Keeping parked vehicle cool

Be careful with those car ports, Monsoon season here in Tucson can deposit your car port in a neighbors yard. I have seen the canvas ones ripped to shreds this time of year.

Please see my update of 8/31/15, where the plan goes kerflooey






In Phx- I put up a harbor freight "carport" over the side RV pad....our house faces S, the RV is on the East side of the house*

about $120 with coupon.

the costco version is MUCH sturdier ( twice the price and seasonal)- but so far so good on the HF.

I have the van plugged into a 15 amp circuit and the roof fan running.

we will turn on the ac the night before we leave as our electrical utility ( APS)is VERY expensive from noon to 7 pm.

it would cost hundreds to run the RV AC while it is stored.



*( OOOOPS! I neglected to detail my install which raised the carport to accommodate the van- I had ordered extra leg sections to raise the shelter ( from std 9.5' at the peak).
However I didn;t use the extra legs, one side of the frame is attached to the house- and the unused legs were used on the other side the raise it up...the peak is now at about 12' from the standard 9.5')

Two thoughts.

First, I agree with others about using Reflectix - with one clarification.

I did cut Reflectix for every window, except the windshield, and that did help. Those pieces were installed on the inside of the glass - cut to fit, so they stay in place. But, when I then added Reflectix to the OUTSIDE of every window that received direct sun, what a difference. (Inside only, the glass still gets HOT; buty add it to the outside, and the glass does not get hot.) So, now, when we're home, and it's summer, not only do I put the interior Reflectix in place, but the outside as well. I attach the outside with painters blue tape - and yes, occasionally i need to replace the tape - but it sure does work. Also, for the exterior Reflectix, I "tape" the edges with aluminized tape (2" wide tape), so weather tends not to be an issue.

I'm so happy with the exterior pieces, that we do take them with us when we're in the southwest, or similar, in summer. Put 'em on when we stop for the day, take 'em off at dark.

Second, when at home, we plug our '08 PW Lexor into a 20 amp circuit. We leave the A/C on in summer, and put an oil filled heater inside over the winter. So, for the life of our PW - when we're at home, it's never been below about 40 degrees inside, nor over 90 degrees. We do leave cabinet doors and drawers ajar.

Both high and low temps will take their toll given sufficient time. I'm just trying to make our PW last 'til we don't want the wheels to turn any longer.

Cheers.

I plan on installing a fantastic fan, and a 120 watt solar panel. This will run all the time by a thermostat inside the fantastic fan housing. The solar panel can put out 7 amps or about 35 AH daily. A little more in the summer. The fan draws up to 3 amps per hour on high speed.

I have max air covers over all the Fantastic fans in my motorhome, and bought one for the van as well. I have run the Maxx air covers for 18 years without problems. . . .

Fred.

It isn't cheap, but I'd replace the vent fan with a Fantastic Vent, one that has a rain sensor, or ideally, a MaxxAir fan that works with a vent cover on it.

Then, open a few windows, set the fan's thermostat, and let it do the rest. To keep it powered, one can plug the van into shore power, or see about adding a solar panel or two to offset the amp draw of the fan. One benefit of a solar panel is that, due to the air gap between it and the vehicle, it provides shade.

Of course, the ideal solution is a carport, but a high flow vent fan can help.

For my TT that sits in the sun, I use reflectix in windows and have trailer plugged in. since I have 30 amp available, I set AC on about 90. Prior to having 30 amp installed, I would still plug in and run vent fans.

The vent fan will push air out, and help a little, but fans themselves won't cool the air.
Without a carport of some type, tarp, etc, try covering the windows with Reflectex, and park on dirt, or grass.
I also live in Tucson and would see inside temps of my Roadtrek at 125 or more, with the windows covered. This was the reason I decided to go with a TT, and build a garage.
I mean with 105 today, and 109 for the rest of the week, only so much you can do. Pray for the Monsoons to start and cool things off.

Can you run an extension cord from the house, so you can run the vent fan continuously?

Also---if you could rig some sort of shade shelter over it, that would help tremendously.