window opened

valhalla360 wrote:

Healeyman wrote:

TucsonJim wrote:

Harvard wrote:
The open window may cause the water traps in the sinks and shower to burp foul odours.

I'd sure like to understand the scientific reasoning behind this comment.

It's called Bernoulli's Principle. (Google it)

As a vehicle moves through the air, the air moving past the sides/walls of the vehicle create a partial vacuum and will draw air out of the vehicle through any opening.

Evidence of this is that smokers usually slightly open a car window to draw the smoke out of the cabin.

If inside air is being sucked out of an otherwise sealed RV, air will be drawn in through any opening that is of a higher pressure, such as the waste tank vent pipe on the top of the RV.

In it's journey to get to the open side window, the sucked-in air will travel through the waste tank(s) and bubble through the sink and shower "P" traps and into the RV.

In MY RV, when a window is partially open, the door in the vent hood over the stove rattles like the dickens.

Tim

Nice theory but unlikely to have the proposed end result.
- Your vent pipe has the same principal pulling on the other side.
- The pressure difference would have to be fairly dramatic to clear the P-trap.

Reality is as long as it's not a dusty road, there should be no harm and likely not noticeable MPG change.

Assuming the open window area is significantly larger then the vent cross sectional area:

The thought that the vent pipe has the same (but opposite) pressure exerted from the other side would imply that a 3 square foot sail surface on a sail boat has the same propelling force as a 36 square foot sail surface in the same wind. IMO