Can any one HELP,every time I go to the back of my Transit the roof is running with condesation in side, can I stop this problem and if so HOW?

The Roof drips quite badly

It depends on how much condensation you are talking about.

A certain amount of it is unavoidable. Otherwise, there are two main ways that condensation gets into the van.

One is from inadequately fitting door seals, wind plus rain will DRIVE moisture into a van or car in a way that is difficult to believe until you sit in the back of a large Transit with a torch on during a storm.

The other is loading when raining.

The latter is of course frequently unavoidable. Dry off the gear with a towel as you load and make sure to take the towel out of the van after. Then after driving the van with the heater on, when you get home open the door. Frequently you will literally see the steam leave the van.

Go to your local carpet wharehouse & get the cheapest carpet you can & some cans of carpet contact adhesive, Stick the carpet to the inside of the van.
I done this to my son’s Escort van when he first got it, so far no condensation & the van is a lot warmer, with the added bonus of protecting the gear Plus it makes it a lot quieter.
Warm damp air coming into contact with cold surfaces causes condensation, (wet or damp clothing & breathing are two good examples) by adding carpet to the inside of your large tin box you insulate it. The roof & side panels don’t get as cold, so this should stop your condensation.

There’s always the other option of removing all wet clothing, and drive home in the nude holding your breath all the way.

Hmm, that's an interesting idea Mr. Wabbit...I might try that myself!

What the carpet or driving home naked?

Both together

add air to the rear tyres, let out some air from the front tyes, that'll slope the van forwards and the condensation will roll forwards...away from the gear.

Seriously, condensation forms when there is moisture in the air, and moreso when the air is poorly circulated.

DIY stores sell various "passive" (Un-powered) products which absorb the moisture from the air. I've used the "tub traps" type with great results in the past, althought not in a vehicle. Tub traps, look like a large margarine tub, with a raised box-like air vent bit on the top.

However, you'll need to find a safe way of securing the mositure trap to your van - the moisture absorbing crystals slowly turn to a sludge which is caustic (burns skin, cant help gear much either) - the moisture traps instructions suggest that you only tip it down the toilet, rather than a sink. So, you'd need to get the cable ties, maybe a larger ice-cream tub container, sticky backed plastic and earn that Blue Peter badge.

The non-passive, (urmmm that'll be Active way then) is to improve air circulation in the van. Have a couple of 12volt fans covering the cargo area to do this.

Also rapid, wide ranging temperature changes will create, or add to condensation. If you currently pack away one lighting effect totally, then carry it to the van, then go back and pack away the next item totally, and take that to the van, those effects will be dropping from operating temperature to van temperature (bbbrrr) rapidly. If however, you pack everything away totally in the venue, ready for it to be taken out to the van, everything is cooling down to room temperature for a few minutes, before being dropped to van temperature. If you have the oppurtunity to have your roadie warm the van up for a few minutes too, before you open the final fire exit and take the gear out to the van, the gear wont be dropping much from room temperature much at all. This way the venue only has the fire exit open for a short time too, which they'll probably appreciate too.

On a similar subject, if your gear is stored in a garage or similar building not fed by your central heating / heating system in the house, then invest in some form of anti-frost, background heating. Especially with the weather forecasters predicting a very cold winter......(Again).

There are heating tubes, often refered to as 'Sun Tubes' which consume about as much current as a couple of lightbulbs and give out enough heat to stop damp and frost. You can get them in 1 - 4 foot lengths for wall mounting and use about 50 watts of power for every foot of heating tube. One of these placed in a vehicle may also solve the condensation problems, and stop it from freezing over - useful for those cold mornings..

Alternatively, you can do what one local DJ does, and covers his gear with an electric overblanket, with another blanket on top**. Arrrrrrrrrrr, I wonder if he tucks his gear in as well and reads it a bedtime story .

(** - I DO NOT recommend you try this method!)

I haven't really come across a satisfactory way of using the passive condensation collectors Gary describes in a van, although if anyone has I would like to know how to do it.

Chris is there any Suntube type solution that can be used in a van?

My gear is kept in a garage which is seperate to the house. But being a new estate there is a 1 floor apartment above so when the heating is on upstairs it warms the garage too. I don't have to pay for the heating, the equipment is fine and my mom isn't moaning about the stuff everywhere.

Plus there is no condensation. So i'm guessing heat and warmth will help too!

DM

Ive always carpeted the van out and it works for me

Thanks all off you for your HELP

Indeed, Carpet is the easiest solution..

How ever, if your van is not boarded out then you can also do this. It will create an air gap between the metal roof and the cargo area. But just covering the metal with carpet, if it gets cold enough, the carpet will absorb the moisture and the freeze. when it starts melting then the problem returns - I used an old mkII transit for many years and this was always a problem.

By boarding the sides and roof of the vehicle, you can effectively stop all condesation in th vehicle. - except if the amp or lighting gets too cold!

I have a new VW van, and i have had the whole thing boarded and insulated, they have used hardboard which is easy to get in and out. I have then fitted an second battery and split charging relay which i power a small heater from to keep the temp up in the van (also powers the stereo! ). I switch the heater on before i leave which gives me about 20 minutes before the battery dies, and then the van is nice and warm for me when i start off! So i no longer have the problem.

This is a more expensive option, but works a treat... theres nothing like jumping into a nice warm van, starting it and going! No more freezing waiting for the engine to warm up!

There is also a device made by Kenlowe Fans (UK). Its a small unit that fits under the engine bay, and you plug into the mains. It charges the battery, Warms the engine and vehicle for you ready for when you leave... you can find the adverts in most car magazines - i found it in 4x4 monthly and bought one for my truck... its fantastic !

I've not come across a Suntube which runs off a 12v supply as of yet, and I shouldn't imagine that a standard car battery would run it for long.

I don't have this problem with the VW Van, but I added a 2ft 120W Suntube to the Escort 55 I had before, and it kept out the damp and condensation 100%, and frost free even on the coldest of nights, and it cost about 6p per night in Electricity to run - a 1ft 60W version would cost even less to run and would probably do the same job in a small-ish van.

The van was ply lined so I simply mounted the suntube behind a wire grille just below roof level and safely out of the way of the gear when it was loaded and ran the wire down through flexible conduit to a grommet in the floor and out to a waterproof caravan type 3 pin plug receptacle. I fitted a waterproof 13A socket on the side of the house, and when it was cold I just ran a cable from this and plugged into the socket just under the rear bumper. The whole system was waterproof and was protected by a RCD system and it worked very effectively and the whole lot cost under £35 including the useful outside 13A socket.

Of course this has it's limitations, in that it can really only be used on a driveway or close to your garage / workshop and so it's not much use for DJ's who have to park away from their property.

Quote: "There’s always the other option of removing all wet clothing, and drive home in the nude holding your breath all the way"

- And that, m'lud is the case for the defence!

Clive.

... and of coarse... chattering teeth, and shivering like you have been plugged into the mains !!!

Dont try this at home ppl Or indeed, in your vehicles....


Imagine getting stopped by the police, how would you explain that one !!!!

... i forgot my clothes .... I thought it was a nice night for a moonlit drive!