Keeping parked vehicle cool

[bobsrv]

My class B is parked in my driveway in Tucson. I do not use it as much as I would like right now so it is sitting in the 100plus temps so it gets pretty hot inside. I do have a couple windows cracked but can't open up anymore. I also have a sunshade in the front window and all the curtains shut. Suggestions for keeping it a little bit cooler inside? I was thinking of trying to set up a solar fan but I have yet to find one that got a decent review. Have a feeling there's not much I can do but thought I would throw it out there just in case.

[stan909]

Bummer. At least no one was hurt and no damage other than the car port.

[mkguitar]

My Roadtrek wrote:
Be careful with those car ports, Monsoon season here in Tucson can deposit your car port in a neighbors yard....

well I thought I was smarter than nature- it blowed up in tonight's storm.

Lost a couple of trees too

I don;t know if it was a microburst but pretty wild here for about 15 minutes. Lots of my neighbors outside with flashlights

Doesn;t seem to be any damage but I had to update.


Morning light shows that the ties downs gave way- 1 bent leg on the shelter, the canopy is fine.
No damage to the van.

I lost the top 10' of the 40' tree in the back yard and a small palo verde in the front is leaning way over...I'll try to straighten while the soil is damp ( very, very hard clay/limestone soil here.
News this morning shows plenty damage across the valley.


where I really went wrong is I thought the bungee tie downs canopy to frame would release under pressure, but they didn;t.
On my do-over, I'll go lighter with canopy attachment


Mike

[mkguitar]

Sorry,

I'll be away from home for a few weeks- I'm in the UK for work.

I have one side supported on my roof-
so the "legs" on that side are 9" long into the plastic "feet" which come with the kit. These are bolted to steel brackets which I secured to the roof with lag screws.

the un-needed legs I reused on the other side supported on the concrete rv pad beside the house. I cut these so that the entire frame would be level.


I don;t live in a HOA.
The previous owner of my van did live in a HOA...he wasn't allowed to park at home, so was renting covered storage.
I suppose that would be an option for the OP

Mike

[eric1514]

mkguitar wrote:
Sorry, I edited my other post to reflect a "custom" install to raise the height by about 2.5'

mike

Thanks. If you have some snapshots of that install, I'd love to see them. I think I'll have a similar location, and was thinking I could use the unused leg sections to raise the carport up.

[mkguitar]

eric1514 wrote:
I don't know where you find those fabric carports that are tall enough to cover an RV. The ones at Costco or HF aren't. My rig is 9' at the shoulders.

Sorry, I edited my other post to reflect a "custom" install to raise the height by about 2.5'

mike

[My_Roadtrek]

Probably better to start a new thread in General, and ask there for recommendations. The place I used for my Roadtrek in Tucson is no longer in business.

[bobsrv]

My Roadtrek, if I decide to get a cover for my roof fan do you have any suggestions where in Tucson I can get someone trustworthy and capable to install it and/or do any other work I might need done on it?

[bobsrv]

Unfortunately I live in an HOA community so carport and covers are not an option. Wish they were. Thanks for the suggestions.

[eric1514]

I don't know where you find those fabric carports that are tall enough to cover an RV. The ones at Costco or HF aren't. My rig is 9' at the shoulders.

[mkguitar]

yes- good point

I have a quick trip to the UK for work and return in a few weeks- we then saddle up and head for the hills.
I'll strip the skin off the "carport" while we are gone.

The "smart" thing to do with a skin is secure it loosely with tear away zip ties, velcro strips or bungees.

secure the frame well ( and mine is pinned together at each joint) and if the winds lift..... the skin just parts and looks for your neighbor's pool...


the upside is it shades the van well and keeps interior temps down below 160º

another thing to do is cover your tires- the covers at the RV store are fitted and should stay in place...beats cardboard- ALTHOUGH I have a couple of neighbors who re-use those darn election signs that sit at the corner 3 weeks after the election is done...they fashion them into wheel covers

mike

[My_Roadtrek]

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.

[mkguitar]

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')

[retraite]

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.

[Golden_HVAC]

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.