Ice on the windshield

[David Anderson]

Our family is going skiing at Breckenridge for Christmas staying in the Eagle 10.  Last year we went and had a really bad ice buildup on the inside of the bus front windshield.  The Peninsulas didn't ice up (double pane).  I spent lots of time with my wife's blow dryer and credit card scraping ice off the inside of the window before driving to the slopes each day.   The melting water made a big mess.

Any suggestions to forgo this annoyance?  I do open a window and turn on the exhaust vent when we cook and shower, but I don't leave it on all the time.  That uses a lot of heat.

David

[kyle4501]

A bubble wrap foil blanket on the outside?

A fan blowing air across the inside to keep the condensate from building up to start with.

Fresh air in a small space is a good thing! Carbon-monoxide buildup is a bad thing. Do be carefull!

Enjoy the slopes!

[luvrbus]

David i don't know what kind of heat you have but mine is tied into the defroster vents and i never have a icing problem no matter where we go i have a Eagle also with primus heat

[luvrbus]

David i went to check on how my defroster works off the house heat it has a small heat exchanger with a small fan that is mounted on top of the eagle defroster with a thermostat up by the drivers side to turn it off and on if you have Dick Wrights system he may be able to tell you how to hook a system up to stop your problem mine works great

[David Anderson]

My defroster is plumbed into the bus engine loop and not the webasto loop, so I can't use it when parked with the engine off.   The problem is moisture from body heat, water faucets, cooking, etc that makes the inside a bit more humid than the super dry, cold air outside.  That window is like a big glass of iced tea with condensate freezing on it.   Maybe some kind of cover over the outside glass as suggested would help. 

I'm not sure what I would use since we are going to stay at Tiger Run Resort and they are really picky about how these rigs look at their campsites.  I'm not complaining, but that is just their rules and I need to respect that.   An old quilt with bungee cords probably won't pass muster with management. 

[bobofthenorth]

When we couldn't get enough heat out of the bus defroster/heater I put a 110 v cube heater by the dash fan.  That provided enough heat to keep the windshield sort of clear in -35 weather.  You need moving air and some heat to clear frost from a window.

[akbusguy2000]

Condensation in an RV of any kind is a more serious problem than ice on the windshield.  Moisture laden air will find its way to every cold surface, and can result in water damages of all sorts - yes, even mildew.  The greatest source is from cooking and showering.  Propane combustion, such as a gas stove top, is the absolute worst.  The solution is, of course, to prevent the moisture build-up in the first place.  Never cook without an open roof vent nearby.  Same goes for the shower.  It makes the heating a little more difficult, but ventilation of some kind should always be present.  If you are hooked into the grid or able to run a generator, plug in a couple of portable fans to keep the air moving.  You can also use a portable dehumidifier, and if nothing else, run the air conditioner periodically - it will remove a lot of the moisture if you can keep its drain from freezing up.  Beyond that, there's not much you can do, except try to get some heat on the windshield with a portable electric heater and/or fan.


tg 

[phloide]

For 2 years we suffered with condensation as you are experiencing. We discovered if the roof vent (In our case, Fantastic Fan) is open about 1/2 or 3/4 of an inch the problem disappears. Being open so little doesn't turn the fan on. We leave our vent open 24/7 unless we are driving. Has made no appreciable difference in heating the bus ... and NO condensation. This month we have experienced monsoons, 8-in. snowfall, -8 degree celsius temps and we are parked about 30 feet from high tide! ... NO condensation (I was surprised!). Give it a try.

[David Anderson]

Thanks,  It can't be more simple than that.  I'll let you know the results after Christmas when we return.

David

[Jeremy]

My bus (not yet converted) has a fan / vent in the roof that is always open - the fan can be switched on and off, but the vent itself has no moving parts and cannot be closed. I've not used the bus in cold temperatures yet, so I don't know if the vent will make it difficult to keep the bus warm

Jeremy

[TomC]

Considering both cars of recent years and even big rigs have flow through ventilation, if you're getting icing, you don't have enough fresh air being introduced, since typically snow weather has very low humidity.  Personally, when I replaced my transit windows with Peninsula windows, it sealed up the bus so much, that if everything was shut, the closing front door would pop your ears.  So now, I have the bath Fantastic fan up a couple of inches with a small piece of wood (two popsicle sticks) wedged so it doesn't close, and the fan can still operate.  Have no problems with condensation, stale air,etc.  Worth a try.  Good Luck, TomC

[David Anderson]

We made it back.  Thanks for the tips, guys.  We were in -10 degree weather and I opened the bath vent a bit, turned on the exhaust fan very low while showering and cooking and had no condesation on the glass.  It didn't cool things too much because it doesn't take much  movement to get the warm moist air out the top, but you have to get it out or it condenses badly.

Thanks for your help.

David