Condensation?

[Jadie_374305972]

Hello again,

We took our caravan off for the second time this weekend and we notice on a morning the walls fell slightly wet and where the pillows touched the end of the caravan they felt damp, is this normal and can it be prevented and will it damage anything?

Cheers

Jadie

 

[ProfJohnL]

Hello Jadie

Warm air can carry more moisture than cool air, so warm air that has been saturated with moisture can only carry that much moisture as long as it stays that warm.

Condensation occurs when warm moist air comes into contact with a cooler surface. The air is cooled and has to release some of its moisture as condensation.

It is a fact that when we humans and other living animals breath, we exhale moisture laden air, and it is this which is the usual culprit for condensation in caravans.

Even though the walls of caravans are insulated, they still loose heat, so walls covered by a pillow or the edge of a mattress are likely to be cooler than the air inside the caravan, and thus will be more prone to condensation. It is even more pronounced on metal fittings.

Keeping bedding away from walls usually helps, and many caravans these days have a false wall around the seating area that allows warm air from the heating ducts to rise up through the cavity and keep things a little fresher.

During storage, ventilation is the best answer.

Prolonged dampness may cause musty smells and some mould may grow, but unless the dampness is caused by a leak, it is not likely to cause a long term problem.

 

[Angela_5076436]

make sure that none of your ventilation 'holes' are covered and that any grilles are also kept clear.

I will also try and leave a window open on the night latches whenever possible

 

[Clive-Cardiff]

As John L has pointed out alot of vans have a false wall in the area that is likely to come into contact with bedding and cushions. If yours does not have this feature, as mine didnt, have a look at other vans at the dealers and see how they are fitted.

Mine took just a few hours to get as good a finished article as a new van.

Since then no problem with condensation, even in the cold of northern Spain!