Joe and Vicki Kieva

Dear Joe and Vicki: We are having a lot of problems with condensation on the windows of our RV. The problem is especially bad in the mornings. How do we stop this from happening?

Vicki: Condensation occurs when the warm, moist, interior air of the RV comes into contact with a cool surface. Not only can it happen on the windows and mirrors, but the interior walls of the RV as well.

Moisture in the air comes from a variety of sources. Cooking, bathing, washing dishes, and the moisture in our breath are just a few. The trick to minimizing condensation is to eliminate or reduce the moisture from the air.

Keep your roof vents cracked open. This will allow moist air to escape. Turn on a nearby exhaust fan when bathing, washing dishes or cooking. This will remove the moist air before it mixes with the air in the rest of the RV. You can also open a window to exchange humid interior air with dry outside air. Even when it’s raining, the air inside your RV can be more humid than it is outside.

Joe: We keep a window open at least a half inch at each end of our RV. We also leave the center roof vent slightly open. Sometimes we operate the roof-vent exhaust fan at low speed.

When cooking creates a lot of steam or when we have guests generating a lot of hot air, the windows and roof vent are opened wider and the speed of the fan increased.

Try different combinations of opening windows, opening roof vents and operating exhaust fans to reduce the moisture inside your RV. If that does not work, try a dehumidifier. You’ll find a variety of sizes at both RV accessory and marine supply stores.