By Gail Marsh
Ah, winter. It’s so cozy and warm when you’re cuddled up inside your RV, especially when the outside temps are frigid. Well, that cozy feeling is sure to cool when you begin to notice water droplets forming on the inside of your RV windows. That’s excess humidity and it is not your friend! When the warm, moist air from inside your rig hits the cold window glass, moisture forms. If that moisture builds up, the water droplets join together to form little rivers of wetness that will run down into the windowsill and from there into the wall. If left to continue, it’s a good bet mold will develop. Nobody wants that!
Here are simple RV hacks and tricks to help cut down on the humidity inside your RV this winter:
Cooking
- Don’t use the cooktop. Avoid cooking on the RV’s stovetop. Or, if you absolutely must cook on the stovetop, be sure to use the exhaust fan on its highest speed. Cover foods as they cook, as much as possible, to avoid steam from escaping directly into the RV’s interior.
- Microwave. Alternatives to stovetop cooking? Use the microwave along with the vent. Once food is removed, quickly close the microwave rather than let the steam escape into the galley.
- Pressure-type cooker. Another great alternative is to use an instant pot pressure-type cooker. Not only will your meals cook faster, but by releasing the pressure outside, you’ll keep the extra humidity out of the RV.
- Get outside. Cook outside as much as possible. Use your gas grill or campfire to heat delicious meals without adding more humidity to the inside air.
- Convection cooking. If you have a convection oven, use it instead of the propane oven, which can produce steam.
Heating
- Electric is best. Because propane produces humidity, it’s better to use an electric heater to warm your RV’s interior. If your RV features a fireplace, use it instead of the furnace. The same goes for a heat pump, if temperatures permit.
- Small space heat sources. Consider using small ceramic or infrared heaters to warm only the spaces where family members are, rather than attempting to heat bedrooms, toy hauler garage, etc., especially if you spend most of your time in other spaces within the RV.
- Insulation. Make sure you’ve taken proper precautions for insulating your rig so that drafts are not an issue. It will help you stay warmer.
- Dress for success. Consider dressing in layers so that you can keep comfortable even in cooler indoor temperatures.
Other considerations
- Shortened showers. Hot showers put lots of excess humidity into your RV’s interior. Consider using the campground showers, if available. If you do shower inside your RV, keep it brief. Run the exhaust fans and crack open a window to help release the extra moisture to the outside.
- Use the campground’s dryer. Resist the urge to dry clothing inside your RV. Use the campground’s laundry facility even if your rig has a clothes dryer.
- Air circulation. Some folks swear by running a fan with one window opened slightly. We haven’t tried it, but proponents claim that the fan helps circulate the air and helps humid air escape more readily.
- Track humidity levels. Purchase an indoor hygrometer like this one to keep track of the humidity inside your RV. If levels creep up past 40 percent you need more remediation.
Dehumidifier choices
- Electric dehumidifier. A dehumidifier will draw moisture from the air and collect it. Dehumidifiers come in a wide variety of sizes and configurations. Before you buy, make sure the unit will fit inside your RV without hindering movement in the already confined space. Many RVers place their dehumidifiers right inside their shower pan. That way, the moisture that collects can simply run down the shower drain. This means you’ll need to move the dehumidifier every time someone wants to take a shower, so you’ll need to decide if that’s the best choice for you.
- Alternatives. DampRid is another option for RVs that don’t require a dehumidifier. Damp Rid and similar products remove excess moisture from the air – though not in the amounts that an electric dehumidifier can. Here are some top picks to choose from.
As with most things related to RVing, some winter humidity preventive measures can help keep you happily on the road. If you have additional ideas to try, please let us know!
##RVDT2282
Note that your RV’s propane furnace does not release humidity into your RV – if it did, it would also asphyxiate you! It burns outside air and releases it back to the outside. If you are getting humidity from your furnace, get it repaired and don’t use it until it is fixed!
Came to say the same… pretty sure if you’re getting humidity out of a propane furnace, you have a cracked manifold, which is no bueno.
and the moisture will be the least of your problems…
A propane rv furnace is a heat exchanger and does not produce any moisture indoors. The unvented portable propane heaters do produce moisture plus carbon monoxide and use up oxygen; you could wake up dead.
We used a lot of DampRid when stuck down in Houston. Wifey ordered bunches of it from Amazon. Amazing how well it worked, but she had to monitor it to keep up with the humidity.
Thank you, Gail! Our rig is all-ellectric. I think that our windows are double-paned, but I’ll have to call the manufacturer to confirm (contradict?) that. Safe travels and have a great 2024! 🙂
I use a couple of different commercial sidewalk deicer products. It’s the same chemical (sodium chloride) as damp rid. I simply use a quart tomato juice jug, poke holes around the top or cut top off and reverse in to main jug or simply leave the screw top off the jug. Of course you have to take the time to put the deicer into the tomato jug from the larger deicer product. Don’t use a tin container, the stuff eats tin up pretty quickly.
Thanks Steve!!!
Best tip I’ve gotten in years, well, months at least. I’ve been looking for a cheaper alternative to “Damp Rid” and all that wasted plastic when they’re full.
We clip the outside flap of the stove vent open as part of our camp set-up. It gives us a little bit of passive air circulation. The only time we shut it is on cold, windy days.
For storage/down time, we don’t have many issues here in the high desert. I dutifully used Damp Rid the first couple of winters that we had our TT, but never collected a drop.
When the TT is covered in the winter, we can leave the roof vents open, since we have the MaxxAir covers. It keeps that closed-up atmosphere from developing.
For most of the year, we keep the roof vents open, and in hot weather, usually have the bathroom fan on low, and the a/c on fan-only. The TT lives at home and is plugged in.
I live in the Pacific Northwest… humidity is a way of life up here.
Most of it is good advice (except the propane furnace thing, covered elsewhere. )
Surprised you didn’t mention storage. DampRid is good, but heat works best… if you can keep a small electric heater in it, plugged into house/shore current, and keep the internal temp at least above 45-50 degrees F, you can keep humidity at bay pretty nicely.
The propane furnace is a closed system. Combustion air is pulled in from the outside and then vented back outside. The warmed dry air inside is recirculated. cooking, showering and even your own breath will add to inside humidity.
We leave one of the roof vents open slightly. The warm air will carry the humidity out the vent.
When we replaced our house furnace with a high efficiency one, we had a problem with low humidity in the house. Every time we touched a piece of metal, or each other, we got a spark.
Ended up installing a humidifier on the furnace to keep the level between 20-30 percent.
It also made it more comfortable.