Summer is the best time for many people to hit the road with their RV or camper, so enjoy those sunny days no matter how high the temperature rises with these hints and tips.
Park in the Shade
In the heat of the summer, one of the most important considerations you can make when selecting a campsite is shade. Shade is vital to prevent your RV from becoming too hot. Whenever possible, position your RV so that it is shaded during the hottest part of the day, with any trees on the western side, and use your awning for shade in the morning.
Create Your Own Shade
Even if you have a shady camp spot, maximize your shade by keeping your awning down and use tarps to make other shady areas. Use tree-friendly straps such as wide nylon to avoid damaging any nearby trees. If there are no nearby trees, get a large tarp and tie one side to the top of your RV and secure the other side to the ground with stakes to create a triangular shaded area.
Face the breeze
A simple way to create airflow into your RV is to orient your rig with the breeze. Check local weather conditions where you are traveling and try to position your rig to take advantage of wind patterns. The breeze will help cool your RV during the day.
Buy a Portable Fan
If you are wondering how to keep your RV cool in the summer on a budget, consider purchasing an affordable fan. A small portable fan goes a long way to move warm air, create a breeze, and cool your RV. During the evening, set up one fan in a window pointing inward to pull cool air in, and one fan pointing outward to pump hot air out of your RV.
Protect Your Windows
The handy insulated window covers you use in the winter work just as well to block out the heat as they do the cold. Glass does a poor job at insulating—meaning that it will let in the heat. Be sure to cover any sunny windows or big spans of glass, such as windshields and picture windows, with curtains or insulated window covers.
Close Your Windows Each Morning
Opening your windows at night can create a nice, cool breeze to help you sleep comfortably. Keep this cool air in your camper and make it last longer by closing your windows as soon as you wake up each morning. This can keep cool, overnight air inside your RV, leaving the hot, humid air outside.
Use Reflective Insulation
Use reflective insulation if you don’t have window awnings to help block the sun from entering the RV. Heat from the sun can enter your RV through the windows depending on how thick the glass is, but reflective insulation can reflect the sun away from the windows to keep the heat out. You can purchase various sizes of reflective insulation for an affordable price at home improvement stores.
Maintain Your Cooling Systems
Proper maintenance can help you optimize your cooling system and get the coolest air possible from it. To properly maintain your air conditioning system, make sure that all filters remain clean. This helps increase the efficiency of the unit and makes it easier to cool your RV. Inspect filters regularly, and clean or replace them as necessary.
Cook Outside
Nothing heats up an RV like running an oven or stove, so take your cooking outdoors to avoid stifling heat build-up inside.
Cover Skylights
As the summer sun sits high in the sky, your skylights attract heat, so use insulating covers to block out any solar radiation coming in from above. This will help keep your RV cooler, especially during extra-hot days.
Shade Your Door
A shaded outdoor space also keeps your door area from building up heat. To achieve this, orient your RV to have your awning and entry in the shade throughout the day. This can be tricky with a high summer sun, but typically this means positioning your door toward the south. The overhang of the awning keeps the sun out, keeping outdoor space cooler.
Increase Ventilation
Install vent covers over the existing roof vents to help increase ventilation in the RV. They are inexpensive, easy to install and they let the fresh air in, even when it’s raining.
Clean Fridge Vents
To keep your food cool, the fridge needs to get rid of large amounts of heat, which then radiates from the appliance and out into other areas of your RV, raising the temperature. Keep your RV fridge vents as clean as possible to allow for the heat to dump properly.
Use LED Lights
Regular bulbs give off a lot of heat, so switching to LED’s are more energy-efficient, and will keep your RV cooler in the summer.
Power-off Electronics
If your RV is rigged up with the latest technology, consider keeping things turned off during hot days. Devices like TVs, laptops, etc. all produce heat just like any other appliance.
Shut the Door
When the temps are soaring and you turn up the AC, avoid leaving windows and doors open. It can be tricky sometimes, but try to minimize door openings during the day so your RV stays cool.
Using these hints and tips, you can keep your RV quite comfortable in the summer. Understanding how the sun comes across your campsite, and you will be on your way to keeping your rig cool during your vacation.