they have insulation and rat fur inside. and i believe the others with insulation are ok. check with the specific brand,that might help
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Old 08-30-2012, 11:31 AM   #3
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Pretty well all models/makes of Fiberglass trailers have condensation issues in the Pacific North West - insulation on the walls does help but you will have condensation issues inside any trailer if there is no venting.

The only solution is keeping something open. Some people add big covers over their roof vents so they can be left open regardless of weather and others such as myself have added Window Vent covers.

There are simple products you can buy to put in your trailer when in storage which suck up the moisture.
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Old 08-30-2012, 05:49 PM   #4
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We also live in Wet Wa. We have had some condesation but not enought to cause damage. We plan to run a small fan on a sensor to keep the air flowing. A neghbor with a stck-built has a small dehumidifier that sets in his sink so the water dranes into the gray tank.
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Old 08-30-2012, 10:26 PM   #5
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Air flow or seal and remove moisture are pretty much it. There are pellet moisture abasorbers that are re-usable. Check for gun safe dehumidifier packs on amazon to get some ideas. Small dehumidifier draining in sink sound pretty good too but a bit more expensive.

The vented covers for windows or roof vent sound like good options too. Not dependant on upkeep or electric device.

Here in Mich it's the opposite, dry as all get out in the winter, if we get warm moist air it a gonna snow like blazes pretty soon.
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Old 08-30-2012, 10:44 PM   #6
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Cool Condensation in the PNW?

We only have the problem when sleeping at night. It is amazing the amount of moisture a person exhales during the night. When we arise in the morning, we have sometimes a quarter inch of water in the window track. The windows are the worst. It can be alleviated somewhat by keeping the roof vent open a little, cracking a couple or windows and keeping the heater on. We had a problem with the cushions mildewing on the side touching the fiberglass. We solved that with a sheet of plastic on the top of the cushion to prevent the moisture from entering the cushion in the first place.

Note: this was not the cushions we are presently selling. we bought a large single piece of foam for the rear bed and this has black marks where it rested on the fiberglass.

Then when the problem arises, we just wipe everything down and stand/prop the cushions up in the morning. It only happens in really wet weather.
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Old 08-30-2012, 10:51 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by roger c h View Post
note: This was not the cushions we are presently selling. We bought a large singe piece of foam for the rear bed and this has black marks where it rested on the fiberglass.
See PM.
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Old 09-02-2012, 07:02 PM   #8
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Any time I have the Fiber Stream out and nightime temperatures dip to 5ºC (45ºF) up here, I get significant condensation on the windows and on the uninsulated outside walls of the bathroom. Ventilation can help some, but usually not without the penalty if increased noisy furnace operation. We usually just snuggle down into our HD sleeping bags, and open windows in the morning. From what I can tell, doing it that way has prevented long term damage.

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Old 09-02-2012, 08:00 PM   #9
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We haven't had any problem with condensation in either of our campers (Ventura and Trillium). We always leave windows open though no matter how cold it gets. This part of the world tends to be dry which likely helps.
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Old 09-02-2012, 11:08 PM   #10
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If your trailer has a 12 volt ceiling fan like a MaxAir or Fan-Tastic fan you can run the fan on low all night it will remove most of the moisture.
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Old 09-03-2012, 02:59 AM   #11
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Originally Posted by Hazel in Sk View Post
We haven't had any problem with condensation in either of our campers (Ventura and Trillium). We always leave windows open though no matter how cold it gets. This part of the world tends to be dry which likely helps.
Hazel,

On the prairies we just don't have this problem. We are as close to a desert as you can get. In fact there are places that I would describe as a desert.

On the wet coast, everything feels wet all the time. I asked the kids what their favorite and least favorite parts were of the vacation we had on the coast, this summer. One of the girls said that the blankets always feeling wet was the worst part. They have a lot more water in the air then we do.
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Old 09-03-2012, 06:39 PM   #12
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Smart kid you have - damp bedding is totally yucky. I camped in a pup tent in the rain forest once and was in a real rush to get out of there. It was raining when we arrived, and kept right on raining as we prepared a meal, ate, cleaned up, went to bed and got up. We had breakfast at a cafe!
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Old 09-03-2012, 11:47 PM   #13
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It won't help for really wet bedding, but a trick I learned in the Bahamas to get rid of that damp in bedding (and the musty smell too) is to use an electric blanket for a short while each day to drive off the damp. In hot weather you might turn it on for an hour or so before bed, or perhaps first thing in the morning after you arise.

The high humidity in tropical climes is similar to that found in the well sealed fiberglass eggs. I must say that it shocked me the first time I saw electric blankets on beds in 100 degree weather.
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Old 09-04-2012, 09:51 AM   #14
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Having grown up on the coast I dont notice the damp as much as someone who may come here for the first time. I have a girlfriend who moved here from back east last year. She likes to say the one and only thing she hates about living on the coast is the fact that the beds always feel damp when she crawls in at night - thats even in her house. :-)
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Old 09-04-2012, 10:32 AM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Carol H View Post
Pretty well all models/makes of Fiberglass trailers have condensation issues in the Pacific North West - insulation on the walls does help but you will have condensation issues inside any trailer if there is no venting.

The only solution is keeping something open. Some people add big covers over their roof vents so they can be left open regardless of weather and others such as myself have added Window Vent covers.

There are simple products you can buy to put in your trailer when in storage which suck up the moisture.
I hadn't seen those yet. Thanks for the link! What a great idea. I have seen the dri-eze product. I've used an open bag of charcoal at our cabin and it was cheaper and worked well as a remove moisture from the air. Good for a short term solution, but not for when you are actually camping. We just kept our windows cracked on our tent trailer. PNW is just a wet place.
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Old 09-04-2012, 08:55 PM   #16
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My wife and i live full time in a 38footer on the WET! Coast of Oregon...though our full time rig (with 3.5" walls and double pane windows, and solar vents on roof) does not suffer from "Sweating"...our escape-adventure rig does (Van conversion). Our solution was what others have mentioned with the fantastic fan vent cover so it can be left open year round. Works great and now very little condensation in the mornings.

One thing you might do is replace an existing roof vent with a solar powered vent like the "Nicro 4" Day/Night Plus Vent" (google search link). The vent is powered by 2 AA rechargeable batteries recharged by the small solar panel on top of the 4" vent cover : )

Cheers,
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Old 09-04-2012, 10:11 PM   #17
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I've learned the hard way that tarping the trailer will retain moisture in the PNW. The past two winters have proven very moldy for my Boler 77. I'm up to 4 damp rid containers and 1 humidifier that I plug in every month to re-charge the crystals. Yes, 2 windows are opened a crack for airflow at all times. Even in the summer, I refill and dump water out of the containers. I often wonder if dri-z-air would be better for the moisture. I don't have access to electricity when the trailer is parked, so there's no way to plug anything in, unless it was a 12 volt, then I wonder how quickly the battery would drain. The good part is that the inside and outside are scrubbed squeaky clean each March. Some things are just a labor of love.
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Old 09-09-2012, 06:36 AM   #18
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Jamie, I use Dri-Z-Air because I don't want to plug in the trailer in the winter and I can't leave any vents/windows open. Rain comes down sideways where I live!

Ten years of using the stuff and I never have mold (knock wood).
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