Tips & tricks
Keeping your RV cool in hot weather
By Russ and Tina DeMaris
Jul 14, 2010, 11:56

If you run into a wave of hot weather during an RV adventure, meeting it can be a challenge. Here's some advice that can help you keep you cool.

Shade tree tricks: If you aren't running solar panels on your roof, park your rig in the shade whenever possible. Trees are obvious, but checking the direction of the sun versus available hillsides and rocky cliffs can make a big difference.

Windows open? Windows closed? If the weather is inviting enough, skip using your air conditioner and roll the windows and doors wide open. A nice breeze coursing through your rig can be more a lot more enjoyable than running your a/c unit. If you do need a/c, then be sure to close all doors, windows, and vents. Think of your RV under air conditioning as a large refrigerator. Open the door, the cold air spills out.

Window blocking: We recently ran into a spate of 100 degree plus temperatures. We had no shade available, and our "venue" was on a stone covered parking lot. Not a lot of fun, and even hard for our air conditioner to keep up with. What saved our bacon from becoming fried was blocking out as much solar heat as possible. Sure, we closed the window blinds, but even then, plenty of heat came soaking through the windows. We quickly put cardboard between the blinds and the window glass--it made a HUGE difference. Now we'll be custom cutting window covers from insulated bubble foil. Available at our local hardware store, it comes in various widths, cuts with scissors, and adds about an R-6 insulation rating. When not in use we'll just stash it behind our galley cushions.

Check the fins: If you air conditioner doesn't seem to have the cooling pep you need, it's possible the cooling fins on the outside of the a/c unit are bent. You'll need to access the roof to check. At the rear of the unit you'll find rows of thin, aluminum fins that help the unit shed heat. These fins easily bend--a strong wind shove them together. Use a thin screwdriver and carefully bend them out straight. It's a time consuming process, and some swear by using a fin comb from an a/c tool supply outfit. We got one, but found it was easier to work at it with a screwdriver.

Flatter your filter: Roof top a/c units have a filter designed to trap dust. These filters need to be cleaned, every week if you use the unit much. They're usually found in a plastic holder that's easily unsnapped or unscrewed from inside your rig. Most filters can be taken down and washed with soapy water. Once dried, replace them and cool away.

Park practically: If you have a choice on how to park your rig and there's no shade available, park so that the sidewalls of your rig take the least amount of sun during the course of the day.

It takes time: Many RVers find that it can take a long time to cool down the inside of the RV, particularly in really hot weather. If you have a built-in generator on your RV, consider firing it up while traveling and run the a/c enroute to your destination. Once camped, if you can, when leaving the rig for a few hours, consider leaving the a/c unit on, but set warmer than you'd keep it while inside. We find this practical when on shore power--but we don't like leaving the generator running when we're away from the rig out of consideration for safety.

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