Date:         Sun, 21 Nov 1999 14:02:37 -0800
Reply-To:     "T.P. Stephens" <doktortim@ROCKISLAND.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         "T.P. Stephens" <doktortim@ROCKISLAND.COM>
Subject:      Re: fighting condensation
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

>To: Davidson <wdavidson@THEGRID.NET>
>From: "T.P. Stephens" <doktortim@rockisland.com>

At 12:59 PM 11/21/1999 -0800, you wrote:
>Stop all that heavy breathing and your condensation problems will be solved!

>From: BILL <billv2@PRODIGY.NET>
>To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
>>Hi Volks!
>>As most of you know, I am living in my westy (over 3 months now) and with
>>the colder weather setting in, I'm getting a lot of condensation inside.
>>My problem is the condensation that is taking place.  I'm
>>afraid of damage to the canvas and the moisture inside the walls rusting
>>Any ideas? Would a dehumidifier work in this case? They take up too much
>>room though.

Do you have A/C hooked up??? Get one or two little fans. Arrange them one
front left and one right rear, or vis versa, in the upper corners uff der
domecile. Don't need high volume air circulation. Low volume only is
needed. Find a coupla' computer fans at the liquidator of your choice for
cheap. Do be serious about hookup and insulation of any splicingriggin
going on.

If you get a consistant causual flow of air it will spread the warmth and
keep condesation lower by increasing the vapor carrying capacity in the
air. When your at work or away, just crack a coupla windows for cross flow
and last nights moisture will be gone when you get bank to fire up the
furnace and fans and experience faster warmup with lower setting on the
furnace in a repeat cycle ad infinitum, or at least till you have served
your penance and are paroled to something made of wood for housing.

If after a day of rain, the cross flow from the windows has just allowed
100% humidified air not to dry things out, crank up the furnace and fans
AND crack the windows for a few hours to drive off the moisture, then set
up normal setting, window closed or sleightly cracked for sleepy time duties.

I stop at advising ever leaving the furnace on even lowly or the fans
running while your gone unless you accept the risk of a totaled insurance
claim from fire that may not be allowed by an exception in the policy
stating no use as living accomadation as opposed to camping on vacation.
Do consider finding out for sure if your use is covered or not by your
policy. Whether it is or not, it is good to know fer sur if such risk is on
you or on the insurance underwriter.

You will want to consider as design criteria particularly noiseless fan
examples. They don't have to be very loud to become Chinese Water Torture.

I've done what your doin', don't envy you, unless you have a bed warmer as
good as the one I had at the time.

Doktor Tim
Maintenance Repair and Restoration of European Vehicles
San Juan Island, WA