Winter windowland

 
 
 
 
 
 
Ally
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Winter windowland

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Posted: 05.12.2012  ·  #1
Motorhome Parked up with heater inside and external blinds on the windscreen. Do you leave your other window blinds up or down? which do you think would cause the least condensation?

I am thinking close the blinds for less condensation, what ye's reckon?


beakey
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Re: Winter windowland

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Posted: 05.12.2012  ·  #2
Yes close all blinds & curtains condensation is warm air on a cold surface hence the more insulation between warm air & cold windows the better.


Ally
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Re: Winter windowland

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Posted: 05.12.2012  ·  #3
Cheers - what I thought.

But........ :happy: - does that mean the condensation that does get in between the blind and window will take longer to dry ? even though it is a smaller amount.


eirebus
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Re: Winter windowland

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Posted: 05.12.2012  ·  #4
i have never closed my blinds the winter sun gives a little heat in the van and the air can circulate freely around van


beakey
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Re: Winter windowland

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Posted: 05.12.2012  ·  #5
Yes it would need drier air flowing over it,when you leave window on the catch it starts to clear. The same as your car windscreen when the a/c is turned on it dry the air.


Robbie
 
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Re: Winter windowland

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Posted: 05.12.2012  ·  #6
By using a low wattage heater ie 55w to 100w the temp inside the van is only kept a few degrees above freezing. 5 deg to 8 deg is the perfect temp as moisture traps and dehumidifiers don't work below 5 deg also below 5 deg moisture bags just fill up in no time as all the air is damp.
Also fit winter fridge vents and ensure as much air from the outside is prevented from getting into the van.
BY not causing a wide temperature swing inside the camper ie high wattage heaters this does away with condensation when coupled with and external screen on the front and blinds and curtains pulled. Handy also to leave all internal doors open cupboards etc
Wide temp swings or campers just left over winter with nothing do the most damage.

Everyone has their own view on this subject :-) all I can say is we have no condensation and no swelling of joints , panels etc so it works in our case.


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Re: Winter windowland

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Posted: 05.12.2012  ·  #7
That's a good point actually, I don't let the van heat up, just take the chill off, so less condensation.


jacktherev
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Re: Winter windowland

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Posted: 06.12.2012  ·  #8
I bought a roll of silver insulation that's used in houses and cut a piece in the shape of each window. It works super. I've been told that its not good to have the blinds down for a prolonged period of time.


Robbie
 
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Re: Winter windowland

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Posted: 06.12.2012  ·  #9
Thats good insulation, the thermal value of that is around the same as 30 or 40mm of normal insulation :-) What way did you secure it to stop it falling down. I think I will get some of that as well.
Having the blinds down for a long period of time could maybe weaken the spring mechanism or in summer degrade the material of the blinds. Some vans have the silver backed blinds which I think are far better than the ones we have on our current van which are like concertina folded see through paper lol. Though summer wise Id rather end up having to replace the blinds at some point than have the inside of the van bleached or faded.


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Re: Winter windowland

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Posted: 06.12.2012  ·  #10
Robbie I cut it the size of the window, doubled it up and used Tuff tape to join it together. That makes it strong enough to sit in the window just behind where the blind comes up. Hope this is helpful. I use them all year round - great insulation in the winter and great to protect the interior from the sun in the summer. It took me just a few hours to make them.


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Re: Winter windowland

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Posted: 06.12.2012  ·  #11
Mark,

I did something for my dad's boat years ago but to hold the insulating foil to the window I used sucker cups like these. Got em on ebay.



To fit these to the foil, I used brass eyelets roughly the same diameter as the inner bit of the sucker cups.



I had a look for photos but i cant find any of my DIY job right now but I'm sure you get the jist...


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