Beer Bottles and BirchSorb

You’re already aware that the air in your motorhome contains moisture – and you know using BirchSorb can help you deal with it before serious problems occur. But just how much moisture are we talking about, and is there an easy way to visualise that amount?

 

Many motorhome owners not only invest in a quality vehicle, but spend a little bit of money on a decent moisture meter as part of ‘the kit’ that goes with it, too. A meter is a small electronic device which gives a representation of the amount of humidity as a percentage, and is a good tool for anyone looking at how to get rid of moisture in motorhomes.

The truth is, you can’t get rid... You can limit it using certain methods, and therefore mitigate against the effects of it, but moisture is naturally present in the air all around us. There are generally accepted ‘norms’ for the amount of damp in a motorhome. But what percentage of damp is acceptable in a motorhome? Up to and around 15% is fine and shouldn’t cause problems (if you regularly clean and maintain your vehicle, of course). But whatever reading the meter actually gives, the smart thing to do is to also make sure there’s some BirchSorb on board - but we’ll get to that later...

  

Motorhome moisture as relatable measurements 

When you’re reading articles like this one, it’s common for things to get quite ‘sciencey’ or maths-heavy - perhaps a bit too much, sometimes - so we know that finding a really relatable way to describe things is also very important. This approach offers an immediate reference point for those people who don’t want to go to the trouble of ‘translating’ what they see as ‘geek speak’ into something they can understand. So, in this edition of the blog, we’re employing that ‘simple is best’ philosophy to the damp in motorhomes issue. 

First, though, to talk about moisture in motorhomes we’re going to build our own ‘average motorhome’ to use as a model (and from the information it offers you can work out details more specific to your own motorhome). We’re working from measurements of 30ft long and 8ft wide (though, obviously, in reality these measurements can vary upwards or downwards, dependent on the specific model). Our motorhome is 240 square feet, and so it is likely to contain approximately 1,500ml of moisture (this is based on research in the shipping industry, which reveals that the average 20ft shipping container carries around a litre).

In approximate equivalences our 1,500ml means four and a half bottles of beer, or: 

• 5 cans of soft drink.
• 5 bottles of lemonade.
• A 3/4 full kettle.
• 5 pints of milk.
• 5 bottles of baby milk.
• 50 cups of espresso.
• 38 shots of gin.
• 4 bowls of soup.
• 3 bottles of washing up liquid.
• Approx 18 bottles of perfume or aftershave.
• 300 teaspoons.
• 100 tablespoons. 

It’s almost impossible to believe, but in the smallest conceivable terms possible that means our motorhome contains approximately 30,000 microscopic droplets of liquid!

Obviously a motorhome is different to a closed shipping container, so with proper ventilation a great deal of the motorhome moisture makes its way outdoors (thank goodness for airflow). But obviously the 1,500ml we’ve been talking about remains and should be dealt with. Why and how?

 

What causes the moisture in a motorhome?

If there are any faulty seals at windows and doors of around the roof lights it’s possible that water will drip or seep into your motorhome, adding to the overall problem. However, the moisture issue isn’t just about leaks, either. Damp in the air will often manifest as mold because of inadequate ventilation leading to condensation inside the vehicle. If you’re wondering how to stop condensation in a motorhome, you should read another one of our blogs here, which is specifically geared to the problem and lists steps you can take. 

In addition to any problems with ingress due to faulty seals etc, further moisture is generated by you! A family of three generates an average of 10,000ml of moisture per 24 hours. Although most of those hours won’t be spent inside their motorhome, a good proportion of them will be, which contributes to the approximately 1,500ml figure. Necessary activities undertaken during a family’s life on the road – domestic things like showering, cooking, drying laundry – all contribute to the humidity level.

 

Moisture damage and dealing with it 

The damage caused by moisture can be a real problem for motorhome owners. Damp and mold can spoil the fixtures and fittings and can even eventually compromise the structural integrity. Putting any damage right can become a costly business, depending on the severity of it, so it makes good sense to invest in protection up front. That protection is BirchSorb, whether your vehicle is on the road or parked up in storage.

 

What is BirchSorb? 

The fancy description is that it’s a ‘hyperdesiccant’, but the easy way to explain it is that it’s an absorber. It’s approximately ten times as effective as silica gel alternatives and much more effective than salt, rice, cat litter, wash powder etc (the solutions some might suggest). BirchSorb is carefully formulated to ‘lock in’ the moisture it removes from the air and fix it in a solid form. There’s no mess, no leakage and no re-evaporation, and so no re-release of humidity. BirchSorb can absorb at least 200% of its own weight in moisture, and lasts for eight weeks, minimum.

BirchSorb is also really easy to install and in a 20ft shipping container we advise three BirchSorb units - and so for our motorhome at 30ft we’d suggest four or five. Using that model should offer you some indication of the quantity you’ll need for your own vehicle.

Hopefully seeing the moisture problem in simple equivalences has helped confirm it’s something you need to fix – and that BirchSorb is your best tool for doing just that!