Mold...remove, and how to?

[Hugo-H]

I had a water intrusion discovered lately...
Now my Bullet Premier 31 BHPR is covered for the winter, and I turned the furnace on to keep humidity out of it...
But I saw that there is some mold in it, and since the intrusion probebly came from the roof and in the bathroom, I suppose there could be mold under/behind the tub...
I have no clue how to get access under the tub...do I have to remove it....and if yes, how to do it?
Detailed help would be very much appreciated, and since I saw that some members here have connections with people working at Keystone, could there come also help from there?
One pic (floor map) shows where I found the moisture (red line), second pic is the tub in the bathroom... About the wall around the tube, it looks like it is attached with something that seems to be panel clip retainers?

[skids]

I wonder if you could sample some mold and send it in for analysis to see if it is the toxic type. If if is just regular mold maybe you could just clean it and go on your way. OR maybe to you, ANY mold must go.

[LHaven]

It might be a strategy to take a hole saw to the bottom of the pantry into the bathroom (avoid studs) and then inspect under the tub with a long-wired LED and a telescoping rod inspection mirror, or an "industrial proctoscope" from Harbor Freight. (Frankly, the mirror is much easier to handle, but needs a more generous hole.)

Also, given that water is a product of propane combustion, you may do better with an electric heater, plus you won't run out of propane unexpectedly.

Edit: Actually, I gave bad advice. Heaters just aren't the right choice to address humidity. Dehumidifiers are.

[flybouy]

"Now my Bullet Premier 31 BHPR is covered for the winter, and I turned the furnace on to keep humidity out of it..."

Wow, you may end up burning the mold out, along with the rest of the camper.

[travelin texans]

"Now my Bullet Premier 31 BHPR is covered for the winter, and I turned the furnace on to keep humidity out of it..."

Wow, you may end up burning the mold out, along with the rest of the camper.

Was wondering the same?
How do you exhaust the furnace, which gets VERY hot, with a cover on the rv?

[Hugo-H]

I wonder if you could sample some mold and send it in for analysis to see if it is the toxic type. If if is just regular mold maybe you could just clean it and go on your way. OR maybe to you, ANY mold must go.


What do you use to clean the mold?

[Hugo-H]

It might be a strategy to take a hole saw to the bottom of the pantry into the bathroom (avoid studs) and then inspect under the tub with a long-wired LED and a telescoping rod inspection mirror, or an "industrial proctoscope" from Harbor Freight. (Frankly, the mirror is much easier to handle, but needs a more generous hole.)

Also, given that water is a product of propane combustion, you may do better with an electric heater, plus you won't run out of propane unexpectedly.

Edit: Actually, I gave bad advice. Heaters just aren't the right choice to address humidity. Dehumidifiers are.


I have a dehumidifier installed, but keep the furnace working to keep the cold out of the TT

[Hugo-H]

"Now my Bullet Premier 31 BHPR is covered for the winter, and I turned the furnace on to keep humidity out of it..."

Wow, you may end up burning the mold out, along with the rest of the camper.




...:lol:...but the furnace exhaust is kept free on the outside, so the gasses can go free...

[Hugo-H]

Was wondering the same?
How do you exhaust the furnace, which gets VERY hot, with a cover on the rv?


...the part on the exhaust is not covered of course...

[jxnbbl]

Remember to ensure that the drainage for the refrigerator is working....another source of water.

[dutchmensport]

What do you use to clean the mold?

Bleach water.

If the mold is just on the surface, Mr. Clean Magic Eraser works great. There is a chemical in the Eraser that helps retard new growth of mold. They work fantastic on your camper awning for this very reason.

[sourdough]

I like Star brite mold and mildew remover. Works great, comes in a spray bottle or gallon. The only thing is my black hooded sweatshirt and the spray didn't get along too well when I was cleaning the awning. It did however give me a new splotched, tie dye look from the bleach spots all over the sweatshirt that came from the dripping solution.:lol:

[JRTJH]

Bleach water.

If the mold is just on the surface, Mr. Clean Magic Eraser works great. There is a chemical in the Eraser that helps retard new growth of mold. They work fantastic on your camper awning for this very reason.

We found out after Katrina that bleach water (chlorine) is not an effective agent against mold. It will "kill" the surface mold, but the "roots" remain unaffected. If used at a strength sufficient to "kill the roots" bleach will also destroy the surface of the wood to which it's applied.....

There are a number of "mold treatments" available to not only treat the surface mold, but that also "work under the surface" to destroy the underlying mold contamination. Many of them are a combination of several chemicals, one of which is acetic acid, 4-8% (think distilled white vinegar).

We found that full strength white vinegar works much better than diluted chlorine (diluted sufficiently to not cause discoloration of the surface).

I've got no experience with Mr Clean Eraser to treat mold. It works very well to remove surface contaminates, but I've never used it to treat "established mold" so I can't comment on that product as a means to stop/prevent mold growth.

Anyway, IMHO, bleach water is a surface treatment that removes mold, but it's not well suited to stop/prevent the underlying problem. YMMV

[travelin texans]

...the part on the exhaust is not covered of course...

Curious!
Are you using a designated rv cover or just a tarp over the roof.
With a rv cover you'll have to cut/alter the cover somehow for a couple feet above the exterior part of the furnace to keep it away from the furnace exhaust, which was the reason for my previous question.
If you're covering with a tarp, mostly just the roof, that's your mold/moisture issue.

[Hugo-H]

Curious!
Are you using a designated rv cover or just a tarp over the roof.
With a rv cover you'll have to cut/alter the cover somehow for a couple feet above the exterior part of the furnace to keep it away from the furnace exhaust, which was the reason for my previous question.
If you're covering with a tarp, mostly just the roof, that's your mold/moisture issue.


I use a designated rv cover...and the exterior part of the furnace, the exhaust, is free...
The roof vent, is always open little bit, to get more air circulation

[falcondan95705]

The Furnace ON will increase the humidity due to the temp difference between hot and cold..... I would use Clorox Bleach as it WILL kill the mold.. Personally, I would not worry about it... I have been under many homes with all different kinds of mold... No issues..

[skids]

The Furnace ON will increase the humidity due to the temp difference between hot and cold....

Air has more capacity to hold water when it is warmer, if it has a source. The relative humidity drops with heated air.

[falcondan95705]

Air has more capacity to hold water when it is warmer, if it has a source. The relative humidity drops with heated air.
In the winter time, with no heat in the rv, there is no fog on the windows...With the Heated air the windows get foggy.... Crack a few windows if you want to heater on.... A glass of water will not form condensation of a hot day.. Add Ice and the glass will get dripping wet... How air holds more more moisture...https://howthingsfly.si.edu/ask-an-explainer/how-it-warm-air-able-hold-more-water-vapour-cold-air#:~:text=A%3A%20Actually%2C%20air%20does%20not% 20hold%20water.%20Warm,of%20the%20energy%20level%2 0of%20the%20water%20particles.

[falcondan95705]

Air has more capacity to hold water when it is warmer, if it has a source. The relative humidity drops with heated air.
When there is COLD air, and Warm Air together.. Condensation Forms..Now, if you live in an area with high humidity, then the answer is a dehumidifier...I never have condensation with a warm car in warm weather, or a cold car in cold weather on the inside.. Add some people breathing and heat with no outside air circulation inside and whamo.. Fogged windows.Some areas of the Country just are plain humid.
.

[LV_Tom]

Here's a possible solution... move to the desert southwest... 115F plus 6% humidity works miracles on mold... (humor mode off)


2017 F-250 6.2 Gas 3.37 gears
2011 Cougar 27RLSWE trailer

[Hugo-H]

Here's a possible solution... move to the desert southwest... 115F plus 6% humidity works miracles on mold... (humor mode off)


2017 F-250 6.2 Gas 3.37 gears
2011 Cougar 27RLSWE trailer


...would love to... only one SMALL problem...distance between here and there is filled with a lot of water...:lol:

[Hugo-H]

Air has more capacity to hold water when it is warmer, if it has a source. The relative humidity drops with heated air.


Keystone recommends putting the furnace on...not too hot, but temp inside little higher then on the outside...and i combine the furnace with a dehumidifier...

[KeystoneKal]

On the three travel trailers I’ve owned there was an access panel right at the base of the shower or tub. This would give access to the drain and any pipes under the tub or shower.

[JRTJH]

The Furnace ON will increase the humidity due to the temp difference between hot and cold..... I would use Clorox Bleach as it WILL kill the mold.. Personally, I would not worry about it... I have been under many homes with all different kinds of mold... No issues..

You might want to take a look at what the "Professionals who remove mold for a living" have to say about using bleach: https://www.servicemaster-restoration-cleaning.com/mold-myths/

The first three sentences of the article, (under "Do not use bleach") pretty much explain why.

[JRTJH]

On the three travel trailers I’ve owned there was an access panel right at the base of the shower or tub. This would give access to the drain and any pipes under the tub or shower.

The OP's tub has an access panel. It's shown in the photo he posted in post #1 in this thread.....

[Hugo-H]

On the three travel trailers I’ve owned there was an access panel right at the base of the shower or tub. This would give access to the drain and any pipes under the tub or shower.


I know...it's just next to the entrance door, on the tub....the hole though is about 3" in diameter... I can hardly see the drain of the tub...but the mold at the outer wall is at the opposite site of the tub...so access is impossible...
On the pic you can see I took the cover of the access off already, but this is at the left side of the tub...outer wall is at the right side of the tub.

[hazmat456]

The Furnace ON will increase the humidity due to the temp difference between hot and cold..... I would use Clorox Bleach as it WILL kill the mold.. Personally, I would not worry about it... I have been under many homes with all different kinds of mold... No issues..

Bleach DOES NOT kill mold, it just makes it mad. Bleach also will not penetrate wood products. The cellulose will absorb the water and the bleach will remain on the surface. It is probably the worst thing to use as it gives a false sense of accomplishment.