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That red Utah dust is nasty around electrical stuff due to the very high iron oxide content - it is conductive, to a degree. After spending a week around Moab my truck was overwhelmed with it, and a year later I had to fix some badly corroded wire splices at the trailer wiring, due, I suspect, to moisture over the winter turning the red dust to a conductive mud. This is a great reason to always use heat shrink splices (environmental ones), for any connection outside the dry areas of the body. Lizard tracks in the dust on my back bumper...... White Rim Road, Canyonlands, East part.... I do love that place! Click for really big picture. Why are the rocks red? http://files.geology.utah.gov/online/pdf/pi-77.pdf John Davies Spokane WA

My approach with my May Ollie will be: Use a Stone Stomper gravel guard. It reportedly really cuts down on the dust problem by blocking much of the big low pressure gap between truck and the front of the trailer. Not to mention blocking nearly all of the thrown rocks. If that isn't enough, I'll fabicate filters or external covers for the side vents, and maybe add a filter to the roof vent as is being discussed here and run the fan in reverse. The air up top should be pretty clean, until you roll to a stop, at least. Off-road trucks and Jeeps often use snorkles for this very reason. A dust seperator mounted on top of an intake pipe, with a small dc fan drawing in air through an automotive airbox with an inexpensive paper filter, should be _very_ effective. You could mount it in the top of the closet, if you didn't mind losing some shelf space. But maybe it would not be needed.... https://www.donaldson.com/en/engine/filters/products/air-intake/accessories/pre-cleaners.html I started a thread about this topic at Expedition Portal - http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/153642-Fabricating-a-powered-dust-filtration-system I drive on Idaho NFS roads and they can be horribly dusty by the middle of the summer. BTW, There is an earlier thread here about dust but nobody contributed. I am very glad that the topic is getting discussed now - thanks! John Davies Spokane WA

The Fiamma Privacy Room is now set up. It's gonna be a real bitch to un-attach it when we need to take the trailer into town to dump. The modifications to the rafters involved drilling an extra hole to accommodate the straight vertical pole against the side of a curved Oliver. The new hole is about 1.25 inches away from the original. I first drilled a small pilot hole and then enlarged it to 5/16th inch. There are two layers of aluminum to drill through. The pilot hole will keep the larger drill bit from wanting to wander all around. The new hole will allow the pole to be placed in a perfectly vertical position without touching the side of the trailer.

I'm starting some preliminary planning for a western trip in May-June. Last time I made this trip it was in a stick built trailer, and the dust intrusion was HORRENDOUS. Had to completely empty it a couple of times to get it clean enough to sleep in after some treks down long, dry dirt roads. For those who have travelled down similar roads in their Oliver, I'm wondering what to expect for dust intrusion, (I'm hoping and assuming minimal in the living compartment at least), and what you may have done to mitigate it. Thanks.

Don't get me wrong, it is a very nice add on to our trailer. Yes, it does take some effort to set it up and, at about 65 pounds, it is heavy so there are weight concerns in just taking it along with you. Set up is not long nor laborious, however, it would be difficult for one person to do alone. Because of the modifications that I was doing yesterday and the photos that I took as I went along, we probably spent over two hours setting it up. If you look at the video from Fiamma it appears to take the couple only about 20 minutes, and once you get the hang of it, I think that time would be accurate. The most time consuming aspect is staking out all the hold downs along the bottom both inside and out. This is actually the first time we have ever done that but due to the unpredictable winds that we might encounter here, I felt it was a good idea. After doing so the walls are taut and I am confident it could withstand a pretty good blow. Here in the desert outside of Quartzsite, though the temperature is only going up into the low 70s, the sun is unrelenting and sitting in the room it is noticeably cooler than standing outside.

Thanks for the measurements. When I gat some time this afternoon, I'll see if I can find anything. I think that a temporary solution like taping a filter to the ceiling is surely good enough. Personally, I'd like to find something that I can leave up permanently. Not only will it be easier to deal with, but I don't think that the fan itself is particularly attractive anyway.

Here is a link to good quality pleated furnace filters at a great factory direct price. I have used them for many years in my home. They offer thinner, dual media filters (coarse pre-filter and fine electrostatic filter with one internal frame). They make a 14 x 14 x 1/2 for specialty applications like RVs, and all their filters are undersized from the named size by half an inch around the outside (thickness is true), so there you go! You're welcome! It should fit with no trimming. "Nordic Pure is very proud of this exciting product that we offer in most all sizes! The Half Inch AC Furnace Air Filter gives our customers the best of both worlds. The first layer has a high capacity, which means it will capture and hold large air particles. This feature prolongs the life of the air filter and enables the second, more efficient, layer to capture the smaller air particles. Half Inch AC Furnace Air Filters are especially great for apartments, campers, boats, buses, RVs, AC and heater window units, and any air system that requires half inch (1/2") air filters." The higher the MERV rating of the filter, the better - a higher number traps smaller particles - but it will clog more quickly and work the fan harder as it gets dirty. I think you might need to experiment with different versions, but I would pick something in the middle of the range to start... The higher MERV filters do NOT restrict more when clean. https://nordicpure.com/AIR/item/14-x-14-x-12-Half-Inch-Air-Filter?ps=MSw2NzMx I wonder if a plugged up filter might overheat the fan? Will the dust destroy the fan bearings? How much is a replacement? A pull through design would be better for fan life. The filter will shed dust a little when you remove a dirty one, but it ought to be minimal due to the small size. If you were at home, you could have a running shop vac nearby to deal with spills. If you have a compressed air source on your TV or at home, you could turn on the vent in the normal exhaust direction and gently blow the filter. Much of the dirt should come off and exit onto the roof. How neat is that!? Cool, this looks promising. John Davies Spokane WA

John- Thanks for the link to the expedition portal thread...interesting and helpful info. Overland- The knob does turn when operation the Maxx Fan with the remote. There is 1/2" clearance between the knot and the outside of the flange. The knob is attached with a Phillips screw, so can be removed. There is 1" clearance between the screen and the outside of the flange. The outside of the flange is 15 - 5/16" square. The inside is not quite square, 13-1/2"x 13-7/16". BTW- After a storm with particularly heavy wind and rain for long duration, I noticed a very small amount of water on the basement floor. I mentioned it to Tommy when I was at the factory in October for some other upgrades, and they put an additional gasket around the rim of the door, pictured below. Since it's at the rear of the trailer and a likely place for dust intrusion, I'm glad it's on there. I don't recall if they are putting it on all new trailers or not.

I emailed Jason and the he said the manufacturer is working on new gaskets. Mine bleed whenever wet, rain or washing. I washed it a few days ago after our trip west (when I took the picture) and had to go around after drying and wipe off the black. I do not believe it is a matter of breaking in the rubber and I do not believe it will go away with time. The rubber is acting like it is already old and deteriorating. When I rub my finger across the gasket it is not smooth like you would expect new rubber to be. Mike

If you google for 'filter grille' then with a little research you should find something you like that will fit the maxx air. You can get anything from the standard stamped steel vents, to wood, or extruded aluminum. Just be sure to check both the vent size and flange size to make sure it will work. One for a 12" duct would probably work. I think you'd need 1.5"-2" clear depth for the grill and filter so to get that you might need to rig a spacer to hold the grill off the ceiling a bit. But the grills all fit standard 1" pleated filters which you can find most anywhere though 12 x 12 might be hard to find - never looked for one that small. You might even be able to squeeze in a thin electrostatic filter in with it. Something like this - https://www.priceindustries.com/products/details/80fh-filter - can be made to a custom size and looks like you could actually get 2" worth of filter in there. Probably deep enough to need a spacer I'd think, but it's a start. Actually, if someone will measure their vent I'll do some research myself since this sounds like a mod that I'll want to do. I'd need the inside clear dimensions, the outside dimensions of the existing flange, and the depth from the flange to the fan housing. I assume that it's ok to cover the controls since you'd have the remote. The little knob doesn't turn when the fan opens via the remote does it? If so, you'd have to be careful not to impede it with anything.

I stayed at Lone Rock Road in Glen Canyon Rec area for a week and drove Valley of the Gods Road (16 miles, fun) stayed a couple nights. While at Lake Powell there was a huge dust storm, this will wreak havoc, gets into the window seals and track and every crevice, buy not really inside until you open something. Driving the road, has the same affect. However, as noted earlier, the refrigerator vents are huge collectors of it all. I power washed it three times, at a local car wash, that week, red dust everywhere. I expected to vacuum quite a bit out of between the hulls, to protect the electronics, but found virtually nothing, including the areas even close to the weep holes. So yes, if you can fashion a filter to reverse the Maxx Air, you should really have no issue there.