Day 14- Keepin' it Cool (or Warm) (or Dry)

RVs get hot and cold very easily as they are just not insulated well! You would think that manufacturers did a better job at this but let me tell you they do not. Holding the heat in when you want to be warm is a challenge and keeping the heat out when you want to be cool is a huge battle! We use our own style of sunshades fashioned from the same material that is used to make the ones you buy ready made for you vehicle. We bought a BIG roll of the silver stuff at Home Depot . Immediately started measuring and cutting it to fit nearly every window in the rig! It's been very helpful at keeping the heat out and in depending on the temperature! We have two more windows that we didn't get covered before we ran out. Since it's already cave like in Sunny we just semi cover one of the two with a scrap so it's working! We also used cling tint on all the windows in the living areas and that made a huge difference, too!

 That's the scrap piece over the sofa

Front from outside, looks just like your vehicle sunshade just supersized!

Normal everyday looking thermostat controls our heat and air.

We usually keep our thermostat set on 77 during the day and 72 at night in the heat. With our fans it works well for us and especially if we are not getting direct sunlight all day long. We also have an awning and as long as it's not to breezy it is down and keep the fridge side of the coach cooler. It helps a lot! 

And speaking of fans we are potential looking at something like this which would be great if we do get into doing some boondocking; but for now we just purchased a normal one on clearance at Target that is working well. Currently we have three fans...three, seems excessive for our space I know . However, one will be gone soon to the basement and become our outside fan. It's probably not going to last much longer which is why we were hunting clearance deals for a replacement! We also have one in the bedroom and one up front. They just help move the air and keep it cool!

Our new and older fans

Since we have little fans makes sense we have a little heater. We actually have two of these little space heaters and they were great even in our sticks and bricks homes so we naturally brought them in the RV. I mean when we are "hooked up" electric at most places is included in our slot fee so heating with these is economical. Propane cost us and we have to unhook and go fill up if we get low so using the provided electric makes sense to us! We are looking to upgrade our electric heaters to the kind that have oil in them. I think they would be safer and that always makes me feel better being safe! I think I would like to find one similar to this type.

 Current space heater

In addition to heating and cooling we also have a dehumidifier. It was needed after we were having some condensation issues in the cooler months earlier this year. It has also helped with the extra humidity in the heat too! It was not something we ever thought we would need in Sunny and does take up a bit of space but it is a good thing for the overall health of our coach.

Dehumidifier

Heating and cooling is a constant. And we have tried on several different occasions to sleep with the windows open it just never works well. MiRV suffers allergies and that's usually just not a good mix with open windows. However, we do open up the door on cool mornings and evenings once in a while and when we stop while traveling we usually open the windows and doors instead of run the generator, it's just easier and more economical.

More on the Nester's 31 day challenge can be found here.