Any Questions? (Gratuitous 80’s PSA reference)
In all seriousness, RVs can have comfort issues in both hot and cold temperature extremes. Since so much of North America is sweltering, I thought it would be a good time to discuss the upper side of extreme temperature RVing.
During high heat and humidity, RVs are happier than they are in below-freezing conditions, but their capabilities still get stretched a bit. In the last century, many RVs didn’t come with awnings or air conditioners; dealers installed these options. In 2024, almost all RVs will have an awning and at least one, if not 2 or 3, air conditioners from the factory.
Hopefully, your RV has a good air conditioning system and is parked in the shade. Those two things alone will help you enjoy the RV.
A few things that happen during heat waves can make life in an RV a little more unpleasant.
- Brownouts. Especially on holiday weekends, if everyone in the park is using their 1,2 or 3 air conditioners, the draw may be too much for the campground grid to handle. These brownouts cause issues with overheating motors and failed start capacitors in air conditioners. A Hughes autoformer is said to be a fix, but there are questions about their efficacy.RVelectricityIs the Hughes Autoformer a cure for low voltage? Part 1Not a week goes by without me receiving at least a few emails and questions about the Hughes Autoformer. This is advertised as a cure for low campground voltage, and its users are adamant about how great it works, and everyone else at the campground is shutting down while their own air conditioner is still working, etc…Read more2 years ago · 11 likes · 5 comments · Mike SokolMike Sokol of RV Electricity has done some work on this… Reduce electrical loads as much as possible, and run your gas/electric appliances on gas only.
- If the sun beats on the RV, the air conditioners will run constantly and may not seem to be doing much. This varies with the size and construction of the RV. If the sun is beating on the side where the RV refrigerator vents are, it may cause the fridge to lose efficiency and even cooling ability.
Your awnings and window awnings can make a big difference. A lot of heat comes through the uninsulated glass. Dual-pane windows help here. Slide boxes have thinner roofs and walls, and a slide topper, especially if it is light-colored, can help.
High-volume Maxx-Fans with Maxx-Air covers, or Fantastic Fans do a great job of venting the RV and are a must, in my opinion. I haven’t been without one or more since they first came out. A swamp cooler may be just right if you’re in a dry, desert area. TurboKOOL makes one for the RV roof.
Keep your refrigerator closed as much as possible and ensure it’s not overfull. Consider a secondary fridge (outside kitchen) or electric cooler as a supplement.
If your RV is set up for a second or third A/C and you need more, consider adding the extra one. If there’s plenty of power, you can run them all, but if not, zone off your rig to concentrate the cool where you need it most. A SoftStartUp unit can make a big difference in keeping start surges manageable. Like its kin, the SoftStart, which is installed in an air conditioner, the SoftStartUp plugs into your shore power cord and helps dampen start surges with all your compressors and fan motors.
Pets are especially susceptible to harm during heat waves, so have backup ventilation or cooling and plenty of water. An auto-gen-start can be a great backup, but at least consider setting your Maxx-Fan, as mentioned above, to come on at a set temperature and getting a wireless RV monitor for temperature.
Do you have other recommendations for hot-weather RVing? Let us know!
