Weird Vent in 13' Scamp

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Our renovation is on. Apparently we are gluttons for punishment. Anyways, there is an aluminum, louvred, vent in the countertop, directly behind the stove. The Scamp folks tell me this NOT originally there in 1977. Why would someone put in a vent in the countertop? The weird part is the fridge has been pulled and the two outside vents were blocked by thin pressboard riveted to them. It has the appearance that someone wanted to vent an empty cabinet into the room. Why? Since we are new to Small Glass Trailers, I had assumed it was supposed to be there.

Also, could someone explain battery "groups" to me also? I mean spell it out. :o

Who here is a Scamp/Boler owner. I found no way to make the forum tell me who has what, so I may pester them more relentlessly :wave

Thanks group!

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>>countertop vent

Hi Don! I can think of two possibilities ...

1. The stove creates a lot of heat. Someone may have put a fan under the counter to circulate air up and around the stove when they had the stove burning. (By the by, you do need some sort of ventilation at the stove, to keep the heat from building up on the bottom of the top cabinets.

2. Could also have been some sort of garbage chute ... with a plastic bag or plastic bin under the counter.

>>battery groups

Best to go to your local battery dealer and "touch" the various types of deep cycle RV batteries. They are the experts.

>>who owns what

Click on members profile ... at the bottom of each post ... also accessible via Members page. Provided folks filled out their info, it will tell you what they own!

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>>1. The stove creates a lot of heat. Someone may have put a fan under the counter to circulate air up and around the stove when they had the stove burning.

:nope Doubt it, this Scamp wasn't THAT cared for. Hunters. Several years of cigarette smoke and cooking soot on the walls. Yuk. Simple Green takes it off but it's a chore to scrub the whole interior.

I want to install a window, like the door's jalousie, above the stove like in Bolers. I can't find one. :nope

>>2. Could also have been some sort of garbage chute

:nope It was a louvred vent, with a screen backing. The kind used to vent a storage shed or something. Riveted in place. The vent had a couple of broken spots in the aluminum. Gonna havta cover the hole or patch.

>>Best to go to your local battery dealer

:nope Ain't one. I'm rural. An hour and a half to The Big City. That's why I asked here. The internet, catalogs and UPS are how we shop, go to the library and "touch" the outside world.

>>Click on members profile

:r O.K. I guess I could do that. Kinda tedious to go find who owns what. Hey Moderators! How about a sort by "Trailer" as well as Username, post, joindate, email and URL in the Members Sort button! :jump-r

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Obviously, by now you know that the venting you describe is non-standard.

My guess is a previous owner customized for personal use. Some folks use their trailers for second offices and other businesses. With the right customization, wiring, venting, plumbing mods, these trailers offer a wide range of possibilities. It is anybody's guess what the former installation was or what the trailer was used for. In your case, it probably was used for something that stank or generated heat - or both. What comes to mind - taxidermy, leaf or meat curing, drugs and moonshining. (Can you tell I lived in Kentucky?)

In addition to it being the holidays when most folks leave their keyboards, usually when no one responds its because no one has a clue as to what the answer is.

Trailer uses I've seen or heard of:
mobile dog grooming salon, low-tech EMT vehicle, rolling cathouse, hunting/fishing lodge, plain old storage, concession stand, backyard home office, traveling mini-museum, on-site photography studio, stargazer's mountaintop observatory, barracks, wave chasing surfmobile, craft show vendor hut, kid's play house, self-contained showdog/pet transporter, traveling or stationary guest room, musician/artist caravan, mobile hotel room, photojournalist news center, radio station play booth, hydroponics, smokehouse/meat curing locker, ice fishing hut, performer's dressing room

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>>it probably was used for something that stank or generated heat

From under the cabinet into the room? The vents to outside were closed off with pressboard. No fridge or heater, to vent INTO the room.

I dunno. Thought someone would know. Which would clue me into whether to patch it or keep it. I see no reason to keep it. But Patching it is gonna be a pain.


<img src=http://www.fiberglassrv.com/board/uploads/3e08a7bb835f8vent.jpg/>

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Is it possible that a small dorm type refrigerator was installed in it at one time? I installed one in a pop-up in place of the ice-box and had to vent the cabinet to aid air flow around the coils on the back of the frig.

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I'm gonna shoot off an email to the previous owner and ask. Why not vent outside?

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maybe he tought it would heat the trailer. ;) to vent frig to the inside. be interesting to see what they say about the vent. we may all want one. :lol

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folks use fiberglass rigs in many applications. In my own case,
my primary use is shelter, that is parked at a highly active RV
park in the Mesa/Apache Junction area, with occasional camping
use.

That's the beauty of fiberglass rigs, where functionality and
durability is key.

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Ok - I'm going to jump on in here and add my guess to the list. First question -- did there used to be a fridge, or just an icebox? Are there wires and a gas line in there? Since it was a hunters camper, I'll guess that they camped in cold weather. Gas refrigerators have a very small flame which heats the ammonia tubes. In very cold weather, the flame may have been unable to heat enough to keep the beer as cold as they demanded after a hard day in the tree stand. So, they plugged up the outside vent, and vented it inside instead, taking advantage of the added heat to keep there noses warm. Unfortunately, gas refrigerators are pretty sensitive, and would almost certainly quit working in this setup, which would explain why it is now removed. How's that for a theory, huh? Pretty good, unless you come back and tell me that it only had an icebox, which would shoot my idea all to bits.

The long and short of it is, you don't need that vent in the counter, but you don't necessarily have to patch it in, either. Replace it with a new vent, or make a small parts bin that recesses in the hole, to store small items that would otherwise fly around inside the camper while on the road. Have fun with your "new" egg -- I hope to be in your boat by spring. I'm hoping to find a 13' fixer-upper to get a full new custom interior.:r

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-- did there used to be a fridge, or just an icebox? Are there wires and a gas line in there?

Yes.

-- very small flame which heats the ammonia tubes.

This sounds like a good theory. Best yet. I haven't heard back yet.

-- small parts bin that recesses in the hole, to store small items that would otherwise fly around inside

Yet another good idea, I like it. :)

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[ it probably was used for something that stank or generated heat - or both. What comes to mind - taxidermy, leaf or meat curing, drugs and moonshining.

Benita, better check my profile (link to my website) before you sling unintentional barbs at a perfectly good and artistic profession. :xx

Please someone, tell me I don't stink. As far as the other goes, I know I'm not HOT....well, maybe just when the hot flashes take over, then I might even stink a bit. :red

Paul,
I also love that idea about using the cutout for a bin.

Karen
P.S. Don't get offended Benita, I was only having a little fun at your expense. I sometimes think it stinks, too.

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Karen, you do moonshine? :omy


Nea! I know it's taxidermy. :reye2 I just never thought of that being stinky. Benita had me wondering why any of these things would need the venting. :u

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They might also have wanted to vent the space to avoid mildew forming from humidity or a small leak at drain, faucet or city water connection. I am considering vents for my forward under-bunk compartments and esp for rear compartment where elec entrance is sometimes open to outside air. Occasionally I have to deal with minor mildew in closet also.

Pete and Rats

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My bad. I was thinking venting to the outside and trying to braintorm possibilities.

Taxidermy - Bological organisms stink in varying degrees, particulary when chemical decomposition is in motion.

Leaf curing - Sometimes folks infuse leaves with different scents - hickory smoke, menthol, botanicals, etc. Sometimes they use smoke to accelerate the curing process.

Meat curing - Same elements of consideration as both items immediately above. IMO, rancid blood has a repulsive scent.

Moonshining - involves fermentation, heat and explosive possibilities. A still has to be vented in someway. The scent can be potent.

Hey Karen, Taxidermy is not a subject I'm terribly knowledgable about. I thought you might chime in if I was off base.

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Some company ... Coleman, I think ... made a white gas catalytic heater back in the late 70s, early 80s. It was supposedly approved for use in a tent, but really put off an odor.

Because of tip-over danger ... from the brush of a dog tail or stumbling over it in the night ... maybe the prior owners kept the heater in the cabinet ... and vented the top to allow heat to come out.

We had one ... my son and I used it in a tent one night ... and woke up in the middle of the night, sick and almost overcome with fumes. Never used the damn thing again.

But, if someone "hatched" an idea to use one in a little fiberglass egg ... perhaps this explains the venting. They may have designed the venting system ... used it one night ... and then decided the flumes were too toxic and never used it again.

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I used one of those "mushroom" heaters in a small tent trailer, but we never slept with it going, just used it to keep the rig toasty before bedtime. Had to light it outside, as the process creates quite a bonfire for a few moments, and it used a lot of Coleman fuel.

Later models even had a heat control lever.

Pete and Rats

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''Taxidermy - Bological organisms stink in varying degrees, particulary when chemical decomposition is in motion.'' by Benita


Yes, we are a misunderstood breed. Visitors to my shop often comment that they thought it would stink, but it doesn't. The object is to treat the skin before it starts to decompose too badly. Fresh meat does not stink, but when the bacteria get to work it can create an aroma that is disagreeable to most. Once the hide is tanned it has a pleasant leather scent. Now, when skinning fish for mounting ......well, you know, fish stink....period, until I pickle them and use Lysol in the preservative. The last skunk I skinned stunk up the whole neighborhood because we skinnned it outside, and the tanner did a little crabbing, but once it was tanned it had no aroma.

''what stanks
Karen, you do moonshine? '' Jana, you are a hoot! The only moonshining I do is.......well, maybe I better not tell you here.... xxx. :reye2 :red

Don, did you ever get an answer to your e-mail to the previous owner as to the purpose of the vent mod?

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>>Don, did you ever get an answer to your e-mail to the previous owner as to the purpose of the vent mod?

No, still waiting. The opening is only 3"x 14.5".
The floor goes in this weekend, I'm laying down a smooth 1/4' plywood on top the old, screws and industrial adhesive. Then tiles. My mom has almost finished recovering all the cushions. She had cut new foam and recovered with new denim, her xmas present to us. My wife'll finish scrubbing the walls this weekend, too. Then on to the cracked fiberglass on the lower rear end and at the right bottom door. Needs new trim around the door and roof vent and lower outside edge all the way around. Gonna have to make a special trip to the Mega rv center north of The Big City soon. Door handle, trim, water inlet, power converter, marker lights, battery & tray, ...

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Don, Is Jeepers your nickname or the trailers. everytime I read one of your post, I see that and think it's an expression that your just about to give up any minuite. Like-Jeepers this is really bad- or Jeepers, I can't take it any more.-

Oh! well, back to subject. I like the idea of a box (removable prefered) that drops into the hole so your cooking stuff doesn' fall around. in the RVy, my MH, I was always having to pick up stuff that slid all the way down the cabinet but had set there for miles and miles on other trips. OR maybe the trash idea. have a container under there to catch the trash, but that might waste a lot of useful storage. some interesting ideas here from everyone.