cancel
Showing results forย 
Search instead forย 
Did you mean:ย 

Condensation under mattress

Pucka1378
Explorer
Explorer
We camped this last week in cooler weather. We had an electric heater at night and we did a good job at keeping vented and we had no condensation issues.

When we went to leave(after spending the week camping) the bunk ends and the mattress's were damp/wet. It was not soaking wet but pretty damp.

Any solutions to fix/prevent this? We had no other condensation in the camper at all.
12 REPLIES 12

parker_rowe
Explorer
Explorer
Happens with ours too in cold weather.
Airflow/airgap under the mattress would be the only way to get rid of it. We just wipe down the deck and the mattress when we pack up.
2015 Starcraft TravelStar 239TBS 6500 GVWR
1997 GMC Suburban K2500 7.4 Vortec/4.10
1977 Kawasaki KZ1000

bikendan
Explorer
Explorer
Pucka1378 wrote:
SDcampowneroperator wrote:
Moisture condensing any where in a camper or at home is never good. Assuming you had good heat, you may have too much humidity. It is imperitive to vent moisture from cooking and showers to keep interior humidity below condensation levels in thin walled rvs.
Hope that bed warms up for you! vent all cooking and washing moisture! Heat is secondary. High humidity WILL condense in your walls, rot , them ,ruin insulatation


Cooking we had all windows open in the trailer.

Shower we had at least the bathroom vent open and fan running and a couple of windows open.

We were at the beach and it was raining. At night with the heat on we had one window open, and both bunk ends vented and the vent open in the bathroom. No moisture in the trailer at all that we could see. We have had issues in the past with rain and the heater on. Proper venting this go around seemed the answer to our problems(no sweating from the canvas on the bunk ends etc).


are you using Popup Gizmos on top of the tent ends?
Dan- Firefighter, Retired:C, Shawn- Musician/Entrepreneur:W, Zoe- Faithful Golden Retriever(RIP:(), 2014 Ford F150 3.5 EcoboostMax Tow pkg, 2016 PrimeTime TracerAIR 255 w/4pt Equalizer and 5 Mtn. bikes and 2 Road bikes

ScottG
Nomad
Nomad
I doubt Refectix would do much because its insulative properties are only effective at temps above something like 75 degrees (per literature on the product itself).
Below that it's about the same as a sheet of plastic.

ksg5000
Explorer
Explorer
coolmom42 wrote:
There is some stuff called Hy-Vent that boaters use to prevent that problem. It's a thick mesh that allows air circulation under the mattress. It's not cheap, but I don't know of a good alternative.

The condensation is from your body's moisture that gets trapped against the cooler wall or solid platform underneath the mattress.


Another alternative might be the use of the bulk filter media sold by Big Box stores - cost about $20 for a 20 foot roll - it's fibrous and should allow air to flow under the mattress.
Kevin

GordonThree
Explorer
Explorer
Condensation happens, it's not the end of the world. Now that you know moisture gathers in that area, make it part of your routine to check it regularly. Make an effort to increase airflow in that area.
2013 KZ Sportsmen Classic 200, 20 ft TT
2020 RAM 1500, 5.7 4x4, 8 speed

Pucka1378
Explorer
Explorer
SDcampowneroperator wrote:
Moisture condensing any where in a camper or at home is never good. Assuming you had good heat, you may have too much humidity. It is imperitive to vent moisture from cooking and showers to keep interior humidity below condensation levels in thin walled rvs.
Hope that bed warms up for you! vent all cooking and washing moisture! Heat is secondary. High humidity WILL condense in your walls, rot , them ,ruin insulatation


Cooking we had all windows open in the trailer.

Shower we had at least the bathroom vent open and fan running and a couple of windows open.

We were at the beach and it was raining. At night with the heat on we had one window open, and both bunk ends vented and the vent open in the bathroom. No moisture in the trailer at all that we could see. We have had issues in the past with rain and the heater on. Proper venting this go around seemed the answer to our problems(no sweating from the canvas on the bunk ends etc).

Campfire_Time
Explorer
Explorer
On our old 17' hybrid we found leaving a flap open on the canvas bunk end prevented condensation.

On our current hybrid that didn't work. There is a small crank out window above our sink. We leave that open and never have condensation. And we've camped on some pretty cold and damp nights.
Chuck D.
โ€œAdventure is just bad planning.โ€ - Roald Amundsen
2013 Jayco X20E Hybrid
2016 Chevy Silverado Crew Cab Z71 LTZ2
2008 GMC Sierra SLE1 Crew Cab Z71 (traded)

3oaks
Explorer
Explorer
That is a common problem with hybrids. Had the same problem with ours. I was going to try a closed cell foam board insulation from Lowes or HD under our mattress, but sold our hybrid before I got to try it.

bikendan
Explorer
Explorer
Many hybrid owners use Reflectix under the mattress.
Personally I tried that and foam insulation panels that have a foil side.
I had better results with a wool blanket under the mattress because it allows better air movement.
Dan- Firefighter, Retired:C, Shawn- Musician/Entrepreneur:W, Zoe- Faithful Golden Retriever(RIP:(), 2014 Ford F150 3.5 EcoboostMax Tow pkg, 2016 PrimeTime TracerAIR 255 w/4pt Equalizer and 5 Mtn. bikes and 2 Road bikes

SDcampowneroper
Explorer
Explorer
Moisture condensing any where in a camper or at home is never good. Assuming you had good heat, you may have too much humidity. It is imperitive to vent moisture from cooking and showers to keep interior humidity below condensation levels in thin walled rvs.
Hope that bed warms up for you! vent all cooking and washing moisture! Heat is secondary. High humidity WILL condense in your walls, rot , them ,ruin insulatation

Pucka1378
Explorer
Explorer
coolmom42 wrote:
There is some stuff called Hy-Vent that boaters use to prevent that problem. It's a thick mesh that allows air circulation under the mattress. It's not cheap, but I don't know of a good alternative.

The condensation is from your body's moisture that gets trapped against the cooler wall or solid platform underneath the mattress.


Thank you!

coolmom42
Explorer
Explorer
There is some stuff called Hy-Vent that boaters use to prevent that problem. It's a thick mesh that allows air circulation under the mattress. It's not cheap, but I don't know of a good alternative.

The condensation is from your body's moisture that gets trapped against the cooler wall or solid platform underneath the mattress.
Single empty-nester in Middle TN, sometimes with a friend or grandchild on board