We have just had our first few nights in our new, to us, Dandy T T. It was easy to put up, and comfy at night. The only issue was the amount of condensation in the morning. Was this because of the wet weather, or are we to expect this on every use? If anyone can enlighten me, or even better, tell me how to reduce/stop the problem, i would be very grateful. Thanks.
What vintage is your Dandy and is it "winterised" ie insulated inthe walls and roof?
We have a 1991 Dandy discovery which is winterised and the only condensation we get is on the kitchen door windows (which are glass) and on cold nights the single layer plastic windows also get condensation, but overall it is very good (better that the caravans we had in the 1970s that got condensation on the walls etc as well as the windows!).
If you aren't winterised I wouldn't be surprised if you do get condensation problems though, especially with the heater on.
Ours is very old,probably 70's or early 80's, so maybe not 'winterised'. We bought it very cheap and can cope with it, we just wondered if we were doing something wrong, or mabe it was the weather. Would love to upgrade, but they're so expensive the newer they are.
Your problem with condensation is quite common in caravans tents, motorcaravans and campers. If you ensure good ventilation and avoid using the gas burners as heaters you will reduce the problem. Use a mains electric fan heater rather than gas.
We often got ice condensed onto the windscreen of a £44K motorcaravan we once owned so it has nothing to do with price.
Ensure you zip up the bedroom tent to keep the warmth in.
I have an old Dandy 4/5, and only get condensation on the windows, I keep a 1kw fan heater on all night which seems to do the trick. Perhaps the mattresses are a little bit damp?
Thanks Debbym, that sounds like a great idea. Had a few comments from people that not got Dandy's and don't understand. ie; there are no bedroom compartments, and it doesn't have heating. Can you tell me what sort of heater please, ie; can you get it in Argos??
Hi Melbee, Yes I got mine at Argos, it's got 3 settings, cold, 1Kw and 2Kw - I've never used the 2K as I'm always wary of blowing the site's electricity supply!! forgotten what it's called, but it was only about £8. Have also considered a small oil-filled radiator type thingy as they cut in & out when the temp. gets right, but can't afford it at the mo!
My Dandy is an old blue & white one, it took me ages to put it up the first time as I did it the wrong way round and was balanced holding up the door board and the window board while trying to get the pole across to slot in to hold the two up! after I'd put it up I found the strings to hold up the roof while you do this!!! I'm assured that it only takes minutes to put up, when the guy I bought it from showed me it only took him a couple of minutes max. You live and learrn - I still have to work out how to connect the foot pump, sure it's very easy bit didn't bother for a week-end last time out.
We always have a window open a crackin ours. The winterization involves putting insulation and another layer of PVC on the fabric walls of the beds. You could always insulate the solid bed wall if you wanted. A small electric fan heater is great if you have a hook up or if yours has an underfloor heater set it to it's minimum level and it will keep you toasty all night.