Air conditioning; what are realistic expectations?

[JonMN]

We are enjoying our Class B. Great for cross-country drives and just getting used to the camping aspect too.

I am interested to see what your experiences are with your coach air conditioning. What do you expect if you are parked in the sun at 90 degrees? How cool do you keep your van?

With all the exposed metal and a large amount of window space I realize A/C is a challenge. Variations in insulation are certainly a factor.

[mkguitar]

we try to go "where the weather suits our clothes"


the real answer depends on so many factors such as ambient temperatures, sun exposure ( shade), whether the you've been parked or driving ( my drivetrain will throw heat 6 hours after parked ).


window coverings- I use reflectix panels on the windows


When we have shore power there are times when we have run the AC but it's so noisy we often use it to cool the van while we walk the dog and then turn it off.


When we drive we use the dash AC and it's fine even at 100º plus outside- we live in AZ where we cool our house to 80º. our comfortable in the van may not be someone else's idea of a good time.

[jjrbus]

When I bought my 02 Roadtrek one of the first things I did was remove the AC that sounded like a vacuum cleaner running. Roadtrek uses a window type AC and I replaced it with a LG 9500 dual inverter window AC.

I do not expect it to cool a poorly insulated fiberglass box the way I expect a house AC to cool. What I have found is dead spots where the air does not circulate, I am now experimenting with fans to move the air around. I am watching what other people do with window coverings.

[Punkinhead]

Our van started life as a passenger van so has a lot of windows. The key to allowing the AC to work is exterior window shades. We attach ours with magnets. Reflectix on the inside helps, but stopping the sun before it gets in is better. We have no problem maintaining low 70s inside when it's 90 and sunny outside.

We took a many pronged approach. Lots of insulation, ceramic window tint, try to park in shade, reflectix interior window shades, and phifertex exterior shades. Every bit helps, but the outside shades made the biggest difference.

[Snowy]

Punkinhead: Did you make your phifertex shades, or did you buy them somewhere?

[Punkinhead]

Originally Posted by Snowy

Punkinhead: Did you make your phifertex shades, or did you buy them somewhere?

Made them for the side and back windows. Bought one from Fanchers Upholstery for the windshield.

[phantomjock]

Originally Posted by Punkinhead

Made them for the side and back windows. Bought one from Fanchers Upholstery for the windshield.

These are nice and useful solutions. Do you have any pictures of your handiwork to share? I'm sure they would be much appreciated.

TIA - Jim

[JonMN]

Thanks all for the interesting ideas!! I especially like the idea of outside shades. While my van has very nice sun blocking shades for the windows, you can feel how hot the shades get in the sun.

Just a funny idea that I have never seen--while I rarely use my awning, it makes a huge difference in sun load if I am lucky enough to have the sun on the same side. Wonder if anyone who camps a lot in the sun has considered an awning on both sides??

[Punkinhead]

Originally Posted by phantomjock

These are nice and useful solutions. Do you have any pictures of your handiwork to share? I'm sure they would be much appreciated.

They're just simple rectangles of Phifertex with edge binding and grommets in the corners. Held on with rubber coated pot magnets with M6 studs and M6 thumb screws from Amazon. If you don't sew it would probably be pretty cheap to have a local seamstress do the edge binding. 3 layers of material sewed in the corners to add strength for the grommets.

If you buy the Fanchers windshield cover I recommend a darker color. White does a good job of rejecting heat but it shows dirt. I didn't like the built in magnets of the Fanchers because they always seemed to hold debris that scratched my paint. It was hard to get the debris off the magnets because it would embed in the weave of the material. I cut the magnets out and put in grommets and attach them using the same rubber coated pot magnets that I used in my home made covers.

[JonMN]

^^^ really neat idea! I think I will copy the side covers. Can you roll the fabric to store them? Thanks again!

[Pam G]

Originally Posted by Punkinhead

They're just simple rectangles of Phifertex with edge binding and grommets in the corners. Held on with rubber coated pot magnets with M6 studs and M6 thumb screws from Amazon.

I looked at Phifer's web site. Great idea to use on your RV! Which fabric did you get from them?

[prostar]

When the temperature gets over 100 degrees, my AC shuts down, don't know why

[Punkinhead]

Originally Posted by Pam G

I looked at Phifer's web site. Great idea to use on your RV! Which fabric did you get from them?

I used this standard 70% stuff because I wanted to be able to see outside easily. They make Phifertex Plus which is 92.5% shade if you want to trade visibility for more shade.

[ChicagoTom]

I have a Pleasureway Chevy Lexor 08 and it has an aisle bathroom, meaning the toilet faces the aisle. When the doors are open, the pocket doors slide out and this creates a separation between the front and back. The temp in the back will be a comfortable approximate 80 degrees and the front will be about 15-20 degrees hotter. I also do the same with the fantastic fan, and there's about a 10-15 degree difference. You can also do the same with some sort of separator, shower rod with plastic across, or whatever works.

[michaelingp]

We rarely use the AC, but we were "camped" in a campground in Las Vegas with no shade and daytime temps around 112. Running continuously, the AC could only bring the inside temperature down to about 90. When we talked to other campers, the conventional wisdom was that if you only had one AC unit it was futile to air condition in those conditions. Unfortunately, I can't find the BTU rating for our unit, so it's impossible to compare.

[KurtFranz]

Originally Posted by ChicagoTom

I have a Pleasureway Chevy Lexor 08 and it has an aisle bathroom, meaning the toilet faces the aisle. When the doors are open, the pocket doors slide out and this creates a separation between the front and back. The temp in the back will be a comfortable approximate 80 degrees and the front will be about 15-20 degrees hotter. I also do the same with the fantastic fan, and there's about a 10-15 degree difference. You can also do the same with some sort of separator, shower rod with plastic across, or whatever works.

i do the samething. we were in 90 degree heat for 4 hours in a animal emergency hospital parking lot in direct sun waiting to get our dog checked out. i fired up the generator, closed the front facing bathroom partition wall/door and turned on the coolcat. no reflectix just the curtains closed and the thermostat set at 72. it constantly ran, and when i upped the thermostat to 75 it shut off. to me that is acceptable, but the key was having the van separated by the wall. it was a lot warmer on the other side of the wall. i bet with some reflectix the temp would have held at 70-72 degrees. like everyone is saying, lotsa factors come into play, but having a genny and ac sure is nice to have when the situation arises.

[GeorgeRa]

Originally Posted by Punkinhead

................... but stopping the sun before it gets in is better. ...............

Agree, best way to block IR are outside covers, awning is also a great way to block IR.

Originally Posted by Punkinhead

...................
If you buy the Fanchers windshield cover I recommend a darker color. White does a good job of rejecting heat but it shows dirt. …………...

I use windshield cover as well, great way to keep our van cooler. https://www.eurocampers.com/2007--20...ge_p_2345.html

[ChicagoTom]

Originally Posted by michaelingp

We rarely use the AC, but we were "camped" in a campground in Las Vegas with no shade and daytime temps around 112. Running continuously, the AC could only bring the inside temperature down to about 90. When we talked to other campers, the conventional wisdom was that if you only had one AC unit it was futile to air condition in those conditions. Unfortunately, I can't find the BTU rating for our unit, so it's impossible to compare.

I'm in Vegas now. same temps as you were, about 112. As mentioned, it's important to find a way to separate the front from the back. I have a thermometer and it reads 78 degrees in the back, and 98 in the front.

[MsNomer]

Originally Posted by Punkinhead

…. The key to allowing the AC to work is exterior window shades. … Every bit helps, but the outside shades made the biggest difference.

I proved this theory while sitting a few days near Death Valley, outside temperature 104°. With exterior Tyvek cover, I was able to maintain ambient inside the van. Tyvek is available plain white on Amazon. It is sturdy enough that I was able to sew magnets and Velcro.

I had another strip of Tyvek that I fastened to whichever side was in the sun so I would have a view on the other.



Interior is like being covered with snow.

[avanti]

Originally Posted by MsNomer

Tyvek is available plain white on Amazon. It is sturdy enough that I was able to sew magnets and Velcro.

Very, very nice.
Will you make sets for each of us?