Forum Discussion

CJW8's avatar
CJW8
Explorer
Feb 28, 2016

Black painted slide out walls extremely hot

My slides side walls are painted black on the outside. When the sun is on them they get too hot to touch. On the inside, the surface temperature of the wall can get to over 100 degrees. It makes my couch uncomfortable to use. It is like there is a large radiant heater aimed at you. I decided to try and do something about it. I had a roll of 1/4" thick foil sided bubble wrap that I cut to fit and place it on the sunny side of my slides. The inside temp went from 100F to 82F and it is still going down. My refer is in one of the slides. I'm sure it will be happier. AC's were running continuously, now they are cycling. Here is a pic:

  • gbopp's avatar
    gbopp
    Explorer
    Feb 28, 2016
    The bubble foil does a good job and working with it is easy. But, why not just paint the black area with white or silver paint?
  • CJW8's avatar
    CJW8
    Explorer
    Feb 28, 2016
    I am parked for awhile and yes, it'll have to be removed to retract the slides. It is friction fit so it can be removed in minutes. In the future, I'll paint the walls light gray which is the primary color of the RV.
  • Anmacc2's avatar
    Anmacc2
    Explorer
    Feb 28, 2016
    A buddy of mine had prewarned before I bought my TT so it effected my choice and we chose a unit that had light color slides. Your solution is brilliant. I hope it works for you long term. Please let us know.
  • Trackrig's avatar
    Trackrig
    Explorer II
    Feb 28, 2016
    It's a good idea, but will the slide seals interfere with it or pull it off? If you park someplace for the winter, it could be worthwhile to replace it every so often. In our case we move every three to four days. Since installing the bubble wrap, how may times have the slides been in and out?

    Bill

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