Draught in Burford 18 reg.

Hi.
Does anyone suffer with a bad draught from the cab area when sitting in the lounge,it cuts across your lower limbs and is rather cold.Many thanks.
Mark.

Do you have the cab vents on re-circulation setting?  This can help.

A silver screen could be the answer if you don’t already use one when it’s cold.

Caraman wrote:A silver screen could be the answer if you don’t already use one when it’s cold.

Quite agree. It makes a huge difference, but do get an exterior one. The interior ones are nowhere near as effective and they do not prevent condensation.

I prefer the Taylor Made screen covers, but Silver Screen are OK. Not quite as thickly insulated though.

Ours is a Taylor Made as well.  Good quality and fits well.

Could it be simply air movement from the colder cab area to the warmer central area of the van ? We had this problem with our Bessacarr. 

An external silver screen helped a lot but, much more effective- though only on hook up- was a small oil filled radiator or fan heater in the cab area.

We also found, after a heads up from a forum, that the two cab doors in some Fiat models ( X250s in our case) were completely uninsulated and did not even have a sheet of polythene preventing cold draughts coming through via door handles. Taking the internal door panels off and adding foam insulation and a sheet of bubble wrap was worth doing.

Hi.
We have noticed a draught comes through the fridge vents and out around the sides of the fridge. This only happens when very windy and the van is side on to the wind.

Cheers

naki585 wrote:Hi.
We have noticed a draught comes through the fridge vents and out around the sides of the fridge. This only happens when very windy and the van is side on to the wind.

Cheers

My van is the same , winter fridge vent covers help ,also the microwave outside vent is a source of drafts

Thank you everyone for your tips.Does anyone think that the cold from the windscreen causes the draught.If so I will definitely invest in a screen cover.Does anyone have the Taylor made web site.

Many thanks
Mark.

Markey717 wrote:Thank you everyone for your tips.Does anyone think that the cold from the windscreen causes the draught.If so I will definitely invest in a screen cover.Does anyone have the Taylor made web site.

Many thanks
Mark.

Yes. If the air in the cab is colder than the air in the rest of the van- and, with a single glazed windscreen and side windows it will be- then you will get air movement from cab to lounge, ie draughts.

You will be pleasantly surprised by how much difference a silverscreen ( external) makes.

Molly3 wrote:

naki585 wrote:Hi.
We have noticed a draught comes through the fridge vents and out around the sides of the fridge. This only happens when very windy and the van is side on to the wind.

Cheers

My van is the same , winter fridge vent covers help ,also the microwave outside vent is a source of drafts

We had this problem too, where there was a terrible draught blowing in from around the fridge. The problem was a poorly fitted fridge, which hadn’t been sealed properly. All sorted now under warranty. No draughts, with covers on or off. Even if side on to the wind.

Hi
Thank you for your tips.I now have to make a decision on either silver screen or Taylormade who is the best product?
Thanks again.
Mark.

Markey717 wrote:Hi
Thank you for your tips.I now have to make a decision on either silver screen or Taylormade who is the best product?
Thanks again.
Mark.

We’ve had both and nothing to choose on quality that we can see. What you might like to check is which firm make the slightly longer screen that covers the air vents and scuttle below the windscreen, whether you want to go for one that covers half the bonnet as well, whether you want a drop down panel over the windscreen that allows daylight without taking off the whole screen and so on. I don’t know if it is still available but one on them had a mesh area when the padded panel was dropped: a nuisance to see through but excellent for stopping the whole thing shifting in the wind when the padded panel is dropped.

Ask about delivery timing too: is the one you want in stock or how long will it take before you get it .

We chose the Taylormade earlier this year.  We didn't go for the slightly longer one that covers the vents as we were concerned at the time about the room it was going to take up in the locker.  We needn't have worried as when we take it with us, which is only when we expect it to be cold, it lives in its sausage shaped bag in the shower where there is plenty of room.  The shower is a good place to store it when it is wet which it can be sometimes.  Although we have the standard rather than long length version, the front screen drops down in the day time so we can see out.  It doesn't bother us that we can't see out of the side windows.

We have had both makes, both are good but on balance we would definitely recommend the TaylorMade which is what we currently have. 

We have the one that covers the scuttle which keeps out water, leaves etc. and also eliminates draughts through the air vents. It comes in three parts which makes it easier to fit - you first put on the two side door sections then attach the front which has a good wide Velcro strip down each side.  This also allows the flexibility of folding the top down to allow light/view in the day without removing completely (we didn't bother with a mesh).  

It also came with two elastic straps having a Velcro pad one end and a plastic clip the other; these attach to a matching Velcro strip running along the inside of the bottom of the from panel. which stops it lifting or flapping in the wind. It also came with two square pads, plastic one side and Velcro the other with a magnet inside, which attach to a Velcro strip inside the side panels so the magnet holds them against the door, again preventing them flapping in the wind.

Little design features like these are the icing on the cake and show practical understanding of their use. 

The TM are thicker than the SS which I believe gives better insulation.  Although this may make them seem bulkier, in practice I find that you can slowly roll them up quite tightly, allowing the air inside to escape, before packing them away in the supplied bag.  When you remove them, give them a quick shake and a few minutes to recover their full thickness before fitting.

Just been for a brisk walk along Hayling Beach, wind blowing a near gale, also inside the van. Vent behind microwave is the problem, not sure if this just for microwave or general gas safety.
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Richard

The standard length Taylormade seems almost identical to the extra long one, the main difference being that the long one fits over the windscreen scuttle whereas the standard one stops just below the bottom of the glass windscreen and held in place by the wipers.  I judged that a draught coming through the air vents could be rectified by closing the vents and changing to air recirculation, leaves and other debris in the scuttle could be cleared by hand as required and any extra insulation a longer fit might provide would not be significant when the cab doors and floor have such little insulation.

PLOUGHLIN wrote:Each gas appliance will have a gas drop vent below it to allow any escaped gas to exit the vehicle. The vent at microwave only supplies air to the back of the microwave, and might be dispensable, depending on the gaps around being enough to let air from the front.

Thanks, If it becomes a real problem, I will look at covering the Microwave vent as we very rarely use it, when we do it is in summer when I hope any wind will be warm
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Richard

I cover the microwave vent  with tape  as a temp fix

Molly3 wrote:I cover the microwave vent  with tape  as a temp fix

Good idea,
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Richard

Caraman wrote:The standard length Taylormade seems almost identical to the extra long one, the main difference being that the long one fits over the windscreen scuttle whereas the standard one stops just below the bottom of the glass windscreen and held in place by the wipers.  I judged that a draught coming through the air vents could be rectified by closing the vents and changing to air recirculation, leaves and other debris in the scuttle could be cleared by hand as required and any extra insulation a longer fit might provide would not be significant when the cab doors and floor have such little insulation.

I'd say you are spot on Caraman, and I have both models.

The extra long one is a pain in the backside in comparison to the short one. It needs elastic straps to hold it down over the bonnet, and if you want to lower it in daylight it just flaps in the breeze as the wipers are permanently underneath. Our long one is relegated to use at home, where it is handy for keeping the detritus out of the scuttle.

The short one goes on far more easily, and the wipers hold it in place, as you say. If you lower it during the day it can be folded and tucked under the wipers to secure it, in even quite a strong wind. Far more convenient for use when touring.