Don’t Let RV Condensation Cost You!
You’ve seen it happen in your home, so you know it can happen in your RV: water vapor, like steam, condenses and forms on your bathroom mirror, window, and other cool surfaces. Just like in your house, this can be equally damaging to your RV, because condensation can cause wood rot, mold, and corrosion, which can be expensive to repair and decreases the overall quality of your RV if left untreated. At RVs and Boats For Less, we thought you’d appreciate some suggestions to help keep the condensation at bay. We’re located in Pocatello and proudly serve the areas of Twin Falls and Idaho Falls, Idaho. We’re always eager to answer any questions and concerns about your RV lifestyle.
How Does the Moisture Get In?
Moisture takes several paths into your RV, including clothes, air humidity, or steam in any form. This is natural, but can be a big problem when it condenses and spreads water through fabrics and your RV’s frame, leading eventually to mildew buildup. To prevent this from happening, it’s vital to understand the main paths humidity takes to get into your RV. When you shower, yes, obviously, there’s a lot of steam, but you can eliminate most of this by leaving the vent open and turning on the fan. Cooking also generates some steam, especially when boiling water or cooking food with a lot of moisture, so you can again leave your vent open while cooking to show moisture to the door instead of inviting it to hang around. There are also less obvious sources, however, like damp clothing and fabrics like towels and rags. When the moisture from these objects evaporates, it will turn into water vapor and spread into your RV, so it’s always smart to dry stuff outside whenever possible.
Blocking Condensation
To measure the moisture in your RV, a hygrometer is a very useful tool. Hygrometers track the air’s relative humidity, and they are fairly inexpensive. The target zone for relative humidity in your RV is between 30%-50%, but this can be easier or harder to regulate if you live in a very moist or very dry climate. 30 to 50 is a pretty broad range though, so if you are a little outside the zone, try some of these techniques to drop it a little, and your RV will be just fine.
Dehumidifiers
If you have a serious moisture problem, dehumidifiers are probably the most effective way to drop the moisture levels in your RV. You typically need one dehumidifier for a small room in a house or apartment, so one appliance should do for your entire Class C or Class B RV. If you have a class A, it’s not a bad idea to periodically move the dehumidifier from one end of the RV to the other to ensure it works for the entire unit.
Alternative Solutions
You might not want to pay for a dehumidifier, or deal with the hassle, but if you’re storing your travel trailer with power turned off, you’ll still want to keep the moisture out. Let’s look at some alternative methods, then, for filtering out moisture without using power. Desiccant crystals are a great power free solution to getting rid of water vapor: they absorb water in the air passively. Damprid, a product which utilizes these crystals, can keep your RV in the desired humidity zone for a period of time, but be sure to change out the crystals every once in awhile so they don’t get used up!
The methods for preventing moisture from ruining parts of your RV are pretty simple then. You just need to be sure to leave your vent open while showering and cooking, watch out for those hidden sources of moisture like wet clothes, and, if those don’t work try a dehumidifier or desiccant crystals. You should also be mindful of the weather if you’re traveling into an area with a different climate than you’re used to, as this can boost the humidity levels in your RV significantly. Visit RVs and Boats For Less for more information about this and any other RV or boating questions. You can find us in Pocatello, Idaho, but we proudly serve our neighbors in Logan and Salt Lake City, Utah!
