Opening over Bathroom door

[MR.M]

Originally Posted by 5picker

No assumption on my part.
Every R/V we've had, has had gaps at the door and a ceiling fan and you can 'feel' the air coming in under the door with it shut and the fan on.

First it's the gaps on the top of the doors for heat to circulate then it's gaps on the bottom for cool air to circulate . me thinks it's just the way they are built with one size door and openings to tall to seal . so people come up with assumptions of why it is the way it is and air flow seemed to stick .

[myxkp]

Originally Posted by 5picker

No assumption on my part.
Every R/V we've had, has had gaps at the door and a ceiling fan and you can 'feel' the air coming in under the door with it shut and the fan on.

Mounted a 4 arm pivoting towel bar over the toilet area and run the fan to dry our bath towels- thanks to the gap at the bottom of the door.

[5picker]

Originally Posted by myxkp

Mounted a 4 arm pivoting towel bar over the toilet area and run the fan to dry our bath towels- thanks to the gap at the bottom of the door.

We do that as well.
About an hour of running the bath fan after a shower and the towels (and shower itself) are nice and dry!

[Wolverine 1945]

Like most manufactured homes RV do not have a return air sys. so that is the way the heating & air sys gets the air to return to main sys. !!!

[bubbles]

Originally Posted by Wolverine 1945

Like most manufactured homes RV do not have a return air sys. so that is the way the heating & air sys gets the air to return to main sys. !!!

From the bathroom? Whhaaat. Splain.

[Martsing]

Every camper we have ever owned has had a gap in the top. We have only owned one camper... but that is our experience.

Marty

[Semperfi24]

I have always been in the camp of air flow, however, I started wondering which direction these doors face. Is it possible that air flow is part of it, but door shifting in transit is the other part of it? Since I dont know the answer, my mind is imagining a scenario where if the door opening is front to back on the trailer, you dont need the gap. Where as, if the door opening is side to side on the trailer, there is more potential for flexing and shifting while driving, and there fore the gap is needed to prevent damage?

Please chime in if your doors confirm or dispute my theory, as its nothing more than a shot in the dark

[Wolverine 1945]

Originally Posted by bubbles

From the bathroom? Whhaaat. Splain.

In order for heating or A/C to properly heat or cool entire RV,
It must be able to draw air from the entire R/V !!!

Your home has return air vents in each room, your RV does not !!!

[bubbles]

Originally Posted by Wolverine 1945

In order for heating or A/C to properly heat or cool entire RV,
It must be able to draw air from the entire R/V !!!

Your home has return air vents in each room, your RV does not !!!

Negatory there Big Ben. My home is only 2200 sq feet but there is only one return for the HVAC under the HVAC unit itself in the hall way. Never owned one that had returns in each room and never seen or been in one that does. Are you sure you're not thinking of a hotel/motel?

[jimmarako]

My parents house in NJ built in the 1960's had a return duct and exhaust duct in every room. And it was built in the days before central AC units were a thing. So I'm guessing it was more common/typical in the older houses. At least in NJ.

When I had the heating/AC system installed in my house they put 3 large intakes on the 2'nd floor ceiling. I think in modern times its cheaper/easier to just run a single return duct. Maybe there are practical airflow considerations. Of course now I do need to remember to keep a gap at the bottom of all my doors to allow airflow if the rooms are closed. You can do the math but I just left whatever the gap was the doors came with.

Oh, and all the RV's I paid attention to at the Hershey show this year had the large gaps above & below the bathroom doors. I'm in the camp of its for airflow and/or keeping the moisture down.

Jim M.

[Wolverine 1945]

Originally Posted by jimmarako

My parents house in NJ built in the 1960's had a return duct and exhaust duct in every room. And it was built in the days before central AC units were a thing. So I'm guessing it was more common/typical in the older houses. At least in NJ.

When I had the heating/AC system installed in my house they put 3 large intakes on the 2'nd floor ceiling. I think in modern times its cheaper/easier to just run a single return duct. Maybe there are practical airflow considerations. Of course now I do need to remember to keep a gap at the bottom of all my doors to allow airflow if the rooms are closed. You can do the math but I just left whatever the gap was the doors came with.

Oh, and all the RV's I paid attention to at the Hershey show this year had the large gaps above & below the bathroom doors. I'm in the camp of its for airflow and/or keeping the moisture down.

Jim M.

Was your Parents house a Manufactured Home ???

[Wolverine 1945]

Originally Posted by bubbles

Negatory there Big Ben. My home is only 2200 sq feet but there is only one return for the HVAC under the HVAC unit itself in the hall way. Never owned one that had returns in each room and never seen or been in one that does. Are you sure you're not thinking of a hotel/motel?

Sounds to me that your home is either a Manufactured or Pre-Fab home, not a Stick Built Home ??? I worked as a Service Manager @ a Manufactured Home Dealership the last 2 or 3 years I worked, till I became unable to no longer do Physical labor !!! I also Installed Floorcovering for about 25 years, so I have worked in just about type of home there is, working on an RV is much like working on Manufactured Homes !!!

[frank4711]

HVAC here in Florida has only one return vent per level of floor in all new home construction... Mold and mildew in RV's is common and I would suggest trapping warm moist air in your bathroom is a bad thing .... we also run A/C at 85 all the time when we are parked at the house ... we have 2 seasons here humid and warm and humid and HOT

[bubbles]

Originally Posted by Wolverine 1945

Sounds to me that your home is either a Manufactured or Pre-Fab home, not a Stick Built Home ??? I worked as a Service Manager @ a Manufactured Home Dealership the last 2 or 3 years I worked, till I became unable to no longer do Physical labor !!! I also Installed Floorcovering for about 25 years, so I have worked in just about type of home there is, working on an RV is much like working on Manufactured Homes !!!

Nope, sticks and brick, single story, central HVAC.

[TitanMike]

Originally Posted by ependydad

We have a door that is flush at the top and bottom. When we get out of a steamy shower, there is a lot of condensation on the mirror even with the ceiling vent open + fan running. My wife figured out that if she opens the A/C vent (we added a closeable one) and the A/C is running, there's enough air for it to suck in to keep the mirror free from condensation.

My first rig had a gap and we didn't need to make sure that vent was open.

Have you considered installing one of these in your bathroom door:



https://www.amazon.com/Bathroom-Gril...3749987&sr=8-5

Usually installed near bottom but fir more air flow some install near top and bottom.

[TitanMike]

Originally Posted by A2pfunk

I don't know, but after my kids use the bathroom, I would prefer there be no air returned to the rest of the camper. Just shut the door, open the ceiling vent and turn the fan on.

I'm almost always alone in my camper and sometimes have the same problem. Thank goodness for a Fantastic Fan.

[TitanMike]

Originally Posted by MR.M

First it's the gaps on the top of the doors for heat to circulate then it's gaps on the bottom for cool air to circulate . me thinks it's just the way they are built with one size door and openings to tall to seal . so people come up with assumptions of why it is the way it is and air flow seemed to stick .

The gap at the top of my bathroom door is more so it will clear A/C plenum on the ceiling. Maybe less necessary on longer trailers.

[SailorSam20500]

Originally Posted by bubbles

Negatory there Big Ben. My home is only 2200 sq feet but there is only one return for the HVAC under the HVAC unit itself in the hall way. Never owned one that had returns in each room and never seen or been in one that does. Are you sure you're not thinking of a hotel/motel?

Frat brother of mine had a similar house. All of the interior doors were trimmed short top and bottom. I asked him about it. He said it was to allow air flow back to the furnace and A/C. Rooms only had incoming ducts, run under the concrete slab floor.

[MR.M]

lots of good ideas as to the why . if you have a ducted ac and furnace and just small normal interior 1/2 gap at the bottom of the door just the duct headfing into that room will create enough pressure to force air under a small 1/2 gap . Now times that by the lenght of the door say a 2.6 door way x 1/2 gives you as much or more space then the 4" or 3" duct . plenty to circulate air . To Assume it was designed that way is giving to much credit to the builders of these units . When that can't even install furnaces or duct work correctly . I still say it's a standard size door they use in most all TT's . if it were designed for air flow then all units would be the same with gaps at top and bottom which they are not . jmho. not to get others riled as the air flow makes sense but we are talking RV manufactures which put very little though into building and assembly . When you see things like water pumps installed over converters and electrical panels it's easy to tell they just slap them together with very little thought on fit and function

[jimmarako]

Originally Posted by Wolverine 1945

Was your Parents house a Manufactured Home ???

Nope, a normal Sticks and Bricks house.