Dust Control????

[cjbearden]

How many of you have a problem with Daily dust build-up? I swear 10 seconds after dusting, the film has already started to rebuild. What's with that? Keeping black computers, black coffee pot, cat's black water bowl, etc. dust free is not going to happen. (Yes, I understand they are electronic and will attract dust but OMG the attraction in our RV is embarrassing!)

There are times when the sunlight is just right coming through the front door window that I can see clouds of particles. Using the heater seems to create more build-up and I notice tiny black filaments rather than plain old dust. It is very difficult to take up some of the heater vents and replace them in order to vacuum out the ducts. I really don't want to poke around in there and make a hole either.

My idea of living is not staying inside to clean every day! Thoughts from others? Normal for RV living? I understand traveling down the bumpy roads that debris will shake out. I am talking about sitting for several days or months and really needing to dust daily.

C.J.

 

[jmgratz]

You have to remember a 5ers is not sealed like a sticks and bricks home. Also most of the places you stay are dusty and there is alot more traffic closer to your "home" than in a S&B home. No offense but I would have to say if you are a "clean freak" then RV living is probably not for you. MHO

 

[cjbearden]

No, Jim, no clean freak here or you are right, I would not be RVing full-time. Just curious to know what others do about it. I hit it with a "lick and a promise" whenever I notice it but save the serious cleaning until I know we are having company!

 

[2010augusta]

C.J., One thing we have done is to remove the screws that hold the heater grates in place so I can vacuum the dog hair out. The Corgis shed a lot and lay on the grates. I attrubute the dust issuse due to the lack of filtration on the furnance and very poor filters on the A/C's. I don't know if adding a filter to the air return for the furnance would help, but I have read elsewhere that it might cause the unit to overheat.

 

[jmgratz]

DW vacuums the RV at least every other day (usually every day) and usually we do not open the windows if we are in a dusty park. Where we are now is all concrete with lots of grassy areas so very little dust. Some folks keep an air filter running too. I guess the bottom line is you just deal with it.

 

[JohnDar]

If you're getting little black fibers and not pet fur, dust bunnies, or sand, it sounds like something is being sucked into your furnace and circulated. Look around your furnace and see if there is a lot of construction debris or if the black "felt" on the basement walls is shedding. Trying to shove a vacuum cleaner tool into those flimsy plastic heater ducts is not a good idea, but possibly running the furnace fan with the vacuum cleaner floor tool positioned over the grates might help suck some of it out.

 

[jmgratz]

FYI - Our return air is the grate under the refrigerator. I took the wooden grate off yesterday (first time in 2 years) and there was alot of construction debris and dust. I vacuumed it out and that might help also.

 

[jtcfishing]

cjwigley you may check your dryer vent hose mine did not fit the fittings very well and I had a lot of dust from that. Tighten the hose clamps then rapped with duct tape ,no more dust!!

 

[caissiel]

From my experience in working around the underbelly and the basement, there might just be some construction dust left over on the furnace suction area enough to create dust at the registers. Its a big area on our 3500RL where the furnace takes it fresh air and that area might just need some cleaning. The dust might clean after a bit. We have units that are not meant for full timing and the furnace has no filters. Our last unit had a real small area that the furnace drew its cool air from.

 

[Rickhansen]

CJ,
We've purchased 3M Filtrete filter media (I think they call it hammock) and cut it to size/shape of the A/C filters. It is very thin and installed along with the small foam A/C filters. Because of the high efficiency, high A/C run time in Florida, and small size, we change the filter media every 2-4 weeks. It has made a big difference in the dust.

I haven't figured out a good way to install one on the furnace return air grille yet, but the furnace doesn't run too much by comparison. In fact, we sometimes run the A/C on "fan only" when using the furnace for heat (or with electric heaters). That keeps the temperature even and still provides air filtration.

 

[cjbearden]

Great ideas everyone! We will check out the areas mentioned.

Comparing the Augusta to our former BH3400RL using a combo w/d, there just seemed to be an extra amount of dust in the Augusta.

A few months ago, we had to have a belt replaced on the dryer. The tech discovered several small holes in the ducting hose and taped up all that. He also vacuumed all the debris from that area of the closet. The louvered doors still show a lot of dust collection, which I brush off quite frequently.

Our heater return is near the ceiling above a set of cabinets and there is a shaft straight down to the heater so no debri build up there.

Well, I think I will chill now and have a glass of wine (or two)! People who arrive unannounced will just have to deal with the dust. LOL

 

[Tom of Ypsi]

Jim Gratz, Of course it is not dusty here in this park it has not quit raining or being foggy in god knows how long. I also took off my air vent yesterday and it was somewhat dusty. The big thing I found was my kitchen sink drain pipe goes back in there also and I found a water leak. With having no way to fix this without a major repair job Rescue Tape sold by Kakampers came to the rescue, Pun Intended.

Info for people wanting to know Jim & Shiela are in the same park we are, Lakeview RV Resort, Houston, TX. Nice Park just ask Jay Coffman

 

[jmgratz]

Hey Tom, it is not foggy today, just yuckie...damp, misty, chilly. I think my skin is beginning to milldew. LOL

 

[MurrayN.]

This is my fourth rv that I've had now but seems to be the dustiest. Now I live down a gravel road so you have clouds of dust billowing up behind you as you drive, no matter how slow you go. But we seemed to be getting far more dust buildup inside the rv on the window frames as compared to our old unit. Then my wife noticed two long slots in the bottom of every window frame that I can only assume are vents. So I think that starting next year I will be taping those closed before hitting the road. Can anyone think of any reason that these can't just be siliconed shut? It is not like the unit will not have ventilation without them. Also it seems that the reefer unit is letting dust into my pantry area that it right beside it. A little more silicone should end that problem next summer too.

 

[jmgratz]

The vents at the bottom of the frame on the windows are to let water drain. If you block the vents you may have a water intrusion problem.

 

[Chainsaw]

Ya, that is what my window guy told me as well only it was my house windows.

 

[Chainsaw]

This is my fourth rv that I've had now but seems to be the dustiest. Now I live down a gravel road so you have clouds of dust billowing up behind you as you drive, no matter how slow you go. But we seemed to be getting far more dust buildup inside the rv on the window frames as compared to our old unit. Then my wife noticed two long slots in the bottom of every window frame that I can only assume are vents. So I think that starting next year I will be taping those closed before hitting the road. Can anyone think of any reason that these can't just be siliconed shut? It is not like the unit will not have ventilation without them. Also it seems that the reefer unit is letting dust into my pantry area that it right beside it. A little more silicone should end that problem next summer too.

HI Murray there are some HL owners in SK who are considering getting a chapter going, you interested?
chainsaw

 

[ChopperBill]

Running no A/C or furnace ours still gets dusty fast. It is just the nature of the beasts. Happy to say our trailer is still cleaner than most stick homes we go into.

 

[beardedone]

I have the same issue. On my old Titanium I had the underbelly sprayed with insulating foam before we went to the Yukon. We had a lot less dust than anyone else but still some got in. My wife mentions it all the time and I told her that I was going to give her a raise but that didn't even get a rise out of her!

 

[ChopperBill]

After not going up to our BH for 2 1/2 weeks in the mountains when we arrived after reading this post I was expecting lots of dust. To my amazement it looked pretty dust free for sitting that long. Guess living in 'em makes the trailers dusty. All the windows sills even looked good for sitting a couple of weeks.