damp in awning

[max1979]

im new to caravans this will be our 1st winter, our van is kept permantly on a seasonal pitch as the site is open all yr round. ive purchased a portable gas heater for the awning but am experiencing a lot of water dripping off the inside of the roof, assume its just condensation but is there a cure as during the week im getting build ups of moulkd in my awning

 

[MobileMatty1]

Unfortunately, water vapour is a by product of burning gas, so without proper ventilation through your awning, and given that this time of year the awning will be colder to aid condensation of this vapour, you'll be making the damp worse.

Remove the heater an either increase ventilation in the awning, or better still, remove and dry store it until the wet/cold/damp weather has passed.

MM

 

[ProfJohnL]

I fully agree with Mobile Matty,

A portable gas heater does not have a flue pipe, instead it puts all its flue products into the space it is heating. That is why they should not be used in small unventilated spaces. An awning is usually quite well ventilated, but because the surfaces are cooled very well by the outside air, the steam and water vapour in the flue products comes into contact with the chilled surface and that cause s the water vapour to condense onto the fabric, so it is not so easily ventilated away.

Just to put it into perspective, as a fairly rough guide, for every kg of gas you burn you will get about 1kg of water vapour.

The problem does not occur when you use the heater inside the caravan, because all the flue gasses are ducted away through the chinney.

 

[max1979]

I fully agree with Mobile Matty,

A portable gas heater does not have a flue pipe, instead it puts all its flue products into the space it is heating. That is why they should not be used in small unventilated spaces. An awning is usually quite well ventilated, but because the surfaces are cooled very well by the outside air, the steam and water vapour in the flue products comes into contact with the chilled surface and that cause s the water vapour to condense onto the fabric, so it is not so easily ventilated away.

Just to put it into perspective, as a fairly rough guide, for every kg of gas you burn you will get about 1kg of water vapour.

The problem does not occur when you use the heater inside the caravan, because all the flue gasses are ducted away through the chinney.

having not been to my caravan for the past month when i walked into my awning water was dripping off the awning roof and everything was wet inside. is there any kind of damp proofing i can put on the roof to stop this? once again im new to caravaning.