Winter Van Life Condensation Hack 

I recommend this 2KW Air Diesel Heater from Amazon perfect for camper vans. with LCD, Thermostat Monitor, Remote Control, 10L Tank amzn.to/3UYuLEQ The all new maXpeedingroods diesel heater,s 5KW Diesel Heater with Bluetooth amzn.to/3W16tvq All in one Diesel Heater Bluetooth Control amzn.to/3HBtkth 12V AC DC Power Adapter for diesel heaters amzn.to/3j5y5RD

So you wipe the window with a towel? How / where do you dry the damp towel? Do you just dump it? Do you dry it in the van? If you do does it mean you aren't removing the water from the van. Only way to remove condensation is with a roof vent and front windows cracked ever so slightly for air flow(like you have). It will get cold so you will need the heater running all night. I had to mount the pump better to reduce the clicking noise. It works for me and I have minimum insulation in my van, and zero vapour barriers.

Great moisture hacks. I assume that your van also has a moisture barrier along with the insulation. You’ll need to ventilate as well as use that wood burning stove more if you want to completely rid yourself of condensation. I suggest getting well insulated window covers for your cab windows, isolate (via insulated curtains) the cabin from the cockpit, and leave your front windows open a crack to allow air to come in for ventilation. The aim is to leave the cockpit unheated, allow some cold air to ‘leak’ past the curtain, warm up, and then get expelled via your roof van. The incoming cold air will not get any colder when in the cockpit, will warm up in the cab, and will take out any increased moisture (from your breathing, etc) through the roof van.

The moisture on the windows is just a tiny percentage of what's in the vehicle, absorbed in the bedding, clothing, mattress, wood, etc. Removing the condensed moisture will do little, esp since it won't collect more throughout the day. Best to just open a vent or crack a window at night, or run your A/C.

Use kitty litter in a couple long tube socks. It'll suck up the moisture all the time including while you sleep

Those Karcher window vacs are great. Remember to regularly take it to pieces (they clip apart very easily) and clean/dry the internals and blades as best you can, otherwise the dreaded black mold can grow inside the damp gizmo.

It's just that it's visible on the windows buddy but it's everywhere else as well.

Mel, have you tried the laundry basket over your pillow and head idea with a blanket covering the whole of your head, supposedly it traps your breath condensation in the blanket that is suspended over your head by the laundry basket. You take a rectangular basket , cut out one of the longer sides that open side is face down onto the bed, slide a pillow inside that and have a blanket tossed over the basket. I saw that on a YT channel this year 23 and , it might actually work.

Window vacum 😂😂😂. Who woulda thought. Love it

Good ventilation is a must - all that water vapour in your breath has got to go somewhere. I fitted a low profile Flettner roof ventilator that extracts air in the slightest breeze and doesn't require any power. It vents even when there is no breeze . With that and keeping the van heating on tickover , the side windows opened a few millimetres, all should be well. It also pays to cover windows internally , not only from a condensation point of view, but for added insulation.

like your crook lock lol when i was putting one on my van in Portugal this woman said i knew you were a brit the moment i saw that

1.7 degrees is the dew point where condensation forms, the trick is to keep all surfaces in the van at a temperature above 2 degrees then physics simply will not allow condensation to form so after a lot of playing around the following steps work for me, i set my truma to 15 degrees Celsius, I keep the max fan on at 10% sucking air out and crack my passenger side window about 5 to 10mm, I run my wall mounted fan at the back of my van on it’s lowest setting to circulate the air and I have to say I have zero condensation issues when I wake up. I don’t have a dehumidifier either.

Yep on our second one now.. 4 years of use.. Of course an outside thermal cheap window cover and never any condensation on the windows.

I only joined Xmas eve and iv been glued to ur videos love the van can't wait to get out in mine keep up the good work Mel and merry Christmas

As said below - good quality insulated external ‘silver screens’ for the cab and side windows of a motorhome/camper will reduce condensation significantly and keep a van warmer in winter and cooler in the summer. No need for a Karcher. Have a good Crimbo, Mel!!🥶🇬🇧🙏🥶

Thanks for the advice for using window vac - nice one. I use mine after a shower on the ceiling, walls and floor. Happy Safe New Year to ONE AND ALL.

Try cutting bubble wrap to the window size. Bubble wrap will stick to glass and reduce the heat loss and condensation . . It's practicle for all glass .

I use a shower squeegee then sop up the water at the bottom with a towel. Then use damp towel to swipe up dust on the dash.

The best dehumidifier you have in your van is your wood burner!

Hi Mel I'm a huge fan of yours, but I've got to point out a few things. Condensation is not attracted to glass, it simply forms on any cold surface. This is usually is a window as they're very poor insulators. With regards to water vapour and condensation, temperature is your friend. A basic rule of gasses like air is the higher the temperature the more water vapour they can hold, so keeping you van warm (must be the whole van, cold spots will cause condensation) will keep the moisture in the air rather than in you bed. The second is ventilation. If you can blow this warm air out, them hey presto along goes the dissolved water with it. Obviously it's a fine balance. Having a window wide open will cool the van or cost a fortune to heat, but a small fan and aperture coupled with a steady low heat should do the trick. Keep the videos coming really love your projects!

Would some kitty litter tied in a few old socks help? I’m car living, trying to figure this out as well. I woke up coughing, felt wet everywhere and it was 30f degrees. When everything is so cold you can’t tell if it’s damp or just cold, is a miserable place to be. I got a room for the next few nights until I can solve the condensation problem, or at least help. Thanks for your videos!

I put my homemade window covers on = little or no condensation. Like Mel I leave my cab windows slightly open & and my little sliding window slightly open (tho if it’s really cold I might close this one) so have air circulation and window protection.

G`day Mel , I feel very lucky to be living on the east coast of Australia , we have a dry heat so we don`t get condensation to much , if it gets cold we run the aircon in heat mode that's dry air also ,, anyhow hope your lungs feel better soon mate , I lived on a boat for a while and that was a drama due to the temp differential from the air to water , mould was a problem , and cooking with gas is bad as propane is heavy with water ,, stay safe mate , Rob in sunny Jervis Bay NSW Australia

Like the good old days you on the tools Mel ,,,only thing missing is th cats lol I'm really looking forward to this build mate

External silverscreen, padded ones does the job for no condensation on the windows, and ventilation

That's a great water 'Karcher' Will try the upside down method with my Vax one.

You can get a smaller head for the window-vac; perhaps may be more useful in the van than the large head?

I don't think condensation is attracted to the glass, I think its caused by warm air meeting the cold surface of the glass - which then forms small water droplets - you can also get it on bare metal in the van too. You could make yourself some Reflectix (or other - see Eat Sleep Van NZ) window covers to prevent a lot of it, both in the cab and the back of the van. I've made these for mine using magnets to hold them up - with an air gap at the back of them, so they are not touching the cold glass. Plus I have insulated curtains too - the two layers of fabric work much better than a single layer with the thermal fuzzy stuff on one side. You are also better with curtains that cover the window without gaps - like Greg Virgoes (Vanex?) ones, or the ones that are inbuilt like Gadget John has on his van- you could add some velcro or magnets to solve this issue rather than changing curtains. I'm speaking from personal experience of caravanning in Scotland as a child and living in a freezing cold draughty wooden house where the roller blinds were more effective then the curtains! Plus even in a warm house with double glazed windows, we got massive condensation issues in winter when it got below 10 overnight and we'd had the heating on - solved this by making thermal curtain linings - problem gone 😁🚐🗺❄

We bought the smaller blade attachment for smaller spaces! Not too expensive

Great idea mate , Will be getting a dehumidifier.

Happy Christmas Mel .... take care mate over Xmas ... you’ll have to light that stove, and get rid of that condensation... great channel, really enjoy it .. all the best mate ..

I can’t wait this long Mel - I need to know now 😇👍

When did a tip become a hack

Hide a Saucepan of Salt in your Van. change the Salt once a month. 😉😍

The fact is the windows are acting AS a de humidifier. All a dehumidifier does is provide a cool or cold surface with a fan blowing the moist air over it.

The biggest moisture generating source is your breathing. Using propane can also cause condensation. Be careful with any heat source. You're in a small confined space so any adverse effects can happen fast. I just ventilated and used a good sleeping bag. Be safe.

Have you tried filling an old sock with cat litter? Fill a couple up and set them on the dash, I'll bet it sorts it. Old caravan trick........

A quick Google search says that we exhale around half a pint of vapour per night, so your machine isn't catching very much. A small heat exchanger would do ha much better job, assuming the outside air is dry?

I've watched a lot of van videos and this topic isn't covered so much. Thank you so much! Very helpful.

Why not just start your engine and put the defroster on ? That removes moisture in the air . Your problem is the moisture source, which is probably you so you need to ventilate better and also dry heat your space preferably throughout the night. Also you need good insulating window covers. Cheers !

crack a window its the easiest way. you can buy window vents that work a complete seal on the van is what causes all the condensation. Yes it will get a bit cooler but thats what heaters are for. Very simple.

So if your dehumidifier works why is all the windows covered in mist,? can't be that good or am i missing something, have you tried them bags that you microwave once full ?

A cheap version of this would be cat litter in a bowl on the side and an old face flanel for the windows

Talk to Bob Wells, ask him how to prevent condensation.

What a sweet man you are! What a sweet van. Do you have a copy of the blueprints? Nice and clean. I love it. Sir , find yourself a cutie and have 6 kids. Lets go.

Why not use the vent over your bed so that the condensation goes straight outside? I leave mine open unless it is very windy and it cuts down on loads of condensation.

Ok Mel I'm having this exact problem with my van ... hold my beer and show me the links!

Hi Mel. Maybe try some salt therapy for your lung problems. It's meant to be quite effective for nasal/lung issues.

Could leaving the roof fan on extract lowest settings to help with condensation

nice one fella

Happy New Year Mel

😊 hello, what is the make of the wood burner in your van please. Thank you

water is not good for metal, wood, electrics and health. it is important to remove the hidden water. It is located behind everything that is in your van and also in the wood and other materials. that has to come out first! Heat your interior with the stove to the highest possible temperature. after about an hour you open all doors for a few minutes. and now you repeat this process several times. get a metal bucket with a lid and fill it with granite stones (size about 4x4x4 cm). before going to sleep you heat up these metal bucket with your stove. always keep the lid closed. ( slow heat release ). it will provide even warmth overnight. now there is one more thing to do. A small fresh air supply must be installed in the floor area of your van. Best in the passenger cell area. many us vans have it and it works great with the window slightly open. good luck and health

Hi Mel, says in the description of that dehumidifier that its re chargeable, is that right and if so why do you need it plugged into the power oak all night? Also, do you need to charge the power oak every day just using the dehumidifier? Try and keep the van warm, even keep the diesel heater on low and crack your front windows a little and that should make a difference especially in the winter months. all the best, stay safe, Merry Christmas

Hi Mel, is the Karcher vac chargeable with USB? Thanks bud

I see you have a power oak. Do you also have a leisure battery system?

Great hack !👍👍

I knew 1 day you’d wake up beside me 😂😂😂😂

Very nice!🌻👍

Dude just install some active ventilation. I have a 140mm pc fan running 24/7 extracting air. Its right above my head in tge side wall. I don't have much condensation at all.

What’s that orange thing on the left at 2min ish

I bought one of those condensation machines. It does kill the battery on my Jackery 😢

I honestly don't see the point. I never have any kind of blower or heat on when sleeping. Fresh moving air is the main way to sleep healthy. Always keep at least two windows (preferably four) slightly open on opposite sides of the vehicle. Avoid wiping internal windows at dawn. Simply open all the doors and windows until all glass services are naturally air dried. If it's raining in the morning, then start engine and turn internal car blowers on for a while. If you must wipe internal codensation, then use paper towels and then dispose of wet towels.

How about the Police that can see windshields like this and know that someone is sleeping in there. You need a wall built behind the drivers and passenger sides seats. You need a real heater not that chinese Heater or Buddy Heater etc. You can get a real furnace for $1,000 it's for a van or bus, it's a propane and has a exhaust that goes outside. Yes a dehumidifier or a woodstove would work also. I've been in vans down to minus 20 Degrees with 8 layers of blankets.

Hi Mel. That winscreen vacuum cleaner looks as useless as an electric toothbrush. Why not wipe the windscreen with an absorbant cloth! Have a good Xmas and healthy new year.

How much power does the dehumidifier use over night ?

I use one in my home because I have a large fish tank that brings up the humidity, but owning old land rovers they are especially useful . 😉

Enough there for a cup of coffee Mel

Hi Mel, doesn’t your diesel heater stop condensation?

Did you cook last night in the van or is that just from you breathing ?

Hi - I need help please. Could someone explain (I am thick) how the dehumidifier is working with the powerbank? I am trying to replicate this but don't understand electrics. My dehumidifier says on the sticker "INPUT DC 9V / 2.5 A" - what specs do I need to look for on a PowerBank to be SURE it will work and not break the item nor the battery? I don't understand AC/DC and which one I need :( thanks

your problem is ventilation and heating. you have a serious humidity problem in your van. remember you yourself also are causing humidity through breathing. i would say you either have isolated your van too much in the sense that your van does not properly ventilate and you need to improve your ventilation. that can go two ways, btw. either humid air is coming in through the ventilation channels of the car itself, or you simply have a failing ventilation system or not adequate ventilation. on top of that, insufficient heating. the heating aspect can be resolved as much by replacing your mini stove with a mini pellet stove with a 30lbs pellet feeder. pellets are relatively cheap and if you find the balance, you can keep your stove on as long as possible, but especially needed during the night. you also sweat, and that adds humidity, and that needs to go. you need to calculate what is best: a diesel heater or the stove, financially wise. i am inclined to believe the stove would be the better option, and creates a far more enjoyable or 'bearable' sound than the diesel heater. if you have your stove on, during the night, (make sure you install a carbon monoxide meter), and during the day for that matter, it will keep heating the space and subsequentially, dry, but, you still need to ventilate. now here comes the trick : you might think that you just heat up the space, close as much and put as little ventilation as possible to 'capture' the heat, but that's a mistake. you will not only put yourself in a situation where you endanger yourself from oxygen depletion, but you will trap humidity. instead, you would prefer to have your stove on, get it to heat up the space pretty well, and then ventilate. yes, heat will escape. but, the humidity will too. best you can do is install a curtain or 'slide' that can seal off the cabin of your car's front area, and ever so slightly keep a window open (perhaps add wind deflectors). that will ventilate that area ( and cool it down, true ) and reduce humidity. Then, run your stove on good heat, and put on the fan or make sure that the ventilation in the roof or a window is ever so slightly open, the further in the back of the car the better to produce flow, and you will heat-ventilate your van. as an extra de-humidifying measurement, as others pointed out, hang a pair of socks here and there and fill them with kitty litter. there are also moist absorbtion 'mats' that you can simply press out outside, but the level of moisture in your van is too high for comfort and has a technical source. i know this is like 3 years later on now. but i had to comment this.

ITS WINTER..KEEP THAT FIRE BURNING..DRY HEAT ..

Be looking to get AC retro fitted to your van if not already installed as standard, would help quite a lot.

just use Ur wood stove. that will dry it up too.

You could try rainx on the windows outside to keep the moister off the glass happy holidays and happy newyears

Cat litter in old socks

yay

A bad lung infection this time last year? Hmm could it be relevant to what's happening around the world today?

Ironically a lot of that water comes out of your lungs in the first place. It condenses on anything cold so decent window covers would help stop it forming on the glass. I used to have an old Commer van with a bare metal roof and it rained inside in the mornings.

Get some plants bro

Do you use window covers or have a roof fan/vent at all?

I think whatever you use, you are creating moisture quicker than you can absorb it, especially when it's cold. Best thing to do is to have a constant heat and ventilate.

The Diesel Heater has dry heat that eliminates the excessive moisture problem in Van Living.

We have a dehumidifier on the landing in our house. Works a treat in the winter....gets so much moisture out of our 1930's built house

Dehumidifier don’t work that well them windows are soaking 🤦🏻‍♂️. Top tip fella get a tubaware container fill it with salt and tea bags pop the lid on poke some holes in the top and leave that under your bed it will soak up the moisture 👍👍. When it’s full bin the contents and start again 👍.

Too much talking ❤️❤️❤️❤️🤗🤗🤗🤗🤗

We've had a window vac for a number of years now, it's Beldray brand which we bought from the local B&M store and it's still going strong a great idea .

Where do you dry the towel? If it's in the van, then it's going back in the air.

His name is not gadget John his name is called mankey gadget John

I lived in a shared house, and my shower room was full of black mould. I cleaned it , and it kept coming back because there was a serious damp issue. I ended up with a chronic cough . Roll on 10 years later.. I ended up in hospital because I couldn't breath. After lots of tests and scans in May last year I was diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. A terminal lung condition 😢. Mould is a killer

Hi Mel have you ever thought about running the roof fan above you bed to move the warm air about this shoud keep the condensation away or just getting a little fan pluged into a Jackery this is what we do and fingers crossed its worked for us because we dont have any blinds on our little motorhome just curtains on the front window . This was advice given to us on our first trip away after waking up to a front window full of condensation . x

Have you thought about getting an external "Silver Screen" I don't get any condensation at all when the screen is on.

I have the anniversary edition of the karcher comes with two blades one the same as yours and one smaller, easier for fiddly windows.

Frank gadget John sorry monkey gadget John having a Guinness team of a s*** to him

Beautiful campervan.

I have the same condensation in my Tiny House on wheels especially after using gas butane stove. Thank you for sharing, i will buy this Karcher.

Take 100ug B12 from holland and barratt..I've had similar problems, low B12 makes it worse ..

EVER HEARD OF CHAMOIS LEATHER PAL?! ...WHY MORE GADGETS? SAVE YER BATTERIES! ;-]

A Window Vac is a good solution to the symptom, but not a cure for the cause (they are good for drying out our shower room after use too!) The condensation revelation for us was moving to an external windscreen cover since then no condensation at all with a bit of heating and ventilation.