| Author |
Message |
H3-40
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, January 07, 2006 - 7:55 pm: | |
Well most of you know how far we are along on our coach and since the rally, we are still living in it due to home issues. We do NOT have the ceiling up as we plan on doing that part last. What we have noticed lately here in Sunny but cold (mid 30's) Florida is that while using the roof a/c heaters, (only using one so far and that keeps coach very comfy) there is condensation on the exposed frame ribs on the ceiling. So much that after wiping them down with a terry shop towel, the towel ends up completely wet to the point you can wring it out. What should be done to curb or eliminate this? I can only imagine what damage this water will do to the cabinets or ceiling one installed. Our roof is factory spray foamed if that helps and in places it appears the ribs have foam in them as well!
Thanks
Ace |
John MC9
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, January 07, 2006 - 8:41 pm: | |
Ventilation.
Dehumidifier.
Air conditioner on lowest setting.
All will decrease the amount of condensation inside a too well
sealed compartment.
(Don't eat the mushrooms that grow in the upper area of the
bathroom closet, they will make you sick. btdt) |
niles steckbauer (Niles500)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, January 07, 2006 - 9:41 pm: | |
You need a small one of these;
http://www.residential.carrier.com/res/details/0,3041,CLI1_DIV109_ETI8469_MID3831,00.html
We all probably do too - HTH - Niles |
Lowell
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, January 07, 2006 - 10:03 pm: | |
Ace
Condensation occures when warmer moist air hits a cold surface. Insulation incresses this tempature gradent so that there is not such abrunt tempature change. Steel is a good tempature conductor and your ribs connect from the roof to the interier were the warm moist air is then condensation will occure. Correcting this problem needs to be worked with several different approaches: As John stated above, elimate as much moister in the air as you can. This is done when takeing a shower or cooking use the vent fans. Air conditioner while runing removes the moister in the air. Your only other approach would be, if I understand corectly you already have the celling insulated then creat a thermal break between the ribs and the interior surface, ie. plywood on the celing and walls. I hope this helps if not let me know. Florida is bad about this with its high humidity.
Lowell |
David Hartley (Drdave)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, January 07, 2006 - 11:02 pm: | |
Try painting the exposed ribs with an insulating paint. Thermal Coat or get some insul-add and mix up some paint and cover that metal. It does help considerably.
Florida is a wet swamp no matter the time of year and I have been at the same battle with humidity it seems like most of my life here.
The use of a dehumidifier does a world of good if you can find room for it but you had better have a drain from it to the outside.
Up north they add water to the air, Down here we are lucky to get the humidity down to 60% inside with the air running on a hot day. Turning the heat on just pumps more water into the air. |
FAST FRED
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, January 08, 2006 - 6:30 am: | |
"Turning the heat on just pumps more water into the air."
Actually the higher temperature of heated air can hold loads MORE water , but when it comes in contact with cool metal , or even the glass windows it will condense from the D/T.
Removing the moisture can be done with a dehumidifier , but its a small air conditioner , so uses electric more suitable for a house.
An air to air heat exchanger can get rid of the excess moisture at lower power cost and noise.
But the sugestion of a bathroom fan and a range top ventilating unit with DC blowers to exhaust should be tried first .
These were STD on many sticks & staples in the 60's and the thru the wall fans are still in many RV catalogues.
FAST FRED |
airless in Jacksonville
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, January 08, 2006 - 11:20 am: | |
Ace I have noticed a drastic increase in this problem also. Mine is mostly on the windows in the front of the bus. The water amount was so thick it would probably fill a cup. I have curtailed it somewhat by placing another heater up in that area. The heater is being used during the day also to help dry the air. If you find something that is working well please let me know. I have maple wainscot and I can see it was getting wet |
sdh3
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, January 08, 2006 - 9:41 pm: | |
We have an H3 also. We used instulation tape that we purchased at Home Depot on all the ribs. It is the same width as the ribs so it was an easy job. Then we put wood strip ribs over that to hold the ceiling panels. But before the ceiling we put plastic sheeting on entire ceiling. We are still in building phase also, but havent noticed any problems since. Hoping this works well when in use! |
Sojourner (Jjimage)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, January 09, 2006 - 8:25 am: | |
First of all, want to thank you Ace & Suzan for allowing me to view your great Stainless Steel Prevost H-40 bus project at Jack’s Bussin Rally. Great idea using smooth curved corners and so on.
About your condensation problem, already know you have factory foam insulation in-between ribs otherwise you have even more moisture dipping. To remedy yours is to isolate bare rib frame from expose human breathing air. Quarter inch or thicker wood ceiling paneling onto rib or temporality apply wet insulating coating or anything that separate cold metal to warm moist air.
Dehumidifier would help greatly but still good idea to isolate interior air from contacting cold metal for absolute dry surface.
Air conditioner is dehumidifier. To keep it from putting out colder air in is to have condenser within interior room.....in the mean time it collect moist via air thorough evaporator to drop onto pan…..same air thorough condenser to warm air.
However NO dehumidifier work when its room air temperature is below 65º F. It begins to freeze moisture on evaporator’s coil. Been there & learned.
Another word a self contain air-condenser put any where in bus’s room….on table or on floor and plug it in 110v or 12v RV type….now you have dehumidifier.
http://www.daviddarling.info/encyclopedia/D/AE_dehumidifier.html
FWIW
Sojourn for Christ, Jerry |
Buswarrior (Buswarrior)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, January 09, 2006 - 8:54 pm: | |
Hello
Condensation is lurking in all our coaches, regardless of insulation techniques.
Try leaving a book open on a table in your stored coach. After some days/weeks the pages will be wrinkled from the moisture.
Devising a way to circulate air in and out of the coach while it is in storage is a worthy goal often overlooked.
A trick to use when living aboard in these cooler temps or during one of those humid cool downpours is to set one roof air to AC and the other roof air to heat strip,(or turn on the furnace) with the thermostats set to overlap, so both will be working. The AC dries it out, the other keeps the temp up so the AC keeps working, and so you are warm.
Continue until you are dry?
happy coaching!
buswarrior |
Stephen Fessenden (Sffess)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, January 11, 2006 - 10:28 pm: | |
Ace, a dehumidifier does not use much electicity and will help a whole lot. Should cost aroune $120. I got mine at Sams. |