Lunar Caravans 2016 Ariva, Owner'S Handbook Manual

Page: 128 / 156

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HOW TO MAINTAIN FURNITURE IN A CARAVAN
HOW TO PROPERLY MAINTAIN
THE FURNITURE IN A CARAVAN
About Humidity
Air contains moisture – this is called
humidity. The higher the temperature of the
air the more water it is able to hold. Air at
20
°
C can hold a lot more moisture than air at
10
°
C. The term ‘relative humidity’ describes
how much moisture air contains at a given
temperature. 100% relative humidity means
the air is holding as much moisture as it can
at that temperature.
The more humid the air is in your caravan,
the more energy it takes to warm your van
because it is also warming the water in the
air. This means it will be more expensive to
heat!
A good range of indoor humidity for comfort
and health is between 30-60% during cooler
months of the year. Mould is likely to occur if
the relative humidity indoors is 70% or more
for long periods of time. Keeping humidity
levels under 50% also helps to minimise or
control dust mites.
It can be fun to buy a low cost humidity meter
from a hardware store and track how humid
the air in your caravan is. You might be
surprised at how quickly it can change, from
morning to night and as the weather
changes.
About Condensation
When the humidity is high inside a van and it
is cold outside the water vapour condenses
on cold surfaces. What causes dampness
and condensation in your van?
• Lack of adequate ventilation and/or
heating.
• Water coming in from the outside through
leakage, seepage or open windows
• High levels of moisture/water vapour
being produced inside the caravan
Humid air and condensation can also be
generated by things people do on a daily
basis.
• Cooking Up to 3 litres per day
• Showers and baths 1.5 litres per person
• Washing dishes Up to 1 litres per day
• Unflued gas heater 0.5-1.0 litre per hour
of use
• Breathing, active adult 0.2 litres an hour
per person
• Breathing, adult asleep 0.02 litres an
hour per person
Because your Furniture pieces are made
from wood or wooden materials they require
attention and care to maintain their beauty
over time.
Moisture in air can cause damage to
furniture. Wood expands or contracts with an
increase or decrease in the relative humidity
in the air. A 40% -60% relative humidity is
tolerable. Beyond this level, wood can
expand. The damages can be quite visible if
the relative humidity is higher then 80% for a
long time. To prevent damage, assure the
relative humidity of air is not too high for a
long time by ventilating the van, using
dehumidifiers or water absorbent
substances.
When wood is wet, wipe it dry. Do not just
wait for the sun to dry it. The longer the water
stays on the surface, the more damage it can
do.
How to keep your caravan dry and avoid
condensation
There are lots of things YOU can do to
minimise dampness and condensation in
your caravan.
The key actions :
• Provide ventilation and/or reduce relative
humidity of air by , particularly in
moisture-prone periods of the year
(especially winter time) and when the
moisture is produced in the van (cooking,
shower)
• Reduce the amount of moisture produced
in the van
• Increase heating to raise the temperature
of the air and the cold surfaces