Swift Motorhomes 2013, Owner'S Service And Warranty Handbook

Page: 186 / 205

MAINTENANCE
182
How can you prevent condensation
Provide ventilation so that moist air
can escape.
a) Good ventilation of kitchens when
washing, cooking or drying damp clothes
is essential.
Open the skylights or windows slightly,
but keep the door closed as much as
possible.
b) After showering, keep the bathroom
window or skylights open, and shut the
bathroom door long enough to dry off the
room.
c) In all other areas provide some ventilation.
Fixed ventilation is provided in accordance
with BS EN 721: 1998 this is through
skylights and ‘Heki roof lights’ in the roofs
and from ventilators through the floor
under cookers, doors and in bed boxes it
is important not to block these.
Too much ventilation in cold weather is
uncomfortable and wastes heat. All that is
needed is a very slightly opened window
or skylights. Opening a skylight or ‘Heki;
rooflights partially or windows opened to about
1cm will usually be sufficient.
Provide reasonable heating
a) Do not use portable paraffin or flueless gas
heaters at all.
b) If drying damp clothes or towels, open a
window enough to ventilate the area and
turn on the electric element of the space
heater but do not hang items over the
heater.
c) Try to make sure that all areas are at least
partially heated. Condensation most often
occurs in unheated areas.
d) To prevent condensation, the heat has to
keep room surfaces reasonably warm. It
can take a long time for a cold motorhome
to warm up, so it is better to have a small
amount of heat for a long period than a lot
of heat for a short time.
Motorhomes use only carefully selected
insulation materials but unlike most rooms at
home all walls are exterior walls, so they lose
heat through all walls as well as the roof and
floor.
Even in a well insulated motorhome with
reasonable ventilation, it is likely that
during cold weather (less than 10 deg
C) condensation will occur. Ideally the
temperature should be kept about 20°C
although this is not always possible.
Mould growth
Any sign of mould growth is an indication of
the presence of moisture and if caused by
condensation gives warning that heating or
ventilation, may require improving.
New vehicles
New motorhomes often take a long time
before they are fully ‘dried out’ because
of moisture in the materials used in the
manufacture. While this is happening they
need extra heat and ventilation. At least during
the first winter trips and may require more
heat than they will need in subsequent winters
journeys. Allowance should be made for this.
Changing Exterior Bulbs
ALWAYS REPLACE LIKE FOR LIKE
For individual replacement bulb specification,
refer to your Service Handbook.
EXTERIOR AND INTERIOR MAINTENANCE