Perhaps you do not have an RV air conditioner, or your RV AC unit has failed, find out now how to stay cool without RV air conditioner in hot weather.
Camping in hot weather requires a means of cooling weather you will be using an AC or other cooling hacks. AC are expensive to purchase. Besides, you may have it but you do not have sufficient power to run the AC. Sometimes, your AC may experience some malfunctioning and you still need to stay cool.
So, what are some ways to stay cool without air conditioning? You can choose a shade for parking, explore various shade products, apply the concept of sunlight reflection, not using the oven and stove, maximize of the airflow, and camp in a camping ground places that is cool.
Book the Right Parking Space
When exploring the campground website during the reservation, be sure to choose a parking space that has a shed. The tree shade will enhance cooling.
Furthermore, the shed does not completely obstruct sunlight and you can be creative when parking the RV such that the windows are way from direct rays of the sun. In that manner, you will still benefit from cooling and a nice scenic view.
Doing reservations early before camping season would go a long way to ensure you secure the best spot for the D-Day.
The good thing about early reservation is that you can actually talk with the support who will advise you on the best spot to choose to park Your RV.
Explore External RV Shades
If your RV does not come with an awning, then you can buy an RV awning. Most of the awning have been designed to basically suit most if not all RV models.
Besides, the various RV awnings in the market allows you to choose the one that mostly suits your needs and budget. RV awning provides shed and helps in keeping you cool irrespective of where you have parked the RV, even directly under the sun.
The awnings can be electric or manual. So, if you have issues of power buy the manual RV awning as they all provide the same function of offering a shed.
Concept of Reflection
Reflection is the bouncing back of rays. So, it is possible to reflect the sun’s ray off your RV using an insulation material known as a reflectix. Reflectix reflects the heat away making your RV stay much cooler.
Insulate the windows using reflectix. Using a reflectix on the windows has much more benefit. The material is an insulator. As a result, it not only reflect solar rays but also prevent external heat from penetrating to your RV.
So, the inside remains cool even if the outside is hot. Also, a slight tint on the windows will go a long way in bringing about a cooling effect to the insides.
Advantages of Using Reflectix
- Covers the windows and keeps interiors much cooler than the outside
- Protects interior furniture and fabrics from fading due to covering from sun’s rays
- You sleep longer as the light from the sun won’t wake you early in the morning
- Enhanced privacy by the reflectix cover as people from outside won’t see what is in the inside of the RV
- They are temporary and can easily be removed when you do not need them or put them back in place when you need them.
Closing the Windows
Also, once you have insulated the windows you do not have to open it all day. In fact, open the windows early in the morning to enhance cool air circulation inside the RV.
Then, lock the windows and trap the cool air inside. So when the sun’s heat is scorching during the day the RV would be much cooler on the inside.
Besides, you will have to reduce opening the door or risk cool air from the RV to escape and be replaced by warm air.
Cooking
When the sun is too hot, if possible do not use a stove or oven in the RV kitchen. The appliances will end up heating the air inside the RV making it hot.
Not using the stove or oven does not mean that your meal schedule would be disrupted or you will have to go hungry.
Instead, prepare the meals when it is still cold say early in the morning and pack them in enclosed dishes that keeps food warm or use an oven to warm the food.
Also, make use of the campsite grill to warm the food or cook from outside instead of heating up the air in the RV.
Natural Ventilation
Open the windows to allow free circulation of air inside the RV early in the morning or through the night if the place is too hot and camping safety is enhanced.
As air from outside enters the RV the warm air in the RV is pumped out and a cooling effect comes about. You can also park the RV in a manner that the gentle wind breeze directly enters into the RV through the windows.
Vent Covers
The vent covers enhances RV ventilation. The covers prevent heat from building up in the RV and brings about a cooling effect. The covers are affordable.
Besides, they are easy to install. Often, the covers can be placed on the RV roof vents and at the ends of the RV to enhance cross ventilation.
Refrigerator Vent
Check your RV fridge and locate the refrigerator vent. Often, the vents have been directed outwards. As the fridge cools the food, the warm air is often released through the vent.
However, the vent air is actually warm in comparison to the inside of the fridge but the air is much cooler that the air in the RV. Why not channel the vent air back to the RV and enhance the cooling?
Roof Insulation
Insulating the RV roof can result in cooling or warming up your RV. Find out more by watching this video on how roof insulation can adjust the inside RV temperature.
Lighting
As bulbs produce light, they also result in heating. Incandescent bulbs emit more heat in comparison to LED light. Thus, if you are using incandescent bulbs consider replacing it with LED bulbs. They are much affordable and are energy efficient.
Cool Camping Grounds
The terrain of the campground is not all the same. Despite the temperatures being too hot, it is possible that some places are cool enough to stay cool in the RV.
In fact, make use of the mobility of the RV and move from place to place during the day while exploring the place. Besides, you can book a campground that is experiencing a cool temperatures.
