Its each to his - scientific theories - own. Last year, i went into the van for something and found some cans, left in a locker, with the labels going soggy. This was obviously down to heating from the 'warm' winter sun, and bloody cold nights. It was obvious that all the fabrics (and theres plenty you cannot remove, remember) stood to go the same way, so I decided i was having none of it and stuck a small oil heater in there 24/7. The van remained at a minimum 4 degrees, which kept 'moisture' at bay for the duration. And, it didnt cost a fortune either, by the way.
To underline the success of this action, when i had the hab. test done in the March (by a CC accredited firm), they said it was one of the driest vans they'd come across with not a sign of damp anywhere.
Heating the inside of the van will not stop leaks. If the van is 'dry' then that means are no leaks. If the body is leaking then this must be fixed. This is an entirely separate issue. Its possible that heating the inside of the van could hide early evidence of water ingress & the bodywork could be quietly rotting away.
Would that be dry rot then? As the other sort needs, and gives off, moisture readings. Its dry because it was stopped from going foisty over the winter. Timber and fabric absorb damp out of the air. Have you ever stored such as lounger cushions in a unheated garage or shed over winter. Then found black mouldy spots on them in the spring? A van is no different to a shed in essence, apart from the cost to sort it if it gets manky. I agree 'leaks' are a different thing, which no amount of heating will cure, but for winter storage, keeping the inner from going foisty is paramount, however you do it. I inhibited the 'damp' my own way, hence it didnt get into the fabric of the van. Its not rocket science. Like i say, 'each to his own' when it comes to winter protection.
We just open the door when it is a nice sunny day and let the air blow through - never had any problems with foisty smells or anything - Van was very nice and dry
Cant argue with that. But id put money on condensation having formed and dried on some of the surfaces in the early hours after these 'sunny days'. The airing will certainly help matters and keep smells from forming.
I know for a fact that after such winter days and nights with my work tranny van, that water can sometimes be literally dripping from the roof in the back. Fair enough, campers and caravans are insulated to a point, but they still get some of this condensation forming sometimes, - hence me finding the 'soggy can labels', which is obviously not great in the long run.
van was regularly checked for condensation on the inside of the windows and even when the outside was dripping there was nothing inside - not even on a sunny day.
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Topic: elec heater in van overwinter
