Keeping Cool in a Motorhome - on the move and parked up

[StuartO]

I thought the current warm spell would encourage us to pool ideas for staying cool in a motorhome, both while driving and parked up.  I'll start off by offering my experience and best practice:

Cab air-conditioning works well and allows you to make a comfortable journey in hot weather when you would otherwise by suffering.  Although it increases your fuel consumption, the benefit far exceeds the cost, even to a frugal Scot or Yorkshireman.  Difficult to fit retrospectively but if you are buying new or choosing secondhand, choosing cab airconditioning makes obvious sense.

Roof air-conditioning on the other hand is of marginal value and I wouldn't buy it again.  We had a 12v evaporative cooling outfit on our last MH and a mains voltage roof aircon on the current one.  The former is utterly ineffective and not worth the space, the latter is marginally effective but needs a mains supply and adds a lot of weight for what it's worth.  Even a 2kw aircon will struggle to lower the temperature in your MH by much when it's really hot, so don't kid yourself they work well.  I reckon you would need at least two of them on the roof to make a real difference and even then your OH wouldn't let you run them  overnight because they are too noisy.

So we rely on ventilation to be cool enough overnight so that means open windows (with flyscreens) and fans to provide airflow.  We carry two six inch mains-powered fans with mounting clamps for use with an EHU but we also have a couple of battery-powered bedside fans (02 Cool, not sure they are still sold) which are enough to give a nice breeze across your face even on low speed, which is quiet and the set of batteries last at least 5 nights. 

Having airflow across your face seems to be the key to comfort!

We have tried other battery-powered fans including a pair with usb recargeable batteries but they are smaller and noisy.  A fan seems to need to be at least 4 inches in diameter to serve well.

[John52]

Unfortunately most motorhomes are built like a greenhouse, and the 'greenhouse effect' of sun coming through the extensive windows will make them very hot.

Silver foil blinds on the windows would be a good start.

(I have a white (lightest colours are most heat reflective) van with no windows in the back and a powerful fan in the roof so its tolerable in this weather. )

[Brock]

Personal clothing can make a difference. Wrapping in your winter thermals is not a good idea in the current hot spell. Light breathable fabrics is good such as light cotton or even light wool. Synthetic fabrics can be horrible unless the technical content has been designed for hot climes. I tend to dress with arms and legs covered to avoid midge bites. Wife wears skirts or frocks, lightweight trousers for walking, plus sun cream.

 

We drape cotton towels over the front seats and find that is cooler than sitting on 'uncovered' seats.

 

Being relaxed when driving can reduce body heat, more regular drink stops - we keep drinking water in the fridge. We use silver screens to keep the heat out when pitched up - a cool van when you start a journey helps. Driving out of the noon day sun does as well. We will open the cab windows to get air movement.

[Tracker]

Holidaying North of the Artic Circle solves all over heating issues!

[monique.hubrechtsgm]

Eberspacher has a 12 volt cooler in the roof where a former roof window was. It runs by taking water from your FW tank. It is availeble in a mobile version. When on volts 230, the sky is the limit to cool your mobile by roof modules.

[pottypam]

When parked up, close windows on sunny side of van and open the ones on the shady side. If you have a Truma fire with blown air, put the blown air on as this draws in cool air from under the van but wait a while after parking to allow the air underneath to cool.

[laimeduck]

Put an extra ice cube or two in the G&T and sit out and eat in the shade under the awning until the cool of the evening. As I understand it, you can't do this on Aires which is why we prefer Sites. 

When on the move we simply travel with the cab windows open & drink lots of water. Not a problem as we don't use autoroutes much, more of a "D" road man me - I like to see the countryside. So we bimble around at about 50 mph so there's not much wind noise. We rarely do more than 200 miles in a day and stop in little towns/villages or viewing points en-route to explore. 

[aandy]

Then you understand wrong. I'm on an aire right now and surrounded by people eating and drinking under awnings. I didn't bother putting mine out, as this particular aire has picnic tables shaded by trees, which are more than adequate.

 

They're not all car parks, it's just a matter of finding the right aire.

[sandalwood]

We have a FANTASTIC FAN, switch on, when camper gets warm, fan opens and extracts hot air, closes if it senses rain. If not at night pushes cold air die. Really FANTASTIC-remove one skylight. Hey presto!

 

REGU

[pottypam]

Legally “camping behaviour” is not allowed on aires but the French (as usual!) ignore this and, depending on the Aire, so do we.

[crocs]

For me, it’s cab aircon and roof aircon - can’t beat it. But, for the Yorkshireman (ie a Scotsman with the generosity removed), a bowl of ice with a fan behind it will do.

[aandy]

pottypam - 2018-06-26 7:23 PM

 

Legally “camping behaviour” is not allowed on aires but the French (as usual!) ignore this and, depending on the Aire, so do we.

 

That was always my understanding, but a lot of aires, like the one I am on now, positively encourage it through the provision of things like picnic tables. Also, quite a few are former campsites, where "camping behaviour" is the norm. With the growth in private and campsite type aires, I wonder if there is any longer a universal law governing their use.

[laimeduck]

aandy - 2018-06-26 7:14 PMThen you understand wrong. I'm on an aire right now and surrounded by people eating and drinking under awnings. I didn't bother putting mine out, as this particular aire has picnic tables shaded by trees, which are more than adequate.They're not all car parks, it's just a matter of finding the right aire.

No .. I don't think I understand wrong. I think it is the rule. I choose not to break the rule and am quite content with that decision.

[StuartO]

sandalwood - 2018-06-26 7:21 PMWe have a FANTASTIC FAN, switch on, when camper gets warm, fan opens and extracts hot air, closes if it senses rain. If not at night pushes cold air die. Really FANTASTIC-remove one skylight. Hey presto!REGU

In really hot weather these will merely draw in replacement air which is almost as hot as the stuff you are exhausting.  If you haven't got mains aircon you haven't got any effective cooling, simple as that.

[aandy]

laimeduck - 2018-06-26 10:39 PM

aandy - 2018-06-26 7:14 PMThen you understand wrong. I'm on an aire right now and surrounded by people eating and drinking under awnings. I didn't bother putting mine out, as this particular aire has picnic tables shaded by trees, which are more than adequate.They're not all car parks, it's just a matter of finding the right aire.

No .. I don't think I understand wrong. I think it is the rule. I choose not to break the rule and am quite content with that decision.

Fair enough. The picnic tables on the aire I'm on now and the brick built BBQ at one I visited a few day ago must be solely for decoration.

[Billggski]

I use my silverscreens, they are insulating for warmth as well as cold. Put the awning out to create shade. I have a fan and de humidifier but rarely bother. Parking under trees is not usually a good idea because of the sap and falling branches.

We'll be complaining about the cold and rain soon so enjoy it while you can.

[Charles]

I bought a square mains fan and put it in the skylight, very effective blowing in. At night the air is colder outside. When it gets really hot though its like sitting under a hair dryer :D

[StuartO]

aandy - 2018-06-27 8:40 AM

laimeduck - 2018-06-26 10:39 PM

aandy - 2018-06-26 7:14 PMThen you understand wrong. I'm on an aire right now and surrounded by people eating and drinking under awnings. I didn't bother putting mine out, as this particular aire has picnic tables shaded by trees, which are more than adequate.They're not all car parks, it's just a matter of finding the right aire.

No .. I don't think I understand wrong. I think it is the rule. I choose not to break the rule and am quite content with that decision.

Fair enough. The picnic tables on the aire I'm on now and the brick built BBQ at one I visited a few day ago must be solely for decoration.

You are hijacking this thread, which is about cooling, not Aires. Insisting on asserting your view, which seems to be based purely on your observations of opportunistic behaviour you have seen on some Aires, does not change the general rule about no camping behaviour on Aires   AAndy is right, now please stop hijacking this thread.

  

[laimeduck]

StuartO - 2018-06-27 1:00 PM

aandy - 2018-06-27 8:40 AM

laimeduck - 2018-06-26 10:39 PM

aandy - 2018-06-26 7:14 PMThen you understand wrong. I'm on an aire right now and surrounded by people eating and drinking under awnings. I didn't bother putting mine out, as this particular aire has picnic tables shaded by trees, which are more than adequate.They're not all car parks, it's just a matter of finding the right aire.

No .. I don't think I understand wrong. I think it is the rule. I choose not to break the rule and am quite content with that decision.

Fair enough. The picnic tables on the aire I'm on now and the brick built BBQ at one I visited a few day ago must be solely for decoration.

You are hijacking this thread, which is about cooling, not Aires. Insisting on asserting your view, which seems to be based purely on your observations of opportunistic behaviour you have seen on some Aires, does not change the general rule about no camping behaviour on Aires   AAndy is right, now please stop hijacking this thread.

  

I am somewhat confused by this Stuart?  Who is right? 

[StuartO]

Sorry, I picked the wrong name - you are right about Aires and camping behaviour (in my opinion) but you are both guilty of hijacking a thread.  Now let's get back to the topic of cooling.

[sandalwood]

We bought the FANTASTIC FAN for our vehicle, switch to cool, go out, when inside temp reaches 65f fan opens and extracts hot air. Closes if it rains! Also can have downdraft. Ours has been fantastic! They all rush back, open windows, door, we just walk in to cool van! They took out a small vent over bed to fit. Best thing we ever had fitted.

 

Good luck

[StuartO]

Never had a Fantastic Fan but they sound very useful, especially in UK when really hot weather is rare - even though we are getting some at the moment.  I suspect that when the outside temperature is 30 degrees or more, as in Spain and Italy, these fans alone would have limited value.

[sandalwood]

No limited value! In France temp outside 94 f, went out for lunch, came back, really cool motorhome. It really is a fantastic fan. At night I, a downward blow is really cooling!

 

Regards

[Archiesgrandad]

We have tried aircon in most of it's forms, but the only situation in which I found it to be the complete answer was the fabulous set up on our RV, which cost a fortune, and annoyed the neighbours no end at night. On our last van we took out the roof aircon as I felt it was not practical or worth the nearly 70 kilos of payload that it used.

I favour the square plastic roof vents , I can't remember the trade name, but it was the one we all had before they invented the Heki, which was and still is available with a variable speed fan, reversable direction of flow and thermostat. They are quite quiet on the lower speeds, use little power, and are very effective.

For night-time personal use CG and I both have small fans intended for use with computers, no I don't mean the ones they put into the computer, they have a black plastic framework and plug into a USB port, and they will run all night without depleting the battery of the laptop, we usually plug the into a cigar lighter type plug used to charge the 'phones, they are quite quiet and if directed to blow onto your face are very effective.

We all know, of course, that pushing air through a fan does not change it's temperature at all, you need a heat exchanger of one sort or another to do that., but what it can do is help the moisture on the surface of your skin to evaporate, and in doing so it takes away a tiny bit of heat from the surface of your skin, and you start to feel cool. When you have cooled down and are no longer producing persperation all you can feel is the movement of air , so you still feel quite comfortable, but it is poised ready to become effective again if you start to warm up. PS it works best on bare skin, a woolly nighty reduces the effectiveness.

AGD

[aandy]

StuartO - 2018-06-27 1:00 PM

aandy - 2018-06-27 8:40 AM

laimeduck - 2018-06-26 10:39 PM

aandy - 2018-06-26 7:14 PMThen you understand wrong. I'm on an aire right now and surrounded by people eating and drinking under awnings. I didn't bother putting mine out, as this particular aire has picnic tables shaded by trees, which are more than adequate.They're not all car parks, it's just a matter of finding the right aire.

No .. I don't think I understand wrong. I think it is the rule. I choose not to break the rule and am quite content with that decision.

Fair enough. The picnic tables on the aire I'm on now and the brick built BBQ at one I visited a few day ago must be solely for decoration.

You are hijacking this thread, which is about cooling, not Aires. Insisting on asserting your view, which seems to be based purely on your observations of opportunistic behaviour you have seen on some Aires, does not change the general rule about no camping behaviour on Aires   AAndy is right, now please stop hijacking this thread.

  

Had no internet for a couple of days so only just seen this. Never imagined that a bit of thread drift could provoke such ire. Stuart, you are of course free to ask users to stick to the topic, but when you yourself join in the discussion you are trying to suppress you rather undermine your position. Since you chose to misrepresent my comments so as to more easily dismiss them, I feel I am entitled to reply. It was not so much the behaviour of aire users that led me to question the perceived wisdom, but the fact that the municipal authorities provide facilities on aires which positively encourage the behaviour most believe to be illegal. Am I the only one to see the anomaly? I don't claim to know for sure either way, but I'm pretty sure it is not as simple and clear cut as most (including me until recently) believe. I have done a bit of internet research which, while not conclusive, threw up some interesting results.Sorry to perpetuate the drift, but if you had simply asked us to stick to your original topic and left it there, I would have said no more.