Keeping it cool when It is 100 Plus

[TyroneandGladys]

A AC if working properly will cool the incoming air by 20 degrees. In other words if the temperature in RV is 100 degrees the air coming out should be 80 degrees. Some tricks to keeping cool in an RV when the outside temps go over 100 degrees are.
First start cooling early It is much easier to maintain a lower temp than to let it get to 100 degrees and then try to cool it down.
Second reduce the area to be cooled examples cabin area, overhead bed, bathroom and bedroom. After the sun goes down open up these areas if they are going to be used.
Third cut down heat from the sun on your RV and on the windows. Examples park where you can get shade in the afternoon if possible. If no shade is available either park facing West since the front of you RV is smallest surface area there will be less heat gain than the afternoon sun hitting the side of your RV or park with your awning side to the West and put your awning out to shade the side of your RV. Use a windshield cover on the outside of your cab windshield and door windows. Tint your windows if possible. Window awnings will also help. Cut Reflective Radiant Barrier to fit the inside of your windows or use aluminum foil. On our cab over window we have it tinted and a piece of 1inch solid styrofoam insulation secured to the inside of the window with double sided tape.
Fourth do not use the range or cook top when the sun is out if you must use these wait till nighttime.
Fifth maintenance clean your AC filters. Clean the outside coils on the AC on the roof.
Sixth use some fans a fan will not make it cooler but it will make it feel cooler

[sc3283]

invented in 1902...but NOT commonplace in homes until???? mid 60s??? 😉

[restlesswind]

"many of us survived just fine years ago before the invention of AC"

Anybody around before AC was invented is now over 111 years old !

(AC inveted in 1902)
OK,back to the original subject. 🙂

[doxiemom11]

Boondocking you can't do this, but we have found that if you start the air and leave it on so everything stays cool (walls, furniture etc) and don't let it reheat every day, the air conditioner doesn't have to work to recool all that stuff and works much more efficiently and keeps the interior a few degrees cooler.

[_DJ_1]

The week of the 4TH (this one) is reserved for boondocking in the mtns with my dog so she doesn't have to put up with firecrackers. This year we are in the middle of a heat wave and will be 90+ even in the mtns.

I went down yesterday and bought a Honda 2000 Companion and wire harness to my old 2000. Now 13500 AC on an 18' TT should be bearable in the late afternoon when it gets so darn hot.

Afterall, it is all about the dog isn't it? :B

[sc3283]

2 roof top dometic 13.5Ks in my 36 footer

parked in full sun all day(no shade anywhere)

105 outside ambient temp

78 inside....plenty cool after being outside most of the day

key is get the ACs on early in the day to get a head start on the heat, use an additional box fan for air circulation...and block as much heat transfer(gain) as possible....curtains, shades, pillows in skylights etc etc

it is summer time, heat is common in the summer...and many of us survived just fine years ago before the invention of AC

[down_home]

It's a challenge to get only two air conditioners to cool down a mid to large coach, or in at the least the few I've been in. The newer ones or some appear, to be a little bit, better insulated. The larger buses with as many as five units show that there is a defficency in design somewhere. Buses for passengers don't seem to be as much a challenge.
We need better insulation in roof, sides and floors and higher performing air conditioners, not "higher effeciency" which means eventually or not at all cooling down to acceptable levels. 80 degrees is no acceptable neither is the work place temps of 80 0r 82 in summer and 60 something in winter.

[travelnutz]

Too late if it's already 100 plus degrees. The answer to your question is to prepare when it's much lower temps and be ready for the high heat. It of course, begins with the structure you are in and the true insulation and color of the exterior roof and sidewalls. The whiter (cleaner), the better! A reflective foil bubble sandwich layer in the roof near the top is a big help. Parking in the shade is a huge helper also or under a white canopy top type cover with adequate air space between the canopy and the roof for air flow. Sealing all cracks and voids in the RV helps. White shades pulled or reflective foil on the inside of the sunside windows helps a lot. A/C units have their limits and you can do so much to make them work less and be far more efficient. Of course drinking lots of water is basic and so is going away to an area that doesn't have such high heat issues as that solves all the 100+ degree issues automatically.

Dropping 20 degrees from the outside ambient air temp alone can easily be the difference between being comfortable and heat stroke death. After all, it's only your life you're dealing with! The long term effects to the human body from being extremely overheated can be devastating!

Being an engineer, I've never understood the reasoning for dark full body paint on and RV if it going to be used in high sun levels and hot climates. Like putting an ice cube on a black or dark surface under the bright sun and seeing how quickly it becomes a puddle of water. Do the vary same thing at the same time next to the dark surface cube but put the same size cube on a bright white surface and you'll see the difference before all thats is left is the two puddles. It needs no further explanation as your own eyes witnessed it!

[doxiemom11]

From what I have read,reflectix on the dual pane windows will heat the glass enough that the seals melt, warp,deform and you no longer have sealed dual panes. Moisture then gets between the panes of glass and etching starts. You then have to replace the glass. In researching dual pane window replacement, I found this information. We were also told this was probably the cause of the seal damage on our passenger side cab windows.

[Opie431]

Last year ours cooled the TT down to over 30 degrees. Indoor-outdoor thermometer showed temperature of 107 in the shade and temperature insdie was 74.
We always set up in the shade which probably makes a difference.

[kelly94942]

Playtime II wrote:
Just do not use reflectix if you have double pane windows. Same for some window tint. Read the packaging first.

What's the concern here?

[wintersun]

Nice thing about an RV is that believe it or not you can move them to a place where it is not 100 degrees. We were in Bishop, CA two days ago where it was 100 degrees. In Barsow it was 105 degrees. In Paso Robles it was 110 degrees. In Monterey it was 75 degrees. Took 5 hours to get from Barstow to Monterey but it was worth it. Two weeks earlier when we hit the high temps in the Bishop area we headed into the mountains and at 7,000 feet elevation it was 25 degrees cooler.

Another consideration is the heat sink effect of asphalt. It is a lot cooler in the evening out in the open desert than in town with all the asphalt soaking up the sunlight all day long.

[Playtime_II]

Just do not use reflectix if you have double pane windows. Same for some window tint. Read the packaging first.

[YC_1]

Our AC's have three fan speeds. Low, High, and Auto. On high the fan keeps blowing even when the compressor cycles off thus using the rest of the cooling available in the condensor. Has made a big difference. Ditto on fans. I mounted a 12 volt one above the seating area I prefer and it make a big difference in comfort.

[Ski_Pro_3]

TyroneandGladys wrote:

Fourth do not use the range or cook top when the sun is out if you must use these wait till nighttime.

I recently bought an induction 'hot plate'. It works by exciting the metal in the pot, so there's no heat transfer loss between an open flame (propane) or an electrical element to the pot or pan heating the air in the RV. Works very well!!

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004CS5VKK/ref=oh_details_o09_s00_i03?ie=UTF8&psc=1