Winnebago Travato thread here

[eric1514]

What color is it? I ask because mine is red and I will cover it soon. I understand new paints and finishes and waxes, etc, but even the manual from Chrysler/Dodge says to protect it from the sun if possible, and it is possible with a cover.

Eric

[avanti]

Lots of people believe that covers do more harm than good, causing abrasion in the wind and holding in moisture (they are certainly a pain in the neck). Modern finishes are very robust. We stored our last rig (2004 Sprinter-based Airstream Interstate) outdoors for 8 years with no noticeable deterioration.

Just get covers for the windows so as to protect the upholstery.

[joefish]

It's the new Dark Grey "Granite". I wasn't as worried about the paint holding up, my cars have held up well over 8 years now, but more concerned with the inside components. I would certainly black out the windows.

May be a dumb idea (giving away how inexperienced this newbie is), but I thought I could hook up to my house power while in my driveway and set the thermostat to 80 degrees to keep it from roasting when hot- no?

[avanti]

Originally Posted by joefish

May be a dumb idea (giving away how inexperienced this newbie is), but I thought I could hook up to my house power while in my driveway and set the thermostat to 80 degrees to keep it from roasting when hot- no?

If you are willing to pay the electric bill, then, sure. Get a good hefty extension cord, though, or the voltage drop will get you when attempting to run an air conditioner. A 15 amp circuit is marginal for running most RV A/C units.

You might be surprised how effective a simple ceiling vent (Fantastic Vent, etc) can be at keeping the vehicle cool.

[gerrym51]

why would the heat be an issue if no one in it. what feels hot to a human is actually not hot to an inanimate object. unless its over 150 degrees why bother. now i can see taking steps to cool it down if your shortly going to use it.
but i would start this the night before and no sooner

[joefish]

Thanks for the help, guys. I guess I'll just see how it goes (good suggestion with the fan).

I'm probably just over anxious wanting to take care of my new traveling man cave!

[wincrasher]

I'd be reluctant to put a ton of hours on an air conditioning unit like that.

Since the MaxAir vent has a built in cover, you can open the bathroom vent, and the MaxAir on low and keep the air moving thru your rig.

On a drop cord, you'll be fine.

Actually, I've run my AC fine off the drop cord - just don't use the microwave or the water heater at the same time.

[Davydd]

We have awning style windows. Simply opening all six and leaving the MaxxAir fan vent open without running the fan keeps our inside from overheating. Maybe on the hottest days you might want to cool things off with the fan or the air conditioning. To me that would be 85-90 degrees and above and then I would only use the fan when in driveway storage mode.

[mass59k]

Is it due to the location of the tanks??

[eric1514]

Originally Posted by gerrym51

why would the heat be an issue if no one in it. what feels hot to a human is actually not hot to an inanimate object. unless its over 150 degrees why bother. now i can see taking steps to cool it down if your shortly going to use it.
but i would start this the night before and no sooner

Go RV shopping in Phoenix one day and you will see what heat does to an inanimate object. I've seen window gaskets melted down the side of a window and wall paper curled up off the wall.

[gerrym51]

Originally Posted by eric1514

Go RV shopping in Phoenix one day and you will see what heat does to an inanimate object. I've seen window gaskets melted down the side of a window and wall paper curled up off the wall.

doesn't this kind of stuff happen to cars then. maybe my point should have been-is the travato different than other vehicles.

if what you say happens i would not live in phoenix

does travato have wallpaper?

[booster]

With excessive heat, either outside or inside, there really are lot of things to worry about. Batteries wear out faster, anything plastic loses plasticizer faster and gets brittle, wood dries out and splits.

One that can really cause you grief is that the sealants used to seal up the body dry out and get less resilient. Put on top of that the fact that things like fans and air conditioners expand at different rates than van bodies, and you have a recipe for leaks.

My ex-Texas Buick Roadmaster wagon has artificial wood on the sides, and the solid pieces are bleached absolutely white and almost dusty.

[eric1514]

Originally Posted by gerrym51

doesn't this kind of stuff happen to cars then. maybe my point should have been-is the travato different than other vehicles.

if what you say happens i would not live in phoenix

does travato have wallpaper?

UV damage happens to everything everywhere, it just happens faster in places like Phoenix.

[gerrym51]

Originally Posted by eric1514

UV damage happens to everything everywhere, it just happens faster in places like Phoenix.

based on the original post are we talking heat or uv damage. if you have a van sitting but all windows are covered it the issue heat or uv.

i believe heat in of itself up to a certain degree is not an issue. uv is different thing

[eric1514]

I lived in AZ for 13 years, not Phoenix but it was hot during the summer and the UV index was always high.

When I first got my Class C, I made some reflextics window coverings to keep the UV off the inside and to lower the heat accumulation inside. It sorta worked. The UV did no damage inside, but the outside was starting to fade and heat was drying out the inside. I bought a cover for it. No more interior or exterior UV damage and because the cover was white and reflective, the inside temps went way down from frequently over 110 to the high 80s.

When I finish my RV pad, I'm going to try and put up some sort of a shelter for it, but if I can't, I'm going to cover the RV. It's the only way to protect it from UV and heat.

[tbirdman]

Don't have to worry about sun damage as I live in Oregon. May have to worry about water and moss

[bobojay]

Originally Posted by tbirdman

Don't have to worry about sun damage as I live in Oregon. May have to worry about water and moss

And small trees growing out of the cracks and crevices.....

[tbirdman]

Originally Posted by bobojay

And small trees growing out of the cracks and crevices.....

Yes we have quite a few Chia houses The first sign of spring is the sound of pressure washers!

[stanw909]

mass59k.I was looking through your gallery and wanted to say how nice your rigs interior looks.Cabinets look particularly nice.Any quality issues so far?

[mass59k]

Windows very tight..hard to open...screens don't fit well..toilet paper holder too small. .rest of interior is fine..easy to keepclean. .heading out to Finger Lakeso of NY for a week
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