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Date:         Fri, 18 Apr 2003 15:27:12 -0700
Reply-To:     TJ Hannink <tjhannink@YAHOO.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         TJ Hannink <tjhannink@YAHOO.COM>
Subject:      Re: How to Keep Cool in Your Vanagon
Comments: cc: Jeanon@AOL.COM
In-Reply-To:  <9.f4dd7f3.2bd1ce44@aol.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

--- Sidney White <Jeanon@AOL.COM> wrote: > While awaiting parts to get my van running I am > wondering what great > improvisations (aka 'farkle') members of the group > have made to keep cool in > a vanagon, since my a/c still needs repairs

Summer will be coming to most of you soon (it' s already here in Orlando) I'll repost my current list of A/C improvements. They can also be found in the Wolfsburg_Campers Yahoo!Group in the FILES section.

This is what I have done so far to my camper to help the AC to work properly in hot weather (in no particular order):

1. I removed the upper rear cabinet and the evaporator cover panels, then pressure washed the evaporator from the inside of the van, clearing out all of the dust. I did mine while it was in place without disconnecting any of the freon lines, using a lot of plastic sheeting to protect the interior. I installed filter material between the evaporator and the rear intake grill on re-assembly to keep it clean. 2. I also make sure all the fins on the input of the evaporator are straight. 3. Make sure both evaporator fans are working. 4. Re-sealed the plastic evaporator housing panel mating surfaces with new weatherstripping and stainless duct tape. 5. I added some foam inside the vent housing to channel all the air to the front vents. <http://home.earthlink.net/~tjhannink/photos/Additional_Air_Channels2. jpg> 6. Cleaned the radiator and condensor from the spare tire well-out. 7. Filled the open area of the poptop to keep the cool air from getting lost in the opening. I use a windshield sun screen for an RV. It also blocks the sunlight from the skylight. <http://home.earthlink.net/~tjhannink/photos/RVTwistShadeRoofOpening.j pg> 8. I keep my my back curtain closed in an effort to keep the area behind the back seat as cool as possible. 9. Get the darkest tint possible on all the windows. 10. Make sure the rear heater is turned off. 11. Make sure the front heater is turned off. 12. Block off all the air flow through the front heater/plenum. I have some foam rubber blocks cut to fit in the opeings of the heater vent cover in front of the shifter. 13. Insulate the floorboards, especially the area in front of the shifter. <http://home.earthlink.net/~tjhannink/photos/LastBetweenSeats.jpg> 14. Park in the shade wherever possible. 15. Get an indoor/outdoor thermometer and mount it where you can see it easily, and monitor how the system performs. Mine will cool off at an average rate of 3F degrees per minute. That seems great until you get in the van after work at 5pm and the inside temp is 135F and the outside temp is 109F because its been parked in an unshaded asphalt parking lot all day. My van is comfortable at 77F-80F so it takes a while to get to that point. I find that opening the roof vent about 1" and rolling down the front windows 1/2 turn will keep the inside temp around 120F on the hottest days here, so I try to remember to do that when I park for a long period of time. 16. Aiming the vents - I have all of the foward facing vents aimed straight ahead and level with the floor. The vents on the bottom are aimed to the area behind the rear seat in order to pre-cool the air going into the evaporator. Rear seat passengers will usually adjust these as needed, so make sure to check their positioning every couple of weeks.

Good luck,

===== TJ Hannink Goldibox - 1987 Vanagon Camper, Wolfsburg Edition Winter Park, Florida http://home.earthlink.net/~tjhannink/ http://groups.yahoo.com/group/wolfsburg_campers http://photos.yahoo.com/tjhannink [Vanagon] Album

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