Aluminum RTT condensation issues

[burquedoka]

I own an AluCab RTT, and love it in every way except the GDamn condensation that builds up in it when not in use. Let me repeat that, when not in use, like closed, w/o people in it. I live in New Mexico with little to no humidity and every time I open it up (weekly) it is visibly wet inside. I no longer keep the mattress in it, which sucks because the rest of the rig is always ready to camp out of at a moments notice. I am about to attempt to alleviate the issue (Hopefully) by sticking black foam pipe wrap along the sides that have no thermal barrier on them, my fingers are crossed but I am not convinced this will help as there is the perimeter of the roof section that is outside the tent walls but still inside the sealed compartment when closed and thus drips condensation onto the fabric. I have a feeling this whole area will need thermal insulating as well. The tent is basically sealed too well IMHO. Next step will be packets of desiccant left inside when closed, but that seems ridiculous to have to attend to. For those who are itching to post a reply stating I should just open it up and air it out weekly, well, I do, and every time its wet so that is no solution. Do I have a leak? It’s possible, but I dont believe so as it hasn’t rained here in over a month, still wet.


My question to you all is, if I was too install some vents and a solar exhaust fan, have any of you sourced a good one that you are happy with. Something like the James Baroude tens? This would be the nuclear option, but it is getting to that point for me.
Cheers

 

[Buliwyf]

How do you keep water from condensing from the air in a diesel tank? Simple. Keep the tank full. Refill every single night. No wet air, no condensation, no water in the fuel.

Same with tent. Get rid of the air. In this case the air filled bed mattress. Switch to close celled foam that allows no air inside itself. Hopefully that drastically reduces available air volume.

And when you air out the tent on dry nights, always with the windows open. Just like ground tents, only close the windows for rain, never anything else. And remember if you close up in humidity, you'll need to open it up on the soonest dry day/night.

 

[towee]

That sucks I hope you can get it figured out. I never had that issue with mine but I understand what you are describing though the tent is beyond air tight closed up. If I ever put the tent/ladder away wet it stayed wet inside until I aired it out but after that it stayed dry and I’m in a fairly humid location. It was certainly always in the back of my mind and I checked it/aired it out frequently what you describe was always a fear of mine I just never experienced it. Hopefully someone here will have a helpful solution.

 

[towee]

Buliwyf’s post above is interesting. I actually did the opposite I ditched my mattress after my first night on it threw down a rug and either slept on a single exped that stayed inflated or in summer used a cot so basically mine had more air in it than with the mattress. I did always leave 2 of the 3 doors and mesh unzipped and made sure they were laid out instead of rolled up and tucked in basically I always wanted to make sure everything would get 100% dry when I aired it out I made sure there was nowhere for moisture to get trapped.

Maybe the mattress is retaining moisture? Or bedding? I never stored bedding in mine even though I had tons of room for it.

 

[burquedoka]

The closed cell foam is an interesting idea, but it is, and has been for a while completely empty still with the issue. Maybe more so because of the extra air volume with nothing in it?

 

[Buliwyf]

Exactly. Condensation comes from the air in tent. Replace the air with something solid, and less condensation.

Closed cell foam or rubber should be water resistant as well.

 

[Wallygator]

Weird. I think I would be calling your dealer or Alu-Cab about this one. I don't have any issues whatsoever with my aluminum Eezi-Awn Blade, a very similar tent to yours. Mattress and bedding in there 24-7. Do you pack it away with the windows completely sealed up? Maybe that is what is going on???

 

[acg]

Check this out... a Baroud solar fan installed in a AluCab. The solar fan works well in my Baroud tent. I am wondering it it would be possible to mount this on your RTT.

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A few months ago, a customer came to us with his Gen 3 Toyota Tacoma, looking to build a subtle yet highly functional off-roading machine.

adventure-ready.com

 

[burquedoka]

There you go! I know the installation and result would probably be successful, problem is I Can’t seem to find any one available on Amazon that people are completly happy with. They all seem to be a bit cheaply built so I may just have to roll the dice on one and hope for the best. I did speak with my local AluCab dealer and he mentioned a known issue with the Baroud fans (And it seems like a common issue/complaint with all the other reviews on Amazon) seem to be related to folks keeping the fan off while the tent is stowed. This issue stems from the solar panel not having a charge controller and ends up over-charging and ruining the internal battery. He recommended keeping the fan on all the time and this would help regulate the charge w/i the battery.

 

[Stabwell]

I'm in Phoenix, and I've had my Alu-cab over a year. I've never ran into this issue. Mine is always bone dry unless it rained when I had it open during a trip. I only air mine out every month or so. I should probably do it more often though.

 

[jpmatchbox]

Insulation won't do anything to a sealed tent. There has to be a source for that water to condensate from on the inside before you close it, damp bedding or something.

 

[rino]

If there is no rain in the time period when the tent is shut and it is getting wet, it must be an extreme case of condensation. As far as moisture in the tent as mentioned above, if sleeping in the tent with the windows sealed there will be a natural build up of moisture on the fabric that when closed in a sealed box in the sun will draw that moisture out of the fabric.

In terms of solar fans, in my past experiences we replaced hundreds of them for quality issues and leaks. While great in concept, they are a nightmare in reality. I strongly suggest not installing one through the ceiling of the Alu-Cab tent, if any vent is necessary a gore style vent installed on the upper shell outside of the fabric. This will help with temperature regulation and in return condensation.

But before these modifications, I suggest just try keeping the window slightly opened while in use to minimize condensation while sleeping and when you have the chance on warm days pop the tent open and let it air out. If your issues continue please feel free to email me and we can dig deeper if there is a defect causing this problem.

 

[Stabwell]

Are you by chance storing your Alu-cab ladder inside the tent? It can compress the front seal and let moisture inside.

 

[VDBAZFJ]

Any updates on this old thread? Curious what the issue is/was to learn from.

 

[Stabwell]

Posting up experience with mine. I began noticing some water inside my tent. Not from condensation, I live in Phoenix with really low humidity. The sikaflex used to seal the roof panels of the Alu-cab tent was cracking and letting water in between the smooth panels and the diamond plate panel. I was advised by Alu-cab they used to apply sikaflex before powdercoating and later discovered the powdercoating process was causing the sikaflex to fail in some cases. They offered to fix it at a dealer or give me the supplies to fix it myself. As there was no dealer nearby, I chose to fix it myself. I dug out all the old sikaflex, which was almost powdery, and resealed all seams with new sikaflex. No issues since.