Motorhome Care
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ventilation and movement of air is restricted.
What is important
Two things are particularly important:
- To provide ventilation so that moist air
can escape.
- To use the heating reasonably.
How can you prevent condensation
Provide ventilation so that moist air can escape.
a) Good ventilation of kitchens when washing,
cooking or drying damp clothes is essential.
Use the electric element of the space
heater will help, when washing, cooking, or
drying damp clothes, and particularly when
the windows show signs of misting up.
b) If there is no mains electric supply and
therefore you cannot use the electrical
element of the space heater, open the
skylights or windows slightly, but keep the
door closed as much as possible.
c) After showering, keep the bathroom window
or skylights open, and shut the bathroom
door long enough to dry off the room.
d) In all other areas provide some ventilation.
Fixed ventilation is provided in accordance
with BS EN 721: 1998 this is through
skylights and ‘heki roof lights’ in the roofs
and from ventilators through the floor under
cookers, motorhome step well, doors and in
bed boxes it is important not to block these.
Too much ventilation in cold weather is
uncomfortable and wastes heat. All that is
needed is a very slightly opened window
or skylights. Opening a skylight or ‘Heki;
rooflights partially or windows opened to
about 1cm opening will usually be sufficient.
Provide reasonable heating
a) Do not use portable paraffin or flueless gas
heaters at all.
b) If drying damp clothes or towels, open a
window enough to ventilate the area
and turn on the electric element of the
space heater but do not hang items over
the heater.
c) Try to make sure that all areas are at least
partially heated. Condensation most often
occurs in unheated areas.
d) To prevent condensation, the heat has to
keep room surfaces reasonably warm. It
can take a long time for a cold Motorhome
to warm up, so it is better to have a small
amount of heat for a long period than a lot
of heat for a short time.
e) Motorhomes are left unoccupied and
unheated and can get very cold. Whenever
possible, it is best to put the heating on at
a low level before setting off on a journey
in the winter to pre heat the vehicle.
f) In houses, the rooms above a heated room
benefit to some extent from heat rising
through the floor. In Motorhomes this does
not happen.
Motorhomes use only carefully selected insulation
materials but unlike most rooms at home they
have all outside walls, so they lose heat through
all walls as well as the roof and floor.
Even in a well insulated motorhome with
reasonable ventilation it is likely during
cold weather if the temperature is less than
10°C that condensation will occur. Ideally
the temperature should be kept about 20°C
although this is not always possible.
Mould growth
Any sign of mould growth is an indication of
the presence of moisture and if caused by
condensation gives warning that heating or
ventilation, may require improving.
New vehicles
New Motorhomes often take a long time before
they are fully ‘dried out’ because of moisture
in the materials used in the manufacture. While
this is happening they need extra heat and
ventilation. At least during the first winter trips
and may require more heat than they will need
in subsequent winters journeys. Allowance
should be made for this.
WARNING: Do not wash your
Motorhome with a high pressure washer
as these can permanently damage the
seals of your vehicle.
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