Keeping pets cool off the grid?

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RoxieRV

Member
Joined
May 11, 2017
Posts
5
Hi RVers! I just bought my first RV (1994 Gulf Stream sunsport 30') and I'm so excited to hit the road with my two dogs in a couple short months.

The biggest thing I've been wrestling with is trying to come up with a solar / battery configuration that will allow me to run the AC for a few hours at a time without a hookup, in order to leave my dogs unattended, and keep the basics running for boondocking: fans, minimal lights, and charging the occasional small device.

I'm learning a lot about the basics of solar, but there is so much information and so many conflicting opinions about whether something like this is even possible! What do you guys think? Is anyone doing something like this already? I'm specifically curious if anyone uses a "soft start" to run their AC on solar more efficiently... I've only read about it on one blog but it sounded promising.

Any tips are greatly appreciated!
 
At this time, short of spending substantial sums of money, it's not feasible to run AC off batteries for more than a very few minutes.
 
Here's my standard answer for folks wanting to learn about solar power on an RV:

http://www.jackdanmayer.com/rv_electrical_and_solar.htm

https://handybobsolar.wordpress.com/

But, just be aware that running your A/C off of solar power/batteries isn't practical. The A/C will drain a decent size battery bank in a matter of minutes. You need to be hooked up to a power source, or run a generator.
 
Thanks for the advice, y'all. That's what I was afraid of. Is it safe to leave your generator running with the RV unattended?
 
Park in the shade, leave a couple of windows open, provide lots of water, optionally get enough batteries to run a fan to  circulate the air, and shave the dogs. Then spend a day to verify maximum temperatures are reasonable for a given outside temp. Remember, an rv is not a car. With air circulation and shade, temperatures inside will "usually" be be ok. (Watch the flames now)!

Incidentally, some breeds, and all cats, tolerate heat well, others not so good.

Ernie
 
Ernie n Tara said:
Park in the shade, leave a couple of windows open, provide lots of water, optionally get enough batteries to run a fan to  circulate the air, and shave the dogs. Then spend a day to verify maximum temperatures are reasonable for a given outside temp. Remember, an rv is not a car. With air circulation and shade, temperatures inside will "usually" be be ok. (Watch the flames now)!

Incidentally, some breeds, and all cats, tolerate heat well, others not so good.

Ernie


Agree. We have dogs, live in AZ, and would never leave them in a car. But we've had the RV in 80-90 weather with a window cracked, shades all closed and two Fantastic Fans running on medium, and it was surprisingly comfortable - certainly not an unhealthy temperature. I wouldn't hesitate leaving them for a few hours. As Ernie suggests, try it out yourself to be sure you're satisfied. A good vent fan (like Fantastic, not the 4" junk bathroom fans) makes a huge difference.
 
I wouldn't shave my pet though. do an internet search on will "shaving my dog keep it cooler". You may be surprised at the answer, I was.
 

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