Operating instructions
Living
With
Your
Motor
Home
Here are some frequently asked questions about
condensation and some answers that will help
you understand more about your
RV
and how to
keep it comfortable.
Q. -
In
cold weather,
my
windows
and
walls
look like
they're
sweating. Is
that
con-
densation?
A. -
Yes.
Your windows are a good way to
know
if
the humidity in your
RV
is too
high. All air contains water vapor. When
air is warm it can hold much more water
vapor than when
it
is cold. When the air
cools, the water vapor "condenses" back to
a liquid.
Since your windows are usually
cooler than the air, the water collects on
the surface
of
the glass.
Q. -
Where
does all
the
water
come from?
A. - Moisture in the air comes from many
sources.
Some
of
the most common are:
06-8
Cooking - Meals prepared for a family
of
four can add up to a gallon
of
water per
day into the air from cooking.
Bathing - An average shower can put
between
Y,
-
Y2
pounds
of
water into the
air.
Dishwashing - Doing the dishes for a typ-
ical day's meals can add up
to
one pound
of
water to the air.
Floor mopping - When
an
8' x 10' kitchen
floor
is
mopped and rinsed, almost 2
y,
pounds
of
water can be released into the air.
Clothes dlying - After
10
pounds
of
clothes
have been washed and spin-dried
in
a
washer, they still contain about 10 pounds
of
water.
If
these clothes are dried inside,
that water is released into the air in the
RV.
Gas appliances - When LP gas is burned,
carbon dioxide, nitrogen and water are
given off into the air. For every
1000 cubic
feet
of
LP gas burned, nearly
88
pounds
of
water is released into the air.
Humidifiers - Humidifiers are designed to
put moisture into dry air - up to two
pounds per hour.
So in a 24-hour period,
an uncontrolled humidifier
can
put almost
50 pounds
of
water into the air.
House plants alld aquariums - Plants give
off almost
as
much water
as
you put on
them.
Open aquariums permit higher rates
of
evaporation than closed types.
People and animals - A large source
of
water in the
RV
is the inhabitants them-
selves. A family
of
four can
put
up to 12
pounds
of
water into the air
per
day
through breathing and perspiration.
As
you can see, just the normal course
of
living
adds a great deal
of
water to the air.
Q. -
What
will all this
water
do
to
my
RV?
A. - The least it will do is fog your windows.
If
it is really cold outside, frost
or
even clear
ice could form on the inside
of
the glass.
Excessive moisture in the air could show
up as water running down or dripping off
walls, ceilings or fixtures.
It
may
look like
your roof or windows are leaking. This
water may stain woodwork, carpeting,
ceiling panels or even furniture.
But the most damage is caused by water
you can't even see. Water will penetrate
almost any material - except glass and
metals. Water vapor
in
the air always
wants to move toward dry air. Scientists
call this
"vapor pressure" action.
It
will
go
through walls, floor covering, plywood,
paint - just about anything.
The
water that
gets trapped in these materials can cause
warping, mildew, paint failure and rotting.
The damage caused by excessive humidity
can be invisible, and worse, expensive to
fix. Please remember that this damage is
not covered nnder the
wa1l'anty.
Q. -
What
can
I
do
to
rednce
01'
eliminate
condensation
problems
in
my
RV?
A. - The two most important things are: