We’ve been living in our TK for the last couple months and I recently noticed a little moisture under the lounge that makes into the king bed as the weather has cooled. This is happening on the flat plywood surfaces that make up the storage compartments. It wasn’t bad but I wasn’t going to wait around for it to get worse. Apparently this is happening because the sleeping pad is unable to breath while sitting on the unheated storage compartment; unlike the typical bed in a house that is elevated above the floor on a bed frame.
My daughter recently told me about a product called Hyper Vent she used in her van to keep moisture from inviting mold and mildew from forming under a mattress. It’s a 3/4″ industrial-grade woven polymer material bonded to a breathable fabric to allow air circulation under a mattress to keep it dry. It’s sold by the foot and comes 39” wide.
Here a link to the place I purchased it from:
Aire-Flow Hypervent Mattress Condensation, Mold, & Mildew (https://www.mattressinsider.com/mattress-condensation-prevention.html)
Looks like it’s popular for marine applications. I just installed it today so we’ll see how it performs.
Steve
In order for condensation to form on a cold surface, that surface must be exposed to the moisture-laden air. Hard to see how a foam-filled pad sitting flush on a cold wood surface could allow that condition to exist. Is it possible the air is condensing on some exposed surface and draining down under the pad?
Although I did not have any such problem, I ended up insulating the 'ceiling' of the outside compartment under the couch in our FL, so the couch seat would not be the only insulation from the outside. I used 1.5" foil-backed styrofoam, trimmed and glued to fit between the 'joists' in the compartment.
Steve
My daughter recently told me about a product called Hyper Vent she used in her van to keep moisture from inviting mold and mildew from forming under a mattress.
Aire-Flow Hypervent Mattress Condensation, Mold, & Mildew (https://www.mattressinsider.com/mattress-condensation-prevention.html)
Looks like it’s popular for marine applications. I just installed it today so we’ll see how it performs.
Adding insulation, as Steve suggested, will help a lot. The ventilated pad should help too.
This is a common problem with the roof-top tents that are popular with the overland crowd, many use a liner made for this purpose.
Tepui Anti-Condensation Mat | Thule | USA (https://www.thule.com/en-us/rooftop-tents-and-accessories/bedding/thule-anti-condensation-mat-2-_-901870)
Let us know how the Aire-Flow liner works.
Larry
If you are traveling near an Ikea, there is an inexpensive option. The Luroy comes in single (https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/luroey-slatted-bed-base-50285091/), twin (https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/luroey-slatted-bed-base-60160217/), queen (https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/luroey-slatted-bed-base-00160215/) and king (https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/luroey-slatted-bed-base-50160213/) sizes for about $10 to $30. I'm using the twin size for my full-time lounge bed set-up.
The slats are adjustable so you can push them closer together to accommodate a shorter mattress (but not side-to-side unless you cut them). The "ribbon" between the slates can be stapled to the wood platform to keep the unit from sliding around.
Steve, good point on looking for traces of water trickling down the wall. In fact we have noticed some of this happening in the interior corners from heavy sweating of the aluminum frame windows when conditions are right. We will continue to monitor and dry as necessary and see if the Hyper Vent will effectively help keep these areas dry.
What convinced me to try the Hyper Vent was the fact I was seeing evidence of moisture on the plywood directly under the lounge where my butt is usually parked while sitting. Mind you it’s not a puddle of water but just a bit of moisture I can feel with the palm of my hand in the areas under where my wife and I sit.
Steve