Getting sick when I stay in the van

[Paynewright]

I wonder if some other reaction is going on - perhaps carbon dioxide related in a fairly closed box thought you say windows are slightly open. There is a condition called hypercapnia.

Pure conjecture - just trying to think of other possibilities?

 

[Rossb]

This is a real long shot but is there anything that could be making a high pitch sound ( so high you can’t hear it). I was working on my drive one day and kept feeling sick, turned out it was a cat scarer putting out an ultrasonic sound I couldn’t hear it but made me feel dizzy and sick.

 

[Geedub]

Sorry to state the obvious but if it's not the van then it's you. You said you bagged 2 Munros watched TV for an hour and crashed out, can you recall what you were doing the previous day's on the other occasions when it happened? Maybe you're exerting yourself too much / not hydrating enough/ not eating enough etc ?

Also your wife has slept in the van with no issues at all its just you?

 

[T_style09]

Maybe it's not your van or coming from outside in? If you have window ajar and another van is using their diesel heater it wouldn't take much for your own fumes or theirs to seep back in, if you're down wind from someone else or a still night for your own fumes. If any of that makes sense

Also check your battery vent pipe, I had an issue a few years back where I was feeling sick driving in an old work transit which has the battery under the drivers seat, after some sniffing around I noticed a slightly odd smell. Being a gas engineer by trade I pulled out my CO sniffer and discovered strange CO and other gas readings intermittently coming out of the small vent hole in the battery where the tube to outside had come off. Changed the battery and never felt sick driving the van again. Ever since I always check the vents are piped to fresh air or blanked off when I see them. I don't know much about batteries and what type it was but I know for sure it made me feel squiffy driving with it venting into the cab.

 

[Sackmycook]

What about nausea caused by the van not being totally horizontal. Coupled with any sort of ear condition or defect could caused nausea symptoms. It has with me before, I seem to be hyper sensitive to being level

 

[La Dodgy Vita]

A food or drink allergy? e.g dehydrated "camping" food with a high MSG or preservative content? Seafood? Anything you eat or drink while camping but not at home? Might be worth noting what you eat and drink each evening when camping and see if there's a common denominator involved

 

[oldiebut goodie]

I would never advise fitting a fuel tank, petrol or diesel under a bed! Get it plumbed to the vehicle tank or fit the tank externally.
I would feel sick sleeping above diesel/petrol fumes overnight and I am working with and testing diesel heaters virtually every day with no ill effects.

 

[Loz]

Are you sleeping OK? Perhaps you are sleeping in a different position and giving yourself sleep apnoea.

 

[Eli]

Are you sleeping OK? Perhaps you are sleeping in a different position and giving yourself sleep apnoea.

Do you mean like this Loz

 

[oldiebut goodie]

 

[Paynewright]

Nice - just eating my lunch and catching up on forum posts!

 

[JonriceT6]

Process of elimination.
Record daily what your eating, what your doing, what activity your doing, where your sleeping, what you eat etc…. And look back on the days your not well. See if there is a trigger.
Doesn’t have to be too much detail, just quick notes in your phone to trigger your memory, then try and link sick days to your diary entries.
It might be the van, it might be you.

 

[Salty Spuds]

Occam’s Razor, eliminate the obvious stuff first & what’s left is the answer. I’d get rid of the diesel tank first & foremost. There’s no way on this earth can you have diesel inside the cab & not smell it, no matter how good the container.

 

[Mud Digger]

do you notice eye or throat irritation when this occurs could be be the battery gassing if it's hooked up on a charger

• headache.
• dizziness.
• nausea.
• eye and throat irritation.
• fatigue.
• breathing problems.

 

[djg87]

I’m going to drain the tank and removed it and try that for a few weeks. No heater no diesel inside the van. Then if it happens again I’ll try without the mattress . My sons finally got the age where his ready to start coming into the Cairngorms with me for days away and can’t bare the thought of him getting as sick as I have. Thanks for your thoughts guys and I’ll keep you posted.

 

[djg87]

do you notice eye or throat irritation when this occurs could be be the battery gassing if it's hooked up on a charger

• headache.
• dizziness.
• nausea.
• eye and throat irritation.
• fatigue.
• breathing problems.

i get bad headaches and sometimes vomiting.

 

[djg87]

Just found this on the t4 forum ….

Seems I’m not alone

I've built a nice functional bed frame in the back of my T5, which with some memory foam mattresses gives a great nights sleep. I've not gone for a full on conversion, partly due to money, and partly due to multi-purposeness of the van, but have done the basics of insulating and fitting wind deflectors etc. Blackout blinds are held up using ridiculously strong magnets sewn into the material which works a treat.

The trouble I'm having is that I'm waking up feeling a bit hungover even after not having had a drink, which I put down to a lack of air circulation or adequate ventilation into the back of the van leaving me hot and slightly deprived of oxygen.

 

[Farnorthsurfer]

Definitely get the heater plumbed to the main tank. Even if it’s not the cause it’s worth doing. (You don’t say if the heater itself is internal or external).
Maybe try one of those small brackets for the rear door catch that allows the door to be open slightly, get a flow of air in the van. We very occasionally sleep with the pop top down if it’s really cold and I always feel a bit hungover and dehydrated in the morning without any alcohol involved.
As others have said, process of elimination.

 

[sparkywig]

I had a type 2 panel van that I used for stealthy surf trips and I usually woke up feeling hungover, nauseous and dehydrated.
After talking with a couple of other people I installed a roof vent, cracked the rear hatch and used window vents for more ventilation, this stopped all the symptoms.

 

[Paynewright]

@djg87 did you get anywhere with this? Another member just posted similar!