Dust in thru rear doors

[T.Low]

Anyone have a tried and true method for keeping the dust from coming thru the back doors on extended off pavement camping trips?


I''m getting my Guacho couch and camping system set up, but the dust I had on the last couple trips isn't cool at all. I just thru an old blanket over it last time, but Betty is along for this trip so hygiene is incrementally higher on my priority list. Even my buddy with the Sportsmobile gets the dust thru the back doors, so it must be endemic to vans in general. Taking off again for 4 days driving Owyhee River.

Have thought about velcro-ing some cloth of some sort or doubling up the weather stripping, or a rubber T channel or?

I don't want to block back window vision or access to back doors. I don't know, anyone have a successful remedy?



Thanks,

TL

 

[Martyn]

You should be able to increase the bulb size of the seal on the rear door.

McMaster-Carr sells replacement bulb by the foot. You can either get the stick on kind or the type that crimps onto a metal edge.

The issue is usually due to the flexibility of the doors where they meet in the middle. Do you have a secure top and bottom latch as well as a center handle?

 

[ntsqd]

Martyn, That's interesting. I'll have to look again with that in mind. My Suburban with "Ambulance doors" does the same thing.

I have pondered putting an air deflector up at the rear edge of the roof to force some air down the rear of the vehicle. The Sub originally had it, but some PO removed it for reasons unknown. This would reduce or eliminate the vacuum pocket that develops behind this brick, which should keep the dust down as well.

 

[deserteagle56]

I've found the best remedy to be pressurizing the interior, i.e. running the fan on high and pushing clean air through the heating/AC vents to create positive pressure inside the vehicle. I've never been able to keep dust out any other way - it always seems to find an opening. On my 4x4 van I even have a forward-facing vent in the roof that opens just above the windshield. With a bit of forward speed there's enough air rammed into the interior of the vehicle to keep any dust out. Noisy, but effective.

- from someone who drives Nevada dirt roads almost daily!

 

[ujoint]

Good trick, I'll try that.

 

[T.Low]

thanks for the replies.

Good info, and of course I had absolutely no time to implement any of the suggestions before the trip. Luckily, the off pavement stuff was damp with minimal dustage. Just a quick wipedown of the rear door rails and styles before bed did the trick as far as FJ (Fiancee Jen) was concerned.

Have a week and a half before the next trip, but its mostly pavement to a California wedding and then kayak day paddle destinations up the CaliCoast towards home.


T.Low

 

[Christian P.]

I've found the best remedy to be pressurizing the interior, i.e. running the fan on high and pushing clean air through the heating/AC vents to create positive pressure inside the vehicle. I've never been able to keep dust out any other way - it always seems to find an opening. On my 4x4 van I even have a forward-facing vent in the roof that opens just above the windshield. With a bit of forward speed there's enough air rammed into the interior of the vehicle to keep any dust out. Noisy, but effective.

- from someone who drives Nevada dirt roads almost daily!

Absolutely agree. Once we got the A/C fixed in our Troopie in Australia, the level of dust went down to almost nothing. The pressure inside keeps the dust out.

And my girlfriend level of happiness went throught the roof.

 

[J-man]

yep, after driving baja's dusty roads in my 4runners and the landcruiser, the only true way to keep dust out is with the a/c fan on pressurizing the interior - seems no matter what vehicle it is - they all leak dust inside somewhere somehow.

I've found the best remedy to be pressurizing the interior, i.e. running the fan on high and pushing clean air through the heating/AC vents to create positive pressure inside the vehicle. I've never been able to keep dust out any other way - it always seems to find an opening. On my 4x4 van I even have a forward-facing vent in the roof that opens just above the windshield. With a bit of forward speed there's enough air rammed into the interior of the vehicle to keep any dust out. Noisy, but effective.

- from someone who drives Nevada dirt roads almost daily!

 

[paulj]

The dust might be coming in through vent holes near the back rather than around the doors. On some cars and suvs you can see louvered openings, on other I suspect they are hidden behind the interior trim and sheet metal. I agree that the forced air flow using the fan and/or AC is the best defense.

If the AC system has an air filter, consider installing a new one. One of the most popular 'do-it-yourself' threads on the Element forum has directions on how to replace the air filter (behind the glovebox).

 

[Lynn]

I only know what I've read, but...

IIRC Rob Gray, in his wothahellizat build blogs, talks about installing a fan with a HEPA filter specifically to pressurize the camper and keep the dust out.

Also (and maybe this is obvious to all reading this but I have to mention it), most vehicles re-circulate inside air if you set the control on its max setting. For the 'using the AC to pressurize the vehicle' method, you need to make sure that you are bringing in outside air.

 

[cellularsteve2]

Also (and maybe this is obvious to all reading this but I have to mention it), most vehicles re-circulate inside air if you set the control on its max setting. For the 'using the AC to pressurize the vehicle' method, you need to make sure that you are bringing in outside air.

Lynn,
I always thought to keep the dust from coming in the front vents while on dusty roads it is best to have the AC on max. then this would defeat the purpose of keeping dust out of the back?

steve

 

[paulj]

Max AC often does recirculate, though on both my Toyota and Honda, there are separate recirculate controls. Typically I use recirculate when I'm breathing someone else's dust. When I'm ahead of the pack I switch back to flow-through.

 

[ujoint]

On our vans, max is the recirc. I wish the vans had a filter for the HVAC, that would be nice.

 

[Lynn]

Lynn,
I always thought to keep the dust from coming in the front vents while on dusty roads it is best to have the AC on max. then this would defeat the purpose of keeping dust out of the back?

steve

Maybe. I don't know how your system works. To pressurize the cabin (and keep the dust from coming in the back), you have to be pulling in outside air. If your system isn't well filtered, you'll be pulling dust in the front vents.

Also, on our two vehicles the 'max' setting automatically switches to 'recirulate,' so if I want outside air coming in I have to be sure to switch it back to outside air.

 

[adventureduo]

Usually re-circ a/c is a closed vent and it pulls from air inside the cab.

I guess with our 2003 SMB we got lucky. Our first trip resulted a ton of dust all over the bumpers ( i think the PO waxed them or something LOL ) and none inside the rig.