Can you imagine having to quickly pack up all of your things and abandon your travel trailer? Matt and Diana couldn’t either, but within 48 hours their circumstances had completely changed.
They found themselves being invaded by a silent enemy that was taking over their travel trailer. Let’s see how they handle the situation.
Why Matt and Diana Were Forced to Abandon their RV
While Matt was sitting on the bed working on his laptop, he thought he saw what no RVer wants to see, a drip of water. This water drip wasn’t from a faucet but a ceiling light. He continued to watch and study the space hoping he was just seeing things, but a moment later his fears were confirmed. They indeed had a leak.
Upon removing the light fixture they discovered a pooling of water had accumulated behind the glass fixture. This caused the couple to continue their investigation into where the water was coming from.
They proceeded to remove the plastic framing for the air vent to allow them to see upside their trailer’s roof.
This revealed their worst nightmare, glistening wetness on all the plywood, but also mold. Everywhere they could see was either wet plywood or black mold spots.
The couple was completely shocked by what they saw. They had taken precautions to avoid moisture building up in their rig, including having a residential size dehumidifier in their rig and monitoring humidity levels.
After speaking with and sending pictures to their RV manufacturer, their fears were confirmed. It looked like mold, a lot of mold.
Their RV was no longer safe for them to continue living in and needed a major repair as soon as possible.
What They Did
The couple made the tough decision to move out of their RV as soon as possible. To give themselves a little bit of breathing room the couple booked a month-long stay at a local hotel. This allowed them to be in a comfortable space, work with the manufacturer to come up with a plan, and evaluate the situation.
Matt and Diana loaded up as much as they could and transferred it into their new hotel room. They worked with the local campground they were staying in to keep the RV parked in their spot and connected to power. This allowed them to continue to run the dehumidifier and hopefully prevent further damage. They packed up their RV to protect any items from being exposed to mold spores and eventually did a mold test to see what kind of mold they are dealing with.
They got the mold results back, which gave them good and bad news. The bad news was a confirmation that it was in fact mold, but the good news was that it wasn’t the deadly black mold. The couple is on a 2700 mile journey back to their manufacturer to have their roof replaced.
Why Are RV Water Leaks a Big Deal?
Water leaks in an RV are the equivalent of your vehicle making a funny noise. It’s easy to ignore it and pretend it doesn’t exist, but it only makes the problem bigger. The longer you wait to address and repair the issue, the bigger the repair will be, which often means more expensive.
When water leaks into your RV it’s not something you can ignore. Pooling water will absorb into the wood, insulation, and other materials used in building your RV. When water is absorbed into building materials and isn’t properly dried, mold grows. Just like in a residential home, you don’t want to live in a space where mold is growing.
Why Mold is So Dangerous
Mold is dangerous because it can cause a wide range of issues for vulnerable populations. The most vulnerable are infants and children, the elderly, and people with immune-compromised systems or chronic lung disease. These individuals can suffer from allergy-like symptoms, asthma attacks, or possible illnesses that could cause hospitalization or death.
What makes mold so dangerous is because it’s often present without individuals realizing it. It often grows in spaces that are hidden away and by the time it’s discovered, it can be too late. Health conditions from mold can continue long after the mold presence has been addressed. Proper climate management, addressing leaks and seepage, and increasing circulation are all great ways to prevent mold from growing in your RV.
Can You Live in an RV With Mold?
Mold spores are present in most indoor environments. When your RV has an ideal environment for these sports to grow, is when it becomes a problem. If left unaddressed, it becomes a very big problem.
Living in an RV with mold can be relatively harmless for people without asthma or people with compromised immune systems. Depending on the type of mold, individuals may only experience allergy-like symptoms when in its presence. However, prolonged exposure can cause respiratory infections, long-term illnesses, and potentially even death. If left unaddressed, living in an RV with mold can be a deadly mistake.
What To Do if You Find Mold in Your RV
If you are unlucky enough to discover mold in your RV, you should not delay in addressing the issue. Like Matt and Diana, they quickly were in contact with their RV manufacturer to address the issue, and you should too. Delaying will not make the mold magically go away, but it will allow it time to grow.
Second, you should find the source of the mold and address it. It may mean cleaning the surfaces with mold-killing chemicals, but also preventing it from happening again. You’ll want to invest in dehumidifiers, humidity monitoring tools and vent covers so you can keep circulation in your RV even on rainy days.
The most important thing you can do if you find mold in your RV is to take action immediately. Don’t delay or procrastinate as it will not help the situation. Seek the wisdom of experienced professionals to help make an informed decision on how to proceed with remedying the mold presence in your RV.
Who is Adventurous Way?
Matt and Diana of the YouTube Channel Adventurous Way quit their San Francisco Bay Area tech jobs in 2018 and moved into a 21 foot Outdoors RV travel trailer. While many RVers set out to see all of the nation’s major National Parks, this couple made it their mission to visit all 419 of America’s National Park Units.
The couple shares their adventures, the highs and lows of RVing full time, and as much as they can from what they learn on the road. The couple shares these lessons with almost 14,000 subscribers on their YouTube channel. Their most recent RVing adventure is an unfortunate circumstance that experienced and newbie RVers can learn from.
Conclusion
Luckily for Matt and Diana, they discovered this issue now and are taking steps towards fixing the issue. Dealing with mold in an RV can be a frustrating and scary situation, but it cannot be ignored. We hope you never have to face a mold problem in your RV, but if you do you’re more informed on how to handle it. Have you ever had to battle mold in an RV? If so, what are your best tips for keeping mold away?
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