Condensation under mattress....

[Retired Mountie]

Good day folks. We have a question here for the group. We are newbs to TT...had a truck camper before so we are not totally clueless

In the camper, we installed a 2" foam mattress topper for added comfort. Now in our new 2014 Denali 289RK (that we pick up on May 8th), we have a real coil mattress, we think 8-10" thick on a wooden storage base maybe 12-14" high. We are thinking of throwing on a 3-4" Tempur cushion topper over the mattress for added comfort.

Question: Have any of you experienced condensation under the mattress or the topper as a result of adding an extra layer over the mattress?

In our camper, we had copious amounts of condensation under the mattress(foam) and topper (also foam). I think this was because the structure under the mattress was only about 2" thick over the cab and not very well sealed.


Any input and opinions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.......Yves & Marie

[steveblonde]

don't pee the bed its that simple lol just kidding being that's its a Dutchman product i would just toss the mattress period. But having said that most travel trailers that have a front bed design like yours have no issues with condensation and with my old Dutchman i went out in 3 ft of snow and never had an issue - i did put my old bedroom mattress in the trailer though, and bought a new one for the house a process that i'm about to do again with our new voltage. one thing we always do when camping in climates that require the use of the furnace alot is when we get back we strip the bed and leave it unmade it allows it to breath better.

[Retired Mountie]

Thanks Steveblonde.......Thanks for the info.


Mattress protector takes care of bodily fluids We don't expect to keep this one either - will most likely change it next year going with a good Tempur mattress like we have at home.


You talked about using your furnace...... how long can you go on your propane before a refill? We're new at TT and never used the one in the truck camper as we had a small electric heater that did the job. Now we have the Denali 28' with a 30,000 BTU furnace & the standard 2x30lbs propane tanks. We also have the electric fireplace that also throws out some heat (maybe that's all we will need) and we will get a couple of good electric heaters too boot for the daytime (got to watch the amperage though as we only have 30amps where we camp) and will use the furnace at night (set at 68 +/-). So, I was just wondering how long the propane will last when using the furnace.


Our maiden voyage with the new trailer will be for a 10 day stint starting May 8th. Given that we still have a good 18" of snow on the ground and it was -17C (that's 1 degree US) last night, we expect to be using the furnace. This winter has been hell as we were, at one time in February, the coldest place on the planet - Ottawa, Canada). Mind you, when I was stationed in good ol' northern Sask., we saw -55C - -60C , including wind (that's -67 degrees US). I tell people here about driving off in the morning with flat bottomed tires and they think I am pulling their leg...LOL

[steveblonde]

congrats on the trailer - yes you have had a brutal winter our maiden voyage with our 28ft Dutchman was to Nakusp where we had 3 ft of snow and temps around - 10 or so with no electric heaters a 30lb tank lasted about 4 days lol but we had to crack a window because of the condensation your spring should arrive soon

[EricNSTL]

Originally Posted by Retired Mountie

Thanks Steveblonde.......Thanks for the info.

You talked about using your furnace...... how long can you go on your propane before a refill? We're new at TT and never used the one in the truck camper as we had a small electric heater that did the job. Now we have the Denali 28' with a 30,000 BTU furnace & the standard 2x30lbs propane tanks. We also have the electric fireplace that also throws out some heat (maybe that's all we will need) and we will get a couple of good electric heaters too boot for the daytime (got to watch the amperage though as we only have 30amps where we camp) and will use the furnace at night (set at 68 +/-). So, I was just wondering how long the propane will last when using the furnace.

I can't tell you how long the propane will last, but I can tell you that the Denali is pretty well insulated. We had nights in the mid 30's to low 40's and with the fireplace on and a small ceramic space heater in the bedroom, the furnace did run much at all. In addition, mine was prewired for a front A/C and for all intentions I was planning on adding one. Then we had a 103 Degree humid Missouri day, sitting in the sun and the temp only got to 79 inside. Made my day, because I didn't have to buy a front A/C and have the added weight to the trailer.

AS for the propane and 42 nights camping, we only used a tank and a half of propane all last season. But we always had electric at our sites. Your mileage may very..

[Retired Mountie]

Thanks for the info Steve and Eric.

[Pirate]

Condensation should not be a problem in your trailer.

Condensation can be a problem in truck campers as there simply is not that much "air" in the camper. Thus just you exhaling, or boiling water, or using the sink, shower or whatever...adds moisture to that small volume of air...and you have condensation issues.

Trailer have huge volumes of "air" so its much more difficult to raise the humidity in them.

Pirate

[Retired Mountie]

Thanks Pirate.....that's what I was thinking would be the case.