# Keeping Your Cool



## taz (Sep 28, 2005)

We have just returned from France and for a couple of days the temperature hit 40degsC with barely a breeze. The inside of the motorhome was almost unbearable and we both found sleeping really difficult.
Our plans are to do longer summer trips but how do you cope with these temperatures. We tend to mainly use aires or wildcamp so a/c is, I think, a no go. I wouldn't feel safe leaving the windows open, although we did have the roof lights open - but security is obviously an issue.
Any advice gladly received.
Many thanks


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## MrsW (Feb 8, 2009)

We had a largish fan which we use when away in the van in very hot climates but it does require us to have mains power, so not much help to you I'm afraid!


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## teemyob (Nov 22, 2005)

*Les*

Read Les's (SaddleTramp) post here re: A/C

We have it and do use it, but that is only on EHU

Les's Post

TM


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## DABurleigh (May 9, 2005)

An Endless Breeze 12v fan keeps me sane when I can't use aircon.

Dave


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## ched999uk (Jan 31, 2011)

Our MH has 3 12v Omnivent fans. One in each of our roof lights. You can buy these separately and they fit existing Omnivent roof lights. But you will need to get 12v to them!! 
They are 3 speed and blow either in or out. You can find info here:

http://www.leisureshopdirect.com/caravan/ventilation/product_19389/omnivent_fan_ventilator_12v.aspx

We haven't been in a hot weather yet but I think they would be a great help.


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## jonegood (Nov 5, 2007)

We ve had some seriously hot temperatures. The biggest difference we ve found is to sleep separately, 1 lot of body heat. 

It looks like you have an a-class so keep both beds made up.

The other biggie is to keep the van as cool as possible during the day, we keep the blinds shut during the heat of the day, we have cut pieces of foil insulation that sticks with velcro directly to the inside of the hekis and the cab side windows.

We do usually have some windows open ( safe enough on most French aires) but we also have an organic self propelled early warning system (DOG)


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## raynipper (Aug 4, 2008)

Why do we all rush off to the sun and then complain about the heat?

Some years ago we had to visit family in Madrid in our RV. It was August and running the A/C all day it was so hot it MELTED.!!!!

We learnt to seek out any small bit of shade, always keep the fridge side away from the sun, window awnings were always deployed, an old quilt across the windscreen. 

Eventually we moved to the coast and the breeze helped. But one of the motorhome benefits is to be able to move when the weather gets uncomfortable, either too hot, wet or cold.

Ray.


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## StephandJohn (Sep 3, 2007)

The earlier advice about keeping the van as cool as you can is what saved us during a very hot holiday in Italy two years ago.
If you keep the blinds down all day, keep the cover over the roof light and put the awning up to create shade on that side it does help.


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## JeanLuc (Jan 13, 2007)

Mainland Europe, away from the coast, can get very hot in summer. Assuming you don't want to spend a couple of grand on aircon and then be tied to campsites with hookup (and be limited to those sites that allow its use) the best option is to 'head for the hills' or stay under trees. Beware of thunder and hailstorms if under trees however. Large bits can fall off quite easily. Having said that, hail can cause significant damage whether you under a tree or in the open of course.
Last year in Bavaria in July, we experienced two weeks with temperatures consistently between 30º - 35º C. Fortunately, I had taken a small desk-top 230V mains fan, about 10" in diameter, and this ran quite happily from a 150W inverter. If contemplating extended stays in high temperature I would invest in a 12V 'Endless Breeze' fan. This is made by the same company as the earlier mentioned 'Fantastic Vent' - also a good solution, but I do not have a suitably sited roof vent to install one. The 'Endless Breeze' also has the advantage of being portable so can be sited nearest to the need for draught.

Insulation is also important. During our Bavarian stay, the Silverscreens were on the windscreen / side windows most of the time. Without them, everything inside would have cooked! It is also useful to have screens across open side windows in order to facilitate air circulation whilst keeping out the effects of direct sunlight. This can be as simple as a towel clipped to the window, or in my case I have made some screens from silver bubble insulation material available from B&Q / Homebase etc.

Hope these thoughts help.


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## Morphology (Jul 23, 2010)

One thing I have done when too hot to sleep is to lie under just a sheet, and to use a plant spray filled with water to dampen the sheet slightly. Evaporative cooling.

Morph


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## DTPCHEMICALS (Jul 24, 2006)

Get yourself one of these

Dave p


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## rayrecrok (Nov 21, 2008)

Hi.

I got over the problem of keeping cool by building a proper Air Con unit in.. It is remote controlled with a zapper to turn the temperature up or down, it can be on a timer or you can turn it off...I sacrificed a cupboard and it has been well worth it. the unit vents the waste hot air outside and the drain off is through a pipe that drains through the van floor..

Any one for ice cream, it wont melt in the van however hot it is outside :wink: ..


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## BritStops (Mar 3, 2011)

Morphology said:


> One thing I have done when too hot to sleep is to lie under just a sheet, and to use a plant spray filled with water to dampen the sheet slightly. Evaporative cooling.
> 
> Morph


Yep, can second that as it worked a treat for us when travelling with a dozen others à la Cliff in a double decker bus round Asia! :lol:

Steve


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## taz (Sep 28, 2005)

Thanks for all the useful advice. I'm not complaining about the sun - it was a fantastic week away, but after a few nights of not sleeping there was a chance of a major domestic! It was OK when there was a breeze but 2 days were quite still, and even though we were under the only available tree, it was pretty sticky.

We are well kitted out for ski-ing so I guess we just use all that insulation in the sun aswell (hubby muttering "told u so!"). Hadn't thought about the fridge being in the sun but it did stuggle on the 2 hottest days. 

Feel much happier now about heading further south in the summer months and still returning with marriage intact.

Sally


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## peejay (May 10, 2005)

taz said:


> Snipped - Hadn't thought about the fridge being in the sun but it did stuggle on the 2 hottest days.


Another tip,

If your fridge does struggle when its really hot its worth fitting one of those little 12v fans behind the exterior fridge vent, we have one with a sensor that trips automatically. No problems for us with ice lollies in Greece after fitting one and they don't draw much power.

http://www.marcleleisure.co.uk/stor....html?osCsid=f1f86884f7bd94cd74a46d43030a930f

Pete


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## coppo (May 27, 2009)

We had the same problem regarding trying to keep cool on sunday monday and tuesday this week, whilst in Munster, Germany.

Despite closing all blind the van was like an oven when we returned back. The Endless breeze fan was useful to start with but even that began just blowing warm air.

The travl cool fitted to the roof worked throughout, yes its not air con but an evaporative fan and i know some people think they are rubbish but Chuck some water in the container and it blows cool air throughout the heatwave, wonderful, we couldn't have managed without it. The solar panels take care of the power. We don't use sites, either Stellplatze or wildcamping which was the reason for having it fitted. It is fitted above the rear bed and Caroline spent all tuesday laid there under it.

Paul.


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## jhelm (Feb 9, 2008)

Not a big hint here but I have found that one of those box type household fans is quiet and runs fine off our inverter. It provides much more air flow and is much quieter than the cheap 12v types.


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## rosalan (Aug 24, 2009)

We have an Omnivent; sucks or blows at variable speeds and has a temperature sensor.

BUT we have no idea how it should be used. No instruction to explain how to get the best out of it. The instructions only tell you what it does. :? 

Alan


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## fabfive (Dec 31, 2008)

A couple of years ago we hit 48 degrees in the Ardeche! Word of warning - make sure you have sometrhing to cover your seats! We ended up sitting on towels as the dye was coming out of the seats and we had permanent blue skin! Now have cheap Ikea fleece throws over all seats, including in cab. Saves the seats and quick to shake off any crumbs from kids snacking too!
To keep cool, we had to have the overcab window open at night and slept the other way round, with heads hanging out of the window. As hot air rises, that seemed a good way of losing the worst of the heat. We have fans (several!) for when on hook up, although like you, stayed on aires for a fair few nights. We picked aires carefully and never had a problem with high level windows. We also took a 12v fan and that proved essential even when driving. We have air-con in the cab, but kids were roasting in the back as the cool air never really reached them. We tied the 12v fan to the fixing for the overcab bed ladder and faced it down on them. Result was 3 x semi-naked kids, sat on beach towels - but as cool as could be managed!
Never had it so hot since, but result was that by time we reached the Med, it made the temp seem ambient at 32 degrees!


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## grizzlyj (Oct 14, 2008)

Hi

We have two Fiamma Turbo Vent Pro roof vents, and usually have one on suck and one on blow. I think extracting they are more efficient though. Cooking outside is good, though a restaurant may be more popular with the Mrs!

We also have one of those little digital weather stations with an external thermometer to keep and eye on wether its worth sucking air in from outside as and when it gets cooler. (As well as when the internal humidity starts to climb in colder areas, when to leave the heating on longer than you may do otherwise, just to help keep things dry)

The expanded foam sleeping mats for camping are good to cut and put in window spaces exposed to the sun and behind the blind in roof hatches, and black out material can be (clothes)pegged onto the outside of open top-hinged windows to create shade but maintain any breeze. We also have the silvered window film often used on office windows which works well and creates privacy.

A 12v Caframo 747/757 fan takes 0.5amp max and is sufficient when aimed at you even on its low setting, and quiet enough to be on all night (which the ceiling vents are not). Not cheap but good IMHO.

We also have a tan coloured tarp almost big enough to cover the whole roof to create our own shade, but haven't used it for that yet. Painting the polished ally roof white made a huge difference. As has not too trendy polystyrene ceiling tiles!

Cotton jeans are supposed to be lethal on an exposed Scottish hillside in the cold and rain because they suck the warmth out of you. Cotton when damp when its hot will do the same wether a sheet at night in bed, clothing during the day, or just wrapped around your drinks bottle (a sock perhaps ) The reason I think that biker types in the US have a denim waistcoat as their outer layer, soak it before you ride and you stay cool as it evaporates.


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## PaulW2 (May 30, 2010)

As we were exclusively on campsites with hook up electricity in France and Italy last year we could use little (9 inch) 230 volt vans. We bought 3 - one for each sleeping area - for about £ 10 each from Argos. They were a lifesaver. They also only weight about 1 1/4 kg each.

Agree about the methods for keeping the heat out during the day though this isn't always practical if you have 4 adults entering and leaving the van all day.


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## Davethepenguin (Oct 21, 2010)

We have a Fiamma thermostatically controlled fan installed in the bedroom roof-light. Set it to the required temperature & it will cut in & out all night to maintain temp. We do have a separate bedroom though & we keep it blacked out during the day but we do live in SW France & it's worked perfectly throughout this hot spell without flattening the leisure battery.

Regards Andy


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## LindaandNicole (Aug 4, 2012)

*Home-made screens for open windows*



JeanLuc said:


> Insulation is also important. During our Bavarian stay, the Silverscreens were on the windscreen / side windows most of the time. Without them, everything inside would have cooked! It is also useful to have screens across open side windows in order to facilitate air circulation whilst keeping out the effects of direct sunlight. This can be as simple as a towel clipped to the window, or in my case I have made some screens from silver bubble insulation material available from B&Q / Homebase etc.
> 
> Hope these thoughts help.


JeanLuc - do you have a photo of your home-made screens for open windows? We'd like to copy...


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## tonyt (May 25, 2005)

I couldn't possibly sleep at night without an open window. Yes, security is a consideration but surely, window open, insect screen closed, blind/curtains adjusted to your liking and a simple "alarm" set. We just clip something to the curtain/blind with a bulldog clip - lots of different options there - what about those little magnetic alarm jobbies - about £3 for 4 in "Pound" shops?


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## GROUNDHOG (Mar 7, 2006)

Another one that just runs a fan of a (maplin) inverter. Seems to work fine for us and we now have 100w solar panel to keep the batteries topped up when on aires or wilding.

We also use one of the silverscreen vision type screens which means you can have air coming through the side windows by leaving them a tiny bit open at night.

If anyone approaches you can see them but they cannot see in - great piece of kit imho. You can just drive away without having to worry about taking a big screen off in case of trouble.


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## petehvan (May 1, 2005)

Hi I have used this simple method for keeping cool for years, even in the Europe heat wave of 2003. 
You have a 12v fan and 3 damp flannels. You put the flannels in the freezer of the van then hang one loosely over the front of the fan. You alternate the flannels as the one on the fan every couple of hours. It really works, even in a tin box of a camper van like mine



Pete


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## DavyS (Jan 10, 2009)

The Silver Screens Solar View panels seem to be designed for hot climates (no insulation) and allow the cab side windows to be left open to allow breeze and allow you to see out. On the face of it seems to be an ideal product. Any experience anyone?

Solar View


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## DavyS (Jan 10, 2009)

Has anyone tried using the tower/column fans? Seem ideal for motorhomes cos they use up very little floor space and are easy to push into a locker.
See Tower Fan


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