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Front Windscreen Blind


Bigplumbs

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New to us owner of a Auto Sleepers Nuevo 2004 here and like many others when we stay in it we get a lot of condensation on the front windscreen inside. We have the curtains and next stay we will open more roof ventilation and most likely leave a small oil filled radiator on in the step at the rear.

 

Are the silver screen external cover things much help to prevent this or are they just a Pain

 

Thanks in advance

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They make all the difference!

They minimise condensation when its cold, and they stop overheating when in full sunlight in hot weather.

They also offer a degree of privacy.

The only pain is removing and storing them in the rain - but it's a price worth paying for the advantages.

 

I would say they would be in my top three things I wouldn't want to be without in our motorhome.

 

We have a set of Silverscreens and have used them for nearly 10 years. (There are other makes)

http://www.silverscreens.co.uk/

 

Jeremy

 

 

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Back in early December we spent a couple of nights visiting friends in Minehead. We arrived mid afternoon and low and behold I had forgotten to get my winter covers out of my attic but what to do? I carry a rubbish internal fitting type for use in the summer as they help keep out the heat of the sun and might help protect the windscreen if we had a big hail shower at least I hope they would. Anyway I had no alternative to put these in place between the screen and my fitted blinds. Did they work? Not a jot, the only way to stop condensation is to use the correct winter covers. We have used Taylor Made covers for our last 3 vans and think they are the best. I will never forget another time, lesson learnt and they are now in the van awaiting our next trip out in a week or so.
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Another vote for external screens, but with one caveat. When it is really cold overnight, be sure to get you engine running and producing some heat before removing the screens, otherwise you will mist-up when the cold glass meets the warm moist air from the rest of the 'van.
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The external insulating blind insulates the windscreen etc from the colder night air and allows it to warm up, so lessening the amount of condensation that will form.

 

The internal insulating blind has the opposite effect, insulating the windscreen etc from the warmer air in the van, so ensuring that it reaches a lower temperature than it would even in the absence of any kind of blind and maximising the amount of condensation that will form.

 

But, if using the van in cold weather it would be a mistake to expect even an external blind to eliminate condensation. Occupation creates airborne moisture, so the air in an occupied van will be relatively humid.

 

If the temperature of the windscreen (usually the main culprit) drops below the dew point of the air, condensation will form on it. It is one of the immutable laws of physics!

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This link provides a useful summary of the pros & cons of internal or external thermal blinds

 

https://www.hortoncommon.co.uk/motorhome-thermal-blinds/

 

This 2017 forum thread discussed the external variety and not all the comments were positive.

 

https://forums.outandaboutlive.co.uk/forums/Motorhomes/Motorhome-Matters/Newbie-and-thermal-screen-cover/47387/

 

 

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Glad you're pleased with it and hopefully it will remove the condensation. I have 2 covers, a thick one for winter and a light weight cover for the summer and both stop internal condensation on the windscreen. Only problem is is when it's raining and you have to take it off and try to put them away.
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  • 2 weeks later...
Bigplumbs - 2022-01-11 4:57 PM

most likely leave a small oil filled radiator on in the step at the rear.

Probably just make more condensation

 

Bigplumbs - 2022-01-11 4:57 PM

Are the silver screen external cover things much help to prevent this or are they just a Pain

They are the answer to your problem Just make sure to buy either silver screens or tailor made

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We Motorhomed for over 50 years and apart from a couple of times when blinds came with a van we found the downsides of loss of view and the packing and storage of wet blinds far less attractive than the insulation and condensation potential benefits.

A good wipe of the windscreen with a decent quality leather or microfibre towel soon dries up the wet but given the nature of warm inside and cold outside, condensation will return unless you keep the covers on, so for us it is most definitely something we would never buy or use.

Internal window blinds we did find very handy, much easier to work than curtains and very good at keeping the sun out when needed. They do reduce condensation a bit but not a lot.

Just an alternative view!

 

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That's the one I purchased last year - from a different supplier

So far have been very pleased with it - I get no inside condensation

I wish I took a video of how it unfolded when I first took it out of the bag as I never seem to be able to fold it so it goes back in easily :(

I like the extra length that goes slightly over the bonnet and the magnets that hold it all in place - the side straps easily hook up to the door frame

 

 

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we have just returned from a week away on a campsite in a valley in Cornwall, i have a Milenco branded windscreen cover which we have had for about 3 years, the temperatures varied from 10deg C down to -4 in the morning, yet we drove away every day without having to spend ages clearing the windscreen of condensation, the cover takes about 5 minutes to fit and less to remove, if damp it gets put in the bathroom but the material is pretty resistance and water just shakes off it.
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