Fungiwagen

The seller told me that they’d camped in the Eurovan once in the nearly four years that they owned it.  Mostly it sat in their driveway.  Moment of obviousness: the Pacific Northwest has long wet winters.  And wet springs.  And wet falls.  Somehow there was moisture intrusion into the camper.  In preparation for selling it, they took it to an automotive restoration shop to correct the damage.  According to the seller, mushrooms had grown in the camper’s interior.  Mushrooms.  I wondered if she meant mildew.  Mildew stains mark the tent, but they’re not too bad.  The vehicle’s interior did not smell of mildew and appeared very clean.  The moisture and mildew remediation was successful.  

A few days after I acquired the camper, I was greeted by this sight:

Holy crap.  My mind went a lot of places, including having to remove the cabinetry so as to really dry the interior.  I posted a question about this on thesamba.com’s forum.  I got a variety of helpful responses, also some waggish remarks about the possibility of the mushrooms having hallucinogenic qualities and/or sautéing them in butter with bits of bacon.  I considered taking it to Eastern Oregon’s high desert and letting the aridity dry out the camper. 

I removed the heater vent to get at the mushrooms and pull them out.  That’s when I discovered that there was about an inch of water inside the ductwork.  I think that when the van was cleaned, water made its way into the ductwork, creating an ideal environment for the fungus to slower.  It’s dry now and should stay that way, given the amount of warm air that flows through there when the heater runs.

I spoke with the seller who set up an appointment at the restoration shop.  They re-treated it with enzymatic cleaner and ozone.  The owner advised me to keep it in the garage with the windows and sliding door open.  I’ve kept it that way since and so far, no more problems.