Trailer Vent and Storage

[honda03842]

We purchased a Park Model this year and our Scamp 16 is in storage. We keep the bathroom window cracked and the top vent cracked about 1/2 inch to allow air to circulate.

Today a park attendant stopped me to let me know my vent was flapping, still properly connected but open enough to flap as a cold front passes through (for you in northern climes, today's cold front means 62 F).

I went to storage to find the vent open 6 inches. It appears that the vent in a breeze can open by itself. I have neve seen this before.

[Jon in AZ]

It doesn't surprise me. Mine will gradually work itself from tightly closed to open in a fairly short distance of fairly smooth highway driving. It's also happened a couple of times while it was stored at home during windy conditions. Cranking it down fairly tightly helps, but it's something I have to check often. I've thought about rigging something inside to hold it closed in addition to the crank mechanism. Your problem is harder: how to hold it slightly open. Our climate is dry enough that I haven't had to provide ventilation when in storage.

[honda03842]

I might put a light bungee cord on the inside so I can still keep it cracked. I haven't seen any mold build up in the trailer after 8 weeks. This is our first time not using it our RV over the winter in 14 years.

[Carol H]

Originally Posted by honda03842

as a cold front passes through (for you in northern climes, today's cold front means 62 F).

.

darn right balmy to those of us in this part of NA at this time of year - time to bring out the flip flops!!

Norm in these parts its not uncommon for vents to work there way open higher than you want due to wind - I actually had the side bathroom window work its way from being open by an 1" to fully open position in one wind storm. You can tape the handle on the inside of the vents to stop them from moving when in storage but the risk is if you secure it to tightly the vent can and will rip right off the trailer in real high winds - that happened to a few folks at a trailer meet we held one year when a crazy wind came up for about an hour.

To avoid the vent/wind issue, I added the Window/Maxx vents to the rear side windows of my trailer so I can leave one open an inch or so (normally on the side the wind is least likely to blow directly at) to allow venting when trailers in storage. If *really* high winds combined with rainy conditions are forecasted I just shut the trailer right up rather play it safe than sorry.

[Jon in AZ]

What I've noticed is that, because the vent is fairly large and not very stiff, any wind that gets under it creates a vibration that loosens the crank mechanism. I suspect a light bungee cord would still allow the vibration to occur. I thought about putting some blocks on the outside at the corners to hold it open the desired amount, and then using a fairly strong bungee inside to pull the cover down tightly against the blocks.

[mary and bob]

Norm; how about a piece of wood under the edge of the vent and crank it down against that to keep pressure on the mechanism. Would it be a good idea to put some kind of dehumidifier in the Scamp, the kind that doesn't require power. One of our pillows that is in the rear corner of our Casita got some mold on it so we are looking into a dehumidifier. Others here at Jekyll are using various types. Our "cold front" today started at 28 degrees at 8 AM, now at 2 PM it's still only34. Florida is starting to look good. What are your average normal temps this time of year?

[mary and bob]

HA! while I was slowly typing my idea, Jon came up with the same thing. There you go, two people that agree.

[Timber Wolf]

Originally Posted by mary and bob

What are your average normal temps this time of year?

I don't know about average normal but in N. Florida this morning my dog's water spigot was frozen. I think it got into the mid to lower 20's last night. We usually get a few nights like that a winter, but not too many thank goodness. As to the dog being outside and cold, well my very fury Australian Shepard is really enjoying this not-hot weather!

[mary and bob]

this morning my dog's water spigot was frozen.

I'm surprised our water hookup wasn't frozen this morning. Maybe it was because the temperature didn't go below freezing early in the night. It was mid 40's at 11 PM last night.

[Borrego Dave]

Norm, I've had a small bungie around the handle for a few years now...works perfect. I do keep it cracked and it hasn't moved even in last years 100 mph wind storm. On my cargo trailer I have Maxair vent covers and leave the vents open 24-7. I have never noticed the vent lids ever move from where I left them and they have no bungie on them.

[Jon in AZ]

Dave, part of the problem is that the vent I believe Norm is talking about is an oversized vent/escape hatch. It's something like 14"x 23", and the plastic cover doesn't have a lot of torsional rigidity, so it doesn't take a lot of wind to vibrate and twist the cover. It's great for catching light breezes, but as soon as real wind picks up I close it down tight and ventilate through windows only. I can easily see it tearing off in a high wind as Carol described.

The couple of times I have felt a need to leave something open for an extended time unattended, it's always been the little crank-out window over the stove.

[Borrego Dave]

I agree with you Jon, it could be ripped off. I only crack the bungie corded one a 1/4" or less, just for a little air. I'm in the desert, we call 30 mph wind just a breeze
Another thought, I changed out a plastic cover for metal to get away from UV problems and heat transfer also.

[honda03842]

To help the UV situation a previous owner coated the plastic with white 'I don't know what it is'.

[Jon in AZ]

Originally Posted by Borrego Dave

Another thought, I changed out a plastic cover for metal...

That's a thought. It's an unusual size though, and the screen opens separately (for use as an escape hatch), so I don't know if there is something out there that would work or not. Haven't run across any discussions here yet.

[TomK]

Our daughter called today and complained they had a cold snap in St Pete, FL. It got down to 50 degrees. She was teasing us up here in Chicagoland. It's going down to -2 tonight. The winds will be between 20 and 30 mph with gusts up to 45 mph. The snow just stopped. She'll be getting no pity from us!

Can't wait to get down there.

Tom

[honda03842]

Tom,

Generally I don't talk too much with the folks in NH about FL weather. Some how it doesn't seem fair, particularly for the last two years where it's really been cold in NH and Maine.

IN FL people do think it's really cold. Yesterday it only got up to 62 and you would think we were in winter NH the way people dressed. Heck, this year in NH we had summer days that only made the 60s. A friend told me he wished he had earmuffs with him. Today is another 60 day, with less wind, and I'm golfing. Basically it's always summer here.

In some measure temperature is relative. I had a business partner that spent 18 months in Antarctica. He told me one day the temperature got up to zero and they all went out in shorts and Ts and played football in the snow.

[TomK]

Norm & Ginny,

Our daughter and SIL moved to St Pete about one year ago. They lived in Marquette, MI for about 18 years before that. Marquette is in MI's Upper Peninsula, on the shore of Lake Superior. We used to tease them about our balmy Chicago weather. They paid their dues coping with winter and snow, and now have fun at our expense.

It is interesting how we humans adapt to our surroundings. I grew up in MI with 4 seasons. Winter was taken in stride. When I left home for a little adventure, I found myself in very hot and humid country for a year. We all became acclimatized in very short order. I was told your blood thins out, but can't verify if that really happens. When the monsoon season came, it seemed like winter. I remember pulling guard duty on the perimeter one night and it seemed so cold my teeth were chattering. I was wearing two field jackets and still cold. My relief finally came and told me the temp was down to 70 degrees. It seemed much, much colder to me.

See you in a month. I'll have flip flops and shorts on if it gets up in the 30's or above!

Tom

[Timber Wolf]

Originally Posted by Jon in AZ

That's a thought. It's an unusual size though, and the screen opens separately (for use as an escape hatch), so I don't know if there is something out there that would work or not. Haven't run across any discussions here yet.

I was able to order the old, odd sized roof hatch cover from Scamp when mine was blown off on the way home with my trailer after buying it. Appearantly the cover was cracked across the front and mearly sailed away on the highway somewhere. It was pretty funny to get home and go into the trailer and look up at blue sky through the hole (dang, where is the cover?). Luckily for me the arm piece and bracket stayed behind when the rotted cover flew the coop. Those pieces are not available from Scamp (or anywhere else I imagine).

Since then, I have thought that if I had to do it over or was unable to find the correct cover I would fab one out of some suitable thickness (kinda thin) of aluminum sheet metal.

My Scamp now rests under cover when off the road so maybe the new hatch cover will not rot as fast (26 years) as the original.

[Jon in AZ]

Originally Posted by Timber Wolf

...I would fab one out of some suitable thickness (kinda thin) of aluminum sheet metal...

Wish you would do that, Tim! And when you figure it out, make a few more and sell them here!