Mold?

[arodriguez]

I have a new (8 month old) 2018 Jayco 22BHM. I recently removed one of the grill covers behind the refrigerator and it appears to have mold. I have not found any water leaks inside the unit. I reached out to Jayco but wanted to see if anyone has seen something like this in the past. Want to make sure I am not overreacting.

[enri1982]

Time to spray it down with x14 sold in aupermarket and its a concentrated bleach, then paint it... I check those areas often and also use Irish Spring bars of soap left unwrapped in various locations to deter pests...

[bigironcoder]

Interesting... I have the same type of vent arrangement on my 2018 195rb, but I don't have a wood board there like yours. Both of my openings are fully open.

Do you store your TT with that side in the shade and maybe no sun? Does that board serve any purpose? Maybe it should be cut out or replaced by aluminum, assuming it somehow improves draft.

[ALJO]

Clean it and see of you can make improvements with venting. Are you in a humid area?

[CampNow]

My guess, water got behind the vent cover (from a very hard rain or misdirected water hose) and collected on the wood board. If the trailer was in a humid environment at the time it wouldn't take long at all for mold to form. If it was a continuous leak I believe you would have seen more mold and/or softened, rotted wood. Me, I wouldn't worry about it unless it got worse.

However, am a little curious about why that piece of wood extends so high. On some trailers there is a baffle installed behind the frig coils to improve cooling. However, this one appears to be installed too high IMO. Possibly high enough to restrict airflow. That opening is the only exit for all the heat that collects behind your frig. Has your frig been cooling ok?

[norty1]

Clean and kill the mold and prime / paint it. Water can blow into that area from the fridge condensate or washing/ rain.

Check the bottom one also!

[DMRGMC]

We had the same piece of 1/4” luan plywood that I only noticed 3 years in to ownership. I couldn’t figure out why as it was blocking the flow of air through the vent grill. It was warped from humidity or water entry but no mold. I cut it out with an oscillating saw. Be careful near the metal refrigerant lines. Then I sealed the foam insulation on the bottom of the opening with caulking.

[troutslayer]

The pattern of the mold would suggest that the fan (not a particularly strong fan) is pushing warm moist air up to the exaust area. You may want to check the drain line below and make sure its not clogged. Make sure there is no water sitting in the small "pan".

[bdreinv]

I believe that piece of wood is designed to force the air flow up and over for more effective cooling. We were tempted to remove ours too. But decided not! Thanks