alphard smelling old

[Andrey]

What to do to get rid of that odor?     I put new interior filter already

[Rojie]

25 minutes ago, Andrey said:

What to do to get rid of that odour?     I put new interior filter already

 

You may need to run a dehumidifier for several hours to dry the van out.

Do you have a relative humidity meter? If so, measure the van.

Above 80 and you need to dry it out a bit.

 

With all the rain we are having lately the humidity will climb too high quite quickly.

 

Any signs of damp or green or black mould ?

Does your van suffer from condensation on the inside of the windows ?

 

We use lavender in the summer (as we grow loads of it).

 

You can lower the windows a little (and leave them open, to dry the van out; but only if the outside humidity is lower than that in your van !

[pipsyp]

A good option would be to lightly wet vac the seats (assuming they are cloth/alcantara) and the carpets, then let it dry out.

 

I use AutoGlym Autofresh spray on the carpets every now and then to give it a nice odour....doesnt last forever but the bottles about 500ml and goes quite a long way.

[Andrey]

It does not smell a lot when I just open the doors, it is start smelling more when the heater on.

Van was staying long at the auction yard till I got it recently. Dry inside, no visiable condensation or mold etc

I heard it may smell from AC evaporator.

 

[Rojie]

 

You should get a humidity meter. They are very cheap.

 

Hot/warm air will hold more moisture than colder air; so as your heater warms the van the warmer air will draw moisture into the air; probably from the carpets.

However, as the van cools down that warm moist air will condense on any cold glass; a condition you are not experiencing.

 

Perhaps it is your AC. I have several cars with AC and none have caused a smell.

 

When you run the AC do you get a small dribble of water under the van, you should, otherwise the drain may be blocked.

[Andrey]

3 hours ago, Rojie said:

 

You should get a humidity meter. They are very cheap.

 

Hot/warm air will hold more moisture than colder air; so as your heater warms the van the warmer air will draw moisture into the air; probably from the carpets.

However, as the van cools down that warm moist air will condense on any cold glass; a condition you are not experiencing.

 

Perhaps it is your AC. I have several cars with AC and none have caused a smell.

 

When you run the AC do you get a small dribble of water under the van, you should, otherwise the drain may be blocked.

Thank you. I got  few humidity meters in my cigars humidors so its not a problem and AC drain tube needs to be check. 

[pipsyp]

TBF if your AC is lacking gas or not working properly that won't help.  I'd run it up and just set it to very low and make sure it blows nice and cold.  If not it might need regassing, have a leak or may not be functioning properly.

 

If it is working, but a decent AC cleaner (they come as an aerosol that you set off and lock and leave it running with the AC on recirculate for a good while - that should get rid of any germs which might be causing the smell.

 

I'll be honest, I make a habit of getting my AC regassed every 2 to 3 years and probably run a cleaner through it at least once per year as a matter of course.  Also AC does have a propensity to fail if it isn't used frequently, so for that reason I pretty much run it permanently in any car I have.

[starider]

I agree with Rojie,a dehumidifier is the way I keep my camper fresh and dry inside[for just a few hours now and again],we also have a dehumidifier permanently working[on a timer] in our touring caravan while it's here at home. It's amazing how much water is collected over several days. We also have one in the main house and one in our cottage[both on timers] which filter out the moisture.

[Andrey]

5 hours ago, pipsyp said:

TBF if your AC is lacking gas or not working properly that won't help.  I'd run it up and just set it to very low and make sure it blows nice and cold.  If not it might need regassing, have a leak or may not be functioning properly.

 

If it is working, but a decent AC cleaner (they come as an aerosol that you set off and lock and leave it running with the AC on recirculate for a good while - that should get rid of any germs which might be causing the smell.

 

I'll be honest, I make a habit of getting my AC regassed every 2 to 3 years and probably run a cleaner through it at least once per year as a matter of course.  Also AC does have a propensity to fail if it isn't used frequently, so for that reason I pretty much run it permanently in any car I have.

Which one should I buy?  They are expensive just to have for  try

[Rojie]

They are not cheap.

 

I have three, living so close to the coast.

All mine are Meaco, a brand I can recommend.

 

Before buying anything, any brand, you could read the Meaco site as it has some good background information.

 

Don't buy one just for the van.

Ensure the one you buy, if you do, is suitable for your house.

 

My recommendation would be a compressor version (not the desiccant type (although I have one of those too)).

 

The compressor versions, imho, are much more suited to homes, and it will work well in your van.

Not cheap, but your home will benefit from it, and it can dry your laundry much cheaper than a tumble dryer !

[Alphard Club]

i would get a AC bomb and run it through your system

I would also use AirVidox ( https://airvidox.com/ ) which is a potent odour eliminator, can get rid of dog smell or tobacco and other nasty niffs, basically you mix the 2 compounds and leave overnight in the car, then air out car totally. many car dealers use it to get rid of smells from used cars.
 

if you get the fragrance be careful not to spray and sniff.. its very concentrated. so use little bit on car first.

[Andrey]

2 hours ago, Alphard Club said:

i would get a AC bomb and run it through your system

I would also use AirVidox ( https://airvidox.com/ ) which is a potent odour eliminator, can get rid of dog smell or tobacco and other nasty niffs, basically you mix the 2 compounds and leave overnight in the car, then air out car totally. many car dealers use it to get rid of smells from used cars.
 

if you get the fragrance be careful not to spray and sniff.. its very concentrated. so use little bit on car first.

Maybe worth to try for this money, thanks!

I had cigarette smell in Elgrand I was importing from Japan few years back and tried many ways to get rid of it, deep clean all interior including seiling, used different types of  odor removers but smell always come back. Sold it and imported another one without smell. ))

[John Harrison]

Hi. When we got our 2008 Vellfire about 2 years ago there was a smell coming from both Aircon units.

We were recommended to use Air conditioner smoke bombs to flush the air systems out.

I think we bought them from Halfords. Not sure of the price (think about £9 each) but set them going in the car and leave for a few hours. Once we returned, the car smelt great and had no trouble since.

They recommend doing it every so often,  or if a smell developes.

Hope this is a help?

 

John Harrison. Wallasey, Wirral.

[Andrey]

I've  drop the humidor meter 6am in the morning and got it back 6pm, it shows 80%.     what does it means?

[Rojie]

It means there is a lot of (invisible) moisture in your van.

 

Was it raining all day ?

Was it raining at 6pm ?

 

Unless your 'meter' is a recording device the reading you obtained was that for 6pm.

[Andrey]

13 minutes ago, Rojie said:

It means there is a lot of (invisible) moisture in your van.

 

Was it raining all day ?

Was it raining at 6pm ?

 

Unless your 'meter' is a recording device the reading you obtained was that for 6pm.

I took from home with 60% on it. yes light rain for whole day...    The smell defo coming out from the air ducts, no smell when AC ON at all, fresh and nice.

[Rojie]

2 hours ago, Andrey said:

I took from home with 60% on it. yes light rain for whole day...    The smell defo coming out from the air ducts, no smell when AC ON at all, fresh and nice.

 

60% in your home is, imho, very good; not too dry, but certainly not too moist.

 

It would seem that the suggestion from other members of using a 'air bomb' is the way to go.

 

With an RH of 80% I respectfully suggest a dehumidifying session, once in a while, is worthwhile.

80 % will probably leave fabrics feeling cold and somewhat damp.

 

I cannot explain why, but even with all windows closed the humidity in your van will climb on wet days and fall lower on dry days, with or without using a dehumidifier !

[smurf]

The vehicle isn't perfectly sealed and air is able to readily migrate from inside to outside, so the relative humidity will change with weather. Changing temperature will also change relative humidity as RH is a measure of the humidity in the air relative to the maximum it can hold. Colder air can hold less moisture than hot, so as the air temperature drops the RH will rise but the actual amount of moisture in the air is exactly the same. Then there is dewpoint to contend with, but that's a different problem. 

 

The smell is most likely your AC condenser inside the car as these end wet when they cool the air below it's dewpoint, and then become a breeding ground for bacteria that smells. Get a "bomb" to deal with it, as has been suggested, as they are inexpensive and affective. There should be absolutely no need to run a dehumidifier in a vehicle that is in regular use as it is getting heated up when used and there are huge air changes forced by the interior fan. If that isn't keeping moisture at bay then there is likely a leak that needs finding and fixing. A vehicle parked up outside in winter and out of use would probably benefit from something to deal prevent problems caused by moisture, but that could just be moisture absorbing crystals. 

 

I've used this in a work van that smelt like a pack of wet dogs and it worked wonders https://www.halfords.com/motoring/engine-oils-and-fluids/air-con/a%2Fc-pro-auto-air-con-cleaner-538198.html

[Rojie]

 

Thanks Richard for the above. It's all very interesting.

 

I have tried moisture absorbing crystals in my camper van parked outside and not run even every week.

The crystals are just 'overwhelmed' by the volume of the van and the amount of water vapour; hence my dehumidifying two or three times during the winter.

 

I didn't buy a dehumidifier for my van; I just use one of the ones I already have for the house, garage and workshop.