Winter is coming

[WOODYDEL]

Yes it is. So it got me to working on how to use my motorhome in cold climates. I'm reasonably sure most motorhomers know about the problems, condensation, making enough heat etc.

Here is an idea for a product that is ovedue.

When I built my earth sheltered home in 1980 I realized it was so airtight that the trapped impurities in the air must be dealt with in an energy conserving manner. What I used was an air to air heat exchanger. No compressor, no heat pipes, no freon etc. It uses pleated paper to separate the outgoing air from the incoming. At the same time the exchange takes place the heat from the hottest side transfers to the cold side. That's because heat always moves to cold. That's the simplest way to put it. If you give that statement some thought you will realize how obviously true it is. All that is running is a fan.

Anyway, why isn't my motorhome equipped with an air to air heat exchanger? It's not even an option. I don't think they even thought of it.

Here's a link to one current model made for home use. I'm sure it could be adapted to MH use. They do offer 24 and 48 volt models. Take note of how little electricity is used. I just grabbed this one as an example.

HE150 Air-to-Air Heat Exchanger - Smarthome

You get the advantage of conserving that precious heat. You get rid of that moisture buildup and maybe all of the condensation on the windshield. You might not have to run a dehumidifier.

I think the MH companies should offer this option.

I would like to buy one adapted for use in my useless roof vent.

Have to great day.





Last minute update. This will show what the Mitsubishi system looks like and sort of how it works. It's good OLD technology.

http://www.mitsubishielectric.com.au/2096.htm

[RJay]

This looks interesting. It uses low power and could be put in the storage compartment. The winter alway produces humid air and moisture in the living area and this looks like a solution and takes up less space than a dehumidifier.

[JoeT]

Am I missing something? Can't you just crack a window and turn on the roof vent to do the same thing?

[WOODYDEL]

Originally Posted by JoeT

Am I missing something? Can't you just crack a window and turn on the roof vent to do the same thing?

It is not the same thing.

Motorhomes cost a lot to heat and cool. What's wrong with your method is the already heated air is going out the vent and the air coming in the window now has to be heated. If you were trying to get all of the "bad" air out including the humidity, you would have to wait quite a while for that vent to exhaust the entire volume of air inside the motorhome. You would then have to reheat the entire volume of air you just brought in. The air to air heat exchanger gets rid of all the "bad" air continuously including the moisture. The heat in the outgoing air is transferred "like magic" to the incoming air. The air going out and the air going in never physically touch. It is the HEAT which is transferred. I'll include a link to an explanation which is in PDF format:

www.ag.ndsu.edu/pubs/ageng/structu/ae1393.pdf