New Owner of 2021 Interstate 24GL

[mike2016]

I started searching for the right coach a few months ago, after visiting multiple dealers and looked at different options, we decided on Class B. and Airstream was the ultimate choice.... so here we are

Placed the order 4 months ago, finally we got the call last Thursday from our local dealer the coach is ready (a month later than ETA)

2021 Interstate Lounge Ext, 4WD

a quick question for those who park their cars outside (i assume most do?), I'm in Socal and the interior temp can get up to 130F during the day in summer. do you leave the rooftop fan on auto and windows open?

[InterBlog]

Originally Posted by mike2016

...

a quick question for those who park their cars outside (i assume most do?), I'm in Socal and the interior temp can get up to 130F during the day in summer. do you leave the rooftop fan on auto and windows open?

Welcome to Air Forums.

Most may indeed park outside, but not all of us. My husband and I are in the greater Houston metro area and while we don't reach 130F, we live with a combination of heat, humidity, and high sun angles that wreaks havoc with ungaraged vehicles. I rent an off-site enclosed storage space and keep our Interstate there.

It's a personal preference, but we have owned ours for 6 years and given the level of upfitting investment that we have made, we hope to own it for another 10 years.

The ultimate preference for many of us would be to build private on-site garages that could accommodate our rigs. We created a dreamer-style thread here that might interest you.

Our storage unit below. I cringe when I contemplate six years of rent payments, but it is what it is. The cost of living in greater Houston is comparatively low, so I force myself to think of it as an extension of our mortgage.

[wachuko]

Congratulations!! And welcome to the forum!

Ours sleep outside... we turn off the red switch and let the sun keep the batteries fully charged. No issues so far.

Paint takes a beating in the Florida sun. Specially the trims pieces that are not factory Mercedes but installed afterwards by Airstream. Our is a 2018 that we ordered and took delivery on December 16, 2017

So, if you can, best to keep it outside the sun... but if you have to, then be sure to wash and wax often to keep the paint protected.

I got a cover for the fan that allows me to leave it open even when it rains. You might consider adding that.

We did 3M Crystalline automotive window film in all front windows and windshield. Heat reduction was impressive. Highly recommended.

[Ryoungca]

We probably have similar conditions in Ventura County and we leave the van outside with the vent open, the power off and the side windows open in the back. It's hot in there during the day but I haven't noticed any problems. The upper cabinets get particularly hot, there isn't much insulation between them and the exterior, so I'm careful about what I store up there while it's parked.

[mike2016]

Thanks guys for the input.

I left the power on, and set the fan on auto and the temp to 90F. this way it kicks in during the day. i also left a few windows open. the temp drop was significant.

as most of the things inside the van are household stuff, they are not really designed to withstand such high temp for long periods of time...

[Rocinante]

You also have to think about the various adhesives used in the construction of the van. For example, For example, Velcro strips glued to the floor and other parts of the van will surrender to the heat relatively early. When you attempt to lift carpet in the back that's Velcroed to the floor, the whole thing will come loose instead, with the goopy, sticky strip of hook fabric still attached to the carpet instead of remaining where it was supposed to stay. This particular result is not a crisis, and it's relatively easy to remedy with a fresh strip of adhesive hook Velcro, but it's icky when you discover it.

[Titus]

We use the microwave as a storage space for bread, bananas, potatoes and other things that can not stand the heat of the upper cabinets - just don't forget to remove them before using the microwave. Tried popping a bag of popcorn in the microwave without removing a potato. Couldn't figure out why it popped so poorly - 'til we later found the half-cooked potato.

[mike2016]

yea we don't store any food items in the van unless we are ready for a journey.

anyone has any idea if it's possible to add remote monitoring to the Czone panel? sort of like a smart home, so that i dont have to go inside the van to check batt voltage and stuff everyday

still learning about its wiring diagram...how things are connected.

also planning to add a small freezer, the stock fridge is just way too small lol

[Amg]

My security system (compustar) will show the inside temp and battery voltage. I use an app on my phone they provide. So I can monitor anywhere.

[rowiebowie]

Beautiful unit, Mike!

I'm gonna go with sun exposure being worse than the heat on these rigs. I've got anecdotal evidence for this based on my experience. My rig has exterior paint and rubber degredation, but inside still looks new. And it has seen temps of 120 inside.

[mike2016]

Sun / UV exposure is definitely a concern, especially in Southern California.

i'm going to apply ceramic coating to the entire van, this will be a big job.... but makes washing the van a lot easier down the road. i still have some left over from my other cars, should be enough for at least the front and sides

the solution for interior temp reduction, is to simply leave the exhaust fan on AUTO, i set it to 90F. by 8pm the fan is stopped and closed.

I leave the red on/off battery button on all the time now, as the only power draw comes from the fridge and the Czone controls, which are minimal.... solar will charge the batteries full the next day.

[Seagal]

We ordered January 4th my birthday was told May, June but just checked in and was told lateral date 4/15. This means barring any supplier delays, it would come off the production line on that day.
I just joined today and was very happy I did. Thank you for sharing all your knowledge I will be putting on a ceramic coat using the 3M protection for the windows and keeping my fan on and getting the app so I can check on it without going inside of the rig! Florida sun is brutal! Can’t wait to join you all on the road!

Thanks again

[Tnolan4218]

Congratulations Mike on your beautiful new Interstate. Of course, I am biased as I have the same color scheme. We live just outside LA in La Canad a where temperatures can be brutal. So far we have been parking it in our front driveway under some trees. We paid for the exterior coating application when we purchased it in November. It looks great when washed- but I have not taken a "light" to the paint to see the amount of degradation. Ideally, I would like to find a covered garage- not concerned about long-term cost as I would likely need to pay only the first month rental fee- as my wife would kill me when the second month's invoice arrived in the mail.

Good luck and hope you have a safe, happy and cool summer.

Tom