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Dust in our trailer

BhastingsBhastings Member Posts: 16
edited June 2023 in Trailer & Towing
We bought a 2019 T@b 400 Boondock lite, took it down a gravel road for 10 miles at 25 mph and found abundant dust in our trailer...on everything! No windows or vents were left open. On the way out, we duct taped all exposed vents and AC vent...only to find more dust in our trailer. We returned our trailer to the dealer to be inspected and fixed. Picked it up this past weekend and drove it down a dirt road 2 miles at 15 mph...still dust in the interior. What is going on?  This is a "Boondock package".  What's the point. Not worth the price. Anyone else experience the same. Friends own a trailer half the price and have never experienced this. They also drove down the same road we did this weekend. HELP. Should we get a refund?

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  • Sharon_is_SAMSharon_is_SAM Administrator Posts: 9,740
    Are you sure your windows were completely closed or are they on the first closure point?
    Sharon / 2017 T@B CSS / 2015 Toyota Sienna Minivan / Westlake, Ohio
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  • ChanWChanW Member Posts: 3,161
    Are there vents in the 400 similar to the vents for the 3-way fridge in the Tab 320?

    In our 320, there's a vent in the floor under the fridge, and one in the wall next to the fridge. Both are open to the outdoors, and into the interior living space. I could imagine road dust coming in those vents, so we cover them when on the road.

    Don't know if the 400 has similar...
    Chan  -  near Buffalo NY
    2014 S Maxx
    2011 Tacoma 4cyl ... edit: 2022 Tacoma 6cyl - oh yeah! 

     A_Little_T@b'll_Do_Ya
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  • pthomas745pthomas745 Moderator Posts: 3,956
    I've been on dusty roads, and even with the vent under the fridge unplugged, there has been no "dust" to speak of.

    @Sharon_is_SAM mentioned the window "vent", but I seem to remember some 400's had doors that were not aligned properly.  Maybe a gap there?

    Or, driving with the fan cover open?

    2017 Outback
    Towed by 2014 Touareg TDi
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  • BhastingsBhastings Member Posts: 16
    pthomas745 said:
    I've been on dusty roads, and even with the vent under the fridge unplugged, there has been no "dust" to speak of.

    @Sharon_is_SAM mentioned the window "vent", but I seem to remember some 400's had doors that were not aligned properly.  Maybe a gap there?

    Or, driving with the fan cover open?


    No fan cover open
    I'm in Eastern California...we have more dirt roads than paved!

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  • BhastingsBhastings Member Posts: 16
    ChanW said:
    Are there vents in the 400 similar to the vents for the 3-way fridge in the Tab 320?

    In our 320, there's a vent in the floor under the fridge, and one in the wall next to the fridge. Both are open to the outdoors, and into the interior living space. I could imagine road dust coming in those vents, so we cover them when on the road.

    Don't know if the 400 has similar...
    I will check, definitely coming in from underneath near wheel well and 2-way fridge.
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  • BhastingsBhastings Member Posts: 16
    Sharon_is_SAM said:
    Are you sure your windows were completely closed or are they on the first closure point?
    Yes, we always close windows full stop! I don't understand why there is that option.
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  • Sharon_is_SAMSharon_is_SAM Administrator Posts: 9,740
    The extra window stop is to allow ventilation and security - like at night when you just need some air flow to prevent condensation.
    Sharon / 2017 T@B CSS / 2015 Toyota Sienna Minivan / Westlake, Ohio
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  • HomebodyatheartHomebodyatheart Member Posts: 2,511
    @ChanW from 2017 on when they reconfigured the Norcold with fins on the right and both vents on the passenger side they sealed that floor vent underneath the fridge. That’s one sure way to get an idea of the trailer year. Mid-2016 they moved one circular front vent to the rectangular vent on the passenger side I believe. My 2017, built last quarter of 2016 is the new layout and love it! It also eliminated the heated counter surface problem of older models.  I am clueless about the 400 systems though. :)
    2017 T@B 320 Max S silver and cherry red, L@dybug ("Bug" aka my esc@pe pod), TV 2015 Toyota Highlander aka Big Red
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  • jkjennjkjenn Member Posts: 6,394
    I would.make sure that you are getting a good deal on your door. Some have said their doors needed to be adjusted on the 400 and if the deal is a little off, you could be letting in a lot of dust.

    2021 T@b 320 Boondock "Mattie Ross" | 2021 T@b Nights: 239 | Total nights in a T@b 455 | 2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee L Overland | T@b owner since 2014

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  • lkc001lkc001 Member Posts: 873
    I have a 2017 320s & I still have the vent under the fridge plus 2 round vents on the front of the trailer plus one rectangular vent behind the door.  I get a little dust sometimes but it is contained to that little cabinet & doesn’t come into the trailer.  Sounds like you have something else going on there that the dealer needs to find & fix.
    2018 Tab 400
    2016 Nissan Frontier SV 4x4 Crew Cab
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  • lkc001lkc001 Member Posts: 873
    @pthomas745  How do you plug up that vent when you travel?
    2018 Tab 400
    2016 Nissan Frontier SV 4x4 Crew Cab
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  • ChanWChanW Member Posts: 3,161
    edited July 2019
    We use one of those round flat rubber kitchen drain 'plugs' with a frying pan on top... (Also put one on top of the shower drain, to slow evaporation, and keep the smell of antifreeze out of the sleeping space in winter). Standard old-tyme hardware store fare...
    lkc001 said:
    @pthomas745  How do you plug up that vent when you travel?

    Chan  -  near Buffalo NY
    2014 S Maxx
    2011 Tacoma 4cyl ... edit: 2022 Tacoma 6cyl - oh yeah! 

     A_Little_T@b'll_Do_Ya
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  • N7SHG_HamN7SHG_Ham Member Posts: 1,261
    I have never seen a trailer stay completely clean on dirt/gravel. Assuming you have everything closed tight, best way is go slow, real slow. Not only does it keep the dust creation down, it also keeps from beating the front of the trailer with the sandblast effect.
    2019 T@B 400 Boondock Lite
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  • pthomas745pthomas745 Moderator Posts: 3,956
    @lkc001 , I don't do anything to the vent specifically.  I think the first few trips I noticed a little dust down there, but as the trailer filled with "stuff" it hasn't been a problem.  I store boxes of trash bags/storage containers/dustpans, etc., and I suppose those are doing a good job as a "plug."
    2017 Outback
    Towed by 2014 Touareg TDi
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  • lkc001lkc001 Member Posts: 873
    @pthomas745 So then when you get there do you move everything so that vent is not blocked or do you just run the fridge and it still cools OK?
    2018 Tab 400
    2016 Nissan Frontier SV 4x4 Crew Cab
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  • lkc001lkc001 Member Posts: 873
    @ChanW  So do you remove the plug when you get there or does that vent really help the fridge?
    2018 Tab 400
    2016 Nissan Frontier SV 4x4 Crew Cab
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  • pthomas745pthomas745 Moderator Posts: 3,956
    The vent under my fridge just is...there.  The fridge is three inches or so above it, there is plenty of air space on the left side of the fridge where different cables/etc move into the fridge.  I've tested that vent with both of the fans on (the manual one and the one that comes on at 85 degrees or so) and can find no "draw" in that hole at all.  There was conjecture about whether NuCamp was considering an aux fan there, or was just "testing" an idea and just used up the panels with the hole.  But I can't see whether, covered or uncovered, it makes any difference.  Except for the possibility of dust, of course.
    2017 Outback
    Towed by 2014 Touareg TDi
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  • VernaVerna Member Posts: 6,878
    Since the since the original poster (OP) was referring to a T@B 400, I do have some dust in the cabinet next to the refrigerator on my 400. I plan on checking out the wheel well in the cabinet when I get home as I do have dust around the canned goods. 

    I have not checked the other side in the closet “basement”, although it had dust on top of the converter when I looked before I took it in for upgrades at üCamp19. 
    Verna, Columbus, IN
    2021 T@B 320S  Boondock “The T@B”
    Towed by a white 2019 Ford F-150 4x4 Supercab, 3.5L V6 Ecoboost “The Truck”
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  • TNOutbackTNOutback Member Posts: 633
    @Bhastings sounds like you may be answering your own question if you are seeing an abundance of dust inside around the wheel well in the area near the 400’s two-way refrigerator.  I wonder if the gaps around the wheel well and the trailer’s floors and/or walls were not properly sealed during its assembly.  I seem to recall some assembly line construction videos posted by “The Air Force Guy” showing that seams in the trailer floor were taped where they join.  I have to wonder if something was missed on your unit?
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  • lkc001lkc001 Member Posts: 873
    @pthomas745 Thanks so much for that information— I had not yet seen where anyone had actually tested to see if air was really being drawn through that vent— great info!
    2018 Tab 400
    2016 Nissan Frontier SV 4x4 Crew Cab
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  • mrericmreric Member Posts: 154
    check the seal at the door
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  • ChanWChanW Member Posts: 3,161
    Yes I (usually) uncover it when we stop, but I'm not too concerned about it.

    I added a few baffles in the space around the fridge, to try to direct the cooling air more toward the fins, and away from the countertop. It was described in a thread in the Yahoo group. Maybe in the 'Files'. But that's all 320 stuff...
    Chan  -  near Buffalo NY
    2014 S Maxx
    2011 Tacoma 4cyl ... edit: 2022 Tacoma 6cyl - oh yeah! 

     A_Little_T@b'll_Do_Ya
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  • jgram2jgram2 Member Posts: 1,522
    When it’s dark out, shine a light around inside your 400 and look at the light leaks all around your trailer from the outside. Don’t forget the top and bottom too. Take photos for reference if you can turn off the flash.
    John, Judi, Guinness & OD in PDX
    T@Bit@t 2015 S Max Outback, ‘18 V6 4Runner 


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  • BhastingsBhastings Member Posts: 16
    TNOutback said:
    @Bhastings sounds like you may be answering your own question if you are seeing an abundance of dust inside around the wheel well in the area near the 400’s two-way refrigerator.  I wonder if the gaps around the wheel well and the trailer’s floors and/or walls were not properly sealed during its assembly.  I seem to recall some assembly line construction videos posted by “The Air Force Guy” showing that seams in the trailer floor were taped where they join.  I have to wonder if something was missed on your unit?
    Thanks! I'll check it out.  I have already returned my trailer once to the dealer with this issue. It appears they have not solved the problem.  So I will look for the video you reference and return again with that information. Yes, I too feel like this unit missed some inspections.  Not what I expected for the $$.  
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  • BhastingsBhastings Member Posts: 16
    edited July 2019
    We had our 2019 TAB 400 repaired by our dealer, using expandable foam to close any openings in the trailer floor.  We took our trailer down a dirt road at 15 mph for 1.5 miles and here's what find in our storage compartments and in our trailer.   $32K for this?  Returning for refund and buying an R-POD for $15K!  
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  • lkc001lkc001 Member Posts: 873
    This happened AFTER the dealer said they fixed it?  (not that it should have happened at all).  You should send your pics & your story to Nucamp.
    2018 Tab 400
    2016 Nissan Frontier SV 4x4 Crew Cab
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  • CbusguyCbusguy Member Posts: 771
    that is a lot of dust and I would be less than happy.   I would be curious how it is getting in.....especially after your dealer corrected it.
    2009 GMC Canyon,   3.7 liter 
    2020 320s Boondock lite, With Lots of mods
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  • webers3webers3 Member Posts: 415
    Agree with @lkc001, NuCamp needs to know about this, this is not a dealer issue, this is either major design flaw or production issue. I would not accept this.
    2017 T@B 320S   2019 Jeep Cherokee - Southern Connecticut
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  • VernaVerna Member Posts: 6,878
    Do you keep your Fantastic Fan roof vent open and/or the bathroom roof vent open during travel?  Just curious...
    Verna, Columbus, IN
    2021 T@B 320S  Boondock “The T@B”
    Towed by a white 2019 Ford F-150 4x4 Supercab, 3.5L V6 Ecoboost “The Truck”
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  • BhastingsBhastings Member Posts: 16
    Verna said:
    Do you keep your Fantastic Fan roof vent open and/or the bathroom roof vent open during travel?  Just curious...
    Verna, obviously those were the first things checked. Please review the comment string
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