That “New” RV Smell
Shopping for a new RV is exciting. Online research, visiting dealers’ lots, comparing floor plans, features, decor, and finally the day you make your decision and drive or pull that new baby home. So exciting! And there is that omnipresent new RV smell... wait... that smell is terrible!
If your eyes start watering and your nose starts burning it is likely a combination of noxious-smelling off-gassing of the materials used to build, seal, and finish your new trailer or motorhome. From plywood to particle board, from gasket materials to sealants, from the finish on those beautiful wood cabinets to the foam in the seats, most construction materials can release volatile organic compounds, or VOCs, and the level of VOCs can range from noticeable to annoying to dangerous. Coupled with the relatively small enclosed space of even the biggest baddest rig on the road, the smells can take some of the joy out of new RV ownership. But there is a simple way to not only rid your new camper of new construction smells, but keep those smells, and new ones that may crop up from time to time, at bay.
Enter the Rabbit Air Purifier. Powerful enough to be used in some of the most demanding commercial situations, quiet enough to run all night and never wake you, the Rabbit Air is a multi-award winning air purifier design with... hold on... six... yes, six, stages/methods of filtration. And the fourth stage is customizable when you place your order. You can get special fourth stage filters for germ defense, pet allergens, toxins, or odors. But let’s start from the front.
The first filter element removes larger dust, pet hair, pollen, dust mites, etc. The second, medium filter, removes 1 micron and larger particles including bacteria, mold, fungi, dander, and more pollen and dust. The third filter, the BioGS HEPA filter removes 99.97% of particles down to 0.3 microns, including cooking odors, exhaust fumes, and particles that can carry viruses. Then comes the special fourth “custom” filter, each one designed and manufactured to remove specific contaminants in the air. For example, the toxin absorbing filter is engineered specifically to remove VOCs and other chemicals from the air... see where I am heading now?
The fifth filter element is an activated carbon filter, but not like any other carbon stage filter you have ever seen. The thing is heavy and absolutely filled with carbon... this is not some cheap filter with a little carbon dust sprayed on... this thing has real activated carbon granules in individual small pockets covering the entire filter surface. A real activated carbon stage will remove greenhouse gases, tobacco smoke, VOCs, and... well... let’s call them “other” indoor odors.
Lastly, and this is critically important, the Rabbit Air system generates as its sixth filtration method, negative ions that assist tiny particles in sticking to the filters; and if any particles somehow do escape, they are much more likely to fall harmlessly to the floor rather than to continue floating in the air you breathe.
Our search for a new Motorhome was arduous, and in the end, we ordered new from the factory, through a local dealer. That meant that the coach would be “really” new, without the usual time spent on a dealer lot “airing out.” So within a day or two of ordering our coach, I ordered a new Rabbit Air Purifier to be used as soon as we got the rig home. This isn’t my first rodeo, so I know how new RVs can smell, and this isn’t my first experience with Rabbit Air. In truth, this is my seventh Rabbit Air unit.
That may sound extravagant, so I should explain. My first was for the house, and the difference it made in the indoor air quality was astounding. Perhaps that is understandable, since Rabbit Air purifiers are used extensively in high-end cigar bars (the unit has even appeared in the prestigious “Cigar Aficionado” magazine), in baby’s nurseries, in healthcare facilities, and in demanding industrial and residential settings all over the world. “New York” magazine calls it the “Mercedes of purifiers,” and the Wall Street Journal raved about not just its efficacy but also its appearance.
Based on the success in our house, I bought one to use in my separate woodworking shop building. Even though I have a high-end dust collection system, very fine sawdust escaped that system and the smells from applying finish to furniture were annoying. In the winter, unable to open a window, the air was downright noxious. I installed a Minus A2 Rabbit Air purifier on the first floor of my shop, and the problem was solved. Upstairs in my shop I have a coffee roasting machine where I indulge one of my other hobbies. The roaster is vented to the outside, but the residual smoke and fumes from the coffee roasting process would often leave me with a scratchy throat and a touch of a headache. After installing another Rabbit Air unit upstairs, the problem was fixed... permanently.
And so it goes. Eventually I bought a unit for my office upstairs in the house, another for the basement, and one specifically for the master bedroom. Were all these needed? Well, perhaps not, since the Minus A2 model can effectively filter air in a 700 or 815 square foot area, depending on the model you buy, but we cherish clean air. Perhaps now would be a good time to give you a few more specifications.
The units are rectangular in shape, measuring 20” tall, 21.4” wide, and 7” deep, and come with a stand and a wall mount, so you can choose where and how you would like to position the unit. Important for RVers, both units run on conventional 120 volt AC current and consume just 7 watts at their slowest speed and only 47 watts or 61 watts at the highest speed, depending on which size unit you opt for. And, trust me, these things are whisper-quiet thanks to their brushless DC motors. The 700 square foot model runs at just 20.8 to 45.6 dBA, and the 815 square foot model at 25.6 to 51.3 dBA from slowest to highest speed. At the lower settings, that’s roughly the same sound level as a whisper, and at the highest fan speed, that’s still way less than the volume of a normal conversation. Rabbit Air units are made in the U.S. and come with a 5 year warranty.
The controls are simple. There is an “auto” mode that will adjust air flow through the filter based on air pollutants sensed by the onboard air sampler. On “auto,” an ambient light sensor will put the unit into its lowest speed setting at night, so chances are, you will not even notice it running unless you put your hand over the air outlet and feel the breeze. At night the unit even dims its indicator lights, so nothing will interfere with your sleep. Of course you can run the unit in “manual” mode as well, and select the fan speed. You can even turn the ion generator on or off. A remote control is included. I didn’t opt for the feature, but Rabbit Air even has a model now that can be controlled from your smart phone through a Bluetooth connection.
You may be asking about now, “Why is this Rabbit Air unit so great?” Well, hang on, I’m gonna tell you! The first thing you will likely notice when you unpack the unit and load the filters into place (it’s easy and only takes a couple of minutes), is the build quality. The tolerances are tight. The filters fit snugly into a special filter tray, and that tray fits snugly into the unit... there is simply no way for unfiltered air to get around the filters and be blown back into your home or RV. So many other lesser-quality air filters filter a little air, but wind up missing a lot and stirring up the air and pollutants. I frankly can’t see how any air being pulled into the Rabbit Air can escape unfiltered. The air flow design brings in air from four directions around the front of the unit and exhausts the clean air out of the top. It is extremely efficient. And when you have loaded the filters and replace the cover, and the strong magnets grab it and hold it firmly in place, you will get a sense of just how well built this thing is. There is nothing done skimpy, or on the cheap. The power cord is a generous length, at just over 9’, and the 19.4 pound weight tells you, this is no toy. That wall mount I mentioned earlier? It’s steel.
The Rabbit Air Minus A2 sells for $549.95 for the 700 square foot model and $599.95 for the higher capacity 815 square foot unit. The units come standard in black or white, and for a small up charge, you can pick from one of several artistic/fun front cover designs. The price includes filters with your choice of custom filter, and U.S. shipping is free. It ain’t cheap, but what value do you place on breathing clean air? For our family, clean air is just as, if not more, important than the new RV-specific GPS unit I ordered, or the new tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS), and at about the same, or less, cost. With this unit I specified the “Toxin” filter as my custom filter choice, and I will run that until the motorhome is free of those pesky “new RV” smells, then I will switch over to the “Germ Defense” filter for our first trip in our new motorhome. Stay tuned for more!
By the way, I have no financial connection whatsoever with Rabbit Air, and if you decide to order a unit, I won’t make a penny. I just truly believe in this product. But if you do decide to order, be sure to mention that you are getting it for your RV... I’m hoping that when they see enough RVers ordering Rabbit Air units they will decide to visit one of great RV shows and demonstrate their products. Anything we do to strengthen the overall RV industry helps us all!
Here are some helpful links if you want to explore further:
The Rabbit Air web site
See a video of our newest Rabbit Air and setting it up the first time in our new motorhome:
A video I did a few years ago about the Rabbit Air, unboxing, and setting up in my woodworking shop:
An article I wrote about how brushless DC motors work and why they are the future of electric motor technology:
And if you haven’t had enough of me already, here’s a link to my “diversions” web site about my coffee roasting and brewing:
Steven Johnson is a retired business professional who is best known around the world as The Down To Earth Woodworker. He has written extensively about business, woodworking, and more with over 300 published articles, over a hundred instructional videos viewed by audiences in over 70 countries, and has created and conducted numerous classes digitally on various woodworking subjects. You can learn more at downtoearthwoodworking.com or downtoearthrvlife.com or downtoearthdiversions.com. You can reach Steve directly at sjohnson@downtoearthwoodworking.com