Condensation where carpet and wall meet

[Pointerman]

We took our new (larger and nicer) trailer out on its maiden voyage this weekend.  This is a brand new trailer and the short trip was planned as a quick shake down run.  Didn't have a lot of issues, but one thing is troubling.  We had condensation below the windows where the wall and the carpet meet.  The end result was some fairly wet carpet in those spots.  I am curious if anyone else has experienced this issue and if there is a solution.  I suspect I can bring it back to the dealer and bark at them about it, but I am not sure if this is a solvable problem or not.  What are your thoughts?

 

[berky]

Was the wet carpet the result of condensation on the window or window frame, which then ran down the walls and made the carpet wet?  If that's the case, then it's just one of those things you have to live with. Cold outdoor temperatures, high humidity inside, and single pane windows are going to yield condensation regardless.

OTOH, if the carpet was wet while the windows were dry, that sounds like a definite problem that you should bark at the dealer about.

 

[Pointerman]

The windows were condensed on the inside, but the moisture did not run down the wall and onto the carpet.  The wall was dry except immediately above the carpet.  The carpets were wet (I assume from the condensation immediately above the carpet).

 

[berky]

Sounds like the condensation found its way through a gap in the frame, or a gap between the window and the frame.  Ran down through the interior of the wall assembly, and then was wicked up by the carpet at the bottom of the wall.

That might be a cause for concern.  The question to pose to the dealer: If water on the inside of the window found its way down the wall interior and to the carpet, could the same thing also happen with water on the outside of the window, i.e., rain.

 

[muskoka guy]

is it possible that there is an air leak at that location. cold air coming in and meeting the warm air would cause condensation. maybe its a factory defect where the floor meets the wall. take a candle and hold it close to the  area and see if the flame flickers. just a thought.

 

[Kevin Means]

I don't know what the weather conditions were where you were camping, but another thing to consider is, if you were running a propane heater a lot, they can create a fair amount of moisture inside the coach - especially if the coach is all sealed up. Depending on the conditions, that moisture will then condense.

Kev

 

[mnmnutswer]

I have a small fan ruining all the time as well as one roof top vent open all the time to let the moisture out. The fan keeps air flow going and help to keep things dry. This works for me. Might cost a little more to heat but not to much and better then all wet.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

If you have that much wetness and no sign that condensation was running down the walls, I would be looking for a water leak. Was there any rain during this outing? If not, maybe a leaky water line?

 

[Pointerman]

We were in the low mountains and it was fairly cold at night.  Propane heater was running.

There was rain, but it was on the second night.  I saw the issue on the first night.  Left a window cracked open on the second night and still had the issue.  Probably not quite as bad as the first night, but still an issue.

 

[BillB3857]

When you say "propane heater was running," do you mean the furnace or an indoor type heater?

 

[Pointerman]

Standard RV furnace.

 

[Mopar1973Man]

Like I read from several others you might want to leave roof vents open just a tad to vent you moisture off especially after showers, bathing, or cooking. I try my darnest to control the humidity in the RV but sometimes it gets a bit much. 

 

[Wi1d Bill]

Several years ago we travel from Ohio through Kentucky, Tennessee on into Arkansas through Texas, New Mexico to Arizona.
Temperature was below 30 degrees at night, every night.  Major condensation.. any where the clothes, bedding carpet touched the walls they got wet.  My T shirts in folded in the closet that were touching actually froze.

The way most widows are made for RV's they should let the condensation run to the outside of the unit. We had nice icicle's hanging of the sides in the morning

Read somewhere that some fulltimers that travel in cold weather use a dehumidifier. 

Keeping the air moving helps but with the thin walls of an RV there just isn't much insulation.