Reflectix Vent Covers September 17, 2022, 04:38:00 pm A little project I did today, some might find it silly, but maybe this will be useful to someone....I wanted to find a way to help keep some heat out of the rig, and those vent insulating pillows have no chance of staying installed in my shallow Fantastic vents/fans. Had some leftover reflectix (from covering the cabover windows) and foil tape (from my taillight/reverse light update), so I decided to make some interior vent covers. I have exterior vent covers, just haven't properly installed them yet. I've seen other posts on here mentioning installing snaps on interior covers (and the factory at one time sold official ones), but I wanted to use what I have on hand rather than buying more stuff. I cut the reflectix into the right size, and wrapped the edges in foil tape to keep them clean-looking and to add some structure. Used leftover 3M Dual Lock, and since this was just a trial, cut small squares to cover the corner screws after cleaning all surfaces with alcohol -- and matched them with small squares applied to the corners of my covers. This worked OK, and actually did help keep some radiant heat out (it's not air-tight -- so it's not perfect -- but also there are no issues thus far with any Fantastic parts melting), but after a few months, eventually the Dual Lock failed to stick on a few of the corners (many others have posted similar experiences, at least in the Yahoo archives). My solution was to swipe a paper hole-puncher from my son's art supplies, and punched holes in the Dual Lock squares that would be reapplied to the Fantastic corners, pulled out the screws, and screwed the Dual Lock pieces back on. Worked like a charm, using only leftover stuff I had on hand.Now to figure out how to get the finishing nails out of the ceiling and do the same thing for the escape hatch...Pics attached, in case someone is a cheap frugal as I am... 8 Likes
Re: Reflectix Vent Covers Reply #1 – September 17, 2022, 10:16:15 pm We did something simple but I thought of doing multiple layers of reflectix that went up into the vent opening, attached to that larger piece. Maybe a little oversized so the partThat went into the vent opening squished in and was more air tight. I never got around to it, we had a new (now newer) air conditioner that kept things nicely cool with only one layer is reflectix.
Re: Reflectix Vent Covers Reply #2 – September 17, 2022, 11:03:00 pm I simply added a piece of Reflectix in between the vent and factory vinyl covers. Seems to work pretty well. 1 Likes
Re: Reflectix Vent Covers Reply #3 – September 18, 2022, 11:52:21 am Quote from: Jane and Scott - September 17, 2022, 10:16:15 pmI never got around to it, we had a new (now newer) air conditioner that kept things nicely cool What A/C did you buy? Larry
Re: Reflectix Vent Covers Reply #4 – September 18, 2022, 02:51:53 pm Larry - we bought it years ago but if I remember right it was a brisk air II, 15,000 (btu I think is the term). Replaced the original 30 year old 13,500.There was a significant difference is cooling, in phoenix az summer heat, we went from being tolerable with the old one to being quite comfortable with the new one (rarely had the temp above 1/4 a turn even at the hottest days). This was with reflectix on all windows but the north big lounge one - the inside temps dropped about 30 degrees from outside temps.We looked at other brands and models. We didn’t choose a low profile model as with the older rig we figured the next owners likely would be DYI people and would want the extra room to make any future repairs. One thing of note, and this might be true of all rv air conditioners…. Now we are traveling more (Scott retired), we notice the air conditioner doesn’t work as well with high humidity. Even with it only 85 outside (and using less reflectix) when the humidity was 50-80% we needed to turn the temp setting past the 1/4 turn spot and it was not as cool inside.I think JonS is the member who worked in the air conditioning industry and could confirm this, but I think these rv air conditioners lack the dehumidifier that house air conditioners have (or maybe just not one as good).
Re: Reflectix Vent Covers Reply #5 – September 18, 2022, 03:06:24 pm Larry - I should add our new air conditioner (maybe 4 years old now) has done well overall. We did have to replace the motor which went out I think about 1.5 years after we bought it (shortly out of warrantee) and the last one available in the US right after Covid supply line issue hit that first time. The motor is apparently the weak spot in the AC. The unit has the washable filter which is nice (we clean it more often then recommended and it saves us from having to climb on the roof as often to clean those coils. It run great since we put in the second motor. Only issue was a loose wire caused by a very rough highway being worked on (huge potholes for miles and I hit a very deep one going 50mph). We could easily find on the internet it was a solenoid issue, we had a spare but as we went to replace it we found a wire not as tight as it first appeared. Tightened the wire and all worked well.
Re: Reflectix Vent Covers Reply #6 – September 19, 2022, 12:17:10 am "I think these rv air conditioners lack the dehumidifier that house air conditioners have (or maybe just not one as good)."All air conditioners dehumidify. When humid interior air is sucked through the cooling coils, the moisture condenses, and thus is removed. But air conditioners do have to work harder to cool very humid air, because it has more thermal mass than less humid air. That may account for the reduced cooling efficiency you noticed. 2 Likes
Re: Reflectix Vent Covers Reply #7 – September 19, 2022, 08:05:05 am I wonder if a dehumidifier would help relieve the a/c work load in high humid areas. Here is an example of one.Amazon.com: Pro Breeze Dehumidifiers for Home, 225 sq ft Mini Dehumidifier,...Ron As an Amazon Associate Lazy Daze Owners' Group earns from qualifying purchases.
Re: Reflectix Vent Covers Reply #8 – September 19, 2022, 11:49:09 am Quote from: Sarz272000 - September 19, 2022, 08:05:05 amI wonder if a dehumidifier would help relieve the a/c work load in high humid areas. Here is an example of one.Yes, it would help but it too uses 120VAC electrical power. The rooftop A/C has a lot more dehumidifying power.This device "REMOVES 9 OZ OF MOISTURE PER DAY". That's not that much water compared to the A/C.Last week, during a high humidity monsoon event, I saw many gallons of water flowing off our LD's roof, moisture removed by the A/C.Larry
Re: Reflectix Vent Covers Reply #9 – September 19, 2022, 01:56:18 pm Quote from: Larry W - September 19, 2022, 11:49:09 amYes, it would help but it too uses 120VAC electrical power. The rooftop A/C has a lot more dehumidifying power.This device "REMOVES 9 OZ OF MOISTURE PER DAY". That's not that much water compared to the A/C.Last week, during a high humidity monsoon event, I saw many gallons of water flowing off our LD's roof, moisture removed by the A/C.LarryThere are dehumidifiers that are 12 volt as well. Dehumidifiers are effective if they are kept on constantly helping to maintain the interior at lower humidity. Thus these are supplemental devices that help the a/c work easier. They are small, light weight and not too costly. One would have to dig deeper for the best model to use based on user feedback and individual needs.Alternatively, adding an instrument to read the humidity level and monitoring it with your phone could be an alternative to a dehumidifier. It could alarm you when humidity levels are rising which could trigger you to start the a/c before levels get too high and the a/c has to work too hard to remove the humidity. Some many options and ideas. Isn’t life great!!Ron
Re: Reflectix Vent Covers Reply #10 – September 19, 2022, 05:58:43 pm I can see a dehumidifier as being ideal for 85 degree, humid days when running the A/C would be overkill.Last week's short monsoon had several days in the low to mid-80s, normally nice temps, that were very uncomfortable.The only way to deal with it was to run the A/C, making it almost too cold.if high humidity was the norm here, a dehumidifier would be a great idea.Larry
Re: Reflectix Vent Covers Reply #11 – September 20, 2022, 08:25:04 pm Quote from: HiLola - September 17, 2022, 11:03:00 pmI simply added a piece of Reflectix in between the vent and factory vinyl covers. Seems to work pretty well.Thanks, Greg. I might end up grabbing those snap on covers, or something like them, guess I could always check with Todd to see if they're still available. I'll definitely use your trick when that time comes. For now, I'll see how my little art project performs. 1 Likes
Re: Reflectix Vent Covers Reply #12 – September 22, 2022, 11:14:02 pm The dehumidifier exhausts its heat into the space being dehumidified, right? Whatever power the dehumidifier consumes is thus additional heat load on the A/C. Does the benefit of the dehumidifier outweigh the load on the A/C? Seems like a tough calculation.
Re: Reflectix Vent Covers Reply #13 – September 22, 2022, 11:30:28 pm Keith,There are passive dehumidifiers available. I’ve never used one but they do exist. Hardware stores or on line. Amazon.com: Vacplus Moisture Absorbers, 10 Pack Portable Dehumidifiers for...Just a thought.Kent As an Amazon Associate Lazy Daze Owners' Group earns from qualifying purchases.
Re: Reflectix Vent Covers Reply #14 – September 29, 2022, 07:48:55 am Quote from: Kent Heckethorn - September 22, 2022, 11:30:28 pmThere are passive dehumidifiers available. I’ve never used one but they do exist. Hardware stores or on line. Amazon.com: Vacplus Moisture Absorbers, 10 Pack Portable Dehumidifiers for...Kent,Have you tried these?I thought they were just for small areas, like a closet - so clothes / linens were not damp and grow mold in high humidity locations..But some of the items reviews talked about putting that product in their RVs. Maybe when the RV is stored?We are planning some back east traveling which could mean 90% humidity (uck) if our weather forecasting is not good.A humidifier might help for that - I know the big electric ones with a fan can help in a humid city to dry out water damage to a house but it is not quick even on a smaller room (eg 10x10 bedroom). My one experience was it took days / weeks in 60% high humidity to get soaked drywall/wood dry even with powerful full room humidifiers. As an Amazon Associate Lazy Daze Owners' Group earns from qualifying purchases.
Re: Reflectix Vent Covers Reply #15 – September 29, 2022, 11:26:05 am Hi Jane,We are So Cal based about a mile from the beach so except for an occasional muggy day we’ve never used dehumidifiers. Off Grid with Doug and Stacey have a trick they learned from their Amish friends using calcium chloride. Here’s a video that shows the process. https://youtu.be/Gz14chHw7NUThis may be adaptable for the LD.Kent 1 Likes
Re: Reflectix Vent Covers Reply #16 – September 29, 2022, 11:00:39 pm Quote from: Kent Heckethorn - September 22, 2022, 11:30:28 pmThere are passive dehumidifiers available. I’ve never used one but they do exist. Hardware stores or on line. Amazon.com: Vacplus Moisture Absorbers, 10 Pack Portable Dehumidifiers for...DampRid is a sodium chloride product that has been around for years. Amazon.com: DampRid FG50T Moisture Absorber 4 lb. Hi-Capacity Bucket-for...It can be reused by heating it in a warm oven (180-200 degrees) until dry. One of the boats I sailed on years ago had buckets of the stuff to fight the constant moisture that docked wooden boats suffer from. The buckets were replaced and recycled with dry product every couple of weeks. It appears to be infinitely reusable.Larry 1 Likes As an Amazon Associate Lazy Daze Owners' Group earns from qualifying purchases.
Re: Reflectix Vent Covers Reply #17 – September 30, 2022, 08:31:34 am The original owners of Nocona used Damp-Rid while in storage but they lived in Florida. Humidity is pretty low here in the Tehachapi mountains so not needed. 1 Likes
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