Keeping A RV Cool In Extreme Heat

Keeping An RV Cool In Extreme Heat

The Easy Stuff

The easy fix would be to find that perfect site. The one that has plenty of shade with your nose facing west and your butt facing east. However, that is a fantasy in today’s world when it comes to finding a site. You do not always have the intel to understand what your getting into or the resort randomly places you on the property. Awnings are great and provide some needed shade.   If you plan to step away from the rig for any length of time you will not want to leave them extended.

The alternative is to turn to what you have. Airconditioners, window treatments, outdoor grills, and such to keep your interior cool. I put together some of our maintenance practices for the AC and a few suggestions for window treatments. Each has been field-tested here in the southeast where the humidity is high and temps hit the high 90s with a heat index above 100.  Let’s run them down below.

AC Maintenance & Testing

Your Air Conditioners will be your first line of defense to combat the extreme heat of the summer. Routine maintenance is a must to keep these units in tip-top shape and ready to keep you cool on demand.

There are simple tasks you can perform yourself to ensure these units are functioning properly. Let us examine a list of items that can impact an air conditioner’s performance, The major one being Air Flow

Air Flow Across Evaporator

Dirty air filters restrict the airflow to the coils. Simply checking your interior air filters periodically and cleaning them if necessary will improve the airflow. Dirty evaporator coils restrict the heat transfer across the coils. Taking the time to clean those coils can and will increase the efficiency of these units. These are tasks that you can perform and should be at the start of each season. If you are a bit timid when it comes to climbing up on your RV roof, hire a mobile tech to do this.

Todd Henson – NRVTA fame and Chad from Changing Lanes got together to make a great video on AC maintenance. They tackle the above issues and more in the below video.

Window Treatments

Taking a tip from the TV series Breaking Bad adding Reflectix insulation to your window will cut the heat in the RV by 10 -15 degrees. If your rig is like ours we did not get the double pane windows. At the time weight and expense kept us away from having them installed on our build.

Reflectix

A trip to Lowes or Home Depot for a roll of 48 in. x 24 ft. Relectix insulation got us started on this project. Taking a few measurements we cut the insulation slightly larger than the opening of the window. There is a small 1/4 inch gap between the window and the frame to slide the insulation into. This the shades and screens keep the mats in place.

Once we arrive at our destination we take the mats we choose down and store them behind the reclining chairs or under the bed. Traveling with them in place keeps the RV cooler. This aids in quicker cooling once we start the AC units. If the outside temps are reaching the high 90s for any length of time, we will keep them in place.

Another Solution

I choose the Reflectix road on our new rig. It has its drawbacks but was an inexpensive way to solve a heat problem. Our previous camper a 2017 Open Range Roamer 347RES had the standard honeycomb draw-up shade on our windows. It did not take us long while camping in the summer heat to find out that our shades were inadequate.

The rig would heat up in the midday sun, up went the Reflectix, down came the shades there goes our view. If you would like a solution that does not involve Reflectix or maybe blackout shades I would highly recommend Magna Shades

Magne Shades

I was searching around the web for a solution that would not obstruct our view and still give us the needed shade. I came across blackout shades, pulled down shades to allow light but block sun UV rays all fairly expensive, and most would call for complete removal of our current curtains and shades. I follow Techno RV and read a post regarding their recent installation of a product called Magne Shade.

What Are Magne Shades

The patented Magne Shade™ system uses small but very powerful Rare Earth magnets that are mounted on the outside of the window with a hi temperature 3M peel and stick tape. Our shades are designed to fit your coach glass tight, we incorporate a simple and effective fabric adjustment system in our design so your shades won’t stretch out of shape and sag over time, as a snap-type system can. Magne Shade™ is simply the best custom RV shading system in the marketplace.

I’m Sold

Magne Shade features Class A windshield and side window installations on their site. It certainly looked to me that these would work just as well on Fifth Wheel Campers windows as well. I reached out to the company and they walked me through the measuring process and helped identify the corner radius of our windows for proper fit. We have cantilever windows throughout the rig. My rep, Greg gave me specific instructions regarding the measurements for proper fit and trim. I took my measurements, placed my order and four weeks later they arrived at my door.

The Installation

I will be sharing an installation video from their website below. Although the owner of the company single-handedly installed the Windshield shade on Class A, I would suggest you get a partner to help you out. The one hold back to the process is if you do not have your rig indoors you will need to wait for a 72-hour period of warm and dry weather to install the magnets.

Installing the magnets for two large and one small shade was done in short order. After the recommended 72-hour curing process for the adhesive, it was a snap to place the shades up. I did purchase the install bar to give me a bit more reach, and it worked like a charm from ground level.

The Results

Our first real test of the shades came in August of 2018. We were camping in Western NY with the rig facing south. The entire side with the large dining room window was facing west. The afternoon sun was beating down on Natasha. The shades worked perfectly, cut the sundown, keeping the interior cooler and we could see out the windows fine. I would highly recommend this product.

The manufacturer recommends rolling the shades up when you store them. By the way, you will not be traveling with these positioned on the rig. The magnets are strong but rolling down the road at highway speeds will surely blow these off. I store mine away under the rig rolled up on pool noodles. It has worked fine and the shades keep their shape.

In the end, these have been a great solution for our needs. They are less expensive than new interior blackout customs or sun shades. Here is a link to the website for more information: Magne Shade