Association Forum - Anti- condensation additive for paint

Assn Members Area · Join

Home.

Association Forum

Ships Store

Cruising

Racing

Technical Tips

Photo Gallery - New

Boat Search - Updated

Manuals & Brochures

Swap Meet

Links

Officer Flag Line & Staff

Bylaws & Constitution

Members Area

Join the Association

Notice:
The advice given on this site is based upon individual or quoted experience, yours may differ.
The Officers, Staff and members of this site only provide information based upon the concept that anyone utilizing this information does so at their own risk and holds harmless all contributors to this site.

Association Forum

Username:	Password:
Save Password
Forgot your Password?

All Forums

Catalina/Capri 25/250 Sailor's Forums

Catalina 25 Specific Forum

Anti- condensation additive for paint

New Topic

Topic Locked

Printer Friendly

Author

Topic

psechrist
1st Mate

Member Avatar

USA
29 Posts

Initially Posted - 10/17/2010 : 10:30:57

Hi
Has anyone tried a paint additive such as "ThermaCels Insulating Additive for Paint". It is ceramic hollow balls that look like white dust that can be added to paint. It helps to reduce condensation on interior walls or bulkheads.
I know that when I was working on the attack subs in the shipyards, many many years ago, the navy put ground up cork in their paint on the bulkheads.
Just curious to know if interior condensation has lead anyone to try a paint additive inside their boat.
Pat.

Edited by - on

pastmember
Master Marine Consultant

Members Avatar

2402 Posts

Response Posted - 10/17/2010 : 13:10:21

I always had shore power and used heat and circulation to prevent internal condensation. I did always hate the level of condensation on the outside of Catalinas in the early morning.

Edited by - on

Stinkpotter
Master Marine Consultant

Members Avatar

Djibouti
9080 Posts

Response Posted - 10/17/2010 : 19:17:21

I heartily recommend a Nicro solar vent to prevent condensation inside. It draws the moist daytime air out at night and replaces it with cooler air that has lost its moisture in the form of dew, all over your decks and cockpit. It's simple and the best solution I've seen so far... Mine is at the end of its fourth season and I haven't even replaced the NiCad battery. The mildew on the deck right around the outside of the vent, and the complete lack of any inside, tells the story.

Edited by - Stinkpotter on 10/17/2010 19:19:17

OLarryR
Master Marine Consultant

Members Avatar

USA
3466 Posts

Response Posted - 10/18/2010 : 03:37:38

I agree with Dave - If you do not have a Nicro Solar Vent then that is what you should get to help solve your interior condensation. The thing is I would not mess with the interior paint and that is not really the issue anyway, although it does seem to be your immediate concern. The issue becomes mildew from the moisture in the cushions.

When you install a Nicro Solar Vent, the fan would seem to circulate and exhaust at such a slow rate, one would wonder how that could solve the interior condensation issues. But it does. What happens is that warmer more moist air is present in the cabin during normal daytime hours and as the evening temps cool down that air, the moisture condenses out of the cabin air. But with just a little bit of air movement exhausting out that warmer more moist air, cooler air is drawn in that is not as susceptible to condensing out moisture unless temps drop further but since the air is continually being exchanged throughout, condensing moisture is minimized.

Over the summer, I bought a new Nicro Vent because my old one developed a slight fan noise that I could not resolve and my spouse is a light sleeper. I just installed that new fan this weekend. I had waited till now because although both fans take the same cutout hole, the newer fan has a different mounting base and so the old mounting base had to be removed. It was not a difficult job removing that base but I had to get a thin flat blade to cut thru the caulking under the original base. Once I did that, the install went fairly quick. The new fan also has an improvement which allows the fan to be turned off. But best thing is that it is super quiet !

I do have the old fan if anyone wants it. Just have to buy a rechargeable battery and pay for whatever shipping it would cost to send it. It does make a slight clicking noise but otherwise it's okay. I am not sure if I have the old mounting instructions but basically the old fan just has to have a hole cut to exactly match the base housing and then a bead of silicone is placed on the perimeter of the hole cut and the base is then secured with 5 screws (for the old base). The fan is then just pushed onto the base housing. The cutting of the hole is the biggy. I never had to do that since PO already had a hole with a vent cover on it. I just bought the old fan, took off the cover and pushed the fan on the base and it fit. The old fan was installed...around October 2005. So that makes it about 5 years old.

Edited by - OLarryR on 10/18/2010 03:42:25

Stinkpotter
Master Marine Consultant

Members Avatar

Djibouti
9080 Posts

Response Posted - 10/18/2010 : 05:59:10

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by OLarryR
 ...The cutting of the hole is the biggy...<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">...and good luck finding a hole saw exactly the prescribed size. If you do, then use it from the outside and the inside.

Part of my recommendation is based on an aversion to painting gelcoat, including in the interior. It should never need it, but once it's done, it'll need it again... Also, there's already an insulating space between the outside hull/deck and the interior liner--I doubt that "insulating" paint will reduce condensation.

Edited by - on

Prospector
Master Marine Consultant

Members Avatar

Canada
3159 Posts

Response Posted - 10/18/2010 : 06:10:36

When I did the colar vent install on Iris, I went slightly oversized with a 4" (IIRC) hole saw, then sealed the core with epoxy resin mixed with microbubbles. When I installed the vent, I formed gaskets with 4200 at both the upper and lowetr flanges and on each screw.

I have had no trouble with leaks, and the vent fit without too much slop. I think my vent is the old 4200 series. The writeup is on the iris blog, but the pics have vanished.

Edited by - on

dmpilc
Master Marine Consultant

Members Avatar

USA
4593 Posts

Response Posted - 10/24/2010 : 12:47:07

I just replaced a non-functioning solar vent that came with the boat with a new one. Makes a big difference in the interior air quality. wish I had done it sooner! Soon I'll start looking on ebay for another one to replace the second vent that's also not spinning.

Edited by - on

Topic

New Topic

Topic Locked

Printer Friendly

Jump To:

Association Forum

Notice: The advice given on this site is based upon individual or quoted experience, yours may differ.
The Officers, Staff and members of this site only provide information based upon the concept that anyone utilizing this information does so at their own risk and holds harmless all contributors to this site.