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How to Stop Condensation in Your Motorhome or Caravan

Tips to Stop Condensation
in your Motorhome
or Caravan

Preventing condensation in your motorhome or caravan is a good thing on many fronts. For starters, condensation can be bad for everything from upholstery to wall coverings. It can also lead to mould growth. Fortunately, condensation is easy to prevent.  When it does occur, it is fairly easy to manage.

As you read this guide, bear in mind there is a difference between condensation and dampness. In the motorhome and caravan world, it is generally accepted that a damp condition is caused by exterior water leaking in. It can leak in through worn seals, damaged ventilation systems, and so forth. Dampness is a more serious condition because by the time it's noticed, it may have already damaged the vehicle.

What Causes Condensation?

Condensation on any surface is a combination of moisture and temperature differences. If you pour a cold beverage into a glass on a hot day, the temperature difference between the external air and your beverage causes moisture in the air to condense on the side of the glass. The same thing happens with a motorhome. 

Allowing moisture to build up inside your motorhome or caravan can create condensation under one of two scenarios:

Summer

If you are camping in the summer, cooler overnight temperatures can create condensation on your windscreen, walls, and caravan windows.

Winter

You are more likely to have condensation at all hours of the night or day during the winter. Again, you can prevent this just by changing the way you use your vehicle.

Ways to Prevent Condensation

The obvious solution for condensation is to prevent it from occurring. The two most common areas responsible for creating the moisture necessary for condensation are the kitchen and bathroom. In the kitchen area, everything from boiling water to cooking in the oven generates moisture. 

We recommend not boiling water during the evening hours. Also, do as much cooking as you can either outside (i.e., barbecuing) or with the caravan windows open. Fresh air circulating throughout your motorhome is the best way to prevent condensation with very little effort.

Condensation in the Bathroom

The bathroom in most motorhomes and caravans is compact, to say the least. When you are showering, moisture gets trapped in the bathroom just waiting to be released. Open the door and all of that moisture floods into the main living area. 

To prevent this, always utilise bathroom ventilation when showering. You may have a passive ventilation system or a motor driven fan. Either way, make use of it. After you're done showering, use a towel or squeegee to remove excess water from the shower walls and floor.

Other Tips for Preventing Condensation

If you can prevent moisture build-up in the kitchen and bathroom, many of your condensation problems are likely to go away. If you are still having difficulty, we recommend a few additional tips:

Use a Screen Cover  – A cover for your windscreen can prevent condensation in the driver's compartment of your motorhome. A screen cover acts as an insulator to keep your motorhome warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer. It also prevents condensation by reducing the temperature difference between the inside and outside of the screen.

Take a look at our insulated motorhome screen covers.

Moisture Absorbers – You can utilise moisture absorbers both on the road and when your unit is in storage. They are generally disposable water traps you place in key locations throughout the unit. When full, you replace them.

We stock a few different moisture absorbers.

Dry Laundry Outdoors – Whenever possible, dry your laundry outdoors. This includes bathing suits and towels. Hang a line somewhere on your campsite rather than inside your unit. Remember, the water from drying laundry has to go somewhere when it evaporates. Keep it out of your motorhome and condensation will be less of a problem.

Laundry accessories for your motorhome like a fold-away rotary washing line and clothes horse are handy essentials.

Utilise Skirting – It is possible for condensation to occur along the lower interior walls during cold weather. When this happens, it could be the result of cold air getting underneath your caravan or RV. The solution is to utilise skirting. Skirting provides both a barrier against cold air and a bit of additional insulation.

Utilise Campground Facilities – Most publicly available campgrounds offer laundry facilities and showers. You can prevent condensation by using them rather than your own.

Should You Use a Dehumidifier
in a Motorhome?

Dehumidifiers are great tools for motorhomes and caravans, especially in tight spaces. Running one in the bathroom can be a lifesaver. They are also ideal for bedrooms due to limited space and air circulation. 

There are a couple of things you should know about running a dehumidifier.  Firstly, running a dehumidifier and your AC simultaneously can quickly dehumidify the space, but the two units will also be competing in terms of air temperature. While your AC is attempting to cool the air, the dehumidifier, by design, heats it. 

Also, using a dehumidifier while your motorhome is in storage is an excellent idea. Just be sure to check on it from time to time. Your typical electric dehumidifier has to be emptied from time to time. Letting it run and forgetting about it may work to your disadvantage. Not emptying the unit could leave it with excess water that just keeps getting returned to the air. 

In conclusion, you want a dry motorhome or caravan - the drier the better. Avoid excess moisture build-up, make sure all of your ventilation is working properly, and use tools like screen covers, moisture absorbers and humidifiers.

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