Cool coach while driving

I know of no other options other than finding some place where the weather is about 60 degrees while traveling.

Mckenzm wrote:
Any suggestions on keeping the coach cool for passengers during the summer other than keeping the engine A/C fan on high and running the generator to use the roof unit?

trtog7 wrote:
Has anyone try to put up a curtain between cab and house We have one in our C Class and it makes a big difference Wonder if a similar thing could made for an A Class

I tried that .... found a spring loaded curtain rod and hung a shower curtain from it which I would put up just before we left the campsite. Seemed to help keep the cool air from the dash unit in the front section of the coach

A word on window tinting. If you have double pane windows putting a tint film on them will cause problems with the internal seal leaking and fogging in fairly short order.

I found this out the hard (and expensive) way with my windows in the S&B....took about 1-2 years and they were destroyed.

I'm not sure that dark window tint really helps very much. It certainly feels cooler when the sun shines onto you, because the tint blocks the infra-red in the sunlight from passing through the window and heating the skin on your face and arms. But, still, it just converts all the blocked IR into heat right at the glass, which causes the glass itself to become too hot to touch. So, now the air inside the coach is being heated by the very hot glass.

Back in the 'Good Old Days' in south Florida I drove a VW Microbus. Even though the roof was snow white, the infra-red coming in through the windows would turn it into a solar baking oven.

At that time, silver reflective window film was just getting popular for home windows, so I put it all over the side windows of my little bus. Instead of just blocking the IR at the glass, it actually reflected it.

It was miraculous stuff! From inside, the windows just appeared darkened, like sunglasses. But from outside, they were perfect mirrors. I could leave the bus parked in the blazing noonday sun for hours and it stayed cool as a cucumber inside -- it was truly amazing. Of course, you couldn't see out very well at night, so you had to leave the front windows at least partially open while driving in-town.

Soon, cops approaching stopped cars found themselves on the wrong side of this one-way glass, so the the mirror-reflective window film was outlawed for cars. But I can't help wondering if it would be legal for the side windows of a motorhome, as long as the front-most windows, by the driver & passenger, are left clear (or just dark-tinted.)

Thanks all, some great suggestions.

Ron Butler wrote:
Remember, your AC will only cool your coach down to about 20 degrees or so cooler than it is outside.

Not so.

You are getting confused by the temp diff between inlet and outlet.

However as the coach cools down, the inlet decreases meaning the outlet decreases.

So in Havasu, AZ at 120F I can get the coach down to 85F

You just have to remember to keep the door closed!

Drive at night.

Some great tips here. Here are mine that have not been mentioned.

* The first week I got our RV I had the driver and pass windows tinted as dark as legally possible. When you live in the Southwest tinting windows is not a fashion statement, it really is needed. I will never own a vehicle without tinting. The small glass above the drivers and pass windows is also tinted "limo".

* I also picked up some white insulation material at Walmart. The ladies use this stuff for making pillows, puppets, ect... I used this as fiberglass is scratchy and I did not need alot. I put this material inbetween my shower Skylight. As simple as moving the inner panel in the shower and shoving the stuff inside. Cuts down on the light a bit but it still comes thru.

* The other area I put the white stuff is above the front seats in that wasted entertainment space behind the TV. There is zero insullation in there and the top of the front windshield is black. Talk about a heat magnet.

* I also make sure AC radiator on roof and vehicle are clean before my summer trips.

Other tips mentioned that I do.
* Install pillow in roof vents.
* Pull shades down
* Start roof AC before it gets hot outside.


Remember every passenger inside your vehicle is a heater.

I always questioned the dash AC vs the roof unit mpg. Not sure how much the AC hurts your MPG when most of us are getting under 10mpg. Awhile back on Mythbusters they did a mpg test in a car. AC vs Windows down. Windows down hurt MPG more than AC. Also I believe my dash AC is alot colder than the roof unit.

How to keep RV cool in August: Visit Alaska
How to keep it warm in Jan: Arizona low desert (Ok only works in daytime).

Seriously. Running all the A/C you have and closing as many shades as you can is the only option.

If you don't like the heat and humidity in the southern states in the summer, don't travel there. There are wheels under the rigs that can go anywhere. Travel in the north or at higher elevations for the summer.

BTW - we've been in 100+ heat with 95% humidity and didn't have a problem keeping our coach cool, even at a site with no shade. Maybe the problem is lack of insulation in your rig?

Barb