Back to the main site

Camper enclosure and condensation

C

Come Monday

Well-Known Member
Messages
149
Reaction score
26
Location
Sarasota FL
Does anyone have a solution to keep the condensation down inside a full camper enclosure when you spend the night on the water? We live in FL and we are having a camper enclosure built for our new Benni coming next week, but is there anything I should keep in mind for the design before building? We aren't going to use sunbrella, but rather the same material the bimini's are made of. We're opting for screens, rather than isenglass, with solid drapes that zip from the inside so the enclosure can be packed away in a duffel bag and stored in the center toon without taking up too much storage space that thicker sunbrella would take.

I don't have any experience with this and am hoping someone else does. Thanks!
 
I'm guessing the only thing is a dehumidifier of some type. Ventilation won't help if the air outside is humid, you are just replacing humid air with humid air. You might see about a low wattage humidifier, hooked up to a secondary battery with an inverter, and get a solar panel to charge the spare during the day if you don't want to do extra wiring.
 
What kind of extra wiring? Factory will have installed two batteries and switch because I upgraded to the wet sounds amplified stereo. I could install an inverter to the secondary battery and see how long that'll last with a low wattage dehumidifier before it dies. I only need it from the time the camper is zipped on until we wake up. I'm liking the solar idea. Could I install a battery charger that would charge the secondary while I'm underway and use the solar when stationary? I guess if I find I'm camping more, I could throw a third battery in there, maybe a group 27 deep cycle, and dedicate it solely to the dehumidifier or even a 5000 btu a/c unit if it would run it.
 
Are you sure you're going to have a condensation problem? I've had mine up for 1 1/2 weeks at a time, had snow,rain, sun...not a bit of condensation. I lived most of my life in FL, and all it takes in a tent is a little air flow or ventilation to prevent condensation. A dehumidifier is like a small air conditioner, it would drain a couple batteries in short order. Wet carpet will really multiply the chances of condensation too.
 
Yeah - I don't know if I even will have a problem with condensation. I'm glad to hear what you wrote. I'll start with a camper enclosure and a 12v fan. The morning will tell me what I need next I suppose.
 
If you have the center tube storage you can leave the hatch open and the aluminum sides of the pontoon will end up being the spot that most of the water condenses. On ours we just keep a screened window open and things are fine.
 
I've had my share of time in a tent, from a two-man pup tent to huge canvas structures, mostly from 27 years in the Army. The tighter (weather and temperature)  you try to make any canvas enclosure the more likely you are to have a condensation problem. From what I've seen from my enclosure there will be some airflow even when totally buttoned up. You have air moving through around the gates, and also under the fence, and that should be enough to prevent a problem. Now, mosquitoes are a totally different problem in the Sarasota area! Good luck with them.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top