Darker exterior color cause higher temps inside?

The Mythbusters did it, but with cars and not motorhomes, but I bet the results would be similar. They confirmed the myth and determined that it got almost 10 degrees hotter in the black car versus the white car.

Dark colors do heat up quicker.
A real bright white or chrome would reflect more of the heat range emissions in sun light rays .

rgatijnet1 wrote:

John&Joey wrote:
The biggest complaint I hear is the dark colors starts to fad after only a few years. A good friend of mine says he will only buy white from now on.

I guess that depends on the quality of the original paint job and the materials used. There are plenty of dark automobiles that have nice paint even after a few decades. I know that my Monaco coach has experienced no paint fading after more than a decade sitting out in the Florida sun between trips. I don't doubt that using cheap materials by some RV manufacturers will fade sooner, but that certainly does not apply to all manufacturers.

FWIW, I was going to say this in the original post, but didn't. Those that are complaining about fading are 5'ver not MH's. That may be part of it or not. The one in particular is a Jayco and is only 3 years old.

If you're not going to be staying in extreme high temperatures I really don't think you should buy a MH based on color. Make sure the RV has suitable air conditioners for the size. Insulation is important as are double pane windows.

There are many, many dark color RVs out there and you don't really hear complaints about keeping cool - unless in extreme temperatures. I wouldn't peg Michigan as an extreme state. :) We lived there. If you're planning the summer in Florida or Arizona, Utah, deserts then that's extreme.

Two Jayhawks wrote:

One would have to establish a baseline with identical make/model coach's one very dark vs. light to report any meaningful data. Short of that I am comfortable believing the darker paint scheme will have higher cooling demands.

I am apt to believe the same thing.
I was just looking for some people's real world experiences. Maybe someone used to have a light colored rig and now has a dark colored one. I realize different manufactures may have different insulation standards and different age rigs may be built differently also. But maybe someone has a friend who has the same rig they have in an opposite color scheme. Or at a rally of a certain manufacturer has there been conversations among owners on this subject.
I'm just looking to try and gain some knowledge as we begin our research into our next rig, a class A. One of the manufacturers we have on our list only offers darker colors on one of the models we like for 2018. Not sure why if you only offer two color choices you would make them both darker colors.

John&Joey wrote:
The biggest complaint I hear is the dark colors starts to fad after only a few years. A good friend of mine says he will only buy white from now on.

I guess that depends on the quality of the original paint job and the materials used. There are plenty of dark automobiles that have nice paint even after a few decades. I know that my Monaco coach has experienced no paint fading after more than a decade sitting out in the Florida sun between trips. I don't doubt that using cheap materials by some RV manufacturers will fade sooner, but that certainly does not apply to all manufacturers.

The biggest complaint I hear is the dark colors starts to fad after only a few years. A good friend of mine says he will only buy white from now on.

Bill.Satellite wrote:
Unless things have changed over the years, the roof of the Prevost is bright white!

Yes, it's white as most motorhomes roofs. The first 4-5 ft. at the front is dark brown.

And, as you know, the sun hits the sides too! Try and touch a XL stainless coach in the hot summer on the sunny side. :p

Safe travels,
MM.

golfknut wrote:
With many rigs these days having dark colors (especially black) on the upper 1/3 to 1/2 of the rig I was wondering if people with such a color scheme are noticing increased temperatures inside their rigs on hot sunny days?

One would have to establish a baseline with identical make/model coach's one very dark vs. light to report any meaningful data. Short of that I am comfortable believing the darker paint scheme will have higher cooling demands.

Have you ever saw a black ice chest?