7 Pages are shown on the Main Page.

7 pages are shown on the Main Page. To see additional posts, click on the link "Older Posts" at the bottom of the main page. For videos go to https://www.youtube.com/@normanretzke4377/videos click "skip" to avoid ads


G has a "swell" time kayaking

G has a "swell" time kayaking
G has a "swell" time on Lake Michigan in an inflatable canoe

Dawn on the Gulf of Mexico

Dawn on the Gulf of Mexico
Dawn on the Gulf of Mexico

Warren Dunes Sunset

Warren Dunes Sunset
Warren Dunes Sunset
Showing posts with label Refrigerator Fans. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Refrigerator Fans. Show all posts

Friday, June 23, 2017

Keeping cool in summer heat



Bookmark and Share


Well, it is that time of year again, and the sun is beating down on some of us. One challenge is to keep cool, and keep that refrigerator running. A couple of years ago we were trekking in TX and hit 103F heat. We really weren't prepared.

We've done a few things to help us. Some are the same things others have done and based on my observation, some are not.  Of course, one thing is to park in the shade if possible. However that may be easier said than done. So if we have to park in full sun, then what? How to keep our Roadtrek from becoming a sauna?  The Duo-Therm Cool Cat heat pump works really well, but it does need some help when the sun is bearing down upon the front of the RT.

Here's a few things we have done to aid us in keeping cool in our RVs.

Reflectix
A bubble wrap reflective foil in windows has been a big aid, particularly in the Roadtrek, our class B. That has a large front window which simply seems to pull the heat into the vehicle. Reflectix has been very helpful. We use it in all windows except the side entry in summer and fall/winter trekking. Glass has a R-value of about 0.1 which means almost no insulating value. I understand that Reflectix has an R-value of 1.0. I understand the Roadtrek has an R-value in the walls of about 4.5. Anything we can to to improve the insulation is a good thing.

Screens
The Roadtrek came with side entry and rear entry screens. When the outside temperature is acceptable, if we can get better airflow that is an aid. However, we prefer to close the side door. I fabricated a magnetic held screen for the front side window. These can be purchased, if one prefers. The goal is to get the interior temperature down to the exterior without the use of air conditioning. We open the side window a couple of inches and use the Fantastic Fan, or open the rear door which has a full interior screen.


Fans
Our RVs have roof fans. These include Fantastic Fans. That's helpful for pulling warmer interior air out, and drawing in cooler outside air, when it is available. Or, after a shower, these fans can move moisture laden air to the outside, reducing interior humidity.

However, we also use a 12V DC fan in the Roadtrek, We found one that sits on the shelf above the side door. It has side air inlets and variable speed. Very helpful to move air around in the front of the RV, particularly if the vehicle is facing the sun.

A small 120VAC fan is also useful. This we use in the travel trailer to move the air around. Got a small 8 inch diameter Vornado which is also variable speed.



Create Shade
If one can't park in the shade, the next best thing is to create it. Many rigs have an awning, and if possible one might be able to orient the position of their RV so they get some benefit. Creating partial shade is easier than it may seem. We use several sun screens to aid us. One we fabricated from a roll of Coolaroo material. We hung that one the side of the TT which gets a lot of afternoon sun. It made quite a difference. We purchased a triangular piece and we position it as necessary with the Roadtrek. Usually to the front. I use a couple of expandable metal tent poles and 1/8 inch green nylon rope with tent stakes to get it into place. A 36 inch wooden dowel holds the front up to keep it off of the vehicle. I use aluminum carabiners to attach the sail to the tops of the poles. This allows me to quickly drop the sail if the wind comes up, or when evening approaches. The lines are strung to stay in place and hold the poles up with the sail dropped.

Here's the Roadtrek with awning extended, reflectix in the front window and the coolaroo sun sail up.


When not in use the sun sail folds conveniently and with the tent poles goes easily into the side storage compartment of the Roadtrek.




The travel trailer gets a lot of side sun in the dining/living slide. We hung a piece of coolaroo fabric. I used the coolaroo lacing kit to clean up the cut fabric ends. A custom wooden clamp the full length of the top keeps it in place. I fabricated a spacer to keep the upper area of the shade off of the side of the trailer. The spacer is made from a chromed shower rod and foam pipe insulators. That space is important to keep an air gap along the entire length of the shade. 





I use a couple of clamps designed for that purpose on the bottom with a bungees at a slight tension to hold the bottom out from the RV.  I attached the bungees with 1/8 nylon cord to a couple of bricks.



Cover the Roof Vents
A Maxxair vent cover is nice. It keeps the sun from directly striking the lid of the roof vent and it keeps bugs and birds away from an open vent. We added one to the Roadtrek.

However, the previous owner of our TT didn't install these covers and it has three roof vents. While on the roof I noticed that the covers were showing some distress after being in the sun for about 6 years. We also noticed a lot of heat in those areas during hot sunny days. One can install a insulator.  Camco has one which has a bright aluminized surface, which can be pointed up. These aren't very convenient if one wants to open the vent lid frequently. However, in cool weather we use one in the bedroom to keep the heat inside and provide some insulating value.

I decided to cover the vent covers with heavy duty aluminum foil. That reflects the heat away from these covers. It really made a difference in the travel trailer. I used a tube of exterior silicone caulk and after applying a bead on the edges, sides and in a pattern along the top I simply placed the aluminum foil and smoothed it into place. I trimmed the foil and folded the edge under the vent cover lid.  The travel trailer has 10 windows and frosted glass in the doors, so we get ample light even with the vents opaqued.




Camco vent insulator, aluminum side up:


Refrigeration
Our Roadtrek has a Dometic 3-way absorption type refrigerator. When we first encountered 103F we were on a site with the refrigerator side of the RT in full sun. The refrigerator had some difficulties keeping things sufficiently cold.

We had one of those battery operated fans and it was useful. An internal thermometer mounted on the top shelf told us the real condition inside. I did some research and read the Dometic manuals about "Power Ventilator Installation" and concluded that improved ventilation would be helpful. I added two very low power 12V DC fans and a thermostat with an in-line fuse.

Refrigerator interior fan



Ventilation Fans

Refrigerator Thermometer



Thursday, September 24, 2015

18 Months of Improvements [Now at 84 months]





Bookmark and Share


Note:
  1. You will find posts elsewhere in this blog for some of these, which detail the actual install and provide further insights.
  2. I also have videos detailing some of these as well as treks on my YouTube Channel. Here's a link:   Link to My YouTube Channel
  3. If you are a new Roadtrek owner I suggest you consider 1) A power protection device, 2) A water filter, 3) A water pressure regulator, 4) a 750/1500 Watt ceramic heater. All of the other modifications I made were based upon my actual experiences and perceived needs. You should use your actual experiences to be your guides for what you add, or purchase, to your Roadtrek.  
  4. Some of the following I'd call "gadgets" and one of these days I'll post a complete list of the gadgets and useful things I've added. 
  5. It is my understanding that Thetford no longer makes the Sanicon hose.  (2020). However, Home Depot sells 1-1/4" diameter flexible sump pump hose. I haven't tried it. 


Edited to add #15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21.
Added #23, 24, 25
July 2017, updated #25, added #26"The list goes on."
January 2018 added electric heater info
October 2018 added water meter.
March 2021 Added Sanicon note (item #16)

Originally posted as "18 Months of Tweaks"

Thursday, September 24, 2015


Note: These were all a consequence of our experiences during our first several treks. "Official" outdoor temperatures ranged from 9F to 103F. We completed the first 13 modification in the 18 months of purchase and the first 15,000 miles. We have added modifications #14 and so on in the months thereafter.

This is a brief list of the tweaks or additions to the Roadtrek. I thought it might be useful to list the mods to my 210P. Not that many, actually. Most of these were documented elsewhere on this blog. These are in no particular order. [I'll update this from time to time with more recent modifications.]

1. I added a 50 watt solar panel and solar charger for the AGM coach batteries. This primarily because for the first two winters it was stored in a place which doesn't have 120VAC available and I didn't want to remove the batteries for the winter. I ran the generator about every other week to supplement the solar charge and exercise the generator, weather permitting.
2. Progressive Industries hard wired power and surge protection device with readout mounted in the coach. The device was installed in an exterior compartment with 30A twist-lock connectors for easy bypass or removal. The coach readout does include a bypass select, current, Hz, volts, fault and previous fault readouts. 
Progressive Industries Power Protection Device

3. Improved backup camera - color with transmitter/receiver (no front to back wiring required). This became a necessity when the onboard radio/GPS/monitor died. With a trip about a week away I decided it was expedient to add a second "selectable on" camera and deal with the radio issue at a later time. With Roadtrek's assistance it was determined it was the Scosche intelligent bus controller. To get to it required tearing the entire dash apart. After fixing the power to the radio we decided we like the improved all-time color monitor and camera and use it in traffic situations. 

4. Internal/external temperature monitors. Simple home, battery operated system with a wireless remote mounted in rear storage compartment to monitor outside temperature. The smaller can also be used to monitor the interior temperature of the refrigerator.
Ambient and remote temperature monitor - great for refrigerator

Ambient and remote temperature monitors - the remote is in an outside compartment

5. Improved LED dimmable lighting. Added a 16 ft flexible strip the length of the coach and around the rear. Includes remote control for selection of color and intensity. Wonderful nighttime lighting improvement.

Dimmable LED light strip
6. Outside 120VAC receptacle. This is a "made to fit" heavy duty extension cord permanently routed to the coach battery compartment. When not in use it is unplugged, depowering the outside end. I plug it into the ground fault protected outlet inside the side door when I want to power it up. This became a necessity when I found that many of the 120V auxiliary receptacles at campgrounds don't work; this is because the ground fault protectors are always tripped and won't reset, even with nothing plugged in. So my extension cords for inductive cooking or outside lighting were useless. I didn't want to run them under or through an open door so this was the solution. 

7. Reflectix cut for all windows except the side entry.

8. Moveable sun sail. Usually we put this at the front of the vehicle. Significant improvement to the interior temperature when camping in full sun.
Sunshade and Reflectix

9. Supplemental Portable Electric Heat. We use a 750/1500 watt electric ceramic heater to put a load on the Onan generator. It also heats the interior when nighttime temperatures are below 50F. This allows us to become creative about energy use and is a backup for the heat pump and the propane furnace. Setting it below the thermostat of the heat pump allows for supplemental heat. It is also a great way to exercise the generator. Not really a "modification" but then, one does need a load when running the generator and this is it.
Portable 750/1500 Watt 120VAC electric heater

10. Additional supplemental electric heat. After nights down to 5F I decided I wanted a low wattage heater for the front of the Roadtrek, to help with that large glass frontal heat loss area. Even with Reflectix (R-1.0) a lot of heat is lost. I experimented with a flat panel heater in the travel trailer and it worked very well. We have a 250 watt version for the Roadtrek (about 18x23 inches and 1/2 inch thick). I also have a programmable digital thermostat because the heater only has an Off-On switch. So far this winter (2017-2018) we've avoided the circumstances in which it would be required. Caution: the surface of this type of heater panel can get HOT. Which is why we have not yet used it in the close confines of the Roadtrek Class B.

11. Front fan to distribute air in the front of the vehicle. This 12V rectangular fan with side air inlets sets in the tray above the passenger door and improves the temperature, both hot and cold, via improved air distribution. In the summer, when used with the sun sail and reflectix it makes for a much more comfortable front end of the vehicle, if parked in full sun.
12 VDC fan

12. Finger bump preventer for side door screen. Added an aluminum angle because it was too easy to push against the door to open it and bump the screen when exiting. Doing so would push the screen out of it's mounting.
13. Inductive electric burner. This is an electric appliance and is portable but it has proven to be so handy I included it here. We do a lot of cooking when on the road and when it's hot or warm, cooking outdoors is a natural. We even cook breakfast outdoors using this. [This week I made donuts at our site using a cast iron skillet - Lodge, of course!] The burner works best with cast iron skillets but I do have an iron plate for use with aluminum pans (shouldn't boil water in cast iron, or cook acidic things like tomato soup). To provide some idea of how little propane we use, we filled our propane tank this spring and use it primarily for hot water. The readout currently shows 2/3 full. But, as these readouts are known to be unreliable, we really don't know how full or empty it is.
Inductive electric cooktop with iron heat transfer device
Inductive cooktop requires iron and stainless steel pots do not work
Cast iron griddle on induction electric cooktop







Inductive electric cooktop with cast iron
14. A small propane BBQ. This is another appliance but we prefer to cook outdoors when possible. This keeps the interior humidity lower and ditto for the temperature in summer.We use small disposable (recyclable) cylinders. Not the cheapest approach and the 210P does have a rear connection for a propane appliance. But we usually cook on the exterior passenger side of the vehicle and in the shade of the awning (but not necessarily under it).
Propane BBQ

Preparing a small feast made with the propane BBQ and the induction electric cooktop with cast iron skillet
15. Hockey puck LED tap lights. These are powered by AA batteries and we purchased a pack of five and placed them in overhead compartments.
Battery powered hockey puck light


16. How could I forget? Replaced the standard Roadtrek Macerator dump hose with a Thetford Sanicon 21 ft flexible hose extension for macerator. Thetford #70424. On one of our first treks, the standard Roadtrek dump hose would not reach to the dump point. Had to start and back onto a road to dump. This was my [second] mod to the 210P. It is my understanding that Thetford no longer makes the Sanicon hose.  (2020). However, Home Depot sells 1-1/4" diameter flexible sump pump hose. I haven't tried it. 

Thetford Sanicon macerator dump hose, extends about 20 feet.

17. First thing we added was a Maxx-Air vent cover. We went with the "smoke" color and had the dealer add this the morning we picked up the 210P. Now, I gotta say that on the 210P it is ugly. But, it is really functional. We don't worry about rain, or bugs or bird nests, or forgetting to lower the Maxx Fan cover when travelling, or parked on a bluff when a nasty thunderstorm comes up. 
Maxx Fan cover


18. Added two small fans with thermostat to improve the temperature in the area behind the refrigerator. We had experienced some difficulties, most notably in TX at 100F. Sun load on that side of the vehicle was sometimes a problem.  We can't always find shade or park in the orientation we would prefer to the sun. 
Whisper fans to help cool the Refrigerator compartment


19. Dual control electric blanket. This was a really pleasant addition. We camp in 3-1/2 seasons which means down to zero degrees F. An electric blanket is superior to a sleeping bag because it adds supplemental heat beyond that generated by the occupant. I'm a long term "ground camper" and so I do know all of the alternatives. But if one wants their spouse or anyone who is not an outdoors woman (or outdoorsman) to be comfortable when the outside drops below 32F, I suggest this approach.
Marketing photo of the electric blanket - Ours has dual controls


20. I added a custom screen to the passenger side window to improve ventilation. This is attached with magnets. 
Side window screening

21. I added custom screens to the furnace outlet, hot water heater grill and the refrigerator openings. These are held in place with magnets. For the refrigerator I epoxied steel washers to the inside of the cover. The magnets adhere to the washers. The purpose of this is to prevent 'critters' of any kind from moving in. 
Covers for furnace vent


22. Last year (2014) we spent extended periods of time in areas with very hard water. I do have a water pressure regulator and a filter on the RT. However, I noticed deposits forming on the faucets and then the check valve at the city water inlet stuck in the "open" position. I purchased an "On-the-Go" portable softener and it works well. However, that's one more thing to carry!. I did clean the deposits from the check valve by removing the screen at the inlet, and then with a short piece of hose I poured vinegar directly into it and with the hose full I let it set for a day, then removed the hose and pushed the check valve in, added more vinegar and so on. I did this repeatedly and it cleaned up the valve and it works fine.
Portable water softener


23. At 36 months I replaced the coach batteries. These simply didn't provide the capacity as published. This didn't seem to be a problem as we seldom "boondocked" for more than a day off of shore power. However, in the second year we spent longer periods off power and noticed that the batteries didn't seem to provide the expected duration of power. The status LEDs would indicate "C" for charging when on shore power or solar and then "F" for full charge when running on coach battery power. I measured the voltage at the battery terminals and began comparing to a charge table for AGM batteries. The "L-F-G-C" indicator would indicate "G" or Good when the battery was at 60% DoD (depth of discharge) or lower. While AGMs can be discharged 80%, it is my understanding that repeatedly discharging below 50% will shorten the life significantly. I decided to put a better battery monitor on my list. See item 25. I measured the amperes draw and concluded the battery terminal voltage was dropping more rapidly than expected. We probably were getting about the equivalent of a 120Ah battery, and I assume the batteries were nearing end of useful life. 
Approximately 220Ah AGM batteries

24. Purchased a battery monitor with shunt. I am also considering adding a disconnect for the coach batteries, but I have concluded that would not be easily accomplished. Shortly after purchase of the Roadtrek I added a portable 50W solar panel and controller to charge these batteries. However, there are now times I store the RT and disconnecting the coach batteries is probably the best solution if I don't want to use the solar panel.  I've assembled the case for the meter, run the wiring and installed a shunt. Next will be the actual installation (July 2017).
Digital voltmeter-ammeter for coach batteries.

25. I got tired of struggling to attach the fresh water hose. It took two hands to unscrew the plastic cap to the plastic fitting inside the compartment. After some research I purchased a fitting of brass which I attached to the fresh water inlet. As a bonus it includes a ball valve. I attached a small length of hose to this, which I never remove. I can now more easily remove the longer length of hose. The photo includes "after" and "before" views, but without the short piece of hose attached.


26. Water Meter.  Helpful when filling the inside tank, which has approximately 10 gallon capacity.

Water meter for hose

Copyright (C) 2019, 2021 All Rights Reserved - Norman Retzke