Air Tight Teardrops can KILL YOU

[lcr1000]

This thread got me a little concerned so i bought a little dome top airvent and fitted on roof

[PhotoGuy]

This thread got me a little concerned so i bought a little dome top airvent and fitted on roof

Can you show me a photo of it? not sure what you mean.

[JaneV]

PhotoGuy - glad you got your vent in - now get a carbon monoxide alarm for the ceiling, make sure fresh air is always flowing and you are all set!

[rowerwet]

Billy,

That's a really good idea... How big were the side vents? And of course, do you have a picture?

Mike...

A CLAM SHELL vent - about 2inch long and 1inch or so wide.

I think I got them abd Boaters World

I look for a picture and post it

Bill

My air vents are outdoor power outlet covers when shut they are UL rated as waterproof due to the springs that hold them shut against the rubber seals under the cover. I cut a slot as big as the opening inside the cover where your outlets would normally be with the slot sloping upward for windblown rain (like a door or window sill in hour house), on the inside I have a piece of screen RTV'ed in place, inside the slot I have a small 3/4" tall by 2" long hinge, you lift the outlet cover lid, swing the hinge out and it holds the cover open, by putting the hinges on the forward side of the slot the airflow on the highway pushes the hinge in and the cover closes automaticly if I forget it. When shut the covers stick out very little and have a beveled edge so they don't make a ton of drag or look goofy.

[tearhead]

rowerwet, would you mind posting pics, inside and outside?

[WayneW]

... And when we go to sleep in the TD, the roof vent is always open and usually at least one window cracked....

Funny story...When I bought my first trailer, we got a small carbon monoxide detector and plugged it in at the end of the trailer where my sons slept. On our first long trip at about 2:00AM, the thing went off. I got up and opened all the windows to air the trailer out and it immediately stopped beeping. I checked all of the appliances and none of them were lit. I went out and shut the gas off just to be sure, then went back into the trailer, closed everything back up, and went back to bed. About 3:00AM the alarm went off again. I went through the same routine and went back to bed. Later it went off again. Finally, I opened a window a crack and opened a roof vent a crack and did not have further problems.

As near as I can figure, it was the post pot o' chili carbon dioxide that was setting it off. Now, for more reasons than one, I always leave a window open a crack and the roof vent open.

[rowerwet]

rowerwet, would you mind posting pics, inside and outside?

check my WWW
pics are there, it is my facebook page with an album for my TD,
let me know if it doesn't work...
josh

[tearhead]

Thanks for pointing the way to the pix! Is there a bug screen in it?

[rowerwet]

yes there is a piece of window screen inside the cut through the wall, but it could be anywhere if you go to a different way of holding the cover open.

[Jim Edgerly]

I bought a combination Smoke/CO2 Detector...and hope I don't need either...but if I do it will be $37 well spent.

[halfdome, Danny]

Ed Ester of Seattle who has built over 43 teardrops puts a small 2" aluminum soffit vent on both the galley sides and has an opening to the cabin.
They are available at Home Depot, Lowe's etc for very little money. See photos. Danny

[bobhenry]

Has anyone else toyed with the idea of floor registers.
I have concidered 4" pvc ducts under the trailer that
protrude thru the floor. These could be used as an
inlet on one side and an outlet on the other powered
by a couple small computer fans. With this set up a
heater or a/c unit could be set up outboard under the
trailer very neatly. This would save space and quiet
down the inside noise level a bit. I have tried the
outside a/c unit with the barn and like it real well as
the cool is delivered high and falls in the bed area.

[tearhead]

Our teardrop already has two in the galley, similar to what Danny's photos show. However we still get a lot of condensation in there at night, so I think one or two more small vents or a roof vent might be in order in our Lil Traveler.d

[rowerwet]

I consider the two small vents I have enough for one person, I did wake up with a ton of condensation though, but that was better than too cold as I didn't have a heater then, since then I have added 4 windows and suddenly the weather has turned to august type humidity and heat (for southern NH), so I am also using the two 12V fans I got at lowes to help ventilate. before winter I will be adding another two outlet cover vents (with inside outlet covers also) down low to try and keep things a little drier.
I spend at least two nights a week in my TD at work to save on driving home each night, I had a free place to stay until a month ago... that is why I am using it way before it is finished.

[Endo]

Has anyone else toyed with the idea of floor registers.
I have concidered 4" pvc ducts under the trailer that
protrude thru the floor. These could be used as an
inlet on one side and an outlet on the other powered
by a couple small computer fans. With this set up a
heater or a/c unit could be set up outboard under the
trailer very neatly. This would save space and quiet
down the inside noise level a bit.

I did something similar.

I decided to add some vents in the floor of the camper.
I have some floor space that is not covered up by our mattress.
I installed 4 of these "vents" in the floor.
I lined the inside of the vent with screen material to keep out the bugs.

Available at Home Depot, Lowes, or just about any hardware store.
While traveling I put caps on the bottom side of the vents (small plastic "coffee can" type lids).

Leave them as is for passive airflow, add a small fan or use them to duct in AC from a portable system.