Keeping the dust out?

This is something I have been mulling over for a while. I'd like to come up with a way to create "positive" air pressure inside the coach when we travel over dirt (DUSTY) roads. It helps to keep the speed down (20-25 MPH), but really. Our usual destination involves a dirt road for the last three miles, and when we get to setting up, you can smell the dust and see it on the countertops.

This doesn't help my DW's asthma at all.

I doubt running just the furnace fan would help. isn't the fresh air inlet for this on the side of the coach?

I'm looking for any ideas!

You would need a fresh air inlet. That fresh air would have to be filtered.
That filter would have to be a pretty good one to filter the dust.
Then you would most likely need a pretty large intake as well as a good size fan to get enough air through that filter.
You might be better off with a pallet full of Swiffers and a good HEPA filtered vacuum.

Peace
Dave

I leave my bedroom vent open (with a MaxxAir cover) while I travel. My theory is the airflow along the sides and back of the trailer while travelling creates a negative pressure in the coach (relative to outside), usually sucking in dust around the wheel wheels, or under the floor of the slides. Keeping the pressure balanced with the front/top bedroom vent open (no dust usually there) helps prevent the negative pressure in the coach.

My thoughts.

Brian

Do you have a Fantastic Fan? Leave in on, pulling air into the trailer, and all other opening closed.

Hey There Skyguy,
We are going to try cell foam insulation around our slides. Last winter in TX the wind blew right through the slides.
So maybe it would work outside as well as inside.Dust and cold air has to be coming from around the gaskets!!
The wind blew so hard that the intertainment slide was rocking back and forth, along with the whole trailer(what a ride)
Nothing ventured-Nothing gained
good luck
pat

We have 2 Honeywell tower type true HEPA filters a 150 downstairs and a 75 in the bedroom. You would not believe how much dust and dander they collect.
http://www.amazon.com/Honeywell-HEP...4&sr=8-7&keywords=honeywell+hepa+air+purifier

We close up our TT when on the road. Windows and vent both. No dust gets in that I ever saw. I'm curious as to why some people want fresh air running through their RVs when on the road.

Hello RanCarr, good question. The OP stated when they travel over DUSTY (ie dirt) roads, then can smell dust in the trailer and see dust on the counters. Not sure if your travelling scenarios are similar. I try to avoid dirt roads where possible, and travel pretty slow when I am in parks with gravel roads around the campsites.

Dust kicked up by the truck and trailer wheels seems to migrate into the trailer around slide seals, etc (our trailers are not 100% air sealed). Traveling at higher speeds seems to create a lower (relative) pressure inside the coach and dust migrates in. Keeping a vent open, on top, near the front, allows air into the coach from a source that is not dusty, vs sucking it in around wheelwells, under slide floors ect, where the air is extremely dusty.

Hope this helps and I have explained it well.

Brian

RanCarr, have you ever towed down a dusty dirt road? If you have I'll bet your trailer was not dust free.

There are plenty of ways for things to get into our trailers. Last year at the national rally in Gillette there was a major hatch of moths. There were thousands of them everywhere. I think everyone was suprised at how many got into their rigs. Maybe mostly down towards the end by the field and horse corrals.

skyguy said:

I doubt running just the furnace fan would help. isn't the fresh air inlet for this on the side of the coach?

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The furnace does not bring in any outside air to the coach. The inlet on the side is for combustion air only. The air conditioners do not induce any outside air either. You're only option would be the roof fans running in intake mode, but they are unfiltered so would probably put more dust in than they would prevent from infiltration.

We travel alot of gravel roads-last week was 25 miles one way. Elkridge was full of dust. When slide is in, I can see daylight at the bottom corner. Is this normal? There is probably a gap of 2 inches. Rig has to go to shop anyway for furnace repair so thought I would have them look at this. If dust can come in--what about rain????? I am thinking something is not right. Any ideas? Help

ankie3467 said:

We travel alot of gravel roads-last week was 25 miles one way. Elkridge was full of dust. When slide is in, I can see daylight at the bottom corner. Is this normal? There is probably a gap of 2 inches. Rig has to go to shop anyway for furnace repair so thought I would have them look at this. If dust can come in--what about rain????? I am thinking something is not right. Any ideas? Help

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Pictures help a lot. How about a long shot for context and a closeup of the gap area with a reference object (ruler, coin, something familiar) that will let people understand the size of the gap.

ankie3467 said:

When slide is in, I can see daylight at the bottom corner. Is this normal? There is probably a gap of 2 inches. Any ideas? Help

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This is not normal. Your slides need adjustment. I believe there are instructions, perhaps on the Lippert website, that describe the adjustment process. I've not attempted it myself, so am not much help. Your dealer should be able to do it pretty quickly, I'd think.

One thing I suggest you do is carefully inspect the slide seal flaps on your slideouts that provide the air seal with the slideout open. On my Edge the side and bottom flaps overlap each other at the corners and they were not configured to lay over each other to seal the corners like intended by the slide out designer. It looked like they may have left the factory not configured to lay over each other right at the corners. A little manual futzing took care of that. Before the futzing I could see gaps big enough to let light thru and heard some air noise thru the gaps. After I futzed that was gone. So far as dust getting in with slides in and traveling I think that your choices are: 1) Close every vent and window before traveling down that dirt road. 2) Try to run a fantastic fan equipped vent in reverse so its drawing air IN to the TT and creating positive pressure. I think a normal vent configuration with vent open when traveling is going to pull air out thru the vent and the air is going to have to be drawn in from somewhere most likly from around the slides which may be in the dust trail your tow vehicle is leaving behind it.

Putting wheel flaps on your tow vehicle wheels could not hurt reduce the dust trail to some limited extent.