Windscreen condensation

[Jeannette van den Oever]

Your caravan would have had double glazed plastic windows all round including the front.
Motorhome have single glazed cab glass except for really high end stuff. It is the glass glazing where the condensation forms and the heat is lost.

That'll be why then! Thanks.

 

[Forestboy]

Our van has amazing insulation double glazed windows double floor with heating pipes running through it and all our storage tanks are fitted in the heated floor. Lived in it very happily for several weeks in the Alps with no EHU at temperatures as low as minus 25c and nothing froze.

However the windscreen is the one area where it will get cold and also suffer from condensation. The only cure for this is external screens all the fancy gadgets in the world will not stop it and if it gets onto the dash and runs down into the electrics it can cause problems.
We also fitted a Truma Activent to ours which pulls extra heat to the front as the boiler is at the back so airflow is not great at the front. Not cheap (although I got one of ebay never used) but definitely worth fitting makes a huge difference to the front but only needed in extreme cold like the Alps in winter.
Screens do make the cab dark but we never put ours up until dusk and just fold them down during the day to let the light in we have blackout blinds at night because we sleep better if pitch black.
Cannot see any argument for not having them if you use the van all year round.

 

[Lenny HB]

However the windscreen is the one area where it will get cold and also suffer from condensation. The only cure for this is external screens all the fancy gadgets in the world will not stop it and if it gets onto the dash and runs down into the electrics it can cause problems.
We also fitted a Truma Activent to ours which pulls extra heat to the front as the boiler is at the back so airflow is not great at the front. Not cheap (although I got one of ebay never used) but definitely worth fitting makes a huge difference to the front but only needed in extreme cold like the Alps in winter.
.

Lastest Hymers they apper to have done a lot better job of heat distribution, our last Hymer (2008) even with the Truma centrally mounted to bed area was always cold. The current van (2014) gets evenly warm throughout the van, and has outlets from the Truma heating all along to bottom of the screen, Hymer have been fitting these vents for a few years not sure when they started.

 

[DavidG58]

Surely that is due to all the heating vents along the dash directly below the screen.
I do notice with our A Class even with the far larger glass area due to the the curtain/blind arrangement we get far less condensation than we did in our Low Profile Tramp.

this was an observation at the time last month, the point clearly not made very well was, what was different from other nights with similar external / internal temperatures, we literally had no condensation one night and running with it the next parked in same place

 

[Duck Truck]

We have both internal and External screens
External Screens keep the glass warmer and stop condensation forming.
If we use just the internal screens they keep the cab warmer but the glass gets cold and condensation forms on the glass badly.

Using both stops condensation and keeps the cab warmer.

We bought a Karcher but to be honest the time it takes to fit and remove the external screens is about the same as faffing around with the karcher
Kev

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[Lenny HB]

this was an observation at the time last month, the point clearly not made very well was, what was different from other nights with similar external / internal temperatures, we literally had no condensation one night and running with it the next parked in same place

Moisture content of the air (humidity) can be different one day to the next can be just enough to make a difference without you noticing any change.

 

[Vlad The Impaler]

Moisture content of the air (humidity) can be different one day to the next can be just enough to make a difference without you noticing any change.

You've hot the nail on the head moisture !
I first experienced bad condensation in the middle of summer in Scotland , 4 of us in the van plus dog. The solution was to open a window and increase air circulation.Condensation is caused by warm moist air hitting a colder surface .
In colder times keep the heating on and open a few windows slightly
You'd be amazed at the results!




Vlad

 

[EssexBoy]

Our new (to us) A class came with silver screens but we didn't use them at first because we have the concertina blinds. I soon discovered that it takes me longer to dry the condensation in the morning than it does to put the silver screens on the night before !!!!

 

[FJmike]

A while ago I purchased a silver screen for my A class Pilote (merc) from Vancomfort. Initially I was pleased but after awhile found them to be a right PITA, they are made from a material that does not fold or bend very well, they can take up most of the garage when not in use and to cap it all they have now started to loose the silvering making them transparent in places.

 

[Mousy]

We had them for the last van, in fact they are for sale in the classified section.

We had a bargain from eBay for the Hymer, exactly the right make and model £150. Wouldn't be without them they make a huge difference, looking forward to really needing them this summer, due to excess sunshine on the cab bed.!

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[Soozywoozy]

we had our silver "polar screen" made to measure by
http://www.vancomfort.co.uk
who also have certain models of hymers/pilotes,etc already up and running with previous templates. superb service
just returned from the alps with regular -10, not a single drop of condensation in the van
wouldn't be without

 

[LilacMoss]

@chockswahay
@DavidG58
....and everyone else too!

Many big thanks for your thought-provoking comments...I really do appreciate your kind time and help with this quandry. Cost is an issue so will do my sums and see whats the best I can afford for now...may actually prefer to save up a bit and then get the very best instead of "make-do's"... Once again...