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Shade for fridge vents

Submitted: Thursday, Nov 05, 2009 at 07:05

OREJAP

What do members use to help keep the hot sun off the external fridge vents & that side of the van. I was thinking about an extra awning with probably shade cloth but what dendity? Suggestions would be appreciated. We have a Jayco outback camper.
ThreadID: 73536 Replies: 6
Views: 622 FollowUps: 8
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AnswerID: 390044   Submitted: Thursday, Nov 05, 2009 at 07:24

Fred G NSW replied:

I was contemplating a solution to that problem only a few days ago, as I will be away in he van most of this summer, and for extended stays in several locations.
I was thinking of fitting sailtrack to that side of the van, and using my old annexe, which is only the roof section, and only needs 4 poles and ropes, unlike our 9' wide full free standing annexe. I also have a smaller canvas roof, 8' x 6', which I could put up with just 2 poles, in a few minutes.
Naturally you need the space available to do this, but I won't be in crowded C/Parks.
Would also offer extra shade as the day progresses.


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AnswerID: 390046   Submitted: Thursday, Nov 05, 2009 at 07:35

Member - John replied:

Maybe just a peice of shade cloth hung over the vent, keeps the sun off, but allows air flow. Not sure if it would work or not?
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FollowupID: 657812   Submitted: Thursday, Nov 05, 2009 at 07:48

John and Lynne posted:

Heavy shadecloth run along a sail track works very well for us. Ours is long enough to shade that side of the van as well as the fridge. We can put it up quickly. We don't use poles - just angle it out past open windows and secure it with pegs so we can use it without requiring a huge amount of space. We had it made by a tentmaker and took his advice about type of cloth etc and have been very pleased with the result. Lynne



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FollowupID: 657829   Submitted: Thursday, Nov 05, 2009 at 10:30

Member - Old Girl (QLD) posted:

Lynne, Ive seen that set up in Toowoomba a while ago. It looked realy neat and tidy.
Sharon
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FollowupID: 657833   Submitted: Thursday, Nov 05, 2009 at 11:15

Fred G NSW posted:

I think I'll that option to my repertoire as well.

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FollowupID: 657841   Submitted: Thursday, Nov 05, 2009 at 12:07

Member - Leigh (Vic) posted:

May I enquire as to why you'd want to do this in the first place?
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FollowupID: 657843   Submitted: Thursday, Nov 05, 2009 at 12:32

John and Lynne posted:

Hello Leigh
As the first enquiry on this thread suggested, if you are camped in very hot conditions extra shade on the fridge side helps it a lot (so long as you still allow good air circulation across the vents). It also makes a great difference to the internal temperature in the van to have a shade awning on two sides. Ideally we all like to camp in a lovely shady spot with a pleasant sea breeze etc but the reality is, once you get up north, it is often impossible to get real shade on both sides of the van!
We are also often in places where we can't run the airconditioner constantly.
Cooler temperatures inside the van help keep lots of things in better condition, especially foodstuffs, even if you aren't sitting in it!
So for our purposes we found it well worth the modest amount of money to have an extra offside awning made as I described. Cheers Lynne
FollowUp 5 of 7
FollowupID: 657844   Submitted: Thursday, Nov 05, 2009 at 12:47

Member - Leigh (Vic) posted:

Thanks Lynne, I now understand what you are trying to achieve. If the fridge is lacking you may also want to consider a computer type fan to exhaust the hot air and keep the fridge running cooler?

Cheers
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FollowupID: 657897   Submitted: Thursday, Nov 05, 2009 at 19:53

Member - Old Girl (QLD) posted:

Later this arvo a van went past with a roll out awning on both sides. I had to look twice to see what it was. Different I suppose.
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AnswerID: 390110   Submitted: Thursday, Nov 05, 2009 at 17:26

Member - Michael P (QLD) replied:

Hi, I try to park my van facing East then there is never any sun on the fridge/open side of the van, can achieve this most of the time when this is not possible I try NE then North. Having the sun coming into the anneaux most of the day could be a minus to some campers/caravanners.
Regards Mike
Reply 3 of 6
AnswerID: 390118   Submitted: Thursday, Nov 05, 2009 at 18:10

Member - Mike DID replied:

I wouldn't bother with Shadecloth - to keep the sun out the holes have to be so small there will be no significant airflow.

I would use a tarp rigged so the sun is blocked but air can flow freely.
Mike R
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AnswerID: 390135   Submitted: Thursday, Nov 05, 2009 at 19:42

kend88 replied:

I just tape a car windscreen cover about a foot above the upper vent then secure it on an an angle with a couple of bungy cords and tent pegs.

kenD
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AnswerID: 390151   Submitted: Thursday, Nov 05, 2009 at 21:24

OREJAP replied:

Thanks for the ideas everyone much appreciated.
Reply 6 of 6
FollowupID: 657947   Submitted: Friday, Nov 06, 2009 at 07:42

Fred G NSW posted:

and thank you for bringing that up...some good feedback there.

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