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Condensation
It’s been storming the last couple of days, The bus is parked under a metal cover and it is really wet out and the medal cover is sweating and dripping under neigh and I happened to look at engine and it has condensation all over it, Why does that do that? Humidity 89 percent temp 58 degrees. Is there anything to prevent that? Motor must be warmer or colder then outside? the Garage door was also open and garage refrigerator and mirror was also dripping and then it was gone. Strange
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9 Replies
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Hi Art
I would bet that its evaporating off of that wet concrete slab. Water in the air will always try to find the coldest surface it can. Since it is colder at night and the thermal mass of the engine will stay cold as the temperature outside increases. The best that thing you could do would be to find a way to keep that concrete from having standing water.
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Yes I need to have rain gutters up on cover that would help a lot, we haven’t had much rain in a few years so this storm we just got 3 inches Yahoo
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You can get condensation inside a sealed garage. Air has moisture in it. It is called humidity. When the humidity is high and the air is saturated a temperature drop can create fog or rain.
When air that is saturated is warmer than objects such as an engine block, the skin of the bus, wheels, etc the moisture in the air will condense on those surfaces. The engine block got condensation on it because the outside air warmed faster than the engine block and since the air was close to 100% humidity the condensation was because at the cooler engine temperature the moisture in the air formed a liquid instead of remaining as a vapor.
My garage is bone dry, but on occasion with high humidity I will occasionally get condensation. Even a couple of degrees temperature difference and saturated air is all it takes.
Steve Magown
2001 Featherlite H3
West Monroe, LA -
That’s funny that you say that, We got over an inch last night everything is wet but bus and bus motor bone dry, It must have been like you said Humidity and temp were just right to cause that, Bus has been parked there 6 years and I’ve never seen that before.
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You poor deprived left coast guy, come to the Texas gulf coast and I will condensate you on a regular basis.
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I agree 100% with Jon. BTDT.
Its probably too late, but do you have a vapor barrier under the concrete? If the soil is moist, concrete without a vapor barrier is porous and the moisture will migrate through it and condense on your coach.
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It has a moisture barrier and 7 inches of concrete, it was just a strange event haven’t seen it sense the other day. Rain gutters will also help
Clint & Tammy Summers
2000 XL 45 Country Coach (rivets)
1977 FC31 Bluebird Wanderlodge (more rivets)
Vonore TN -
Art, it is not a moisture barrier or rain gutters or anything serious such as enclosing and sealing the entire bus in a constant temperature building.
If the humid air is warmer than the bus, the bus will have condensation on it.
In my garage the temperature stays fairly constant because of extensive insulating. I rarely heat it because in the dead of winter it rarely gets below 45 and that means the bus, floor, air in the garage, etc are all the same 45 degree temp. But if it is warmer outside, and the air outside has a high humidity, if I open the garage door and let that warmer, humid air intro the garage it is going to condense on everything, including the bus.
Think of it this way. Pour yourself a nice adult beverage in a glass full of ice. It will not take long for the cold glass to have condensation because the moisture in the air next to your easy chair hits that cold glass surface and condenses.
If you do not want condensation, keep the air moving as much as possible, or buy all the dehumidifiers you can get and remove the moisture from the air.
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Yes thanks Jon ! I totally agree it was just a strange occurrence
Clint & Tammy Summers
2000 XL 45 Country Coach (rivets)
1977 FC31 Bluebird Wanderlodge (more rivets)
Vonore TN
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