Jul 07 2006 08:42 pm
Surviving the Texas Heat : Keep Your Camper Cool
Below is an article from the The RV Education 101 Newsletter (Volume 29 - July 2006) on keeping your camper or RV cool during the summer.
Keep your Camper Cool
- Summer is here and for RVers that not only means prime travel season is upon us, but so is the heat. If you ever walked inside an RV that is sitting in the direct sunlight on a hot summer day you know what I mean. I thought this would be a good time to list a few things we can do to make our summer RV camping trips more pleasurable.
- Strategically park your RV to take advantage of any shade that is available, especially on the side where the refrigerator vent is located. Don’t be afraid to ask for a shady site when you check in at the campground. This will not only help cool the RV down, but your refrigerator and roof A/C will work much more efficiently.
- You can also improve your air conditioners efficiency by keeping the A/C filters clean. In most cases you can wash the filters in warm soapy water, rinse thoroughly and allow them to dry before reinstalling. Another option is to clean the filters with a small hand held vacuum cleaner. I recommend you keep a new set on hand in the event the old filters have seen better days.
- Use your main awning and any window awnings to assist in cooling the RV down. In addition to the awnings use your window blinds or drapes to help keep the sun out and the cooler air in.
- Campground voltage can fluctuate, especially during the summer months when campers are running their A/C, placing a higher demand on campground electricity. You should monitor the voltage coming in to your RV with a digital voltmeter. If voltage drops below 105-volts or goes above 130-volts turn your appliances and electronic equipment off until proper voltage is restored.
- Install a thermostatically controlled refrigerator vent fan at the back of the refrigerator, or at the top of the roof vent, to assist with drafting the hot air away from the refrigerator. If you are mechanically inclined these fans are fairly easy to install, or you can have your RV dealer install one for you. Either way it’s worth it. The fan removes the heat built up behind the refrigerator improving the refrigerators performance by up to 40%.
- Another ingredient to keeping your RV cool is proper ventilation. Proper ventilation helps prevent excess heat from building up in your RV. You can install Maxx Air vent covers over the roof vents to allow for ventilation. They are inexpensive, easy to install and they let the fresh air in, even when it’s raining, while the stale, musty air, smoke, cooking odors and heat escapes. I use a vent cover on each end of our RV to promote cross ventilation.
- To help keep the inside of the RV cool try to avoid opening the door as much as possible and cook outside rather than inside whenever possible.
- Take a couple of small fans with you to help circulate the air. If for some reason you can’t run the A/C you’ll be glad you have them.
Mark Polk - RV University, a site providing Recreation Vehicle safety, RV maintenance information, RV tips, RV advice and RV instruction for using and maintaining an RV.
A big Texas THANK YOU to Dawn and Mark for allowing the publication of this article on Texas RV Travel. Texas is famous for 3-digit temperatures in the summer, so Texans need all the help we can get to survive. If you have not discovered the RV University site, you really should explore it. There are many courses that could save your sanity, your RV and your life.
Here are just a few:
RV Fire Safety 101, RV Travel Security 101, Top Five RV Insurance Claims & How to Avoid Them, Fresh Water 101, Trailer Sway 101, Dinghy Brake’s 101, Basic RV Safety 101, RV Buying Tips 101, Backing a Trailer 101, Inspecting for Water Damage 101, RV Tires 101,Traveling with Pets 101
keep camper cool, surviving Texas summer, RV University, RV 101
Posted by CyberCelt under Uncategorized
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Dirty Butter on 09 Jul 2006 at 11:45 pm #
These all sound like great ideas!!
BV
Happy0303 on 10 Jul 2006 at 4:24 pm #
That’s a pretty comprehensive list. Very informative. We don’t have too mnay RVs here but some of those tips could relate to just about anyone who has to suffer with the summer heat. Thanks for visiting me.
ZZ OpenWeb Staff on 10 Jul 2006 at 5:25 pm #
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The writers of ZardozZ News & Satire and the ZZ OpenWeb Portal search the web for interesting feed content and we came across your site today. We would like to invite you to add your site’s url to the ZZ OpenRing blogring as your material appears interesting and aligned with our readership. If you are interested you can find further information at the ZZ OpenRing. This is not meant as spam but as an invitation. Hope you’ll join us…