Dust in camper

Submitted: Friday, Oct 05, 2012 at 06:12

ThreadID: 98386 Views:2310 Replies:3 FollowUps:3

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Member - Richard L (VIC)

Hi Guys
We just got back from our first trip on unsealed roads, we had a week in and around Menindee so relaxing nothing to do but sit and take it all in, but when we set up camp the trailer was full of dust. Is this one of those things that you just have to put up with or do I need to rethink the way I pack my trailer. We have a Goldstream and the rear bed was covered and most of the cupboards had dust in them. Oh, if anyone has lost a tent peg I found it in my tyre!

Richard

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Reply By: Grumblebum and the Dragon - Friday, Oct 05, 2012 at 08:18

Friday, Oct 05, 2012 at 08:18

This is a problem with many campers and caravans and is indicative of poor sealing during manufacture. I suggest you spend time thoroughly checking and re-sealing with a good silastic (Sikoflex). It can get in anywhere - wheel arches, poorly sealed windows, around fridge installations etc.

Caravan doors and I assume some campers (never owned one of these) have an vent in the bottom section of the door (required by law) to vent gas in the event of a gas system failure. Some people make a removable cover with velcro to seal this ONLY when travelling and the gas is off. Leaving this on while camping could result in your death.

After a dusty drive inspect the inside of the camper and try and see where the bulk of the dust is showing - this may help identify spots to reseal.

John

AnswerID: 496171

Follow Up By: Member - Richard L (VIC) - Friday, Oct 05, 2012 at 08:37

Friday, Oct 05, 2012 at 08:37

Thanks John
Most of the dust was on the rear bed I will have to look at sealing where the roof winds down to sit on the base of the trailer, maybe a foam door seal ? I think that some dust that got into the cupboards may have got in through the fridge vents but am not sure if or how to block those
Richard

FollowupID: 771822

Reply By: Member - Jeff (Luvmud)(NSW) - Friday, Oct 05, 2012 at 08:58

Friday, Oct 05, 2012 at 08:58

Hi Richard,

I have also just returned this week from a trip through Mungo NP, Menindee, Bourke in a Goldstream Storm and also have the same issue with the dust.

I took a good look around the camper and can see several places where the dust has entered, lots of dust on the rear bed too and around the kitchen bench top as well as the floor and cabinets.

From what I can tell the dust has come in through the vents on the door, vents for the fridge and under the roof at the rear passenger side of the camper. Under the roof there is a black rubber material that is used to seal the camper however for some reason there is a small missing section on the passenger side. I'm going to look at adding some more material along the back section and see how we go. I did try to tighten up the latches but that didnt help. Still plenty of cleaning to do.

Did you have the pressure hatch open ?

Regards
Jeff

AnswerID: 496176

Follow Up By: Member - Richard L (VIC) - Friday, Oct 05, 2012 at 10:00

Friday, Oct 05, 2012 at 10:00

Hi Jeff

We tow the Wing version and have not noticed any rubber under the roof, will have to check later when I finish the clean up. Had a slight communication problem with the pressure hatch, the wife closed it when doing her final checks before closing up!
It sounds like we have similar problems with the dust, we also have a few little problems which have become apparent after bouncing the van over the tracks but nothing major and I was able to repair nearly all while parked up.
Overall we are very happy with the camper, have had it for a few years now but this was our first trip outside of the Vic national parks type of terrain.
We were at Menindee for three nights last weekend [sat-mon]before heading home on the Cobb hwy. Spent the previous 3 nights at Bindarra on the Darling, driving up through Wentworth. Might have passed you at some stage.

Thanks for your reply
Richard

FollowupID: 771826

Reply By: Rebecca H - Sunday, Oct 07, 2012 at 19:55

Sunday, Oct 07, 2012 at 19:55

We had the same problem with our jayco camper. We used adhesive Velcro and fabric to make covers for all the vents and I have heard of people installing 12 volt fans that operate inside the camper whilst travelling which apparently keeps a bit of air pressure in the camper and keeps dust out? Might be worth a try.

AnswerID: 496275