Quote: Originally posted by jeff juke on 10/12/2011
I guess the Gary fella hasnt lived in Scotland when he says "Air in winter cant be damp" Well is blo/dy damp just now and its freezing..
Did I actually say that, or is this another case of quoting out of context?
Whatever, air also has a dew point, this is the temperature air will start to give up any moisture it contains, perhaps this point is reached more often that far up north?!
If then the air is at 10c and it's dew point is 7C, then until it gets down to it as a whole, or comes into contact with something at 7C or below, it will happily hold onto the moisture.
By the same token, if it's at it's dew point and enters a van, then the temperature inside must be higher, then the air itself will increase in temperature while inside so moving away from it's dew point.
It certainly will not then deposit any moisture while inside but infact pick up any it comes into contact with, as slight as that amount that might be, but, it's a constant process and that achieves the result.
A little known fact, insurance companies allow less time to dry out a flood damaged building in mid winter than they do in high Summer?
How could that otherwise be?
Note, air has to enter a structure of some sort so it can rise in temperature, it won't work with damp cloths hanging on a washing line outside on a damp cold day.
More likely cloths would get wetter, this would be because the damp cold clothes are at or below the dew point of the air so reversing the process and trying to dry the air!!
Quote: Originally posted by Tentz on 10/12/2011
If its freezing the air will be cold & dry but it matters not how damp the air is as long as it can circulate freely in & out of the caravan. Heating the inside will just cause condensation, collecting the water in bowls of crystals does not make any sense & the air inside the caravan whether wet or dry will not cause any adverse effects anyway.
Just reading this thread and the above post (thank you) prompted me to ask the question. I'll be taking my caravan away with me over new year. It's the first time I've used it since August I think. Will heating the van up and staying in it result in a lot of internal moisture? Will adequate ventilation deal with all of that ok? I can just go away and use it as usual, or is there something I should do or look out for?
Quote: Originally posted by jeff juke on 22/12/2011
No you will be fine Nick,just put on the heating and put the windows on the night catches to aid ventilation.mine lies for about 6 months no probs.
Nice one thank you. More excited about going away for New Years than I am Christmas! Ho Ho Ho.
You could well get condensation inside the caravan if you use it in cold weather but it dosen't matter. Opening windows/rooflights will lessen condensation but there is no need to make yourself cold, just wipe it off in the morning.
There is often an erroneous connection made with damp inside the caravan caused by condensation in normal use & water ingress into structure of 'van due to failure of body joints/seals. The two are not connected & neither is caused by the other.
Quote: Originally posted by Tentz on 22/12/2011
You could well get condensation inside the caravan if you use it in cold weather but it dosen't matter. Opening windows/rooflights will lessen condensation but there is no need to make yourself cold, just wipe it off in the morning.
There is often an erroneous connection made with damp inside the caravan caused by condensation in normal use & water ingress into structure of 'van due to failure of body joints/seals. The two are not connected & neither is caused by the other.
Only problem I've found at new year is a cold wind hitting the side of the van, it was circa -6C outside!
Problem was it caused a lot of condensation to form on the inside of the wall, behind the back rests, enough to 'wet' the back rest and the back edge of the seat cushion.
Solution for me was simply to extend the blown air duct into that bed locker and drill a row of 10mm holes in the solid part of the bed locker top near the wall, I also let the drill puncture the duct running just underneath to improve air flow.
This was also the locker we stored the bedding in and now being heated kept the bedding nice and toasty, that pleased OH no end
Quote: Originally posted by arc systems on 24/12/2011
Only problem I've found at new year is a cold wind hitting the side of the van, it was circa -6C outside!
Problem was it caused a lot of condensation to form on the inside of the wall, behind the back rests, enough to 'wet' the back rest and the back edge of the seat cushion.
Solution for me was simply to extend the blown air duct into that bed locker and drill a row of 10mm holes in the solid part of the bed locker top near the wall, I also let the drill puncture the duct running just underneath to improve air flow.
This was also the locker we stored the bedding in and now being heated kept the bedding nice and toasty, that pleased OH no end
Many people think their tent has sprung a leak, when in fact it is just condensation.
I think, once you're using the van in the winter, after the first few days, the interior should be up to a reasonably regular temperature, so condensation should be kept to a minimum.
These structures (tents & caravans) are designed to cope with condensation. They will be fine. OK, so some of it will be absorbed into the wood/soft furnishings, but this will soon work it's way out when the weather warms up.
The only time to use dehumidifiers in caravans is after you've completed some kind of water ingress work. Maybe if you've repaired or replaced a leaking roof light & the timbers were simply wet, not rotten, & you wanted to dry the van out after completion of said work.
It's still going to be hampered by the fixed ventilation of the caravan, but this may well be blocked off in such circumstances.
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Topic: Humidifiers
