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jagcb750 · 06-11-2008, 09:35 AM

I'm sure this has been covered already, but I have not seen a thread on this. I park Nancy by my house when I am not camping. I was wondering if there is a low cost way of keeping her cooled off during the hot summer days without having to run the air conditioner.
I have been using the fan above the bedroom to pull air out and using the screen door in the front to help exhaust out the hot air. Is there any other tricks I can do? I haven't installed a rain proof vent fan on the roof yet, but am considering it for the days that we get rain here. As always all advice is appreciated. Thanks in advance.

overlander63 · 06-11-2008, 10:35 AM

You can park under a tree, or get one of those "instant garage" canopies to help keep direct sun off the coach. I recently added a thermostat and rain sensor to our center Fantastic Fan, and Maxx-Air vent covers for the front and rear vents. When it gets hot, the center fan kicks on, and when it starts to rain, the vent shuts off and closes.

overlander64 · 06-11-2008, 11:01 AM

With my Overlander, I have automatic Fantastic Fan Vents in both the front and rear -- I set one for intake and the other for exhaust. Most of the time, I have both set to low speed and keep the front jalousie window partly open. It has worked nicely with my Overlander. I only have one roof vent in the Minuet, and I usually set its Fantastic Vent on exhaust and just releas the kitchen window to permit some air intake area -- this isn't as effective with the Minuet as it tends to rain in if the modern side window is opened to its first detent.

Kevin

jagcb750 · 06-12-2008, 07:17 AM

@overlanders: thanks for the input. Unfortunately, parking under a tree is not a viable option for me right now. When I sold my home last year, I purchased a Mobile home and put it on a lot next to my parents. The lot had previously been cleared of all shade trees. I am getting ready to inherit a home next to my in-laws. Then I will sell the mobile home off and use the pad to park nancy on. The lot is equipped with all utilities, just no shade. I think I will look into the fancy vent fans. a Thermostat would be great and of course the rain proofing is a must. Now is there a good source to purchase these? Camping World?

lewster · 06-12-2008, 07:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jagcb750

@overlanders: thanks for the input. Unfortunately, parking under a tree is not a viable option for me right now. When I sold my home last year, I purchased a Mobile home and put it on a lot next to my parents. The lot had previously been cleared of all shade trees. I am getting ready to inherit a home next to my in-laws. Then I will sell the mobile home off and use the pad to park nancy on. The lot is equipped with all utilities, just no shade. I think I will look into the fancy vent fans. a Thermostat would be great and of course the rain proofing is a must. Now is there a good source to purchase these? Camping World?

JaG,

While many on these boards use the Fantastic Fan, I switched mine out from my '06 CCD when new to MaxxFans. These have an integrated cover and can be purchased with a wireless thermostatic control too. I use them almost exclusively, with one pulling air in and the other exhausting air out. They work especially well in hot, humid and rainy climates when you don't want to run the roof AC. Two fans will allow you to ventilate the trailer completely and you can keep the door locked and the windows closed for security if you need it.

Another thing I did was to add mesh covers over every flat window. These are solar shields that allow you to see out but dramatically reduce the incoming solar rays. I'll post a pic later today.

To find the BEST price, check on-line.

bkahler · 06-15-2008, 09:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lewster

...Two fans will allow you to ventilate the trailer completely and you can keep the door locked and the windows closed for security if you need it.

Lewster,

What would you do if you only had one vent to work with? Our 310 motorhome has two air conditioners and one roof vent in the hallway. Although there are motorized fans in the bath and shower.

Thanks!

Brad

richinny · 06-15-2008, 09:30 AM

he might tell you that a reversible fan would be nice and you can control flow by opening different windows for intake or exhaust.

**moosetags** · 06-15-2008, 09:35 AM

We use the silver solar shield material on all of Lucy's windows when stored. It keeps everything cooler inside and protects the interior from sun fading. When Lucy at the house plugged-in in the hot weather, we leave the air conditioner on with the thermostat set at 86 degrees, just like they do at climate controlled storage.

Brian

lewster · 06-15-2008, 11:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by richinny

he might tell you that a reversible fan would be nice and you can control flow by opening different windows for intake or exhaust.

Gee Ricky...........

You must have been reading my mind! I would use a MaxxFan as they are al reversible, and you can then set it to suit your conditions. If you have any of the other fans in a 14 X 14 opening, you can easily add another one in that spot too!

My 19CCD only had 1 Fantastic Fan and a dead vent which was the same size, so when I changed the FF to a MaxxAir, I added one to the dead vent spot also. I had to run power to it, but that was no big deal! Love the 2 fans!!!!

jagcb750 · 07-22-2008, 10:29 PM

Here is an update: I installed a MaxxFan and am liking it thus far. No more worrying about it raining-in in the bedroom. Thanks for all the good advice. Now to figure out what to do with the other vent fan area.

norsea · 07-22-2008, 10:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by moosetags

We use the silver solar shield material on all of Lucy's windows when stored. It keeps everything cooler inside and protects the interior from sun fading. When Lucy at the house plugged-in in the hot weather, we leave the air conditioner on with the thermostat set at 86 degrees, just like they do at climate controlled storage.

Brian

Hi all,

We too use the silver solar shield material (that are used for automotive windshields) in all of our windows. We find that this easily keeps the temperature down 15-20 degrees by itself; and it means that the AC does not have to work as hard as well.

Our trailer has tinted window too and the sun block really makes a difference even with the windows being tinted.

Jim

centennialman · 07-23-2008, 06:22 AM

I use the silver solar shield in the windows and have Aunt Bee parked under a white portable garage. The white reflects the light and the garage keeps her shaded and dry. I have the front and back ends of the portable garage open for ventilation and have a roof vent and window partially open. All of it sure makes a difference.

jagcb750 · 07-23-2008, 10:47 AM

I must look into this silver solar shielding material. It sounds like it must be something that is real beneficial. Anywhere to buy this stuff in bulk? If anyone has a pic with their beauty that has the silver solar shielding material I would like to see it. Thanks!

centennialman · 07-23-2008, 11:19 AM

You can buy it at Camping World and most other RV stores. I have seen it at Lowe's from time to time also. Comes in rolls that you can cut to fit your windows.

overlander63 · 07-23-2008, 11:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jagcb750

Here is an update: I installed a MaxxFan and am liking it thus far. No more worrying about it raining-in in the bedroom. Thanks for all the good advice. Now to figure out what to do with the other vent fan area.

You can install a Maxx-Air vent cover over the other vent, and leave it open. It won't rain in unless you are in the middle of a hurricane. The maxx-Air fan you have now will pull or push the hot air out, leaving cooler air inside. We run our fan on "intake", which forces the hotter air out the open, but non-powered, vents.

guy99 · 07-23-2008, 01:05 PM

I have tried leaving vents on to circulate air but it seems to bring in a great deal of dust. I imagine that is a function of my situation, but others might have the same issues.

Placing the shiny bubble insulation on the outside of the windows is a major aid in lowering temperatures

drfw · 07-23-2008, 09:48 PM

My 310 has an awning style window at the rear which allows me to put a 120v fan at that window without fear of rain leakage.
I run that fan 24/7 and keep the roof vents open.
It does the job of ventillating nicely.

Cracker · 07-25-2008, 03:25 PM

The solar shield would be a nice touch to keep the sun from rotting the shades and curtains. I tried the "in/out" settings for the fans for several summers but got tired of the collection of flying bugs on the intake side. Periodically I reversed the fans - but the bug juice still made a mess. This summer I set the A/C on 78 deg and it hasn't caused a significant increase in my home electric bill. The AS is out in the open with nary a tree around. Of course, here in Maine most of our evenings are cool enough by 9 p.m. that the A/C never comes on again until about 10 a.m. the next morning. One thing the A/C serves to do, that you can't do with the fans, is control humidity. I'm pretty sure that the solar shield will cut down on my A/C run time even further. Overall, I think that the cost of using the A/C during the summer is a reasonable expense relative to the value of the Airstream. The ideal arrangement will always be covered storage.

Lothlorian · 07-25-2008, 03:41 PM

Try a greenhouse supply store. They sell riveted shade cloth. I know when I put it on my greenhouse it cools it down about 10 degrees. They also breath and let the hot air out. If you could make a canopy frame to put your airstream under and use the shade cloth I think that would work. If you do not have a greenhouse supply store just do an internet search.

I have my airstream parked under some big elm trees. It stays cool until about 2:00 P.M. and the it heats up.

SIU bound

Brian

jagcb750 · 07-26-2008, 09:46 AM

@SIU Bound: Thanks for the heads up on the Shade Cloth. I am tempted to give that a try. I found some Wholesale Websites that had some pretty good looking product.