Relative humidity

[icic]

When staying in the van I have a humidity gauge to keep an eye on the humidity. However I just had a look in the van and it’s reading 75%. We have not stayed in the van for a few day, and when I last used the van the a/c took the humidity to 34% so it being 75% now seems very high seeing its empty and sealed. Worried I may have a leak, is this normal to have such a high level when no one is in the van

 

[Hotel California]

Ventilation , ventilation , ventilation and ventilation....
Sleeping and cooking in a few cubic meters space creates a looot of moist .
It gets in all the fabric and needs to come out somehow , driving with your airco on even on colder days helps .

 

[icic]

Yes I know about ventilation and do so when I am camping. My point is that when the van is empty and used should it be at 75%

I drove for 4 hours with the air con on after the last camping trip and it got down to 34% are you saying the furniture pushes the RH up for days after ? I find this hard to believe as the RH the whole time we where camping never went above 50-60 % due to heating a good ventilation

 

[TripleBee]

Any vehicle is never watertight.
There are big holes all around the van: 4 door holes, just covered by some sheet metal and some rubber strips. A very large hole on top, just covered with a big aluminium plate, sealed by some rubber, ....
The water that gets under the pop roof, will eventually drain away (if the draining holes are clear). But it will never drain away all, and all that is under the big aluminium plate, enters through the fabric of the tent into the van, rising the humidity inside the van.
Even the sliding window(s) (especially mine at the moment) just lets the water just enter the vehicle, and if it's not drained right away, it is literally in the van, making the humidity to rise.

If you want a dry van, you will have to get all the humidity out of it and seal every hole with some Tec7 or something.
But that is not what you want.
If it gets too humid, just open the roof and or windows on sunny, dry days, and the humidity will drop again.

 

[Hotel California]

Has it been raining , leaks ?
There are various possibiltys of water searching it's way in , have a search on the forum for the usual suspects.

 

[WelshGas]

I drove for 4 hours with the air con on after the last camping trip and it got down to 34% are you saying the furniture pushes the RH up for days after ? I find this hard to believe as the RH the whole time we where camping never went above 50-60 % due to heating a good ventilation

The vehicle is not airtight by any means. Cable grommets, the cab heating/ventilation system is open to the exterior .

 

[westfalia]

Ventilation , ventilation , ventilation and ventilation....

Why not just say it once?

 

[Hotel California]

@westfalia

 

[Wesel]

When staying in the van I have a humidity gauge to keep an eye on the humidity. However I just had a look in the van and it’s reading 75%. We have not stayed in the van for a few day, and when I last used the van the a/c took the humidity to 34% so it being 75% now seems very high seeing its empty and sealed. Worried I may have a leak, is this normal to have such a high level when no one is in the van

Relative humidity is the ratio of the amount of water vapor that the air contains to the amount that the air can best absorb. And this measurement varies greatly with temperature because hot air can hold more water before it becomes saturated and creates condensation. The difference you see may only be due to a change in temperature.

 

[Keith Smith]

It’s probably only mirroring the outside humidity level. Without permanently running a dehumidifier inside the vehicle, the relative humidity inside the van will be more or less the same as the relative humidity outside the van. Which is currently 89% in not so sunny Shropshire.

 

[Phase one]

Wesel is spot on. The RH is heavily influenced by temperature and the higher RH you are seeing reflects the recent wetter weather and the lower temperatures.
Monitoring or calculating the dew point may have some merit in minimising potentials for mould.
http://www.dpcalc.org
The answer to bringing RH down lies in allowing ventilation on dry days and regularly using the vehicle (heating, air conditioner on).

If the vehicle is sitting idle then desiccants or periodic use of a plug in dehumidifier may help with the worst peaks.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[icic]

That was my concern stopping any mould at high RH values. Driving regularly with AC and putting heating on often

 

[Camperfamily]

Not essential by any means, but I do like running dehumidifier regularly when parked up at home on EHU over the winter. It couples well following the once per month 24 hour EHU charge to keep the leisure batteries in top notch.

We bought the following one on recommendations from this forum and as it was a Which BestBuy. It’s main purpose is in our laundry room for drying clothes that can’t go in dryer, eg. synthetic waterproofs and wet shoes. It makes winter laundry much simpler. I consider it one of my top buys.

Meaco DD8L Dehumidifier

Straightforward, functional dehumidifier This is a great dehumidifier for household use, giving you real value for money with up to 80% reduction in running costs, quiet operation and our unique intelligent control logic system. It’s also a highly reliable unit that uses the very best domestic...

www.meaco.com

 

[WelshGas]

That was my concern stopping any mould at high RH values. Driving regularly with AC and putting heating on often

I use Disposable Dehumidifier Canisters, 2 in the van all year, changed over when full. Amazing how much water they collect. Available on line or any good hardware store.

 

[Camperfamily]

@WelshGas which ones do you use? I bought the UniBond Aero 360 and whilst it was okay, I didn’t like the nasty looking blue chemical mixture that resulted in the collection chamber.

I was fearful of it toppling over and said mixture going everywhere, so it now sits in our garage unused.

 

[WelshGas]

@WelshGas which ones do you use? I bought the UniBond Aero 360 and whilst it was okay, I didn’t like the nasty looking blue chemical mixture that resulted in the collection chamber.

I was fearful of it toppling over and said mixture going everywhere, so it now sits in our garage unused.

I use these. There are different brands from different companies. I use the cheapest.
If they tip, collected water doesn’t spill.

Dehumidifier Interior Damp Trap Mould Moisture Mildew Remover Caravan Home X 10 | eBay

Our premium quality Interior Dehumidifier Condensation Remover is here to make your life easy and hassle-free. Now you don’t have to worry about getting your things damaged by high humidity! Our interior dehumidifier helps to remove humidity from humid places and reduces mold and dust mites. The...

www.ebay.co.uk

 

[Hotel California]

So you start a thread wondering why there's humidity a few days later than this post

What’s this and why might it be wet

In the cupboard this circular part is wet after a night in the van and a rainy night. Van was well ventilated and there was a very small about of condensation on the kitchen window, hardly noticeable. Does any know what this is . The rest of the cupboard is dry Picture of said round thing

vwcaliforniaclub.com

Did you forgot to mention someting....?

 

[Wildcamper]

I plug the van in when at home and just leave an 80 watt airing cupboard heater on, just enough to lift the internal temperature when all the window insulation is installed. Can put the heater on a timer if one wishes. Remove as much of the soft furnishings as practicable and open all the cupboard doors.

 

[soulstyledevon]

Gave the van a much needed clean out yesterday. Drained the water tanks and stuck it on charge plus connected a dehumidifier overnight.
This is the water collection after 12hrs. Will leave it plugged in until tomorrow and the roof open to help air the canvas out.
Note, I’ve pulled the roof bed down and closed the cover.

 

[icic]

So you start a thread wondering why there's humidity a few days later than this post

What’s this and why might it be wet

In the cupboard this circular part is wet after a night in the van and a rainy night. Van was well ventilated and there was a very small about of condensation on the kitchen window, hardly noticeable. Does any know what this is . The rest of the cupboard is dry Picture of said round thing

vwcaliforniaclub.com

Did you forgot to mention someting....?

When I got home, there was no moisture on that part after it rained. Plus the wast tank was full when I palates that. So I can to the conclusion it was condensation due to the tank being full. As I say it’s not been wet for days. Hence not mentioning it

 

[WelshGas]

When I got home, there was no moisture on that part after it rained. Plus the wast tank was full when I palates that. So I can to the conclusion it was condensation due to the tank being full. As I say it’s not been wet for days. Hence not mentioning it

As you have found out, you do not just get condensation on the windows, but elsewhere as well.
If using the supplied van window blinds + ventilation and you don’t get windscreen condensation then you are unlikely to have it elsewhere.
If you do get windscreen condensation and decide to use insulated windscreen covers to get rid of the condensation then it just moves elsewhere to the next coldest area, unless you also improve the ventilation.

 

[icic]

That’s interesting, I have been using Brandrup’s external cover, be interesting to try the internal as see. Thanks for that

 

[WelshGas]

That’s interesting, I have been using Brandrup’s external cover, be interesting to try the internal as see. Thanks for that

The only thing that gets rid of condensation when sleeping in the van is adequate ventilation. Anything else, such as windscreen insulation, will just move the condensation elsewhere, body panels and tank surfaces within kitchen or wardrobe units or behind body panel trim panels. Just simple physics.

 

[Buds]

I use Disposable Dehumidifier Canisters, 2 in the van all year, changed over when full. Amazing how much water they collect. Available on line or any good hardware store.

I like this idea ,where do you put them in the van.

 

[WelshGas]

I like this idea ,where do you put them in the van.

Out of sight. I have one in the base of the wardrobe, next to kitchen and one under drivers seat. Doesn’t really matter where they are.