I've seen some vans, especially older ones with those air vents, the round ones that spin in the breeze. Other than that get a sun roof installed and keep it open? As hot air rises I guess some sort of way for hot air to escape out the roof will help a lot.

Mobydisc said...

I've seen some vans, especially older ones with those air vents, the round ones that spin in the breeze. Other than that get a sun roof installed and keep it open? As hot air rises I guess some sort of way for hot air to escape out the roof will help a lot.

You will also need cool air to get in. otherwise the only air that will go out the sunroof will be a small amount of hot air that has expanded.

I leave the sunroof open on my Rx7 when im at work n is still hot as in there when i get out.

these things have been around for a while, easy solution www.thinkawesome.com/t-solar-powered-ventilators.htm

Squid Lips said...

these things have been around for a while, easy solution www.thinkawesome.com/t-solar-powered-ventilators.htm

does this work the whole time or does it just work when you open the door? I can't see how the air gets out.

i pulled all the panels off my van and filled the voids with pinkbatts (house insulation) and sealed it back up... Once you clean the van its sweet and the car is nice and cool even on a hot day - especially if i leave the drivers window just cracked...

WindySimon said...

i pulled all the panels off my van and filled the voids with pinkbatts (house insulation) and sealed it back up... Once you clean the van its sweet and the car is nice and cool even on a hot day - especially if i leave the drivers window just cracked...

I'll second the insulation idea. I helped a mate do this on a black Transporter in Europe earlier this year. Consistently 10 degrees cooler than my WHITE van parked in the same places in Spain and Portugal where it is quite hot. We used cheap roof insulation...

SeanAUS120 said...
I'll second the insulation idea. I helped a mate do this on a black Transporter in Europe earlier this year. Consistently 10 degrees cooler than my WHITE van parked in the same places in Spain and Portugal where it is quite hot. We used cheap roof insulation...

I have had a van in the past which was done with roof insulation... it does work but I would take extra care in installing a damp barrier over the top. The barrier has two functions. Firstly it's meant to keep the little fibres from creeping out and polluting the air in the car. Secondly, when the roof insulation stuff get wet or moist it will eventually collapse and the insulation properties will be greatly minimised.

There is some other thermo sheeting you can get which is usually used in insulating Aircon systems but has lately found it's way into cars. I think it's sold under the brand name Thermo-Mat. Do a google search and you should find it... only problem is that it's not cheap.

At the end of the day though the only way to keep your van cool is to get the hot air out...

... or you could choose the not so environmentally friendly American method keep the car and aircon running. Lock the car with a second key... problem fixed.

I just stuck some insulation in my van (T4), hasn't been hot enough to test properly, but the roof and side panels are now much cooler than the few bits of exposed body on the inside - should cover those with something really too. I used some foam from clark rubber which is shiny on one side and about 10mm thick and about $27/m. Much cheaper than the alternatives but hopefully nearly as good. Got one layer in the roof cavities and 2-3 in the sides.

That window fan looks good, but the reviews on Amazon are terrible: http://www.amazon.com/Trillium-Worldwide-TWI-7001-Solar-Powered-Ventilator/dp/B0007LXTN2 - then again it's pretty cheap.

On ebay if you search for "solar vent" there are lots of stainless ones like this: tinyurl.com/yck9sx4 but I'm not that keen on chopping a big hole in my van to find out how good they are.

The heat a van builds up combined with the weak air-con in the T4 is the biggest con to having a van for me at the moment, so if anyone has a good cooling solution would be glad to hear it!

ginger pom said...

Do you have a curtain separating front from back? I don't think my air con could do the whole van but it copes just fine with the cab

No, but want to get one. Can you get them ready made or should I just rig one up? Ideally should be see through so I can still use the back window.

Gorgo said...

Put a whirlybird on the roof and a small vent in the side. Natural convection will make the hot air flow out the top and draw cooler air through the vent. Any breeze will help drive the whirlybird and make it more effective.

Your van won't be cool but it will stop it getting hotter than the ambient air temperature which is the big problem.

That will help to keep it dry too.
The problem with air conditioning is that it locks the damp in.