Something I wish someone told me when I bought my camper

[RJSutt]

I bought a 2021 Eagle 330rsts back in September. Me and my wife have been full timing ever since and loving it so far. We have been living down in Holden beach, NC. The weather gets pretty cold and night and warms up to 60s during the day. This produces condensation under my mattress. I looked under my mattress today when I was changing the sheets and noticed the wood was wet with mold. And had spread to the mattress, I’m not happy lol. The back half of the mattress sits over an outside storage which is also part of a slide out so i guess it got cold and the mattress was warm. So I’ve bought a mattress underlay which allows air to flow between mattress and wood. Take it from me and buy one of these before your mattress is ruined too. I’m going to scrub it with water and bleach and hope I can kill the mold so I don’t have to buy another. If it was just to wood it wouldn’t have been a big deal I could have replace it for cheap. But having to buy a new mattress when this issue could have been avoided is extremely frustrating. I’m going to put some insulation in the storage area too to help also.[ATTACH]

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[Jagiven]

Gross!

Couple things you could do to help improve the storage bay temperature diferences. The Cargo hold doors are very thin, could install a piece of ridged foam panel to the inside to help improve the insulation.

May try adding some additional vent lovers between the warm cabin and the cool cargo hold to allow some heat to get into this area.

Another thing to try is adding a little heat in the cargo hold. Old school incandescent bulbs put out a lot of heat. Just be careful, that they do not touch or over heat something near by. There is also some very small electric heaters that are wall mounted plug in units. I personally have not used one, but they look to be a good fit for this application

https://www.amazon.com/Minetom-Elect...s%2C137&sr=8-5

[Rustic Eagle]

I installed a "Hypervent" product under my mattress a few years ago and works great.

Hypervent: https://www.hyperventonline.com

I also insulated my TT pass-thru storage area and the wood mattress platform with Refletix foil insulation which reduces cold air contact at the mattress platform. Reference Post #26 here:

https://www.jaycoowners.com/forums/f...-51005-14.html

Bob

[RJSutt]

Yes this is what I ended up ordering. Pricey but worth it. I’m also going to put some foam board insulation in the storage area. For a “4 season” package I feel like trailers should come with something like this. At least it should have the same attention brought to the issue as surge protectors and water pressure regulators.

[RJSutt]

I will be throwing every “cost effective” solution at this issue I can today in hopes of not having to buy a new mattress. After further investigation to my mattress the mold barely passed through the cover so hopefully I will be able to fix it.

[RJSutt]

I went to Home Depot and bought some stuff called mold armor, sprayed it on the mattress and scrubbed and the mold is gone, it’s very potent so if you use this inside open the windows. Did the same thing with the wood. I unscrewed the wood and took it outside. Once it’s dry I’m going to paint it with some mold resistant Kilz. Also bought some 2’x2’ insulation boards that I’m going to insulate the storage area with. There’s no such thing as overkill when fixing a problem.

[Jerry713]

You can use either PVC pipe or 2"x2" pieces of wood, drill holes in them and lay them between the platform and the bottom of the mattress. Unless you have a really thin mattress you shouldn't feel it at all. The provides avenues for moisture to escape.

[Flashdman11]

We lived in ours over last winter and found this out the hard way also. Replace the mattress and now won't be living in it over winter so should be ok but going to keep an eye on it and use your solutions if it starts to appear again.

[wordsmyth]

OP thanks for posting about the issue. We’re going to check our TT tomorrow as a precaution.

[maejoicer]

We don't have a storage area under our bed, but we did cover the plywood with 12"x12" vinyl tile squares and it really helps. No condensation and it makes it easier to move the mattress.

[Lorenc]

I’ve never used mold armour but I always used “ Concrobian also available at big box stores

[bmanz]

Exact same issue as well. I have a 2018 321rsts. I replaced the plywood and bought a new mattress. Couple weeks ago I found another small spot on the plywood. Uuggh…

[jloco]

Is the wood not totally cured? I have a 2016 with an 11” memory foam mattress and never had this problem

[ARoamer]

Originally Posted by jloco

Is the wood not totally cured? I have a 2016 with an 11” memory foam mattress and never had this problem

I'm curious also. I have owned many rv's over the years and have never seen this issue. Could it be the thin mattress holding body moisture?? Maybe I can use this as an excuse to not make the bed, I'm letting it "breathe"!!

[Rustic Eagle]

Originally Posted by jloco

Is the wood not totally cured?.......snip

Basically it's when the support platform (wood, fiberglass, etc.) under the mattress is at a colder temp than the mattress due to body heat transfer......, thus creating condensation.

...... and I'm sure there are other variables that may influence the degree of it happening (ie; room temp/humidity, lack of air circulation between platform/mattress, winter camping, etc.).

Bob

[TxLoser]

I’ve not looked under mine since…never. Now I’m curious what I’ll find on my 2019. I’m hoping my 2” memory foam topper helped keep the body heat out.

I’ve got to stop reading these forums. You guys always lead me to an issue my ignorance shielded me from.

[billcf7]

We purchased this mattress underlay for our last motorhome and stapled to the plywood

https://www.amazon.ca/Ravenwolf-Mari...661625&sr=8-11

[01tundra]

Originally Posted by Rustic Eagle

I installed a "Hypervent" product under my mattress a few years ago and works great.

Hypervent: https://www.hyperventonline.com

I also insulated my TT pass-thru storage area and the wood mattress platform with Refletix foil insulation which reduces cold air contact at the mattress platform. Reference Post #26 here:

https://www.jaycoowners.com/forums/f...-51005-14.html

Bob

We've used Hypervent in our last two trailers and haven't had a single mold issue in the last 7 yrs.

Well worth the expense in my opinion.

https://www.mattressinsider.com/matt...revention.html