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Living With Your Motor Home
Q. - Where does all the water come from?
A. - Moisture in the air comes from many
sources. Some of the most common are:
06-8
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
Y.i -
Y2
pounds of water into the air.
Dishwashing - Doing the dishes for a typ-
ical 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 tinsed, almost 2
Y2
pounds of water can be released into the air.
Clothes drying - After 10 pounds of clothes
have been washed and spin-dtied in a
washer, they still contain about 10 pounds
of water. If these clothes are dtied inside,
that water is released into the air in the RV.
Gas appliances - When LP gas is burned,
carbon dioxide, nitrogen and water are
given off into the air. For every 1000 cubic
feet of LP gas burned, nearly 88 pounds of
water is released into the air.
Humidifiers - Humidifiers are designed to
put moisture into dry air - up to two
pounds per hour. So in a 24-hour period,
an uncontrolled humidifier can put almost
50 pounds of water into the air.
House pumts and aquariums - Plants give
off almost as much water as you put on
them. Open aquariums permit higher rates
of evaporation than closed types.
People and animals - A large source of
water in the RV is the inhabitants them-
selves. A family of four can put up to 12
pounds of water into the air per day
through breathing and perspiration.
As you can see, just the normal course of
living adds a great deal of water to the air.
Q. - What will all this water do to my RV?
A. - The least it will do is fog your windows. If
it is really cold outside, frost or even clear
ice could form on the inside of the glass.
Excessive moisture in the air could show
up as water mnning down or dripping off
walls, ceilings or fixtures. It may look like
your roof or windows are leaking. This
water may stain woodwork, carpeting,
ceiling panels or even furniture.
But the most damage is caused by water
you can't even see. Water will penetrate
almost any material - except glass and
metals. Water vapor in the air always
wants to move toward dry air. Scientists
call this "vapor pressure" action. It will go
through walls, floor covering, plywood,
paint - just about anything. The water that
gets trapped in these materials can cause
warping, mildew, paint failure and rotting.
The damage caused by excessive humidity
can be invisible, and worse, expensive to
fix. Please remember that this damage is
not covered under the wananty.
Q. - What can I do to reduce or eliminate
condensation problems in my RV?
A. - The two most important things are:
Reduce moisture released into
the air and increase ventilation
To reduce moisture released inside the RV:
I. Run the vent fan when cooking and the
bath vent fan (or open the bath vent)
when bathing.
2. Avoid making steam from excessive
boiling or use of hot water.
3. Remove water or snow from shoes
before entering to avoid soaking the car-
pet.
4. Avoid drying clothes inside (except in
the dryer, if equipped). The water drying
out of the clothes goes into the air.
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