The 7 Best Motorhome Ventilation Strategies

Imagine that you have planned and packed for your exciting RV summer trip. You are all set to hit the road for a month-long trip. But as soon as you start your journey, you realize that there is too much humidity or suffocation inside the vehicle. Perhaps you have forgotten to check your motorhome ventilation system that is not functioning at its best.

Reasons You Need A Motorhome Ventilation System

Remember that a motorhome is like a mini-home, all well-equipped with the basic facilities that you have back at home. You have a separate kitchen, bathroom, refrigerator, and of course a bedroom. These things consume space and you always have a limited capacity in your motorhome, no matter how massive it is. This stuffing is the key reason for heat accumulation in the vehicle. 

Other than that, smoke and heat from your motorhome kitchen and steam from your bathroom need a way out of your vehicle. Similarly, if you don't have an effective ventilation system put in place for your motorhome, there is a chance that the odors from laundry, sweating, kitchen, and bathroom remain inside for a long time and lead to discomfort and anxiety.

Benefits of MotorHome Ventilation

Let’s have a quick look at the benefits of motorhome ventilation before we actually dive deep into some strategies to ventilate your beloved vehicle. 

1. A proper and regular motorhome ventilation system helps to increase the airflow in your vehicle. Fresh air coming in and stale air going out will keep the internal space healthy. In fact, some people with allergies and asthma can’t even tolerate sitting in a suffocating environment for long.

2. Ventilation will help to overcome the problem of humidity and prevent building up molds and mildew inside your RV. 

3. Ventilation helps to regulate the temperature.  With a certain amount of ventilation, hot air can easily escape and is replaced by fresh, cooler air.

4. With an effective motorhome ventilation system, you can get rid of unwanted odors that are very disturbing

Best Motorhome Ventilation Strategies

There is no single way of ventilating your motorhome. You can use a combination of strategies suitable at different times and in various situations. Some of these strategies are as follows:

1. You Can Open Windows For Your Motorhome Ventilation 

The first thing that comes to everyone’s mind with ventilation is windows. You can certainly open windows for the ventilation of your motorhome. It’s in fact, one of the cheapest and easiest ways to improve airflow. However, these are always not very easy to open and there is only a few-inch space that can let the ventilation happen through windows. Also, while opening windows, you can’t ignore the amount of risk involved in this method. 

It’s only beneficial when you are somewhere around and opening these passages for a limited time. Otherwise, even if your campervan is in storage, you can’t just let the bugs and insects get in by opening the windows all the time.  Some experts are of the view that if you are using covers such as Maxxair Vent Covers, you can open the windows for ventilation purposes. But if it’s not in the storage space and is standing in an open area, it’s good to keep your windows closed. Otherwise, it will allow a lot of fine dust to enter inside your RV. Also, when it’s raining, you can't let the windows open because it can cause water damage to the seats or electronics inside.

Another risk is that when you are camping and have parked your RV, open windows can make a way for intruders. Also, you have to be careful opening windows during high speeds due to the risk of breaking.  

We suggest that if you still haven’t invested in a good ventilation system in your motorhome, you can open at least one or two windows occasionally with all the precautions.

2. Air Vents for Better Motorhome Ventilation  

You can also use maxxair maxxfan deluxe air vents & 12volt fans fixed in some good locations in your motorhome walls for moving air. One of the major benefits of these vents is that they ensure constant fresh air coming into the vehicle like ceiling fan mode at home. Also, these are not very costly and also look smart in the vehicle. Usually, these vents are placed somewhere at the top of the walls and the bottom of the vehicle walls. These side vents can prove to be an effective way for hot air and humidity to escape from the vehicle and bring in fresh air. 

These are relatively more secure than opening windows but you will need to make small holes in the walls to fix these vents. Also, it is suggested to use fly screens behind each vent so that bugs do not make their way into the vehicle. 

It is important to mention that when you have a big motorhome and a lot of cooking or other activities going on inside, you can't just only rely on louvered Air Vents or a single camper trailer fan. You need to think about more solutions to properly ventilate your vehicle. 

3. Wind-Powered Roof Vents For Motorhome Ventilation

Roof vent fans are also a very cost-effective option of ventilation as these roof vents are  Powered by the wind being easy to install. You won’t have to worry about the consumption of your motorhome battery in this case. These roof vents speed up during driving and draw out air. Compared to louvered air vents, these are more effective because they extract more heat. 

The drawback of this ventilation method is that these air vents are powered by the wind and you don’t need to always have adequate wind to run these vents. In the days when there is less or no wind, your ventilation system will collapse if you are completely relying on these vents. Also, another pitfall is that they may turn out to be noisy over time.

4. Wind Deflectors with Open Windows for Motorhome Ventilation

If you have installed wind deflectors or vent visors from a good brand, you can open the windows safely and allow the fresh air to come in. In this case, you won't be worried about the noise and rain coming into the vehicle. Also, because it gives an illusion that the window is closed, you will feel safe. 

5. RV Air Conditioners Can Also Improve Ventilation

RV air conditioners can also be a good source to remove humidity from the inside of your motorhome. This helps in controlling condensation in the RV and makes your vehicle more comfortable. Sometimes you can only rely on your AC’s. However, make sure that RV AC units are well maintained and RV Air Filters are in their good form.

6. Use Campervan Roof Fan for RV Interior Ventilation

The most famous and effective ventilation system is using an electronic campervan roof fan also called 12-volt fans with Power Ports. For this, you will be required to cut holes in the roof to fix the RV vent fan. Using these electronic fans, you will not have to depend on the wind intensity as they are run on motors.  Also, you have different shapes and colors of these RV vent fans available such as Round Rv Roof Vent or square ones.

However, you will have to take some factors into account before buying and fixing the campervan roof vent. For example:

• Size of your vehicle. This will help you determine which size can serve your purpose

• Size of the vent fan hole if you are replacing an existing one.

• Make sure it’s a remote control model so that you can easily turn it on and turn off. 

• Consider the power that these Rv vents consume

• See how many vents can work together for better air circulation

However, remember that the camper roof vents can eventually wear out. You may have to go for an RV vent replacement because it is exposed to sun and rain, therefore choose the best RV vent fan first hand with long life and guarantee. You can also protect it by using a camper vent cover. You just need to search trailer vents for sale or vent covers Canada, and you can just find a long list of options in front of you.

7. RV Bathroom Vent and RV Fridge Roof Vents for Better Ventilation

The RV bathroom fan and RV fridge roof vents are equally necessary to ensure maximum ventilation of your motorhome. Make sure that the RV refrigerator vents are properly working and don’t need any replacement. This will help circulate the hot air from the refrigerator, which is the major producer of heat.  Another smart gadget that may help is A ventless dryer that does not require exhaust to the outdoors. This provides a laundry solution for space that has limited options for ventilation.  Just research ventless dryer Canada and you may find a suitable product for you.

Conclusion

Having looked at various modes of motorhome ventilation, it can be easily concluded that you should go for some methods and strategies. Don't rely on one single method. However, the most effective method is using RV fans also called RV ceiling fans.