Oh, so hot!
Well what with all this hot weather about have folk any tips for keeping the van cool. We don't have 'air con' in the habitation so any advice would be valued.
Comments
-
buy a portable air con?. Well apart from that we just open the roof light and vents and as many windows as possible to get a draft. I suppose a fan might help.
0 -
We have a small USB powered fan which gives a semblance of coolness or at least wafts the warm air around.
0 -
We travel a lot to Southern Europe and find that a good quality fan is all we need, plus windows and, often, door open with fly sccreen.
1 -
Must just say that I'm glad that we got home on Monday just before the really hot weather set in. Insulation on the van is so good that once it heats up it takes for ever to cool down and nights can get rather uncomfortable regardless of how many windows we leave open.
0 -
Yes glorious weather isn't it. Try to find a pitch with shade, then the trick is to have as much air circulating as possible, close blinds on sun side and use a fan. Relax and enjoy; remember the 'Bare Necessities' song in Jungle Book - 'Try to relax in my backyard, if you act like a Bee acts your working too hard!'.
1 -
When working I had a colleague who had a portacabin as an onsite office. In hot weather he would regularly spray water on the roof in his reasoning that evaporation caused cooling. I always wondered if he was on to something there. His 'office' always did seem a few degrees cooler than mine and I now wonder if it would work for us!
1 -
We find using Silver screens helps, open windows but leave screens on if sun is hitting windscreen. Then it's everything else open to get as much airflow as possible. Long may it last, although a good deluge in the Manchester area would be a blessing at the moment. Hope they can get the fire out asap.
2 -
I suppose the heat either from direct sun or from the roof itself was used to evaporate the water rather than be absorbed into the roof, or the cold water just cooled the roof down? who knows?
0 -
Just been away in some high temps, spent most of the time outside in the shade. Parked van in the shade on the last site, closed blinds on the "hot" side, opened all the windows, used the curtains instead if the blinds didn't let air through. Put the blower on cold. Lots of cold drinks.
No further qualifications needed on this one, (or friends and relatives with degrees of any sort) common sense as usual.....
Practice saying that well known British greeting "hotinnit" to all passers by.
3 -
When its hot we tend to have everything open, windows, skylights, door etc. curtains rather than the silver blinds on the sun side as this still lets circulate. At night we each have a small fan that clips onto the shelf above our bed this then blows cool air across us while we sleep
During the day we are usually out and about but if its really hot we tend to sit in the shade of the van rather than under the canopy as we find the material the canopy is made of gets very hot, if you put your hand up to it its burning and the air just underneath it is roasting. hence sit under a tree or in the shade of the van.
Tip: ice cubes in a dish or an ice pack in front of the fan will give you even colder air.
0 -
Just enjoy it, it wont last for ever (unfortunately
). 2 -
Yes it's hot but there is nothing wrong with that. It's what those of us who take our vans to the continent in summer time really enjoy. To those who never venture out of the UK to tour the rest of the Europe, this hot weather may seem unusual.
Some people like hot weather - some people like something different. -- It's just a matter of choice. Enjoy the continental weather we are having here in the UK while it lasts.
K
0 -
Would you recommend the Transcool? I was thinking of having one that we could use both in the van and also in the rabbit shed - the bunnies seem very uncomfortable at the moment and I'm getting through frozen icepacks/bottles wrapped in towels at the rate of knots
0 -
We are under a big tree in Brittany. Works well.
0 -
That idea of water & 'Fridges' is the very system my first Bay-window V.W. had WTG but I don't think that van was in the guides / brownies / pixies or anything like
.In fact it was a built-in unit which needed a cup of water, cold of course, poured into a slightly dished top.
Must have been loads of them around in the last century
.Brian
P.S. the 'van was a Danbury Eurovette, with the hinged 'swing out' cooker.
0 -
Just spent 16 glorious days there. A tree on the pitch really helps. But, of course, being able to position your van under said tree, to maximise the shade, also helps.
0 -
It may work well but getting rid the sap that's dripped onto the roof is a pain in the proverbial!!
0 -
That tree's 'sap' period only lasts a few days and then it's over! Trouble is knowing those few days and avoiding them. Tends to be soon after the leaves open in my experience after which that tree can offer the shape desired without the 'fall out'!
0 -
I was next to a gentleman in this hot weather he had a fan on full time and left all blinds and curtains open when he left the van for a few hours it must have been stewing on his return even with the small fan! He kept the windows closed most of the time too.
I find it helps leaving a gap top and bottom of the window blind. Maybe the heat goes out of the top and cooler air gets in? Is it just my van or do others windows open up to 90 degrees with the caravan side? He kept the windows closed most of the time too. I never saw anyone open theirs that wide and it keeps the sun off better. I release the catches and then open them all from the outside.
Best new thing this year was being introduced to cool coats for dogs they are incredibly effective. One dog swims but the other doesn't much like water.
0
