How To Stay Cool In Your RV This Summer [Tips & Tricks For Saving Money!]

How To Stay Cool In Your RV This Summer [Tips & Tricks For Saving Money!]

Are you struggling to beat the summer heat in your RV? Don’t worry, this video on “How to Keep Your RV Cool in the Summer” Whether you’re parked at an RV park or out boondocking, staying cool is essential for a comfortable journey. Learn practical Money Saving RV tips and tricks to cool your RV effectively, from optimizing your RV air conditioner to using portable fans and RV window coverings. Discover innovative solutions to beat the heat, and stay cool in your RV with or without air conditioning! Stay cool and comfortable on your next adventure with these Summer RVing tips. Don’t forget to like, leave a comment and subscribe on YouTube for more RV Living Tips & Money Saving RV Tricks!

Tips & Tricks for Keeping the RV Cool:

Accurate Thermostat
Cool Separate Rooms
Use Portable Fans
Install a Fantastic Vent with Covers
Close & Cover Windows
Window Tint
And, more!

🔽 DOWNLOAD My RV Essentials Checklist!

How To Stay Cool in Your RV + Save Money 101

Need Help Keeping Your RV Cool in the Summer Heat? Whether you’re plugged up at an RV Park or boondocking in your RV somewhere remotely, the goal in the summer is to keep the cold air inside the RV and the heat outside of the RV. Keeping your RV cool in the summer heat is crucial for comfort and enjoyment.

Presumably, your RV already has an AC (air conditioning) unit. If not, you can always buy one and have it installed. Or get a portable AC depending on your RV. I had to do this in my van and I’ll put a link to the one I purchased below this video.

>> This is the Portable AC I bought for the Van and later used in the motorhome!

Powering The RV Air Conditioner

But, In order to run the air conditioner in your RV, you’re going to have to be plugged up at an RV park or you’re going to need to run the generator.

While Plugged Up At An RV Park

Now, if you’re plugged up at an RV park to Shore Power, you’re going to have to pay for a spot. And if you’re renting monthly, like I am, you might actually get an electric bill that you’ll have to pay on top of your rent. And the other thing to consider is that your air conditioner takes a lot of power. So no matter how you’re powering it, you’re going to have to pay for that. So it’s going to take up most of that bill.

>> VIDEO – What are RV Hook-Ups

While BoonDocking / Dry-Camping

if you’re boon-docking in your RV and you want to run the air conditioner, you’re going to have to run your generator in order to power it. So to power your generator, you need to have some type of fuel and that can come from either a gas tank or a diesel tank and it might even run off of propane. And if you remember what I’ve said about the AC taking up most of your electric bill, well, it’s going to take up most of your fuel consumption, fuel bill gas, bill, whatever you’re powering it with as well.

If you haven’t figured it out yet, it costs a lot of money to run the air conditioner in your RV. And it’s not cheap.

>> VIDEO – What is RV Boondocking?

Solar Powering The RV AC

A side note about solar powering your RV’s AC. I get a lot of questions about this. So I want to make sure and stress this,. The AC (air conditioning) unit and your RV cannot be powered off of solar power. Normally! There are cases where people have done this, but they’ve spent a lot of time and money invested into some type of solar setup. So your RV doesn’t come like this. Maybe somewhere way off in the future, they’ll do this. But as of right now, it’s not a standard setup. You can’t go to the RV dealership and say, Hey, can I get a solar-powered air condition unit? It’s not going to happen? So that’s something you’ll have to figure out.

>> VIDEO – RV Electrical Explained?

Ways to save money in your RV & Keep it cool

The good news is that there are some ways to save money in your RV when it comes to trying to keep it cool. And some ways that I’ve been able to save money in my RV, especially this summer. And I’m going to share those with you in this video.

Obviously you want to use the air conditioning unit in your RV, but it’s either loud, costly, or not working well enough.

>> VIDEO – Learn 30 More Ways To Save Money RVing

TIP #1 – Have An Accurate Thermostat

My first tip for staying cool in the RV is to have an accurate thermostat. And no matter what RV you have, the RV’s air condition unit thermostat is usually about 5 to 10 degrees off from what the temperature actually is inside the RV.

I’ll normally monitor this from my control panel, but I have an AcuRite thermostat, a portable thermostat that I’ll put in the RV. I have a couple of them that are spread around, but I keep them around so that I know the accurate temperature in the RV.

>> Portable Digital AcuRite Thermostat

TIP #2 – Cool Separate Spaces & Rooms

This second tip that I have for keeping your RV cool is to separate rooms and only cool the rooms that you need to in your RV.

Close Off Rooms and Add Curtains

So one of the ways that I do this is either with shutting doors that you might have in your RV or adding curtains. So I’ve put curtains in the front of my RV to separate off from any of the heat that’s coming in from the windows. And then I also have a large patio door in the back that I’ve separated off with curtains.

>> Blackout RV Curtains

>> Curtain Rods

>> Zip Ties

>> Command Hooks

Close Off AC Vents

Another way that you can separate the RV and only cool the rooms that you need to is by closing off the vents in the AC, if you have ducted AC and that’ll just keep the rooms or the areas cool that you’re trying to cool that you’re in for that time.

TIP #3 – Use Portable Fans

The third tip that I have for keeping the RV cool is to use portable fans. Now, the great thing about these is that they keep air circulating throughout the RV, as well as keep the RV cool. And I have both osculating fans as well as box fans throughout my RV.

>> Small Oscillating Fan

>> Box Fan 20 Inch Large

Keep Air Circulating & Low On Power Consumption

And the other thing that I like about these is they’re low on wattage and how much power they use. So I can usually run them on my RV batteries. So I can also get air conditioning or air flow when I’m boondocking. FYI you might need an inverter if your RV doesn’t have one setup for you to plug in your 120-volt van!

>> Here’s a link to the inverter I use!

Tip #4 – Use RV Roof Vents & Covers

The fourth tip that I have for getting airflow in your RV is to have these fan-tastic vents or roof vents that you can get in your RV to allow airflow. Now they provide a really good source of security, plus are a MUST HAVE ITEM when RVing With Pets (Cats & Dogs)

RV Vents, Sensors & Covers

These vents are must-haves If you have pets in your RV! Plus, you can buy them with wind sensors and temperature sensors on them, but they allow you to have airflow in the RV, even when your AC isn’t on, depending on your RV setup. So if you don’t have these already installed in your RV, you can get them installed.

>> Fan-tastic Electric Roof Vent Fan

And they also have covers for them that you can get on the outside of the RV that allow you to leave them open in inclement weather, depending on if it’s not too bad. So if it’s windy or rainy, not too much, it will stay open or close on its own. And then you can get the covers that allow you to leave it open, maybe even in storage to have airflow.

>> RV Vent Covers (outside)

Great for Boondocking (Low on Power consumption)

So pets, storage, these fantastic vents, give you a really good way to get AC in your RV, even without turning on your generator or being plugged up to shore power, because they can run on battery power. You can use it when boon-docking!

Speaking of these vents leads me to my next tip for keeping the RV cool, which is…

Tip #5 – Close & Cover RV Windows

Tip number five is to close and cover any windows and vents that you might actually have in your RV in order to keep Your RV cool. I always try to close any of the windows or vents that I have in my RV especially if I’m trying to use the RV AC and don’t want the cold air to escape! And while you think that the shades that you typically get with your RV would be sufficient. They don’t block out all the light or work to keep the cool air inside.

Keep All Sunlight (aka HEAT) out of the RV with Reflective Insulation

So you want to keep out all the sunlight or heat that’s coming into the RV that you can. I keep my RV super dark inside. When you go into my RV, it kind of looks dark and gloomy, but I keep all my windows shut during the day, as well as I will install reflective insulation (aka reflectix) in all my windows! So any type of skylights, vents, or windows – front to back I put it in them.

It’s kind of like an installation, a double paneled insulation, or think of like the sun shades that you get for your car. I cut it and put it all throughout my RV. And every window, every vent, I have it positioned somewhere in my RV somehow. I’ll either do it with Velcro or command strips, or even like expandable poles.

>> Reflectix Window Insulation

>> Velcro LINK

>> Command Strips

>> Expandable Poles (Tension Rods)

Pre-Cut & Custom Fit Covers

And then you can also buy pre-fitting vent covers that go into these vents. So some of my vents in the ceiling I’ll have the vent covers for it. But I’ll buy the Reflectix and cut it for all the windows because it just comes out cheaper. I buy a huge roll of it and then I cut it to fit all of the windows. So they’re custom sizes adding this reflectix in my RV through all the windows.

Honestly Keeps RV 10-20 Degrees Cooler. And then as far as the vent covers that you can buy, you can buy these vent covers, like I mentioned, for the inside and outside of the roof vents in your RV.

>> RV Roof Vent Reflective Cover (for Inside the RV)

Tip #6 – Tint Windows

Tip number six for keeping your RV Cool is to actually get your windows tinted. I’ve done this or I’m going to do this on the glass door, in my RV. Now, a lot of your windows in your RV might already have some kind of tint, but think about the front windows in your RV, or maybe even the skylights or Vents in your RV.

If there’s some way to tint the windows, it’s going to help keeping the heat out of the RV, the sunlight out of the RV and keeping it cooler inside the RV. Now I did the window tint in my van and I’ve kind of learned that trick through all the cars that I’ve had too!

>> I ordered my Window Tint online.

The RV Vent Trick for MAX Air Flow!

Another little RV Cooling tip that I’ve learned while RVing is what I call the vent trick. So what you do is you open a window or a door in your RV and you can still have this screen on, but you’ll also take one of the vents in your RV. And you’re going to open that and turn it on. So with a window open and the vent open and on, it creates this circular air flow throughout your RV. So it’s a great way to keep your RV cool, even without the AC on now.

More RV Cooling Tips & Tricks

Some more tips for staying cool in your RV or some things that you might want to consider and things I’ve learned are:

Travel During The Hottest Times
Go Outside & Use The RV Awning
Park Facing Away From The Sun
Keep Clothing To A Minimum
Drink Water
Buy A Swamp Cooler
Get A Cooling Cooler
Don’t create heat in your RV
Change RV Air Filters

Travel During The Hottest Times:

Try to travel during the hottest times of the day in your RV. So this is probably around 12 to 5:00 PM depending on your location. And what I’ll do is drive during that time, or I’ll turn my AC on during that time and get air-conditioned in the RV.

Go Outside & Use The RV Awning:

Another thing that you could do is maybe go outside the RV and use the awning. So you’re not inside trying to stay cool. You can go outside and try and stay cool.

Park Facing Away From The Sun:

Another thing to think about is where and how you park your RV. You don’t want to park your RV with the sun, blaring down inside all of the windows of your RV. You want to make sure you park the RV according to where the sun’s at facing away from it. Also, consider finding parking under trees or where you can find some type of shade that’s going to help keep the RV cool as well.

Keep Clothing To A Minimum:

Now you could also consider taking off some clothes as someone commented on one of my videos! Less clothes always your body to breathe and help you not overheat! At Least it does for me. I like to wear flowy dresses, bathing suits instead of underwear, short hair, and low maintenance in the summer especially!

Drink Water:

Make sure that you are drinking plenty of water so that you’re staying hydrated whenever you’re trying to stay cool, especially in the summer heat!

Buy A Swamp Cooler:

Other things that you could consider to help cool the RV, are a swamp cooler (if you’re not in humid climates). I bought a swamp cooler to use in my van. Also because they are low power and can typically run off my RV batteries so it’s great for boondocking (dry-camping in the RV) to stay cool.

>> Portable Evaporative Swamp Cooler

Get A Cooling Cooler:

Whenever I purchased my RV motorhome (Thor outlaw 37RB toy hauler) from lazy days, at first I didn’t have AC in the front of the RV for a month after I bought it – which they fixed! But, to stay cool in the meantime while driving, I bought what’s called an icy breeze cooler. It is a cooler and not only could it cool drinks, but it blows AC at you. And we would take turns blowing this icy breeze on ourselves. But while I was driving, I had no AC and it was so hot in the RV motorhome to drive!

>> Icy Breeze Cooler

Don’t create heat in your RV (Anything that’s going to produce heat):

Cooking: Another thing that you’re going to want to consider about keeping the RV cool is keeping your cooking to a minimum. Stove, Microwave, Oven, Grill

Hot Showers: So this could also be any hot showers that you might be taking. If you’re producing heat in your RV from steam in the shower it can also cause the RV to be hotter and take more time to cool it down again! Consider Opening the Bathroom roof vent to allow any hot air to escape if you can. Then of course closing it if you’re turning on the RV AC and trying to keep it cool again!

Lights: Even leaving lights on. If you don’t have LED lights, they could be getting hot and creating heat inside the RV. Try buying low-wattage, low-energy efficient light bulbs.

>> Low Wattage Light Bulbs for RVs LINK???

Change RV Air Filters:

You’ll also want to keep your AC air filters changed and have the AC serviced. If you can’t do it yourself, this is going to keep the AC running effectively and efficiently to cool the RV. Another thing is it actually filters the air in your RV so you keep it clean. This goes for the RV AC and if you’re in a motorhome or towing then consider changing the Air Filter in your vehicles motor engine as well.

>> My RV Air Filters I pick up at Walmart if they have them or Order Online LINK

PRODUCTS TO KEEP YOU COOL IN YOUR RV:

Here’s a link to all the things that I mentioned that have helped me to cool my RV….

Let’s Review…

So now you know how to keep your RV cool or some things that worked for me to keep my RV cool and retain the cold air in your RV. By implementing these strategies and adjusting your lifestyle, you can keep your RV comfortably cool even in the hottest summer months. But cooling the RV is just one part of RVing. Now I’ve put together a list of all the items that I use to not just cool my RV, but actually use in my RV that you can pick up as they are must-have items! It is my RV essentials checklist.

>> [DOWNLOAD] My RV Essentials Checklist

I’m Blogging Brandi. This is RVersity a university for RVers. If you want to learn how to RV like a pro, I’ll teach you everything I know, just head over to RVersity.com. If you liked this video, hit the like button below to let me know. And of course, don’t forget to subscribe and hit that little bell icon So you’re notified each and every time that I publish.

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ABOUT ME

If we haven’t officially met, Hi I’m Blogging Brandi, an EX-Corporate Kool-Aid Drinker, born to be Creator, Digital Nomad and Entrepreneur who loves RVing while running my own business on the road! Over 8 years ago, I traded my sticks & bricks lifestyle for a life on wheels. Quit my job, sold my house, and everything else, then bought an RV! First, was a Travel Trailer, then Van Life and eventually Motorhome Living!

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June 29, 2020