Now that summer is here, everyone is taking their RVs out on vacation. Some are headed to cooler climates, but by and large, you’ll be somewhere where temperatures are in the 80s and 90s, if not hotter. For an older RV without air conditioning or even a newer one where you don’t want to waste fuel trying to power an A/C unit all the time, this can mean internal temperatures rise to a point that’s unbearable for its occupants. Your local RV dealer, RV Four Seasons, has two locations, in Loveland and Wheat Ridge, Colorado, to best serve our customers. We’ve created this guide to keeping your RV cool to help you beat the heat this summer and enjoy your trips, no matter how hot it is outside.
Park Strategically
How you park your RV has more to do with its internal temperature than you might think. Orienting it so that the side with the most windows faces away from the afternoon sun will drastically reduce the amount of heat that pours in as the day passes. Parking beneath shade wherever you can will also help keep temperatures down inside. Use your awning on the side facing the sun to further reduce exposure to heat and provide some shade to sit in.
Open Vents & Windows
Ventilating your RV as much as you can will go a long way towards reducing temperatures inside. Open the windows on the side facing away from the sun and close the ones on the sunny side. Get fans going inside your RV to circulate the air and push out hot, stale air faster. If you don’t have attic vents, consider getting some installed and put covers on them so you can open them even during rainy weather. Heat rises and can be trapped in the roof easily, so having a place for it to go will help cool things down inside.
Cover Up Glass
Using adhesive reflective coverings on your RV’s windows can immediately reduce the heat within by reflecting sunlight elsewhere. These are easy to install and fairly inexpensive, and they provide you with some privacy if you get a mottled pattern. Pulling your curtains shut can help, too, although you want to make sure they’re fairly light colored and airy, as black will only suck more heat in.
Install LED Lights
LED lights pack a powerful punch — they can be as bright as traditional lighting but in a much smaller and more compact size that doesn’t put out much heat at all. While they can be an expensive initial investment, you’ll save money on energy expended over time since they last much longer than incandescent bulbs and require less power to run.
Cook Outside
Cooking in your RV is likely to heat it up very fast through stove and oven usage, so one easy way to avoid this is to move your cooking to the grill or the campfire. You can prepare meats and vegetables easily on the grill and use a microwave to heat up food without generating any heat. You can also try recipes that don’t involve cooking at all, like cold pasta salads with leftover cooked meats, yogurt and granola parfaits or sandwiches. Using your imagination and being more flexible with how you prepare food can spare you from spending time in a hot kitchen when you’re already too warm.
Looking to upgrade your current RV? Visit us at either our Wheat Ridge or Loveland locations to view our full inventory of new and used RVs, campers and trailers. RV Four Seasons serves the whole Denver metro area, as well as the city of Colorado Springs.
