Outdoors RV Mountain Series Owner's Manual page 43

Living With Your RV
Humidifiers - Humidifiers are designed to put moisture into dry air, up to two pounds per hour.
So in a 24 hour period, an uncontrolled humidifier can put almost 50 pounds of water into the air.
House Plants - Plants give off almost as much water as you put on them.
People and Animals - A large source of water in the RV is the inhabitants themselves. A family
of four can put up to 12 pounds of water into the air per day through breathing and perspiration.
As you can see, just the normal course of living adds a great deal of water into the air.
Q. - What will all this water do to my RV?
A - The least it will do is fog your windows. If it is really cold outside, frost or even ice could form on
the inside of the glass.
Excessive moisture in the air could show up as water running down or dripping off the walls, ceilings, or
fixtures. It may look like your roof or windows are leaking. This water may stain woodwork, carpeting,
ceiling panels, or even furniture.
Most of the damage is caused by water you can't even see. Water will penetrate almost any material
except glass and metals. Water vapor in the air always wants to move toward dry air. Scientists call this
'Vapor Pressure' action. It will go through walls, floor covering, plywood, paint, just about anything. The
water that gets trapped in these materials can cause warping, mildew, paint failure, and rotting. The
damage caused by excessive humidity can be invisible, and worse, expensive to fix. Please remember
that this damage is not covered under the warranty.
Q. - What can I do to reduce or eliminate condensation problems in my RV?
A. - The two most important things are to reduce moisture released into the air and increase ventilation.
The Following Tips Will Assist with Minimizing Condensation
 Provide ventilation to allow excess moisture to escape to the outside when bathing, washing
dishes, hair-drying, laundering, and using appliances and non-vented gas burners.
 Always use the range hood fan and roof vents when cooking and boiling water. Allow them to
run for a period of time afterwards.
 Minimize excessive boiling or use of hot water.
 Keep the bath door closed with the power roof vent open and turned on when bathing/showering.
Allow it to run for a period of time afterwards.
 Do not hang wet clothes in the RV to dry.
 Remove water or snow from shoes before entering to avoid bringing that moisture inside.
 If you operate or use vaporizing inhalers or similar devices, always provide adequate ventilation.
 Ventilate with outside air. Partially open one or more roof vents and/or windows to provide
circulation of outside air into the interior. While this ventilation will increase furnace heating
load, it will greatly reduce or eliminate condensation. Even when it is raining or snowing, outside
air will be far dryer than interior air and will effectively reduce condensation.
 Do not tape windows or doors closed. This will prevent any air movement and will make the
condensation problem worse.
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