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Info on RV Exterior Shade Screens

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Joel Weiss:

--- Quote from: Tim Schafer on September 22, 2015, 11:42:54 AM ---So they go on the outside of the coach? 

--- End quote ---

Sunscreens need to be on the outside of the coach to be maximally effective.  The science of the situation is that if sunlight passes through the window and is absorbed by an inside shade of any sort it will be converted into infrared energy which cannot pass back out through the glass.   Therefore, the heat will be trapped inside the MH between the shade and the glass.  This is just another example of how the greenhouse effect works.  It is far more effective to block the sunlight before it goes through the glass into the MH.  I don't bother to put the shade on when we stop for just a night or two but it's worth it for a longer stay especially if the MH is parked so the windshield gets the afternoon sun.

Tim Schafer:
That makes sense.  My wife reminding me that we have little twist lock tabs around the windshield and front windows, I assumed it was for a full shade that wraps the front of the coach, but didn't think of the mesh shades going outside too.

Still thinking about these, but need to get some other repairs done and paid for before committing any funds to other stuff.

Tim & Ann

David T. Richelderfer:
If your coach is parked nose South such that the hot sun penetrates into the front windshield during much of the daylight hours, then you may want to not only have these RV shade screens, but also make some aluminum (foil) window covers - referred to as "double reflective insulation" at Home Depot.  I originally made my aluminum sun blockers because I had seen them put on the inside of RV windshields and other side windows on the hot, sunny side of the coach.  But I wanted the heat to stay outside, so I put up the RV shade screens and leave the lower snaps disengaged so the screens are hanging loose from the upper snaps, then push the aluminum sun blockers up under the screen, and lastly engage the lower snaps to hold the aluminum sun blockers in place under the RV shade screens.

The upside is the hot sun is completely blocked by the aluminum sun blockers and the coach stays much, much cooler.  The down side is the aluminum blockers completely block any view in or out through the windows where they are installed.

I originally fashioned the aluminum sun blockers to fit on the inside of the windshield and other front side windows, and held them up with stick-on Velcro strips.  But the heat captured and held between the glass and aluminum sun blockers was so great it kept melting the adhesive on the Velcro strips.  During the hottest part of the day the adhesive would melt and run down the inside of the windows, and the Velcro strips would detach from the window allowing the whole aluminum sun blocker to fall away from the windows.  I tried putting the aluminum sun blockers outside under the RV shade screens and, while not perfected yet, it seems to be better than placing them inside.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Reflectix-48-in-x-25-ft-Double-Reflective-Insulation-BP48025/100052556

This stuff comes in various widths and lengths.  Get the width that fits your windshield's height from dash to ceiling.

D. Wendal Attig:
Please, whatever you do, do not use or continue using the foil type reflective material mentioned on the inside of your glass. Behind the glass, this material increases the temperature of the glass, and depending upon the angle of the sun, has been known to break the windshield glass. Since it is safety glass, this type of break resembles a shatter into hundreds of small pices, held together initially by the safety glass protection layer.

You may have seen this on automobiles, which involve smaller areas of glass and on smaller vehicles can happen when the heat rises to extreme temperatures inside the vehicle as well. The same extreme temperature effect is created on the airspace between the foil type material and the back of the windshield glass, risking shattered glass.

Lee Welbanks:
David,

Now that is a great idea to place the aluminum shields under the outside shades. Going to give this a try.

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