Vents in Motorhomes

[injebreck99]

I know we have to have vents in our motorhomes, but why so many of them, we were away over Xmas and the draught coming in various vents mainly at floor level made it very cold even with the blown air heating on, I know there needs to be drop vents for gas build up prevention, but the cold spots may put my O/H off winter camping again!

 

[DuxDeluxe]

One thing is that if a coach built it is a chassis cab and there are chilly vents at the bottom of the door for ventilation. I read somewhere that these aren't needed in a motorhome but are rarely blocked off. It might be worth checking. Also the cab ventilation should be put on recirc whilst camped.

Hope that helps a bit

 

[Jaws]

We blocked off every bloody hole and vent we could find in the cab of the Miller.. Even the bloody doors had louvred vents in the door jams..

We left all the hab vents well alone though

 

[Bertie Bassett]

I know we have to have vents in our motorhomes, but why so many of them, we were away over Xmas and the draught coming in various vents mainly at floor level made it very cold even with the blown air heating on, I know there needs to be drop vents for gas build up prevention, but the cold spots may put my O/H off winter camping again!

I know we have to have vents in our motorhomes, but why so many of them, we were away over Xmas and the draught coming in various vents mainly at floor level made it very cold even with the blown air heating on, I know there needs to be drop vents for gas build up prevention, but the cold spots may put my O/H off winter camping again!

What Dux has already posted plus we had many similar experiences when we had a coachbuilt. Much of the draft came through the fridge vents, winter covers (for the fridge vents) helped a lot but didn't stop the drafts completely. Obvious gas dropouts shouldn't be stoppered imo but there are others in the cab area which can be sorted in a variety of ways. If you have external silver screens we have found that the extension that covers the scuttle on some types helps a lot.

 

[Terry]

May I say there should be no drafts from fridge vents -the fridge should be sealed to the cab area to stop any nasty killer fumes getting into the van
terry

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[ivorantony]

May I say there should be no drafts from fridge vents -the fridge should be sealed to the cab area to stop any nasty killer fumes getting into the van
terry

Totally agree with the above statement

 

[Terry]

Better make it clear when I say cab area I mean the back /habitation bit not the front cab
terry

 

[injebreck99]

I get draughts from behind my fridge into the interior if the wind lays in that direction, very cold they are too, I suppose that means that my fridge is not sealed properly, is it,uch of a job in an end kitchen model?

 

[Terry]

Hi o probs just get some sponge pipe lagging cut in half and stuff it between fridge and surface/top.bottom.and sides from the front

 

[Badknee]

I get draughts from behind my fridge into the interior if the wind lays in that direction, very cold they are too, I suppose that means that my fridge is not sealed properly, is it,uch of a job in an end kitchen model?

I have just done our end kitchen. First take the grills off at the back and I found that all the wiring cables ran through a big hole in the shelf that the fridge is sat on. I cut a piece of thin ply roughly to shape and stuck it over the hole and round the cables, that stopped a draught coming through the drawers under the fridge, then sealed the front of the fridge with clear sealant, job done no cold draughts.

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[Badknee]

If you open the cab doors on a coachbuilt you will see louvred vents cut into the edge of the door. There will be vents on the inside through the door card too. Either block the edge ones off or the door card ones, ours I've done the door card with black gaffer tape.

 

[Minxy]

The roof vents can be very draughty, I've made some covers for them - from the same material as cab windscreen inner covers - which just push up into the vent apertures (I made them slightly oversized so they stay there with no need for Velcro etc). As for the floor vents, we too have draughty ones, there are at least 2 under the fridge (the fridge itself is sealed properly) but there is a cut out in the 'skirting' below it around 12cm x 2cm which allows the cold to come in - and ALLOW any escaping gas from the fridge to come into the van! I 'flop' the edge of the mat over it on a night to stop the draught which still leaves sufficient space to allow any gas (if there was any ... usually from the dogs! ) to get out if necessary.

 

[dabhand]

May I say there should be no drafts from fridge vents -the fridge should be sealed to the cab area to stop any nasty killer fumes getting into the van
terry

Yes you may Terry, Happy New Year by the way, hope you had a nice Christmas

 

[dabhand]

Thicker socks and ear flap hats are good for draughts!

 

[Badknee]

I do think that the air vents fitted are a bit OTT. The same in our static, there would need to be 300 people in ours to run out of oxygen

I must just say on a serious note no air vents should come into the hab area from a fridge because when running on gas there is the chance that fumes, co2 and raw gas could be allowed in.

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[DBK]

The only vent in our hab area is the roof vent in the loo, which we can open wider if needed but it has weatherproof slots in it so there is always an opening to the outside. The fridge is sealed and if we want more ventilation we can crank open the roof vent in the kitchen.

 

[injebreck99]

I have taken the fridge vent off the rear panel today, didn't realise how easy it was until now, had a look inside and saw that there was a gap between the top of the fridge and a panel that was,I guess , supposed to stop the air getting past the fridge, NOT.
I had some exhaust silencer repacking material left over from when I had to do my bike regularly, stuffed it with that to fill the gap, hopefully no more draughts from there.!

 

[Tackle man]

Thicker socks and ear flap hats are good for draughts!

A chequered board is useful too!

 

[Jaws]

The only vent in our hab area is the roof vent in the loo, which we can open wider if needed but it has weatherproof slots in it so there is always an opening to the outside. The fridge is sealed and if we want more ventilation we can crank open the roof vent in the kitchen.

Should be gas drops in the floor too DB.. legal requirement in just about every civilised country !

 

[DBK]

Should be gas drops in the floor too DB.. legal requirement in just about every civilised country !

Interesting, never seen them and there is no draught at ankle level. Must have a look some time.

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[tonyidle]

Interesting, never seen them and there is no draught at ankle level. Must have a look some time.

You shouldn't really be able to see them and, correctly positioned, they should not cause draughts. In my experience they vary from big, ugly, and unnecessarily large, holes down to 25mm drillings. There should be one below each appliance gas connection and the best are around 25mm diameter and covered with insect-proof netting on the outside. As they are behind appliances they should be far enough away and baffled by furniture & appliances so as not to cause draughts.

The fridge is a major source & despite the manufacturers fitting instructions is rarely adequately sealed. Usually keeps the cutlery warm though. Roof vents can be a cause of floor draughts due to the excessive 'chimney' effect. Heki roof vents come in two varieties: one with a seal intended for MH use and the other un-sealed for caravan use. A number of MH manufacturers use the caravan version because it's cheaper.

 

[DBK]

Yes, it's all coming back now, I have seen the vents but had forgotten about them. There are two at the bottom of the fridge, which in turn is below the oven and hob.

They are only critter proof rather than bug proof. Might be worth fitting a fine mesh but they are inside the kitchen unit so they don't directly open into the hab area.