Paul Mitchel

Dillon Nichols wrote:The mold seems to have been almost entirely on the removed fibreglass insulation; I've found none on bare or painted metal. A bitch to get all the FG out since it was glued in place, though.

The only other places I've spotted mold/mildew/fungus have been the exposed fibreglass of the end cap, and some plastic/rubber bits; I've been spraying these with borax solution. It definitely helps, but the steeringwheel plastic seems to be a real mold-banquet!

The aluminum roof panels are painted or perhaps anodized rather unimpressively, and then this was covered with some sort of black spay-on liner; fairly thin, but much heavier than paint. The galvanized steel ribs are unpainted; is 18 year old galvanized steel a risk for hydrofluoric acid such that I need to paint them where the edges of the Roxul will contact them?

The steel is very nearly all galvanized; I'm grinding off the rust in spots where the galvanizing is shot, mostly the corners of the ceiling ribs/beams, and where screws from the rubrails where put through everything with no sealing at all. Intending to use POR15 cleaner/metal prep/paint on the floor, and some cheaper and less nasty rustoleum galvanized primer on the minor spots on the ribs/wall panels.

I'm isolating steel and aluminum wherever possible; unfortunately to do this perfectly the entire vehicle would need to come completely apart, which is not in the cards. I haven't got the time, tools, or workspace (doing this all outside) to remove the outer shell, which has steel fasteners in aluminum panels, and aluminum panels presumably inadequately isolated from steel ribs.

I'm planning to ignore the very thin aluminum facing on the outside of the polyethylene layer, on the theory that it's not going to be doing its job anyway(radiant barrier) if it's in contact with steel, and can thus be considered expendable.

Terry Ruth wrote:unless 2000 series pure aluminum

I'll keep that in mind; whether I can find such tape up here is another question! I do intend to avoid plastics as much as possible after observing mold thrive on them.

Terry Ruth wrote:Remove any interior vapor impermeable interior panels or paints.

I was figuring with the outer shell being an effectively impermeable barrier, half of it steel, I'd be better off with an interior vapor barrier aimed at keeping as much as possible of the moisture buildup from condensation confined in the living area where I can be aware of it. That way, I can wipe it down, dry it out, take steps to improve ventilation or add dry heat until it goes away. The only possible place for moisture to escape outwards is a seam where the outer wall passes outside the edge of the floor, which strikes me as grossly insufficient for an escape path for moisture moving through a permeable interior wall, and the Roxul, then hitting the cold outer wall... Any further thoughts would be welcome.


Rhys: a naught on the end sounds about right to me; as it is, the notion that a home might need a warranty in that short length of time is more worrying than the presence of it is comforting, to me!

You should try using 4 thieves oil in a spray bottle. You only have to use 15 to 20 drops of the oil diluted in approx 200ml of water and that will take care of any mold that has spread throughout the vehicle. You can add drops of the oil in a humidifier too and let it run for 2 or 3 days and that will kill all the mold whether it is inside a vehicle or building. Google it and read up about it. You'd be surprised how powerful it is. Some contractors have used it in industrial humidifiers to clear out mold infested buildings and it worked better than anything else they tried.