Condensation in Cool weather

BigGrover

Took out our 400 for our first cool weather trip.  Temps got down around 42.  The Alde kept it nice and warm but condensation was forming droplets and falling from the Fantastic Vent fan.  Is this normal?

Homebodyatheart

Do you also have a window or two large cked in the barely open position? I don’t have a 400, but this works in my 320S. Good luck!

BigGrover

I did not but may try thst tonight, maybe judt open the vent about a quarter inch

Verna

You do need to keep your Fantastic Fan vent open about an inch, plus keep the kitchen window open to the first security click (look at your window latches and you will see two settings to click your window. Select the one that leaves it open about 1/4”.) 

I also keep the bathroom vent open which helps with that condensation. 

Why is this happening?  You are exhaling warm air and it is mixing with the inside air and it has no place  to exit, unless you provide a natural movent of air with the open vents and window. 

You do not need to turn either of the roof vents on. 

Michigan_Mike

A small fan is recommended too as circulating air inside the cabin area will help adjust the air temperature, moves the warmer/moisture laden air that is gathering in the ceiling area and will help eliminate any condensation that arises.  We use a small Ryobi battery operated fan and as others noted, cracking the vent and windows a tad will also eliminate this issue.  

BigGrover

Thanks all, will give that a try tonight.

George101

Verna said:

You do need to keep your Fantastic Fan vent open about an inch, plus keep the kitchen window open to the first security click (look at your window latches and you will see two settings to click your window. Select the one that leaves it open about 1/4”.) 

I also keep the bathroom vent open which helps with that condensation. 

Why is this happening?  You are exhaling warm air and it is mixing with the inside air and it has no place  to exit, unless you provide a natural movent of air with the open vents and window. 

You do not need to turn either of the roof vents on.

@verna :  I've got a 2018 320S;  I havn't noticed a bathroom vent. Do all models have one?

Whoops - edited to add: I forgot you upgraded to a 400

Vikings

We were just at Lassen Volcanic Nat'l Park for two nights at 6000 feet, and temps at or below freezing (ice on windshield in AM).   Alde performed well, one window and roof vent cracked (no bathroom vent, and fan not on...don't want to lose the heat), but still lots of condensation....which we have had many times before in the cold.  We just wipe it down with a dry towel and so far after 80+ nights over 3 years no ill effects from condensation. 

Homebodyatheart

The first time I had condensation it was also in three cabinets against the outer wall. If I hadn't thought to check I could have ended up with mold or mildew. Never hurts to double check nooks and crannies! Last outing the park water spigot froze with the hose connector, hose, etc also frozen and heavy frost on everything outside. I had the vent hatch open maybe an inch and one window in the locked but slightly open position and woke to zero condensation. Once you figure it out it usually works!

Sharon_is_SAM

I think it also helps to thoroughly use the fan after showering and maybe limit shower time.

Ratkity

It was @Verna who gave me the idea of the squeegee to clean off the shower walls, eliminating extra water for condensation. I'm amazed at the amount that comes off the walls. 

BrianZ

On our recent trip to the mountains it got down to freezing at night, and in the morning we had some condensation only over the aluminum framing in the ceiling, and the humidity was relatively low - only 58% at 8:40am - see photo below.  It started at 49% the night before.
We did keep the ceiling vent open at least an inch, with at least one window in the cracked open position.

I think if it gets cold enough outside, it can be difficult to totally prevent some condensation over the cold aluminum frame areas.  If it occurs elsewhere, then there may be a ventilation issue.  I also suggested to my wife that it's probably not a good idea to make spaghetti that requires boiling water in an open pan for 15 minutes in cold weather, though she did use the fan.

jpi68

We woke up early this morning to a dripping sound in the cabin. Turned on the lights and looked around and there was water dripping in from the fantastic fan, and water dripping around from the fan in the bathroom. Both fans were shut. We have had our 2019 T@B 400 for about two years and have never had this problem. We first noticed this in the bathroom the day before. There was water dripping down from the fan in the bathroom. We live in Denver and have only been camping in the west where the humidity is really low, it does get cold at night but we have never noticed condensation before. Currently we are camped near Nashville Tennessee, and it has been getting cool at night in the 40s with relatively high humidity.This morning it appears that there is water dripping in from both the fantastic fan and the bathroom fan. I have had the kitchen window cracked open by use of the clips on the window to allow just a slight opening. However we had both fans shut in the closed position. We are wondering if this is allowed condensation to build up around in the fans and then start leaking out? Or is this a more serious problem with the seal around the fans?

Sharon_is_SAM

I suspect this is condensation.  If there was a seal leak, it would be quite a coincidence for it to occur with both fans at the same time.  With 2 people breathing adding to the naturally high humidity in some areas, prolonged venting is necessary especially after using the shower.  You need to set up airflow in the cabin by opening/cracking the window and the fan.  The cold nights really makes the excess humidity apparent.

jpi68

Based on homebodies comment we checked around the cabinets and cubbies along the exterior of the trailer... we had condensation buildup in all those areas. Thanks to everybody for your comments, this forum is a godsend...

Denny16

Yes, when you have warm humid conditions and it cools down be,ow the dew point, water drops out of the humid air, and condensation occurs.  I saw this with my garden tractor cover, we had warm humid day, followed by coo, night, the the inside of the cover looked like it had rained under it.  The top was dry!

The nüCamp TaB Manual stares to have the roof vent cracked a bit, and a window opened in first locking position when sleeping I the TaBs.  These are small spaces, and moist air from human occupancy increases the humidity level.  

When I lived on a boat, continuous air flow was the order of the day and night.
cheers

ontheroad

Not having condensation problems inside the 2021CS-S model but the galley is...they no longer have a solid wood wall between the galley and the trailers interior...been doing some driveway camping ...nice and comfy inside but getting to the mid 30s outside...how to ventilate the galley without (hopefully) keeping part of the passthru open...

bergger

We always open the vent, crack a window just a tad and put the Maxxair on it's lowest setting.  The alde and an extra blanket help with low temps.  This works well in CO were humidity is super low.  Never camped in a high humidity area though.

Sharon_is_SAM

@ontheroad - how is the dividing wall constructed?  Is the humidity coming from inside the cabin?

ontheroad

@Sharon_is_SAM ...it is now a thinner weight material not the heavy wood from previous models... can't screw into it according to Raphael..assuming the humidity is coming from inside cabin and of course the heavier of us two breathers is closest to the wall... haven't tried using the Air8 with fan only...next step...and yes windows and vent are cracked..

ontheroad

@bergger..having been a T@gger...we know about tight spaces and proper ventilation...the only time we had condensation issues in 4 seasons was when we were in Texas this past January..and in the mountains.. I'm believing it has more to do with it being a clamshell and the dividing wall construction...assuming our hot air is getting to the galley where it is isn't vented...ugh..

gulfarea

I had a clamshell and found much condensate water mostly near the bottom near aluminum inside parts of the lower back even when the Tab was not being used here on the Gulf Coast. Art

Verna

@ontheroad, I don’t know how handy Frank is, but just thinking here....a vent for a dryer with the little flip up louvers, and a 12V computer fan with an on/off switch. Just enough force to blow some air into the clam shell area from the cabin. I do not know if you would also need an exhaust outlet in the floor of the clamshell, similar to what nüCamp put under the fridges. Maybe Raphael could pass this by some of the great minds at nüCamp. I guess I would equate this to the A/C vent switch on the T@G and Silver Shadow. 

ontheroad

@Sharon_is_SAM and @verna.. we're going to try the maxxair fan first..since we're coming from a cooler climate and hopefully wanting to overnight without hookups when we travel south (obviously when that border opens again) ..we did purchase 2 usb small fans..maybe try one in the galley too...besides the shoilet the convenience of overnighting was another reason to upgrade..will post our results in a couple of days..ps it's snowing here today..yahoo I see a  snow angel making day coming up!

db_cooper

we usually have spaghetti at least one night on our week long ski trips.  The first time I didn't realize the SO was boiling water and looked up from my book to see water forming on the ceiling.   We still cook spaghetti in cold temps, but turn the fan on low and crack the windows a bit more.  

Even with the roof vent open a bit and a side window, we still get a little condensation, especially if it's snowing outside, but not too much.  Was no surprise after sleeping in tents for years.  We've found if you put clothes against the wall, they will be wet in the morning, so don't do that.

We've also found ski boots and clothes/gloves go under the bed on passenger side on top of the Alde hoses,  they are super warm and dry in the morning!

TNOutback

Certainly if you have electric hookups, you can run the Air8 on the dehumidifier setting, or the CoolCat on the heat pump setting.  Both work to reduce interior humidity.  Otherwise, without hookups, crack open one or more side windows and a roof vent, and know it just might rain inside the camper a bit.

ChrisFix

This has been a helpful thread for me.
Last night was our first freeze warning night since we purchased our 400 in June. It never did actually freeze, but did get down to 34.
I left the Alde heat on just in case it actually did freeze, but did not leave a vent open, and had a decent amount of water dripping off the fantastic fan vent handle and some (less) off the bath vent this morning.
This was in an unoccupied camper in the driveway. Also, the typical places had beads of moisture such as each ceiling strut.
I'll leave the two vents in open positions tonight and see how that works. 

Denny16

I leave the vents slightly open on our TaB400 in the evening with the Alde set to 50F, and it keeps the chill a d fog out, the TaB dry. You need some air circulation to keep moisture and condensation at bay.
cheers

ontheroad

So as promised...another night of driveway camping, probably the coldest yet for us...woke up in the morning, nice and cozy inside but it was a chilly 17*F outside..had left 2 of our 3 windows vented in #1 position and the maxxair deluxe fan closed but circulating...left the galley pass thru doors closed...opened the clamshell's galley up to discover ice along the top hinge and around the galley door opening...obviously circulating the air wasn't a good solution..in a few days we'll try it again with the galley pass thru doors opened and a pool noodle propping the doors open in the galley...so glad I didn't try the usb fan for circulating..assuming the galley door would still be thawing..and we really aren't hard core winter campers.!

Ron

I lived on my sailboat for several years in the Pacific Northwet.  If it is cool and raining outside, that outside air is drier than the warm inside air.  Ventilation is the key to a dry and mold free interior.
It was cold enough a few times to walk on water,"ice", around the boat when it was in the marina.  I never had a mold problem in 20 years of ownership.

Deb55

@db_cooper we winterized, then decided to go out again, but without water or the use of our tanks. We wanted spaghetti one night and wanted avoid as much dishwashing and draining pots of water outside as possible. Our solution was to cook up a pound of spaghetti to al dente at home, and put it a ziplock bag. We just heated it in the sauce as needed. No boiling pots of water necessary! Also, I actually thought it tasted better that way, surprisingly enough. I'm going to do it that way at home, too.