excessive moisture in closets - Montana Owners Club

nandav · 10-15-2010, 12:05 PM

We are having trouble with our shoes, clothing & walls of our closets becoming moldy. Does anyone know of a solution for this? We also gather moisture droplets on our walls & inside our cupboards on all exterior walls. We have a 2008, 3400RL w/artic pkg.

Thanks,

boylanag · 10-15-2010, 01:15 PM

Welcome to the MOC Forum, Nancy and Dave. This happens especially in cold weather when a vent or window is not cracked ajar to let moisture out. Another thing you may wish to try is to get the moisture grabbing bags of chemicals that can be hung anywhere in your rig and it will absorb moisture in a closet, etc. We found them at Camping World and cheaper at WalMart.

gypsies2 · 10-15-2010, 02:11 PM

We use a dehumidifer. Keeps everything dry and produces a bit of heat in the process, which is appreciated on those cool mornings.

racerjoe · 10-15-2010, 03:38 PM

Do you full time? Also if not do you store it with all the vents closed? My other question would be does it happen more when you run your furnace? They all sweat some but yours sounds excessive. we leave our roof vents open year round,even when stored, It almost sounds as if there is no insulation, but that can't be ?

nandav · 10-15-2010, 04:41 PM

Thank you all for your ideas. @ Jim & Carol...We had not thought about using those bags to absorb moisture. We will check into those. @ Peter & Nannette...We have thought of this. Do you have any suggestions as to brand or where to purchase. Is yours free standing? We were thinking of putting 1 in the cabinet under the sink & then replacing those doors with lauvered ones. @ racerjoe...Yes, we are full timers & it does happen mostly in the "shoulder" seasons when we are in cooler weather & using our furnace or propane heater. And yes, it seems pretty bad to us too. Thanks again.

**Rondo** · 10-15-2010, 04:52 PM

We own a 2004 2980 with the Artic Package. One thing we have learned from our short experience with the Monte is that when showering, make sure your vent fan in the bath area is on and sucking that moisture from the shower out of the unit. When the furnace is on, or the stove is in use-- the propane releases moisture into the air also. Make sure you use your kitchen vent when cooking on the stove and if the furnace is in use a lot make sure you use one of the ceiling vents or crack a window, as Jim mentioned. It is surprising how much moisture is released from propane. We have used some of the moisture capturing devices(bags or boxes) in the basement of the stick also and they work quite well. While going through the plant tour at the last Fall Rally in Goshen, we made comment about the insulation used on the front caps. There really is not a lot used there. With some of the newer models like the 3750, the entertainment unit is in the front cap and the only way to get to the speakers is to remove the back wall of the entertainment center and then you can get to the speakers and the insulation infront of them. Not the best of plans but I guess it beats having to pull the front cap off!
PS--If you come out to the Central Plains Rally in July-- I can almost guarantee you won't have a problem with moisture in the closet-- that is unless you have a leak in the front cap from rain coming in!

racerjoe · 10-15-2010, 04:59 PM

My thought on the furnace is maybe you should check to see if it is venting exhaust gas properly. You also say you are using a propane heater? is it a separate unit and not your trailer furnace? If that is the case that is the a good reason for the moisture. you almost have to have a fan running at the same time and a roof vent cracked to move the air. I am hoping that you have an oxygen alarm if you are using a separate heater.

clutch · 10-15-2010, 05:18 PM

If you are using a catalytic heater you will get a lot of moisture. We have to keep a window cracked when we use ours.

Exnavydiver · 10-15-2010, 05:46 PM

Using a propane heater in the rig will put an unbelievable amount of moisture in the rig. Use the furnace and no moisture. Same with the fireplace. But using an unvented propane heater will almost flood you out with moisture. Not surprised that you have a mold problem. If you need extra heat get a ceramic electric heater but try to avoid using any propane burning unit inside the rig unless you have a dehumidifier. Using a propane burner in the rig can also produce CO (carbon monoxide) water and CO are the common byproducts of propane combustion... Dave

gypsies2 · 10-16-2010, 03:15 AM

Nancy & Dave
Our dehumidifer is free standing and is a Fedders with a 65 pint capacity. We used to use it in our stick house. We store it up in the front closet and bring it out as needed. I agree with exnavydiver about the Catalytic heater. Get a small ceramic heater. They work great. Even though we leave our vents cracked open, use the ceramic heater on cool mornings we still have moisture on the windows and I suspect that there is a some on the walls as well. This is when we use the dehumidifer. The idea of building one in is interesting! Must look at that a little closer.

Champ_49 · 10-16-2010, 03:22 AM

Good topic as I sit here this morning in western KY and its chilly out. Around 46* out right now with the furnace going and not one vent opened. Thanks all, as I crack a vent open. MOC again to the rescue lol

Dave

gypsies2 · 10-16-2010, 04:02 AM

Nancy & Dave
Our dehumidifer is free standing and is a Fedders with a 65 pint capacity. We used to use it in our stick house. We store it up in the front closet and bring it out as needed. I agree with exnavydiver about the Catalytic heater. Get a small ceramic heater. They work great. Even though we leave our vents cracked open, use the ceramic heater on cool mornings we still have moisture on the windows and I suspect that there is a some on the walls as well. This is when we use the dehumidifer. The idea of building one in is interesting! Must look at that a little closer.

richfaa · 10-16-2010, 05:29 AM

We always have a roof vent open or at least cracked for ventilation. We have never had the problem.

footloose · 10-16-2010, 06:01 AM

Decades ago I worked with a lady who had been stationed with her husband in Florida. She said she had to keep a light bulb on 24/7 in the closet to fight moisture. Having grown up in California, I was amazed -- probably why I still remember it. I don't know if that would be feasible in an RV.
Sharon

wild willy · 10-16-2010, 09:47 AM

We used those dehumidifier bags until two of them broke. One ruined 2 pair of western boots plus shirts & carpet in the wardrobe. The other ran down under the shower and dripped on the furnace mother board, corroding the connections on that. That liquid that is captured in those bags is very corrosive. Needless to say we have gone to 2 small electric dehumidifiers, one sits on the counter between fridge & stove, the other in the bedroom. These are about the size of a coffee maker and they need to be emptied about every other day in high moisture areas.

NCFischers · 10-16-2010, 10:20 AM

We keep an oil filled electric heater (it looks like an old radiator) in the rig and use it and the fireplace when it's chilly and the furnace never comes on. I'd rather heat the rig with their electric than my propane. It also produces no emissions.

clutch · 10-16-2010, 04:14 PM

With our catalytic heater we have the hose pass through a sliding window so there is about an inch gap for fresh air. On the other side of the coach by the sink we crack a window open about 1/4 inch. Moisture has never been a problem for us. I like getting air from the windows because they are lower and we don't loose as much heat as we would with a ceiling vent cracked. Electric power is expencive in Az and we don't use the electric heaters as often as we used to.

dandt · 10-16-2010, 05:47 PM

We also found that when we are in locations with high humidity we must be careful. Sometimes even are carpet fells damp. Those chemicals work well, but if you are in those climates on long term a dehumidifer is the way to go. Check on-line thru Amazon also most hardware stores have them. around $100. Good luck Teresa

Snowman8wa · 11-09-2010, 08:40 AM

Okay folks.....keeping this going a bit more....

Looking for helpful hints from 3750FL owners regarding the under headboard outside storage and getting moisture at the head of the bed. And, for those of you that recommend the dehumidifier, by using the DH, do you still deal with moisture in the closets and cupboards? We keep the LR ceiling vent (covered outside)open 7/24/365, we usualy have one or two other windows open most of the time...like it cold at night....leave the heater set at 50 for night sleep.

bought a small ceramic space heater for the bath so towels will dry, but still having window condensation on the big rear window, and some others as well.....

Any help would be appreciated...

CamillaMichael · 11-09-2010, 09:41 AM

We just left Maine where we had the heat going a lot! As others have pointed out, we had a vent in the bedroom cracked all the time. We also had the closet doors cracked to allow for more ventalation in those areas. Throughout we had very little trouble with moisture buildup...just some minor accumilation at the bottom of some of the windows when the temp was in the 20s.

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