With the Summer sun shining down, it can be a real struggle to keep your motorhome or campervan cool. If you’re hitting the open road this summer, we have a few great tried and tested tips to ensure you stay as cool and comfortable as possible in your Motorhome or Campervan.
1. Keep Blinds Closed & Windows Covered
Campervans and Motorhomes are typically built with good insulation properties, which means they’re great at keeping the heat in, but difficult to get the heat out. The best way to keep things cool is to stop the sun shining in by using thermal blinds. If you have glass, it would be beneficial to fit thermal covers on the outside to stop the glass from heating up and acting like a radiator.
2. Buy Lithium Battery Fans
Lithium battery fans tend to last longer when charged compared to non-lithium, which means they’re great during the night when you want them to last a good 8 hours. They also charge from 12V batteries so you can charge it from your USB ports. Top tip is to buy battery fans with as much MAH capacity as you can. The higher the MAH, the longer the battery will usually last.
3. Create Good Air Circulation
Fans blowing in any direction without thought to air circulation just won’t cut it. Hot air rises and so you need to strategically position fans so you can blow cool air in and let the hot air escape. When the temperature drops outside, place a fan near an opening window to suck in the cooler air and blow into your space, then ensure roof windows are open to the hot air can rise and escape.
4. Try Using Air Coolers
Air coolers are those small portable box-type fans that allow you to put water in. Please don’t confuse these with an air conditioner; they are nowhere near as effective but are a lot cheaper. An air cooler will reduce a small room temperature by up to 3 degrees. You’ll get faster results with cold water so drop a few ice cubes in for the best results. One negative to Air coolers is they will make your space more humid so ensure you open windows to reduce that humidity.
5. Use Awnings to Shade Your Van
If you have a roll-out awning, extend these out to shade the one side of your campervan or motorhome as much as possible. When a vehicle gets hot on the outside, it tends to radiate the heat on the inside making it more difficult to cool down.
6. Open Windows on the Shade side
It’s beneficial to keep windows closed that are facing the sun and the windows open on the side of your van in the shade. This will help you guide slightly cooler air in your campervan or motorhome, and with roof windows open, the hot air can rise and escape.
7. Cook Outside
This might sound obvious but it’s wise to do all or most of your cooking outside. It’s easy to get heat in your campervan or motorhome but as we’ve mentioned, it’s tough to get it out. Even boiling a kettle on a hob should be done outside, or consider using a low-watt electric kettle instead.
8. Park Under Trees to Shade Your Van
It might seem obvious, and we have mentioned this before, but the cooler you can keep the exterior of your van, the cooler it will be inside. Look out for trees to park under during the day or if you’re on a campsite and can choose your spot, look for places close to a build where it might provide shade on one side of your vehicle.
9. Keep Lights Turned Off
Keep lights turned off during the day, and if your vehicle is not using LED light bulbs we recommend changing them. LED bulbs generate far less heat than the older halogen versions.
10. Get Air Conditioning Installed
If you are feeling flush and you have the payload capacity to haul around a heavy air con unit on the roof of your van, then just be done with everything and get an air conditioning unit installed. The only thing to consider is these usually won’t work on 12V and usually require full electric hookup to work. If you’re a wild camper, this might not be that useful!
Do you have other cool, ingenious ways to keep your motorhome or campervan cool in summer? Let us know by dropping us a message on our Instagram account ๐
