Moisture in wardrobe

[Charli]

Just got our 5'er back from winter storage and my wife pulled the bedding out of the wardrobe. The wardrobe is in a bedroom slideout. She noticed that the bedding as well as the carpet on the bottom of the slide were damp. No noticable water damage or marks on the ceiling or walls and I checked the outside of the slide, top and sides, and could not see any evidence of a crack which would have allowed moisture to leak in.

We had the 5'er stored at the dealer for the winter as they were doing some repairs/modifications. They would have had it in their heated work area to complete the mods and then back out in the Manitoba winter weather until we picked it up this spring. I will be keeping an eye on it as we prepare for our first trip later this month to see if any more moisture shows up after rainny days.

I am wondering if the moisture we noticed is as simple as condensation from the normal changes in temp during the winter and/or being in the shop and taking in moist warm air and then back out to the deepfreeze. Your opinions/experience would be appreciated. Its off warranty this June so if its a leak I would need to get it fixed before the warranty expires.
Thanks.

[jbsmith]

That sounds like condensation to me.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

[SAD]

In my experience, condensation doesn't occur just "on it's own"...

It requires a differential in temperature... Such as a warm heated space against a cold outer wall or floor that's not insulated as well as our stick houses..

OR requires a source of humidity... I.e. cooking, propane heater (yea they generate moisture), or panting dogs (lol.. humans don't ever exhale LOL yea right)...

It doesn't seem logical to me that your unoccupied camper would condensate on it's own simply because of the temp swings outside... After all, when you're not running heat, your camper interior temp largely follows the same swing (temp and humidity) inside - just at a slower rate than the outside air.

Just my experience.. YMMV.

[jbsmith]

It requires a differential in temperature...

The OP said they had it in a warm heated space for service then back outside...I'd say that would do it.

Also...as you move into spring, the interior tends to warm up during the day and draw in humidity from outside. Over night the outside temps drop, the outer walls (and cabinet spaces) cool causing the humidity in the air to condense on the cooler walls, especially in the cabinets and closets. Here in the midwest this happens a lot when we get a few warm rainy days, then turns cold again. I keep a bucket of moisture absorber in the trailer and leave the cabinets and drawers open through the winter/early spring.

[Charli]

Well it looks like its more than condensation. We have just had a good solid day of rain and I went to check the wardrobe slide for moisture. The walls of the wardrobe are fine but the carpet on the bottom is definitely damp. Amost seams like its absorbing it from the bottom of the slide. May get some caulking and recaulk the seams of the exterior wall and will call the dealer on Tuesday to see if they have any ideas.
Anybody else have similar issues or ideas on where the moisture may be coming from. Again I have visually inspected the top and sides of the slide and no apparent cracks which would allow moisture in.

[Festus2]

My suggestion would be to thoroughly examine all along the joins of where the slide floor and the slide walls meet to see if the joint has been properly covered and sealed. There may be a piece of molding along the bottom edge - not sure how yours is constructed. If there is, you might want to remove it and reseal and refasten it. Water may be making its way to the carpet and floor via this piece of molding.
Let us know how you make out with the repair.