Keeping Your RV Cool
Keeping Your RV Cool Tips From RV Station Colbert
If you want to go camping in Oklahoma or Texas, you’ll have to face the fact that hot days are part of life. While this can make Spring and Summer perfect for outdoor activities, it can also make keeping your RV cool a real challenge. As small, enclosed spaces, sometimes with thinner insulation, living in an RV can feel like living in a greenhouse if you don’t follow these steps. Here at RV Station Colbert, we understand the importance of beating the heat. That’s why we’ve designed this brief guide to give you some pointers on how to stay one step ahead of the brutal summer sun. If you have further questions on how to stay cool, or you need a new air conditioner, parts, or services for your RV, don’t be afraid to stop by our Colbert, Oklahoma location!
Where to Park
Keeping your RV cool starts with where you park. Try to find a lot with some shade. Even if it’s only partial shade, having a few hours of relief from the sun will overall keep your RV cooler. Remember that southern-facing exposure will get the most sun, so if you can find a spot with shade from the south side, you’ll have more hours of shade.
The main caveat to parking in the shade is that you should make sure you’re not under limbs that have the potential to fall on your trailer. Make sure to check the weather report before camping, as it only takes one unexpected wind storm to bring down a limb or even a tree on your RV below. If that happens, you might be facing some pretty costly repairs.
Open at Night, Closed in the Day
Nights are as cool as it’s going to get during the summer, so if you want to stay cool, you’ll need to maximize ventilation at night and minimize sunlight during the day. The longer you have your blinds open during the sunny parts of the day, the more likely your RV will be to turn into a sauna. Even a few hours of direct sunlight inside during the morning can ruin the rest of the day. Make sure to keep your windows closed unless a cool breeze comes through, in which case you should open windows on the windward side and the leeward side to create a cross draft. Once night rolls around, open all your windows and let the cool air in.
Cooking and Showers
Two of the biggest generators of heat in an RV are the stove and the shower. Humidity makes heat feel more extreme, and both cooking and showers contribute major amounts of humidity to the air. As much as possible, try to cook and shower outside. Using your oven is about as helpful as turning on your furnace in the middle of the summer, so try to avoid it entirely. In a pinch, a dutch oven works great for making a dish of cornbread or some biscuits, and it can be used over a campfire as opposed to in your RV. If your RV only has an indoor shower, make sure to use the overhead fan or crack a window, and take as short of a shower with as cold of water as you can tolerate. This will minimize the amount of steam and humidity that makes it into the air.
Air Conditioning, Fans, and Power
If you’re at a campsite with an electrical connection, an air conditioner and fans will do wonders for keeping your RV cool. The air conditioning can be used throughout the day to keep things cool, then, at night, open the windows and turn on the fans. This will allow you to blast out all the hot air and draw in cooler air from the outside. Keep in mind that you should never run the air conditioning with the windows open, as this will just waste energy. Plus, an air conditioner isn’t as good at ventilating air as a fan is. Always make sure to keep an eye on your amperage use when running things like the AC and fans. Plus, the hotter it is outside, the more work your refrigerator will have to do to keep the food cold. This goes back to the reason you should try to park in the shade: it will help you keep things cool.
When the summer heat comes, you don’t have to run away. Your RV can remain comfortable at all hours of the day if you follow these simple tricks. If you need a new air conditioner for your RV, give the experts at RV Station Colbert a call. We can help you find the perfect model that will be able to fill your RV with all the cold air you’ll need. We proudly serve the cities of Colbert, Oklahoma, Sherman, Gainesville, Denison, and McKinney, Texas!
This information is for educational purposes. VIARV shall not be responsible nor retain liability for RVer’s use of the provided information. Prior to making any RV service decision, you are advised to consult with an RV professional.