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Keeping Van Cool in 40° Heat


Wasnt Me

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Hi what are you tips for trying to keep our Motorhome cool in this heat. We have just arrived in the Black Forest and it's roasting. 8-)

 

What do you recommend.

 

Windows open, blinds shut.

 

Or

 

Windows closed blinds shut.

 

Roof open or not.

 

Thanks in advance. :-D

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Blinds shut on the sun side and in the cab.

 

Windows open on the non sun side and open roof vents.

 

Plug in a couple of 12v fans (if you have the battery capacity/solar) to provide a cooling effect on the occupants and generally keep the air circulating, although if the open windows create a breeze then that’s usually sufficient.

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I would say it depends on your location, available shade and the presence of a breeze but I doubt it is possible to get a motor home cool inside when it’s 40 outside without an ac unit. Opening windows or a roof vent if there is no breeze is just going to let hot air inside. Probably better to sit outside in the shade until the sun goes down but then there might be a problem with bugs. An electric fan would be the best idea if you don’t have ac.
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Thanks for the replies.

 

We are here for 5 nights and booked onto a campsite, so not gonna move just yet.

 

We have tried to park on the pitch to avoid the sun at the hottest time of day.

 

I will try the advice.

 

The bad news is the fridge is struggling and beer has to be consumed very quickly as it doesn't stay cold long.

 

Good news is Lidl is 2 mins away and they have cold beer.

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Place a tray with water and ice cubes in front of a fan and sit in the breeze. Works like an aircon more or less. In the dry hot parts of AU with low humidity air over water is a common way to keep a house cool. As above close blinds & window on sun side leave rest open.  There has been lots of discussion about computer fans in the back of fridges. My AT comes with a T (tropical) rated fridge that has fans fitted. It also comes with aircon. TIP: lots of beer in the sun makes you sleepy, when asleep you do not feel the heat! Seems like the summer arrived just after we departed LHR 3 weeks ago. Maybe that was good, I can not imagine 40C in the hull of a narrowboat.  Cheers,
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We find it's better to open all windows for maximum through draught and put a towel over the sun facing window to keep the sun out of the van.

Another thing we do is lodge a square fan (I altered it so it did) in the sun roof and get it blowing cooler outside air in. This works a treat at night when the outside air cools off a bit.

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My experience is that sun shade is more important than airflow, which is also important, so I agree with parking in shade if you can, as the top priority. Best to park with your awning on the non-sun side, to allow it to provide useful shade. Next close rooflight blinds and window blinds on the sunny side to keep the sun out, extend the awning if you have one, then open windows on the non-sunny side.

 

We have roof aircon, which we use if there is an EHU, but don't expect miracles, it will only drop the indoor temperature by two or three degrees - so parking in shade and sun blinds are the most important steps.

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We have a couple of reflective car windscreen covers. They are tied on to the outside of the sun- facing windows. They are foam backed so don’t scratch the window. We then leave these windows open.

 

Open the roof lights and push an umbrella through, open the umbrella to shelter the open roof light. Works well. If windy tie the handle of the umbrella somewhere.

 

In the evening, when cooler, open one of the underbed lockers and, put your fan, outside, on the open flap of the locker. This directs cooler air inside .

 

In a house it is best to close windows and curtains or blinds in hot weather as it then remains cooler inside. In a van, if you do this, the van heats up so best to try and ventilate as well as blocking the sun as much as you can, from the outside of the van.

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StuartO - 2019-07-26 7:19 AM

 

My experience is that sun shade is more important than airflow, which is also important, so I agree with parking in shade if you can, as the top priority. Best to park with your awning on the non-sun side, to allow it to provide useful shade. ………………………………………..

Except that in the fridge is on the same side as the awning, and you do as above, the fridge will then be on the sunny side, which may not be so good for the fridge.

 

Otherwise, just get your van into shade - preferably tree shade - and as far as practical, open everything to the max, sit down outside, and have a nice cooling drink while watching everyone else frying! :-)

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A relatively cheap source of reflective if material iare survival blankets, very light, silver one side, gold the other.

 

We tried them on the roof of the awning and worked quite well . Downside was the whole setup looked as if we were testing for a moon / Martian landing.

 

Rgds

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tonyishuk - 2019-07-26 3:40 PM

 

A relatively cheap source of reflective if material iare survival blankets, very light, silver one side, gold the other.

 

We tried them on the roof of the awning and worked quite well . Downside was the whole setup looked as if we were testing for a moon / Martian landing.

 

Rgds

Pound shops used to sell foldable windscreen covers made of that stuff and for a quid, they were a damn good buy. They don't seem to make them now though which is a shame.

 

A shaded area is an essential. If on ehu then a decent fan is probably better than any air-con.

 

I always keep a fridge full of drinks in my van but never have beer in the day if hot...i sink litres of Iced Tea and drinking yoghurts.

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Years ago we bought 2 Poundshop shower curtains in a silvery fabric. We use them hanging with their clip on shower rail hangers from the front or sides of the awning for shade and privacy. We’ve never tried it but, if you have a rail on the roof of your van you could attach them to that on the other side of the van from the awning, peg them out at an angle and they would give good shade to the offside of the van.

 

Our current van has the fridge vents on the awning side and shaded by the hab door but one van we had had them at the back. We used to hang a reflective car windscreen cover from the bike rack to shade them.

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Find a shady spot near your pitch. Spend as much time as possible there.

 

Your vehicle is made largely of metal which will absorb heat all day and slowly give that heat back at night. Sleep outside if possible ... desperate times call for desperate measures. 8-)

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spirou - 2019-07-26 5:16 AMEvaporative cooling works great in dry climates, not so much in central Europe. 35-40°+ and 60-90% humidity don't work well together and you certainly don't want more by evaporating cold water/ice.
I do agree that this method is less effective in humid conditions that is why I mentioned Dry and low humid conditions. Having said that It is not uncommon to see fans in SE Asian open air eating areas complete with fine water sprays. Yes it will up the moisture content but does offer some relief. Cheers,
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The cheap bubble foil windscreen reflectors start breaking down with the sun's rays after a couple of months. I made a kind of shroud to go on the roof to hold the sky light steady in winds and give extra shade but this year silver flakes started coming off it and got everywhere. Had to bin it :-(
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Charles - 2019-07-27 11:43 AM

 

The cheap bubble foil windscreen reflectors start breaking down with the sun's rays after a couple of months. I made a kind of shroud to go on the roof to hold the sky light steady in winds and give extra shade but this year silver flakes started coming off it and got everywhere. Had to bin it :-(

 

I think you’ve been unlucky here. Ours were bought, very cheaply, the year that England won the World Cup football - can’t remember the date but one of them has the England logo etc on the front- and they are still going strong after regular use in both the car and the van in many countries including Morocco.. One is at the moment covering a big glass panel of the front door at home. No sign of bubbling or flaking of the silvered surface. They were cheap at full price but, after the event, they were almost given away.

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One of the biggest differences I noticed changing from a coachbuilt motorhome to a van conversion, is the amount of air through it when the rear barn doors, large sliding side door and cab doors are all opened in hot weather. It makes a huge difference.

 

And we've had a few nights where we've slept with the big sliding door wide open and just the mossie screen pulled across. Made it much more comfortable. Had it been REALLY hot, we'd have considered having the back doors open overnight as well.

 

 

 

 

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Really good point about the advantage a PVC has over a coach built with the large opening doors. We have sometimes laid a blanket over the top of the open barn doors to get the fresh air whilst keeping the sun away from the rear lounge.
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