Black Soot

[lookoutwife]

We have been 5th wheel owners for 3 years. We recently let some friends borrow our 5th wheel after they had a kitchen fire and they were living in our trailer while work was being done on their house. We picked up our trailer last weekend and the walls and ceiling were covered in black soot. We have spent days and DAYS cleaning (Magic Erasers got most of it). We can't figure out where the soot came from. We had a mobile RV guy do a system check. He found nothing wrong with our trailer. We asked our friends if they were using a second heat source and they said only a little electric space heater. Any ideas what might have caused the soot? Also, anyone know how to get soot off fabric blinds? Help!

 

[TJ&LadyDi]

Welcome to RVF, @lookoutwife; glad to have you join us. And, kudos to you for helping out your friends.

So, I'm guessing that we can rule out your friends being smokers, right? If not, that could be the source.

Is it possible that some food got burned? The fact that your friends previously had a "kitchen fire" makes me worry a bit about their cooking habits. Since a qualified RV tech (I hope he was "qualified") didn't find any systemic issues with your 5th wheel, and since there was no soot issues while you were using it, I would guess the problem was somehow related to something your friends did. Did you ask them directly whether they knew how the soot got there? Might be worth a try.

TJ

 

[lookoutwife]

Thanks for your quick reply.

Yes, not smokers. Yes, certified RV technician. We asked them if they might have used a kerosene heater but they said no. Burnt something? Maybe but no evidence around the oven/stove that something may have been burnt. I'm beginning to wonder if they burned candles. Just at a loss.

 

[TJ&LadyDi]

Well, since it looks like nothing is amiss with the appliances in your RV, it may just be best to focus on getting things cleaned up and then moving on. Since this situation involved "friends," I'm guessing that you'd like to preserve that friendship, if possible. Given that, it is probably best to not focus on the cause and get things cleaned up.

Your experience illustrates why the old adage "neither a borrower nor a lender be" has a ring of truth to it.

TJ

 

[Buly]

My first thought was candles?

 

[lookoutwife]

Well, since it looks like nothing is amiss with the appliances in your RV, it may just be best to focus on getting things cleaned up and then moving on. Since this situation involved "friends," I'm guessing that you'd like to preserve that friendship, if possible. Given that, it is probably best to not focus on the cause and get things cleaned up.

Your experience illustrates why the old adage "neither a borrower nor a lender be" has a ring of truth to it.

TJ

Thanks for taking the time to reply. Yep, learned a valuable lesson here. I was just really worried we may have missed something.

 

[lookoutwife]

My first thought was candles?

Yeah, what I am now wondering. Thanks for taking the time to reply.

 

[RKins]

IMO candles and RV should not be used in the same sentence.

 

[Rachill8082]

We have been 5th wheel owners for 3 years. We recently let some friends borrow our 5th wheel after they had a kitchen fire and they were living in our trailer while work was being done on their house. We picked up our trailer last weekend and the walls and ceiling were covered in black soot. We have spent days and DAYS cleaning (Magic Erasers got most of it). We can't figure out where the soot came from. We had a mobile RV guy do a system check. He found nothing wrong with our trailer. We asked our friends if they were using a second heat source and they said only a little electric space heater. Any ideas what might have caused the soot? Also, anyone know how to get soot off fabric blinds? Help!

They used a kerosene heater. I'm going through the same t
hi g nkw

 

[Rachill8082]

They used a kerosene heater. I'm going through the same thing right now