By Gail Marsh
We recently removed our non-working RV refrigerator from our fifth wheel. As we worked, we noticed several mud dauber nests inside the compartment where the refrigerator rests. We cleared out the nests and thoroughly cleaned the entire area before installing a new fridge.
Now it makes sense
Once we discovered the wasp nests, I finally realized how wasps were accessing our RV’s interior. For the past two summers, I practically stood guard at our entry door, making sure no flying stingers made their way inside our rig.
No matter how diligent I was, we still had wasps buzzing around inside our RV. We could never figure out how they got inside! The flying buzzers obviously made nests inside the space behind the refrigerator and simply flew into our RV via the open area above the fridge!
Never again
It didn’t take much to convince my husband to order this pack of RV insect screens. We’d seen the screens on other RVs and somehow never thought to install our own!
Installing insect screens the easy way
We worked and worked to install the screens once they arrived. I wish we had known about this video for installing insect screens on RV vents beforehand. It would have been a big help when installing the screens on the fridge, water heater, and furnace vents. Check out the steps and tips and then protect your RV today by installing these screens as demonstrated in the video below.
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Have always installed on our RVs. Installed on the Water Heater and Furnace. On our previous MH I also had screens on the Refrigerator Vent.
In the South, insect screens are a must.
If you had an open space above the refrigerator from the rear to the inside that’s a major problem. With an RV electric/propane fridge the rear must be completely sealed from the front to keep propane fumes and heat out of the inside. That open space above the fridge also causes air flow and thus cooling problems. Seal it up. Many people take foam pipe insulation and wedge it into the gap and then cover it with HVAC high temperature aluminum tape.
“fumes” as in carbon monoxide, that is. Ours was open at the top and we had 79 PPM of CO inside because of that.
Thank you, Gail! 🙂 Enjoy your new refrigerator! 🙂 Congratulations on your discovery and solution to your winged interlopers! 🙂 Thanks, too, for the linked video! 🙂 Safe travels! 🙂
Before the advent of these screens, I took regular house screens and cut them to size for every opening on our trailer. Then I pressed and/or folded them to fit. Some I taped into place, some I used silicone caulk to hold in place. This always needed attention to keep everything in place, but it worked fine. Now I use these kits to block the pests from invading our ‘house’. As Tom mentioned, these screens are a must in the south!
Good article. Wish I’d seen it a year ago when I installed mine. How ever, the refrigerator screens will fit better when installed on the OUTSIDE.
I installed the screens on my previous RV. I was informed by the RV manufacturer tech’s during a rally if the appliance broke, they wouldn’t repair/replace it. They said that the screens restricted air flow, thus voided the warranty.
It seems like bugs shouldn’t be a big problem given that I decimate the population with my windshield everywhere I go….. at least it feels that way every morning before heading out.
Purchased a roll of vinyl screening for the refrigerator. By placing a single screen ‘INSIDE” the door, and cutting off the excess so it doesn’t show, the job is much easier. Years later still no problem
I have a question….why did the screens for the refrigerator vents not get placed on the outside of the vent sealing all those open edges that the plastic grid supports have if installed on inside surface? I have already done the screens on all of the vents with great results, including the refrigerator vent with the screens placed on the outside of the vents that sealed up nicely.
A tech told me to remove my wasp screens, and only install them in heavy insect country. They block air flow.