Store AS with air conditioner on

[Landrum]

I was curious if anybody does or has tried to store their AS with the air on. Even though our AS is under a carport I hate the idea of it baking in the summer (in Arkansas). I've been thinking of turning on the AC and setting the thermostat pretty high......88 or 90.....to help control the worst heat and some humidity. Maybe this shortens the life of the AC slightly???

[wahoonc]

We have in the past, I have also stored them with a humidifier inside and running. IMHO the two worst things for a stored AS are direct sunlight/UV and high humidity. Sounds like you have the cover over it. I use reflectix in the windows on mine when it is stored too to keep the sun out.

Aaron

[Protagonist]

Originally Posted by CaptainNecro

I was curious if anybody does or has tried to store their AS with the air on. Even though our AS is under a carport I hate the idea of it baking in the summer (in Arkansas). I've been thinking of turning on the AC and setting the thermostat pretty high......88 or 90.....to help control the worst heat and some humidity. Maybe this shortens the life of the AC slightly???

Ventilation is your best bet. Hot air rises, so roof vents set to extract will remove heat as well as anything else you can do. But you'd also have to leave a window cracked open as well, to let air in below roof level, preferably as far from the roof vents as you can manage to maximize the airflow through the whole trailer.

My Interstate is parked in the sun all the time when I'm not using it, with no shore power connection so no a/c, either. I don't even run the fans, just open the roof vents and cover the windows with Reflectix to keep the sun from shining inside. With those two precautions, my indoor/outdoor thermometer tells me that inside and outside temperatures are almost the same, even during the hottest part of the day; no heat buildup.

[PharmGeek]

interested...

But is there concerns for condensation leak while not around for "x" amount of time?

Dehumidifier seems a great idea....and covering windows...sun really fades and damages stuff.

In the heat of summer, even at setting of 90...I imagine the AC will still run quite a bit...

if use of a humidifier to fight moisture....and block sun light...then only excessive heat would be left....I guess the heat will do damage to various things as well over time...

I will be getting an AS this year, and will store in covered storage, not conditioned storage...so I will really need to read up on proper storage techniques...

[wahoonc]

On Airstreams the condensate line from the air conditioner is led into a drain tube, at least it is on mine. To me the best storage solution is under a hard shelter with reflectix in the windows and vented. Leaving the roof vents partially open and cracking a couple of windows to allow for some air flow. FWIW I live in the coastal plain of NC so we have fairly high humidity in the summer months, high temps can hit near 100 here with 80%+rh.

Aaron

[Landrum]

We keep our AS in the backyard so I keep a close eye on it, and it gets very little direct sun. I have been keeping the 2 fantastic fans open an inch or two, but I'm not comfortable leaving a window open during the week. Maybe step one is install a thermometer that I can monitor and see just how hot it actually gets.

Maybe I just need to kick my wife's car out of the garage and put the AS there.......

[Bill M.]

You will have to keep checking the drain tube for the AC to make sure it is draining. Can grow mold in it that stops it up.

[polarlyse]

During the summer months I leave a couple of windows open a the lowest hook and the vents open. It's plugged in so the rain sensors will close the vents. In the extreme heat I will have the fans set to run, most times not. I will close the windows if I get wind of a storm coming. It's parked at my son's house. Not too far away. I may put a de-humidifier in winter months. Not sure though if it's needed. Not sure how to tell if needed either.

[perryg114]

A little ventilation goes a long way towards preserving the plastic junk in an Airstream. It keeps the temps down compared to leaving it closed up and reduces condensation. Covering one is the best thing you can do for one. A dehumuidifier is a good idea in the winter where condensation is more of an issue. Running the AC is not a bad thing but you are going to wear it out alot faster that way. Also the condesation returns on most of these AC units is not 100% so you are going to have some water running hear and there.

Perry