Need more cooling

rockhillmanor wrote:


RV Pillow vents in all roof top vent openings makes a BIG difference.

Cover front windshield a must.

I bought van sized windshield sun shades.

All good tips that I forgot.

Also.....trying to stop the heat on the INSIDE of the glass is pretty much ineffective; you need to stop it on the OUTSIDE to really do much. That includes an outside windshield cover.

For the windshield we found it better to cover it from the outside BEFORE the heat touches the glass.

Window awnings help greatly. We also tried to park where the refrigerator side got shade to keep it cool more efficient.

Reflectx in ALL my windows (doors and windshield included) and I insulated the front and rear caps. Dropped the temperature way down when parked in full sun.

We travel to Florida, Alabama, and Georgia thru the summer months quite a bit because of my occupation. Last spring I finally gave into getting sunshields made/installed for the windshield, driver, passenger, and door windows. The heat was greatly reduced to the point that the air conditioners no longer run full time in the heat of day, they cycle on and off keeping the rig at 71 deg., wish I had done it years before.

Need more cooling

Actually you need to stop the heat from coming in on these MH's.
Especially when you are in the south. That sun is hot!

RV Pillow vents in all roof top vent openings makes a BIG difference.
Those plastic vent lids are not air tight and cool air goes right out and heat comes in. Smoke colored lids also makes a big dif.

Cover front windshield a must.

I bought van sized windshield sun shades. They fit perfectly under day night shades and put them on the side the sun is shining in on especially the afternoon sun. They are easily removed and folded up for storage. No nasty tape or velcro needed. I buy the ones with the palm tree scene on them so it doesn't look so tacky from the outside like that silver reflex stuff does.

I also put removable tint on my side windows after the first time parked in the hot Florida sun! Albiet I did it as a temporary fix when I stayed the summer in Florida....the tint is still on and looks great 4 years later!

Planning ahead helps also. I always try to get a site that my awning side is facing the afternoon sun. that way I put my awning in the lowest position come afternoon which shades that side of the MH. This makes a BIG dif in cooling also.

And I would check that your coils are clean. Once I started RV'ing in the south I found I had to add this to my maintenance program.

First question is:
Are both units blowing good COLD air all the time or are they cycling on and off with just circulating the air sometimes ?

One or both units may not be operating properly.....or a vent is blowing directly on a thermostat.

Assuming that is not the case, heat gain through single pane glass is HUGE if in the direct sun. The big awning should help a lot on one side.

I'm planning to find a company that does thermal tinting on house windows to do my RV. I might change my mind when I find out the cost. The really good stuff that actually blocks the IR without being too dark is expensive.

Oh, and I learned the hard way that portable AC units with a single hose are basically a joke. That single hose exhausts a LOT of air.....that has to be replaced into the structure from somewhere. That air is hot outside air that is sucked in through cracks and crevices. You are basically cooling one small area of the house (or RV) at the expense of other areas and the net temperature change for the whole structure might be higher instead of lower.

Portable AC units can be really good.....IF they come equipped with TWO hoses so they work like a real AC unit. Alas, those are a good bit more expensive.

Close the front and side curtains. Can even get an exterior sunscreen for front greenhouse. We set a big floor fan on the doghouse console, and open the front air dump vents, so that pushes the cold air across the front salon area floor. Our rear air does good at keeping the hall and bedroom cool.

If the units are ducted, close the roof vents in the BR.

Put in an oscillating circular fan to move air about from where it is to where it isn't.

Window awnings and the foil covered bubble wrap available at Lowes or Home Depot works very well to cut down on the heat. They also make portable AC units that run off of 120 Volts that also can help.