Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

Forgive me if this has been previously discussed but I have been absent for a while. I've missed everyone! I was just reading the thread about the Windsong's first trip and how they woke up short of breath. First of all, thank God they woke up. Oxygen deprivation, from what I understand, usually just puts you to sleep as you drift off to the afterlife.

I have given a lot of thought to this topic and I noticed that on the original 1947 Trailer for Two included a simple vent over the door. I was in Lowes the other day and was looking at little 2 or 3" round soffit vents. Looks like they might work well for the task. Anyone have any thoughts?

I used ones from www.westmarine.com
The Marine ones are stainless steel and should look good for a long time.

confucius say, man who have big lungs, shouldn't sleep in little trailer.

I'm not installing a roof vent on my tear build, so I have been looking into similar side vents. As mentioned, most marine parts places will have something that will work as engine bays typicaly need to be vented in boats. My plan is to install it as high up as posable with some fine mesh screen behind it to keep the bugs and flys out. That, along with some form of forced ventilation that has yet to be determined, should keep my tear well ventelated. I will also have the crank out windows on both sides, so even in the rain, they can remain cracked open at the bottom for some cross flow ventilation. In general, I like the idea of a full time vent for such a small, enclosed space where people are going to be sleeping.

As an alternate to marine vents you can use plumbing floor drain covers. They are round and normally come in 2", 3" & 4" diameters and can be brass, plastic, stainless steel, and chrome plated, and some come with with a covering screen. They are usually available in any of the big box building supply marts in the plumbing sections.

Rap

If you put a small vent in the roof/top and a small vent in the floor , the heated air will exit the top drawing in cool air from the bottom ... constant ventilation as long as someone's in the TD...no motors

Jimbo wrote:..................I have given a lot of thought to this topic and I noticed that on the original 1947 Trailer for Two included a simple vent over the door. I was in Lowes the other day and was looking at little 2 or 3" round soffit vents. Looks like they might work well for the task. Anyone have any thoughts?

You definitely need some kind of ventilation. If you do not want to vent out the roof, you should put the vents up as high as possible on the side(s). One thing to consider when selecting a vent, is that if air can get in, then water can too. Maybe not when camped, but how about driving in a rainstorm?? A vent that cannot be sealed could be trouble down the road. That's why I like the vent/fan that can be closed tight when traveling, but can open and also provide moving air when camped.

Just something to thing about when selecting you vent system.

Are 2 sliding windows and fan tastic fan enough for ventilation or would we need to install more such as a Marine Vent.. little round ones?

Ours is 5 x 8 ? Wife also was now questioning this..

Classic Finn

Classic Finn wrote:Are 2 sliding windows and fan tastic fan enough for ventilation or would we need to install more such as a Marine Vent.. little round ones?

Ours is 5 x 8 ? Wife also was now questioning this..

Classic Finn

Heiki,

Two windows and a vent/fan is pretty much what most teardrops have and is plenty. Just make sure (when someone is inside) to leave one of them open at least a little bit (I prefer the vent/fan to be open) and if you need air to move, open the top and at least one of the windows.

toypusher wrote:

Classic Finn wrote:Are 2 sliding windows and fan tastic fan enough for ventilation or would we need to install more such as a Marine Vent.. little round ones?

Ours is 5 x 8 ? Wife also was now questioning this..

Classic Finn

Heiki,

Two windows and a vent/fan is pretty much what most teardrops have and is plenty. Just make sure (when someone is inside) to leave one of them open at least a little bit (I prefer the vent/fan to be open) and if you need air to move, open the top and at least one of the windows.

Ok - Wife was worried after reading the topic here. Looks like were covered then.

Heikki

I camp in the NW where nights are cool, which may change everything. My windows open, hopper style, and can be removed entirely for maximum ventilation. I can put them back during the night as necessary.
I do not have any additional vents.
Each morning when I wake up I feel the ceiling for condensation. There has never been any.
We have slept in the tear at temps as low as 10 degrees with one window opened slightly, and have been very comfortable.
dave

Hi everyone (will post in the newbie section when I get round to it)

I was worried about ventilation so had a look at a friends caravan. He has 3 floor vents. This seems to be a good idea as CO2 and camping gas both sink (I think).

Trying to find a place to put a floor vent might be a totally different matter in tear! I was planning 2 floor vents - open at all times, a roof vent (cheap off ebay) and 2 opening side windows. Should help me live through the night!

Nigel

Dave, I really like your hopper style windows, especially the fact that they can be removed. Did you make them yourself or buy them

The ideas i have been kicking around have been. Ventilation ports from the galley area up high. I have also thought about a vent through the floor and piped up through PVC into the sleeping area. I wonder how much cooler the air underneath a trailer is since its shaded by the trailer. I plan on hooking up temp sensors to find out. But right now the plan is to just have the window vents and see how it goes. it is framed for the roof vent, yet i am not secure in my keeping water out skills just yet. (Maybe this is a cry out for some help)

the things you never think about when you start down a build road.

I am kinda tired of juggeling little heaters hung here or there or bouncing out of a cabinet. The thought of toteing a AC unit here and there and routing hoses is also a pain.

My little 4x7 left little if anywhere for either so I played with a tongue mounted 5000 btu AC unit that would be permanently vented to the body and a small heater mounted in the plenum made of of a few inches of the rounded nose.

I have also thought of simple fan powered balance tubes that would draw the heated air off of the top and vent it outside in warm weather or back in the trailer in a low almost floor register like tube in cold weather to break up the stratification that occures at the roof.