internal screens

[naittaw]

Advice please relating to Autosleeper Ravenna on Peugeot 2003. We have external Silver Screens for the cab but are considering buying internal screens. Preferrably separate for side windows and windscreen. Can anyone advise on a supplier, and comment on their usefulness and ease of use ?

Many thanks.

[PetMice]

On our first van we bought both, now we only have the external Silver Screens which we use all year round because they are so easy to put on and keep the cab warm without condensation in winter and cool in the summer, they are so easy to fit. The internal screens were not easy to fit and the benefits were not obvious. We only used them once.

[Brian Kirby]

I shall get into trouble for this quip, but the internal variety seem not to be chosen for their effectiveness (because, in general, they do little to eliminate condensation), but because they are easy to remove in a hurry. 

The desire to do this seems to stem from pre-disposition to stopping in dodgy and unwise locations which, in turn, seems to have something to do with avoiding paying for stopovers.  In short, their appeal seems to be that you can rip them off and drive away, as soon as the man with the shot gun appears!  How you get to see the man with the shot gun with the screens in place, or how you drive away safely with the windscreen covered in condensation, is not explained!  :-)

The external variety, on the other hand, which you already have, exhibit one huge advantage - they work!

[Keith T]

On all previous motorhomes we have had the Taylormade internal screens. They worked OK and gave good insulation, but in winter we n unstill suffered considerable condensation. We then added an uninsulated singel external cover, which improved the posiiton, and also in summer used just that one which gave better insulation for the wholeof the front of the van.

Our present Bustner came equipped with the internal fitted blinds,which we like, and for most of the time these are adequate and we do not suffer much condensation. However,again in hot summer conditions (yes they do exist!) we add the single outer cover if staying in one place for any length of time. In winter we have adapted the old internal screen to add to the external singel skin and provide, in effect, an insulated cab front window screen. This works very well, and both keeps the front of the motoheom a lot warmer, and minimises condensation.

There is no 'one' answer, I suspect, and a lot will depend on whether you intend staying one might or several nights and how much time you wish to spend putting up the screens - the internal ones are much quicker, and don't get wet when it rains!

[Ranger]

Forget the internal screens, just get a good water proof bag to put the external screens in when they are wet. The external ones with the windcreen section that rolls down are very good.

[Brian Kirby]

Keith T - 2009-12-07 1:42 PM On all previous motorhomes we have had the Taylormade internal screens. They worked OK and gave good insulation, but in winter we n unstill suffered considerable condensation. .........

Condensation forms when warm, moist, air meets cold glass.  Putting the insulation inside the glass allows the glass to get colder, so is more prone to condensation.  Putting the insulation outside the glass allows the glass to become warmer, so less prone to condensation. 

Overall heat loss from van is probably little different wherever the insulation is placed, with a slight advantage to internal insulation when raining, as cold rain running down the screen behind external insulation will tend to cool the screen, and so cool the van a little.

[747]

Anyone would think it was a chore to remove a bit of condensation from glass. With a small dedicated sponge, it takes literally seconds to remove.

 

What nobody has mentioned is the act of fitting externals in the rain or is it always dry when you arrive on site? I never get wet either when fitting internals.

 

If you do as I do and leave the windows open a smidgeon, you will find even less condensation, even in cold weather. As you do not wild camp and pay exorbitant fees for electricity then let a bit of fresh air in and sod the expense. :D

[naittaw]

Thanks for all the contributions so far. Though we may stay on a site for a few nights we do take the motorhome out, so have to remove the external screens - possibly wet or in the rain. Even if we stay on site, it's a bit claustrophobic with the screen covered - dog doesn't like it either. Fold down externals may be the answer but I'm reluctant to throw out perfectly good old standard Silver Screens and replace with fold downs at £120 or so.

[tonyishuk]

Trial run with some silver air bubble wrap insulating from Builders merchant ? (about £10 a roll or less and you can cut the material with scissors)

 

Rgds

[Mel B]

Why not simply adapt the screens you have so you can fold them down? If you are handy with a sewing machine and a bit of wide velcro, you can soon make them into fold down ones.

 

We have external and internal screens, the internal ones came with the van and are very useful in hot weather as they really do keep the heat out during the day which is when we mostly use them. On a night we use the external screens in cold weather as they really do help to keep the chill out, internal screens don't really do this as the cold just gets round the edges. We don't really use the internal screens in cooler weather as the condensation is a pain in the bum - it's easier to give wet external screens a wipe down and stuff them in a bag, than it is to spend ages mopping up the dash etc!

[John J Thompson]

With practice you can get the external "Silver Screens" on and off quickly even in rain. If wet we put them in the shower to drip. Genuine "Silver Screens" come with a waterproof bag.

 

The work very well for us and keep the window mist free. A spot of washing up liquid on a pad can clear any misting that occurs after they are removed.

 

They do keep the cab cool in warm weather. Heat build up behind an internal screen, in very hot conditions, has been known to crack a windscreen.

[BrianR]

I have both internal and external screens, as when traveling in the winter I find I need the two together. I agree with the comments that fitting external screens externally in the rain is unpleasant. What I do is to fit the "external" screens inside, turning them inside out, hooking the pocket over the door as normal, but from the inside, and wedging them in between the door and the cab. You trap the top under the sun visors.This is quite effective.

[Guest Tracker]

I too found internal screens to be a bit pointless as better insulation can be achieved with good lined curtains.

 

I would be disinclined to alter or modify external blinds in any non reversible way so that when you too discover how useless internal blinds are you can go back to using the externals!

 

We don't bother with either as they are all a pain in the bum to fit, remove and store - unless you have plentiful external storage - especially when wet cold and windy!

 

We just use Remis blinds and the original curtains when very cold and a good microfibre cloth for drying the windows in the morning all of which takes less time than retrieving wet screens on a cold and wet morning!

 

Anyone want a set of Boxer internal screens going cheap!