DUST
INGRESS
GAME-
CHANGER
Caravanning. It’s about memories,
exploration, adventure… and dust. Especially
if you’re towing your van on unmade roads.
That dust, as you know, gets in everywhere.
Caravans require specific vents and
openings to ensure gas emissions don’t
build up inside the caravan in case of a leak,
as well as to ensure adequate cooling of
certain appliances.
There are various devices available to
address the problem of dust ingress, from the
venerable pressure hatch to bilge blowers.
And now, Dometic has launched a product
that could be a game-changer in our quest
to keep dirt and dust out of our vans.
“The dual-function Dust Reduction System
(DRS) reduces dust entry by pressurising the
caravan with clean, filtered air when driving,
while a second air-path provides free-air
ventilation when stationary, thus replacing
the need for existing caravan upper wall
vents,” Dometic says.
There are no vents to open and close on
the DRS – once installed, this passive (non-
powered) system requires no further effort
on the part of the owner, aside from changing
the filter as required.
60 \
The filter will filter out dust particles below 10
microns and can be changed from inside the RV.
HOW DRS WORKS
According to Dometic, DRS uses the natural
airflow while the vehicle is moving to
pressurise the caravan and displace air. The
filtered air entering through the DRS creates
a constant flow of clean air pushing out of
the van’s various vents and openings, thus
preventing dust from entering.
“Without the DRS, a pressure differential is
created and dusty air is sucked through the
various openings and exits from locations
of low pressure. High turbulence around the
caravan from the towing vehicle also creates
oscillations in pressure, which can force dusty
air into any open vents or holes,” Dometic says.
The greatest hurdle when designing the
DRS, Dometic says, was the risk of rainwater
and insects entering through the system. To
overcome this, the DRS was designed with a
series of diversion features and channels to
extract water, dust, insects and debris before
they enter the main filter chamber.