Forwarded from http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/vw-camping/ Everyone has their own way of dealing with keeping mold out in their campers. Once mold spores take hold, they are hard to get rid of. So it's best to prevent it. Mold weakens fabrics, creates bad odors, and not the least, is an allergen. Some interesting facts that many never think about: 1) Why is there the funny flocking under the pop top ceiling? The reason is so that the moisture that condensates under the ceiling doesn't drip on your head. 2) Why does the westy have a double pane pop top skylight? That's so there is less condensation on the inner pane. Otherwise you'd have water dripping down your neck when you're cooking at the stove. A few things we do after a wet camping trip to prevent mold is: 1) have 2 small wood sticks handy, about 1 1/2 ft long to prop open the pop top and rear storage bench. 2) remove the upper bunk mattress for better air circulation. 3) open the top vent a little. 4) open all the cabinet doors, so the moisture can evaporate, also from inside the walls. 5) if it's extreme, take the lower rear mattress out and dry it out inside. 6) remove all wet clothing and such. 7) don't use a non vented catalytic heater to keep the space warm, since they exhaust pure water vapor. It's better to use an electric space heater with a fan. 8) The most sensitive part to mold is the flocking under the pop top and the pop top canvas fabric. If they do get very moldy, the only way to really get the mold out, is to replace them. That's not very easy. 9) Air circulation is the key to keeping it mold free. Also the condensation forms inside the van's walls on the inside of the sheetmetal. A lot of campers rust out from the inside for that reason. That's also why it's not a good idea to use an unvented catalytic heater inside the camper for long term use. Just some ramblings. Anyone have any more ideas? Harald '90 westy (almost dry again) __________________________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Mail Plus - Powerful. Affordable. Sign up now. http://mailplus.yahoo.com |
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