Condensation?

[ricere]

Lately it's been cold and we have had a lot of rain in the past two months where we are and we full time in our 2006 KSDP. Every now and then, a few drips of water will drip on to the dash board under the TV, maybe a teaspoon to a tablespoon full. I have not been able to tell where it is coming from.

I have been on the roof looking and can't find anything. The drips will occur randomly, even when it has not rained for several days. I suspect it is condensation underneath from the front cap, or a water leak at one of the front marker lights.

I have sealed and resealed the marker lights, so I suspect it is condensation, but I am not completely convinced it is. Do any of you have any ideas?

In that area, the only possible places it could leak are the marker lights and air horn mounts, and they all look good.

I replaced the TV a month ago and everything over that compartment was dry including the insulation above the ceiling, until I mashed the insulation against the top of the front end cap, then it became wet with what it appeared to be condensation.

Is this a concern? Have any of you had this problem? Any ideas?

Thanks,

Ron

[TXiceman]

Anytime you have condensation in or behind the insulation, it is a potential for a problem. If you are getting the insulation wet in the front, you need to be concerned about the water condensing within the walls.

The solution is to keep the moisture level down in RV and this may take some work. The human body puts a lot of moisture into the air, cooking and showering as well.

First, vent anytime you are cooking or showering. Wipe down the shower with a squeege to get as much moisture out as possible. Next, leave a vent cracked open about 1/4" to 1/2" all of the time. This will make the heat run more, but it is better to get the moisture out.

Ken

[Bert_64]

Had a similar problem winter camping last year. We had the overhead cabinets closed and the temps in there were about 20 degrees cooler. It caused quite a bit of sweating. We now leave the cabinet doors open just a little with a piece of 1/2" thick rubber. Lets the air flow in and out stopping our problem. Thinking of mounting a couple of small computer type fans in the bulkhead this summer.

[Phil R]

We had the same problem last week during the cold blast in Texas. I pulled the tv out and found that since the front cap is not insulated the moisture builds up until it starts to run down. I'd like to figure out a way to safely insulate that area without causing any other problems.

[Jim Stewart]

Somewhere on here is a thread where someone removed the stuff up their and I think, used spray foam insulation. Another possibility may be to install a 12 volt fan up there to circulate the air.

[TXiceman]

If you put an insulation in the compartment it needs to be a closed cell insulation so that it will not absorb the moisture. By the nature of water vapor, it will move toward the colder surface and will migrate through any porous material. This is why homes in colder climates have a moisture barrier...to stop the water vapor.

Leaving cabinet doors open and circulating fans will only tend to equalize the temperatures. As long as the surface temperature is not below the vapor pressure of the air (a measure of the quantity of water in the air), there will be no condensation. If the surface temperature is below the vapor pressure, you get condensation.

By venting the moisture from the RV you will help the vapor pressure of the air and keep the water vapor under control and prevent condensation.

Ken

[Max Hubrich]

I've been fighting this problem for 3 years now. My drips are directly under the three center, amber running lights. I have replaced all the lights and gaskets, also made my own thicker gaskets, twice now. I also used soft, non-hardening, window seal putty to plug around these large holes. I even resealed the entire front cap with DiCor sealant.

I zeroed in on the 5 hugh, 1" diameter, holes Newmar bored into the roof for the 5, flush mounted, running lights that were factory installed. Two months ago I bought some Bondo (plastic filler) and I was going to fill those hugh holes in-- and mount raised LED lights on top (not recessed). I have the lights I bought on line. All of a sudden, all the leaks stopped. We had over twelve inche's of rain in December here on the Gulf coast of Mississippi. Not drop one!

I give up. If they leak again I will go with "plan A", and fill in those hugh holes, sand the cap smooth, touch up the paint and drill a new, much smaller hole, and "fish" the wires back out. Then a solid, tappered, rubber plug will be installed with two smaller holes for the new LED wires to be tight fitted into, and the whole apparatus pushed down and screwed onto the roof cap!!!

Maybe the DiCor did the trick, I don't know. Stayed tuned for this seamily endless problem.

[Baby Bear]

Max, Had the same problem in the same area. Removed the light assemblies, applied a good amount of DiCor in the light mounting area and like you, we had 10" of rain here and so far no leaks.
Either it worked or my luck is finally changing!

[ricere]

Sounds like I am not the only one with that problem.

I found where the middle marker light was coming apart and the caulking had loosened on it letting water inside the light and water was seeping through one of the screw holes.

I removed the light, cleaned off all the old caulking and resealed the light with good grade silicone and sealed the screw holes with the same. This morning, there was another tea-spoon amount of water on the dash, and we've had no rain since Friday.

I plan to remove and reseal the rest of the marker lights. If that doesn't do the trick, I may eventually have the ceiling removed and some sort of spray on rubber insulation installed in that area. I hope it doesn't come to that.

Thanks for all the information.

[Batman_777]

Someone just told me about Dri-Z-Air for excessive moisture

Use Dri-Z-Air dehumidifier products to safely remove excess moisture and musty smells from the air and help maintain woodwork and items in your home, boat, RV, garage, closets, and storage units.

Dri-Z-Air Dehumidifiers: DriZAir removes excess moisture from the air

I think they got it from Camping World

[TXiceman]

The Dri-Z-Air is generally meant for small ares, not a whole coach. You will be replacing the salt in it fairly often. If you want to go the dehumidifier route, check HD or Lowe's for a whole room rehumidifier.

Ken