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Old 07-20-2018, 11:25 PM   #1
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Seneca Hot Weather Camping Issues

I know there are some folks on this forum that camp in hot weather so I'm looking for advice.

We just returned from 5 days at the Colorado River outside of Needles, CA. Daytime temps hit 115F. We could not keep our 2018.5 Seneca FS cool inside. With both ACs running on Hi the rig was hitting the low 90s inside during the day.

I tried running with the AC air dumps open and also closed so all the air was pushed into the ducts. That helped even the temperature between front and back, but the rig was still in the 90's up front.

After 2 days I installed R30 insulation in all the windows, bathroom vent, covered the skylight, etc. That gained us about 5 degrees of cool, but still in the upper 80's during the day.

Beyond installing a 3rd AC unit, does anyone have other tricks to cool these rigs in the desert heat?

We also had problems with the Frig staying cold...everything in the freezer thawed, ice melted and the refrigerator barely stayed cold. I'll be looking into adding fans to the frig vents to help with that.

The third issue was a lot of hot air was coming into the coach as we were driving through the desert. Hot air was coming in under the frig and coming in though the heating ducts. Anyone experienced that? We had the generator running and both ACs on (along with the cab AC) but could not keep the cabin below 90 while driving.

So, do you hot weather campers have any suggestions? We have already booked next year's trip to the river!
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Old 07-21-2018, 04:34 AM   #2
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From all I read and know, if you can get the inside cooler than 15-20 degrees below ambient temps, the AC are doing all they can do. Driving with them on is a challenge due to increased heat loss.

Sounds like you are thinking on the little things that can make a difference like shading, plugging holes, etc.

Try putting the R30 on the outside instead of inside. Or some type of see thru roller shades on the outside windows.
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Old 07-21-2018, 04:53 AM   #3
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Our dealer under warranty insulated around the fridge to stop the outside air coming in. That was a huge help while driving.
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Old 07-21-2018, 04:59 AM   #4
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I have not yet done it but I am planning to insulate behind exterior tv and fridge. Both areas have 0 insulation and also allow outside air to come in. This might help you, too.
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Old 07-21-2018, 06:35 AM   #5
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When parked do you have a drape separating the cab from the coach? Helped us immensely out West.
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Old 07-21-2018, 06:39 AM   #6
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We spend Winter in Florida and Summer in Upstate New York. If you do not have your unit under shade its going to be HOT!!!. The black and dark colors of the fancy paint jobs is the problem. Cooler days, the unit is comfortable. We've added shades on the outside and then use multiple layers of foil and quilts to insulate the truck cab from the rest of the cabin. One friend suggested roll on cheap white house paint, but I thought that was a little drastic. Best solution is to keep moving to areas where basic outside temps are in the low 70's/high 60's.
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Old 07-21-2018, 12:05 PM   #7
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While we haven't camped in that kind of heat yet in out 2018.5 Seneca and you didn't say if you were boondocking or plugged into power but in our old motorhome with one AC we learned that you cant expect to be gone half the day and come back and turn on the AC and get the RV to cool down. We would always set tstat at 80° and run all the time we were gone, did this all the time in 100+ weather and was always cool inside.

You don't mention what model you have but on our 37RB I have found all kinds of unsealed holes, I mean big ones. We were camping in the desert when it was still getting pretty cold at night and we had cold air coming in through the grate under the fridge. Pulled it when I got home and there was a hole about 6"x9" that had a gas line and a could wires fed through it! I cut a panel out of 1/4" plywood and notched it for the hose and wires and then sealed with foam. Pulled the drawers in the rear bedroom and there is another hole where there is a notch for the fuel filler tube, again, open to the wet bay which I then found about a 4" hole in the back of the wet bay unsealed.....foam to the rescue. Jayco doesn't do a good job at all seling these things up, look at the foam job at the hole in the wet bay in the pic. I am slowing working through every access of the coach and sealing things up and it is making heating and cooling better.

I am also dealing with the fridge not getting/staying cold. I have added RV Cooling Unit Warehouse 3 fan unit inside and these are mainly to keep the evaporator from frosting up but does help a little but didn't see a huge difference. I did slide the thermister up the fins to the top and that also seems to help a little. I have the remote temp sensors and monitor on the fridge and have checked its accuracy and it is good bit when I check inside fridge temps with Milwaukee temp gun it always shows a little colder. About a month ago we camped on a river bar and fridge was facing the sun all day and would really warm up during the day, last weekend we parked so it was out of the sun all day and it did a lot better. Being its just the DW and I we usually keep beverages in the fridge but next weekend we will be moving all those to a Pelican cooler in the bay by the main door so we are not opening the fridge all day.
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Old 07-21-2018, 03:26 PM   #8
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Lots of great comments so far... We live where the summer temperatures are over 100F about 10 days a year, and winter lows get near +5F - we have managed to survive in our Seneca with some adjustments to how it came from the factory.

I'll focus on Summer heat -

The Freightliner Cab is a huge source of unwanted heat! Think layers now... We put a reflective insulation on the three windows as the first layer, then we put the factory wrap around curtain next, third is a blanket / quilt / curtain across the cab opening. (Robbyr posted a picture of a great example)

Which way we park our rig makes a big difference - it is not always feasible to do so, but IF we can, I park with the cab facing west. Morning sun is on the cab and afternoon sun is on the rear fiberglass cap - this is the smallest solar exposure possible. If you get full beating sun on the sides, the Seneca heats up pretty quickly... We use the Awning to shade the sides from direct sun when we can (windy days might mean that the awning only goes out 18")

The overcab bunk area - has virtually no insulation between the ceiling and the fiberglass cap. I inspected behind the lights and confirmed this. In real hot days, we close off the curtains of the bunk and let it cook up there... until evening when the sun is not beating down on the front cap (we measured 110F in the bunk area once while doing this.. be careful of your satellite equipment if you do) (also part of the reason we try to park with the overcab facing East, so the afternoon sun is not cooking the cab and bunk area so badly)

We followed these practices a few weeks ago - it was 103F, we were in/out of the Seneca a lot and the worst it got inside was about 82F.

Good Luck on keeping cool at the river... I spent many weeks at Havasu, Topok Sand Bar, Laughlin and Catherines Landing on Lk.Mojave - DW and I both grew up in So Cal.
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Old 07-21-2018, 04:12 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SloPoke View Post
Lots of great comments so far... We live where the summer temperatures are over 100F about 10 days a year, and winter lows get near +5F - we have managed to survive in our Seneca with some adjustments to how it came from the factory.

I'll focus on Summer heat -

The Freightliner Cab is a huge source of unwanted heat! Think layers now... We put a reflective insulation on the three windows as the first layer, then we put the factory wrap around curtain next, third is a blanket / quilt / curtain across the cab opening. (Robbyr posted a picture of a great example)

Which way we park our rig makes a big difference - it is not always feasible to do so, but IF we can, I park with the cab facing west. Morning sun is on the cab and afternoon sun is on the rear fiberglass cap - this is the smallest solar exposure possible. If you get full beating sun on the sides, the Seneca heats up pretty quickly... We use the Awning to shade the sides from direct sun when we can (windy days might mean that the awning only goes out 18")

The overcab bunk area - has virtually no insulation between the ceiling and the fiberglass cap. I inspected behind the lights and confirmed this. In real hot days, we close off the curtains of the bunk and let it cook up there... until evening when the sun is not beating down on the front cap (we measured 110F in the bunk area once while doing this.. be careful of your satellite equipment if you do) (also part of the reason we try to park with the overcab facing East, so the afternoon sun is not cooking the cab and bunk area so badly)

We followed these practices a few weeks ago - it was 103F, we were in/out of the Seneca a lot and the worst it got inside was about 82F.

Good Luck on keeping cool at the river... I spent many weeks at Havasu, Topok Sand Bar, Laughlin and Catherines Landing on Lk.Mojave - DW and I both grew up in So Cal.


Right in my backyard, I live in Kingman in the Hualapai Mtn. Foothills. Much cooler than at the lakes or river because of the higher elevation - About 15 to 20 degrees cooler. We spend a lot of time in those areas you mentioned. Just sayin’.
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Old 07-21-2018, 09:19 PM   #10
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Originally Posted by Rustynuts View Post
While we haven't camped in that kind of heat yet in out 2018.5 Seneca and you didn't say if you were boondocking or plugged into power but in our old motorhome with one AC we learned that you cant expect to be gone half the day and come back and turn on the AC and get the RV to cool down. We would always set tstat at 80° and run all the time we were gone, did this all the time in 100+ weather and was always cool inside.

You don't mention what model you have but on our 37RB I have found all kinds of unsealed holes, I mean big ones. We were camping in the desert when it was still getting pretty cold at night and we had cold air coming in through the grate under the fridge. Pulled it when I got home and there was a hole about 6"x9" that had a gas line and a could wires fed through it! I cut a panel out of 1/4" plywood and notched it for the hose and wires and then sealed with foam. Pulled the drawers in the rear bedroom and there is another hole where there is a notch for the fuel filler tube, again, open to the wet bay which I then found about a 4" hole in the back of the wet bay unsealed.....foam to the rescue. Jayco doesn't do a good job at all seling these things up, look at the foam job at the hole in the wet bay in the pic. I am slowing working through every access of the coach and sealing things up and it is making heating and cooling better.

I am also dealing with the fridge not getting/staying cold. I have added RV Cooling Unit Warehouse 3 fan unit inside and these are mainly to keep the evaporator from frosting up but does help a little but didn't see a huge difference. I did slide the thermister up the fins to the top and that also seems to help a little. I have the remote temp sensors and monitor on the fridge and have checked its accuracy and it is good bit when I check inside fridge temps with Milwaukee temp gun it always shows a little colder. About a month ago we camped on a river bar and fridge was facing the sun all day and would really warm up during the day, last weekend we parked so it was out of the sun all day and it did a lot better. Being its just the DW and I we usually keep beverages in the fridge but next weekend we will be moving all those to a Pelican cooler in the bay by the main door so we are not opening the fridge all day.

Wow, Rusty! I have had to plug up holes with foam on my Greyhawk and will have to do same on the Seneca!! what type of insulation foam did you use?
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Old 07-21-2018, 09:51 PM   #11
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Thanks for all the feedback and ideas. I will definitely be chasing some of these down.

For those who know the area, we were at Pirates Cove and the campsites are basically 100% exposed to the sun. No way to get any shade to speak of. We also happened to be parked facing southwest so we were taking the afternoon sun on the side where our fridge is at. The awning was out, but didn't help much.


We are already booked for next year so I have some time to make some of the modifications suggested. I also think I'll be rigging up a 3rd AC using a portable unit that we have for the house. The sites have full hook ups so I can run an extra power cord if I need to.
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Old 07-21-2018, 10:13 PM   #12
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Wow, Rusty! I have had to plug up holes with foam on my Greyhawk and will have to do same on the Seneca!! what type of insulation foam did you use?
I had just been using the standard great stuff foam from Ace hardware. I just either cut a panel to cover most of the big holes then foam the gaps and put a layer of foam over the panel. The hole in the pic was in the bottom of the wet bay plastic which was a little challenging. I cut a piece of bronze screen I had and screwed it in 4 spots, the shot the foam into the screen to hold it till it firms up.
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Old 07-21-2018, 10:49 PM   #13
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For those who know the area, we were at Pirates Cove and the campsites are basically 100% exposed to the sun. No way to get any shade to speak of. We also happened to be parked facing southwest so we were taking the afternoon sun on the side where our fridge is at. The awning was out, but didn't help much.


We are already booked for next year so I have some time to make some of the modifications suggested. I also think I'll be rigging up a 3rd AC using a portable unit that we have for the house. The sites have full hook ups so I can run an extra power cord if I need to.
So... since you say you have full hook-ups, then you are not on the island, where everyone boondocks on the sand along the river, but in the resort? And why at the hottest time of the year??? I've been there when it is over 120F (not in our Seneca, but for work) That place is better in early September.
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Old 07-23-2018, 08:53 AM   #14
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We just returned from 5 days at the Colorado River outside of Needles, CA. Daytime temps hit 115F. We could not keep our 2018.5 Seneca FS cool inside.
This is a great reason to explore a new area at a higher elevation. RVs are not designed to be comfortable in such temps.
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Old 07-23-2018, 12:33 PM   #15
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This was a big help here in Texas (but we're not talking 115!)

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

It shows at $45 today -- but I bought it last winter for $28.

Getting the sun off the rig would probably help -- so I could imagine erecting some sort of canopy or shade rig. Won't help with ambient, but will help from baking in the sun.

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Old 08-11-2018, 12:42 PM   #16
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We live in Kingman, about 50 miles from Needles and about 3K feet higher. Our temps are summer temps are typically mid to hi 90's w/ some days as high as 105. This summer has had more days in the low 100's. The whole country is suffering a heat wave, maybe it is the new normal, maybe it's not. The Colorado River is fun but less fun in summer; water is cool to cold, air is hot to hellish. I agree with the poster who said a/c units have the ability to cool 15-20 degrees from outside. Unfortunately, it sounds like your unit was working as designed. Living in this climate we go away in the summer so we haven't had the problem. However, insulation and more insulation, positioning the rig just right, finding anyplace where warm or cold air seeps in and blocking it are about the only ways to ameliorate southwestern desert heat.
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Old 08-11-2018, 12:51 PM   #17
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We camp & boondock in the desert also, so keeping the rig cool is a challenge for sure. For the windows (a huge source of heat) we use silver insulating bubble wrap cut to fit on the inside, on the outside we have custom made 90% shade block snap on covers, this eliminates almost all heat from the windows. All vent openings get the snap in 3" insulating inserts. I have used a couple of cans on low vulc expanding foam to fill many of the plumbing and cable holes in the body and firewall, also put the bubble wrap behind the outside entertainment area as it was open to the area behind the bedroom drawers (wondered why my clothes were hot!). For the fridge I did all of the mentioned things and also added 2 thermostatically controlled fans in the outside compartment, also added a drop down shade cloth over the door area to keep the sun off, using bungee cords to pull the bottom away from the side for air flow. If you are on shore power set your AC fan to 'ON' and set the thermostat to 80º before it gets hot out, this will keep the air in the RV circulating and the compressor will kick on/off as needed.
I saw one guy that had PVC poles across his roof with a 20'X30' shade cloth draped over the entire RV, with a slit for the door and a cutout for the roof AC unit, said it worked great. A bit much for me but hey, cool is cool.
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Old 08-11-2018, 12:54 PM   #18
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We live in Kingman, about 50 miles from Needles and about 3K feet higher.
We almost stopped in Needles once but it was 115º, went the extra 50 miles to your town and it was 95º, still hot but much better than 115º
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Old 08-11-2018, 01:48 PM   #19
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I have not yet done it but I am planning to insulate behind exterior tv and fridge. Both areas have 0 insulation and also allow outside air to come in. This might help you, too.
https://www.jaycoowners.com/forums/f...-tv-47971.html
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Old 08-11-2018, 03:16 PM   #20
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Exclamation These will not fit the Seneca

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Originally Posted by lonestarrpm View Post
This was a big help here in Texas (but we're not talking 115!)

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

It shows at $45 today -- but I bought it last winter for $28.

Getting the sun off the rig would probably help -- so I could imagine erecting some sort of canopy or shade rig. Won't help with ambient, but will help from baking in the sun.

Mike
Mike,
I ordered this same shade through Etrailer after using their on-line fitting tool. It said it would fit the Seneca. I then email them because the description did not mention anything about Freightliner chassis only Ford and Chevy. They told me it would fit. Well....Guess what, it fit half the windshield. I called Etrailer and the lady said their on-tool said its not compatible. So I pointed her to my online conversation with them and her comment, I don't know why they said it would fit. Anyway they refunded me. I then found this site Class C Windshield Cover - Sunpro E Commerce
and they are made specifically for the Freightliner chassis. I bit more expensive 199.95 but it fits like an OJ Simpson Glove. Very snug my DW and I had to tug on it and get any and all wrinkles out.



I live in Northern Colorado and I had my 2017 37TS in my front yard preparing for a 4 week vacation. it was High 90's no clouds very bright and hot sun. I did not have my new shade yet so I was using 3 truck shades in the cab. Put the curtain across the bottom. Had both AC's running and it was like 89 in there. The bedroom was very cold as I walked to the front it was much warmer. As some people have mention already the void between the cab seats and the bed / entertainment center was putting a lot of heat out and it was rising out into the living area. So I have this 4' by 3' 2" think pet mat (no dog at this time) slick on one side and fluffy material on the other. I put the fluffy side down and let sit for an hour and came back and checked, WOW, it dropped to 82 degrees. I turned off the bedroom AC and checked back in another hour and it was down to 78 /79.


I did try this again once i received the correct windshield cover and put the dog mat in place and Only used 1 ac for the whole weekend and it was excellent. Both test were in my front yard no trees and temps were in the Mid to upper 90's
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