Living With Your Motor Home; Setup; Effects Of Permanent Occupancy; Condensation And How To Control It - Fleetwood 2013 Recreational Vehicle Owner's Manual

SET UP
This section outlines the procedures necessary to
setup your motor home.
Before attempting to setup the motor home,
carefully read and understand these instructions.
Setting up your motor home is not difficult but
does require some forethought and care.
Your motor home is designed to be efficient and
comfortable. Careful attention to details and thor-
oughness during setup will ensure that you will
benefit from all the features and comfort built
into your motor home.
!
WARNING
The systems in this coach are not designed to be
used for any life-support applications. In the unlikely
event a system in this coach should malfunction, or
fail to operate, it is possible any connected appli-
ances, including life support equipment, may also fail,
resulting in potential medical complications.
EFFECTS OF PERMANENT
OCCUPANCY
Condensation and How to
Control It
You need to understand how to properly manage
and control the humid conditions and condensa-
tion that you may experience.
RVs are much smaller than a house, and are
tightly built. This means that the interior air will
become saturated with moisture more quickly
than in a typical house. The routine activities of
a few people can put a lot of water into the air.
In cold weather, this moisture may become vis-
ible as condensation.
Condensation happens naturally. Just as moisture
collects on the outside of a glass of cold water
during humid weather, moisture can condense
on the inside surfaces of your RV during cold
weather when the humidity of the interior air is
high.

LIVING WITH YOUR MOTOR HOME

Water vapor will condense on the inside of the
windows and walls. In really cold weather, frost
or ice may appear. It may also condense out of
sight within the walls or the ceiling. If enough
water collects in the wall or ceiling materials,
it may cause water stains on the wall or ceil-
ing surface. You might think that your walls or
ceiling are leaking.You have a problem with
condensation if you see these signs. You need to
do something to reduce the moisture inside your
RV.
Here are some frequently asked questions about
condensation and some answers that will help
you understand more about your RV and how to
keep it comfortable.
Q. – In cold weather, my windows and
walls look like they're sweating. Is that
condensation?
A. – Yes. Your windows are a good way to
know if the humidity in your RV is too high. All
air contains water vapor. When air is warm it
can hold much more water vapor than when it is
cold. When the air cools, the water vapor "con-
denses" back to a liquid. Since your windows are
usually cooler than the air, the water collects on
the surface of the glass.
Q. – Where does all the water come from?
A. – Moisture in the air comes from many sourc-
es. Some of the most common are: Cooking
– Meals prepared for a family of four can add
up to a gallon of water per day into the air from
cooking.
Bathing – An average shower can put between
1⁄4 - 1⁄2 pounds of water into the air.
Dishwashing – Doing the dishes for a typical
day's meals can add up to one pound of water to
the air.
Floor mopping –When an 8' x 10' kitchen floor
is mopped and rinsed, almost 21⁄2 pounds of
water can be released into the air.
Clothes drying – After 10 pounds of clothes
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