Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

I just got back from my first trip with my teardrop. It was in the mid 90s the whole trip and I had the a/c on most of the time. My problem is I have a lot of condensation building up on the outside walls, the inside floor and on the shelf in the galley. All the places that have condensation are near and around the a/c. Anyone else been having this problem.

...common prob...the cure is to ventilate by opening vents and windows..........................

I might have been dreaming, but I thought I saw a 12V dehumidifier brought up once

Also, some take steps to make the AC less efficient so it will cycle longer and take more humidity out of the air.

Or, you could simply open a window or roof vent like MJ stated.

NOPE !

http://www.mikenchell.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=699010&highlight=#699010


Notes... 1 1/2" blue foam insulation in walls, floor, and roof.
Floor covering is carpet except entry area.
a/c is not recirculating the cold air it is using outside air
to lengthen the cycle time. I am using a fan to help draw the
cold air up the duct so I am sure a small amount of outside
air is being drawn up also.
The fan is also mixing the interior air so it can not stratify.

It seems like the simple solution is venting because the usual solution of recirculating the air until the moisture is removed can be problematic for a teardrop as the internal volume is low. Buy the time the moisture is removed (steady-state for the given cool temperature) the occupants are popsicles. One thing to remember and provide for is that you are sucking constant hot moist air in so there will be a very steady stream of water that is coming from the AC unit – drainage is a must. I wouldn’t think that there was enough condensation on the inside of a well-insulated tear to be a problem, assuming you can get some ventilation mixed in with all of the cold air.

What we REALLY need is a smaller AC units – those 5000 BTU units are made to cool a small room, not a small box!

What kind of vent is needed? Is the window open enough ventilation?

By not pulling the make up air from the already cooled trailer body do you REALLY have a 5000 btu air conditioner.

I assumed the effeciency would somewhere around 40 - 50 % making my little 5000 BTU unit about 2500 or so.

I am not a thermodynamics engineer and am only using kentucky windage to hit the target.

Is my thinking flawed ??????????

XxXBDrockXxX wrote:I just got back from my first trip with my teardrop. It was in the mid 90s the whole trip and I had the a/c on most of the time. My problem is I have a lot of condensation building up on the outside walls, the inside floor and on the shelf in the galley. All the places that have condensation are near and around the a/c. Anyone else been having this problem.

As everyone has already suggested........ open the windows and roof vent for ventilation.

Run the AC when you are in the teardrop. Leave it off the rest of the time.

Condensation can be common with certain weather conditions or if AC is used.

During our camping trips we do a quick wipe down of any condensation with a towel as needed.

After each camping trip I also like to "air out" the teardrop.
I prop up the mattress and open the windows and roof vent and let it air out for a day or two before I close it up.