The Key to Better Ventilation in Your RV

Have you ever noticed how stuffy it can get inside your RV, especially during those scorching summer days or when rainy weather keeps you cooped up inside? In today's blog post, we're going to delve into the importance of RV ventilation and explore practical ways RV owners can keep the air flowing and fresh in their coach no matter the weather.

Why Ventilation Matters

Ventilation plays a fundamental role in creating a comfortable and healthy environment inside your RV. Proper airflow helps keep temperatures down in hot weather. It discharges unpleasant and unwanted odors and airborne elements from your living space for safe and inviting RV interiors. And good ventilation keeps moisture at bay to protect your RV investment.

Preventing Uncomfortable Memories: Without adequate ventilation, the air in your RV can become stagnant, leaving you feeling sweaty, sticky, and downright uncomfortable. By keeping air flowing through the coach (either by capitalizing on natural crosswinds or creating air flow with fans and vents) RV interiors can be kept cool, comfortable, and safe to create a more ideal environment for your next road trip.

Safety Concerns: It's no secret that poor air quality can affect more than just your personal comfort, air quality in living spaces affects your overall well-being with poor ventilation and air quality contributing to headaches, worsening allergies, and in some cases causing respiratory issues. RVs can also fall prey to carbon dioxide or propane build-up, which should be combated with proper ventilation, routine inspection and maintenance on all propane systems, and carbon dioxide/propane alarms set up in the coach.

Reducing Moisture Levels: Showering, washing dishes, or even breathing can build up moisture levels in your RV to say nothing of other contributing factors like weather. And unfortunately, where there’s moisture there is also the possibility of mildew or mold developing, both of which can be highly invasive once they take hold. Therefore, when it comes to moisture an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure and owners should take active steps to reduce moisture build-up to protect their RV. That can mean using dehumidifiers in your coach interior and making sure that you have good air flow and proper ventilation, especially in rooms like the bathroom and kitchen where water is routinely used.

Tips to Improve RV Ventilation

1. Use Natural Elements to your Advantage – The first step for good ventilation is to observe, understand, and take advantage of natural resources. When parking, look for shady spots and note the area’s wind patterns. A smart parking job aligns the largest windows in a coach with the prevailing winds so that when opened they will catch the wind for natural airflow and better ventilation.
2. Create Your Own Air Flow – What nature doesn’t give you; you can create with the strategic placement of vents and fans in key areas of your motorhome. Three primary areas you want to start by focusing on for improved ventilation include the kitchen because of the cooking that goes on there, the bathroom because of the elevated moisture levels, and any sleeping areas for nighttime comfort.

For areas of the RV that are space restrictive like the bathroom, options like Maxxfan Dome with sidewall applications can be useful to vent moisture and odors from the space. Also consider placing multiple roof vents and rooftop fans throughout your RV and using them in tandem to create air flow within larger living spaces.

Lastly, remember that it’s often during inclement weather that RVers are stuck inside their coaches for extended periods of time, so RV fans that can operate in the rain are a must have lest you have the ability to guarantee perfect weather on future road trips. This means either installing fans with a built-in rain shield, like Maxxfan Deluxe, or installing a Maxxair Cover over existing fans and vents to extend their range of usability.

3. Keep Screens Clean – Air flow can be noticeably restricted by dirty screens, so it’s important to air flow that you complete proper routine care on your fans, vents, and windows. This includes cleaning all screens as part of spring cleaning and annual fall maintenance to ensure unimpeded airflow for better ventilation and air quality.
4. Maintain Air Conditioners – For many RVers the use of air conditioners plays a significant role in maintaining RV interior temperatures and circulating air. For optimal ventilation keep up on cleaning and replacing air filters; Coleman-Mach recommends replacing RV air filters every 90 days of use.

There are also add-ons for air conditioners like air purifiers that offer additional air cleaning features. The Coleman-Mach iWave Air Purifier removes dust, mold spores, smoke, pet smells, cooking odors, allergens, and a range of pathogens for fresher air inside your coach.

5. Use Awnings – Using awnings in conjunction with internal window shades gives RVers a greater adaptability in the ways they can control sunlight, create air flow, and protect personal privacy. For instance, awnings can be used in lieu of interior window treatments when RVers want shade and privacy but they also want to be able to open their windows for natural air flow.
   
   

Ventilation is the key to a comfortable and healthy RV lifestyle, so follow our tips to bid farewell to stagnant air and welcome a fresh breeze into your motorhome. Whether you're embarking on a summer road trip or planning to live the RV life full-time, ensure that you have the airflow you need to stay cool and enjoy every moment of your journey. For help installing new rooftop fans, doing maintenance on your ventilation systems, or getting an air purifier put in your air conditioner use our Service Center Locator to find RV technicians near you. So, keep cool, breathe easy, and make the road your happy place this year!