How do you keep your RV cool without A/C?

[Triangle Drifter]

This is one gadget that I really miss not being able to install, or even be practical, on a RV. Mounted over a forward hatch it took a very light breeze & blasted air down through the cabin. https://www.defender.com/product.jsp?id=3103823

Maybe somebody creative can come up with a variation of it to work on RVs.

The advantage of a boat on anchor is that it will always swing so that it is facing whatever breeze there is sending air down open hatches. RVs don't swing with the breeze & often are in sheltered places disturbing constant air flow.

[Phil G.]

Originally Posted by Reed Cundiff

Good ideas above

We do as Two Gypsies and spend summer at high elevations.

John Holley suggests mesh sun shade sails. We have been using Aluminet mesh for several years as we have posted earlier. This is 70% reflective and outer surface of fifth wheel is just about ambient.

We spend days outdoors and turn A/C on at dusk for half an hour to an hour which uses 1500 to 2500 kW-hr. This is done off 9 kW-hr battery suite. We use fans at night as Bobby F and Nwicd suggest. We use both 12 V and 120 V fans. 120 V are far more effective but require leaving inverter on since we run over battery suite and inverter has about an 80 W parasitic drain. Inverter is 4.5 kW PSWI.

Leave awning up if right side will be in sun and we try to site fifth wheel so it will be shade by mid afternoon when battery suite should be charged. We can “harvest” 8 kW-hrs on sunny mid/summer days

I noticed that you mentioned use of both 12V and 120V fans.

There is one 12 V fan we use that can match or exceed any 120 V fan of the same size. It uses very little 12V power and on it's highest setting ... will blow you out of the RV. I even made a 12V extension cord for it so that we could set it up outside when we're sitting under the awning in lawn chairs or at a table eating in hot weather.

Like all great products it's not inexpensive, ours still runs great after years of use, and it's worth every penny we spent on it whenever we find ourselves drycamping in high temperatures:
https://www.amazon.com/Fan-Tastic-Ve.../dp/B0000AY2Z6

[Marine Les]

High altitude for summertime in Az 7000' + Go lower as weather cools.

[Reed Cundiff]

Phil G

What 12 V fan is this?

[Badd Andy]

You don't say/list what RV you have.
Over 92° outside, never once used AC. Opened the doors and awning. Breeze makes it cooler inside than outside in the shade.

[Phil G.]

Originally Posted by Reed Cundiff

Phil G

What 12 V fan is this?

This is the original company version that we have used for years:
https://www.amazon.com/Fan-Tastic-Ve.../dp/B0000AY2Z6

But I think that the original company that made the version in the link above has since been bought out ... so here is the same fan with the new company name on it:
https://www.dometic.com/en-us/us/pro...e-fan-_-207364

[Reed Cundiff]

Thanks for information.

Turning on inverter uses 80 W. On line brochure claims 3 Amps or about 36 W. We have a number of 12 V outlets wired into lights but these are 10 Amp and the 12 V fans we picked up store in Tulum are not that efficient.

After 12 years of full-timing, we still obtain very useful information from this forum.

Reed and Elaine

[davendeb]

The only ways to cool without AC is to ...
1. Pack lots if ice around the jnsides of the RV with fans to circulate the cold.
2. Travel only on cool places like Alaska, Canada or maybe Minnesota.

[twogypsies]

Originally Posted by davendeb

The only ways to cool without AC is to ...
1. Pack lots if ice around the jnsides of the RV with fans to circulate the cold.
2. Travel only on cool places like Alaska, Canada or maybe Minnesota.

There are many more 'cool' places than the 3 you mentioned. Any elevation above 7,000' in the West is cool; along with the western coasts. We've had some hot days in Alaska!

[UTTransplant]

Generally we head up in elevation in the summer. We have never had a problem keeping cool at 7,000’ or above. Even 5,000’ and shade will do it in the west, though that doesn’t work in the southeast “mountains”. Dry air makes a huge difference in comfort.

[Reed Cundiff]

We were at son’s place in Fort Collins, CO one summer and temperature got to 105 F. We went to mountains and found a dispersed camping site at 10,300’. It was 38 F at night and 78 F during day.

[profdan]

Lots of good suggestions in the earlier posts -- we usually park in the shade at high altitude.

Or there is this time-honored trick -- go camping when a dusting of snow is in the forecast -- nice and cool inside, you bet!


Click For Full-Size Image.

[Reed Cundiff]

Maybe a week to early.

[House Husband]

Porch awning and awnings on all side windows. Keeping the sun off the windows helps a lot.

Richard