Does anyone tow with any windows open?

It gets awfully hot by the time we reach a site and takes a while to air out or for a/c to catch up. was wondering if leaving the bathroom roof vent (covered) and the back window open would help or hurt something. 2011 big country

We have the covers over the vents so we tow with the vents open, bathroom and bedroom. It still got hot enough inside by the time we got to the Illinois rally 2 years ago that I had to turn the fridge up a notch until it caught up and cooled the food back down to normal. I think it was 93* that day. We don't get the kind of heat that you get down there in the south west. Why don't you try opening the window and towing up to speed for a few miles and then check to make sure everything is alright. Tom

With our TT 20 years ago, we used to crank open a vent about an inch or two when towing on a hot day. They all opened to the rear of the coach as do the newer ones it seems. Although 20 years ago, I'd say the vents seemed stronger than they do now. Last year towing an SOB TT home, we forgot to close a window up front in the bedroom and left the blinds down. We discovered the blinds were bent after getting back. I'd say that leaving a top vent open offered better cooling.

yeah I accidentally left one of my front windows slightly open on my old SOB and the window, crank style, worked itself open and beat the blinds to death. If I was to purposely leave something open I think it would be the vents as others have said. But with a Maxair cover or something like that over it.

We traveled with open vents and the Maxxairs. That was fine.

We once accidentally towed with the window open. It was a slide open so it rode okay. The 6" of rain we got didn't please us much though.

I saw someone yesterday with a window open - it was the emergency window (I hope) - and it was flapping around like crazy. I'm not sure it was intentional. I have seen some people towing with open windows. Not sure I would try it for any significant distance or speed.

If I used my trailer regularly in high heat conditions, I would definitely look into a 2nd air conditioner and only staying at 50 amp hookups. The AC and inadequate insulation, along with leaks around the side seals make these rigs hard to cool.
I have 1 air conditioner. My wife and I once parked the rig at a California Central Valley park one late afternoon where the temp was 104 degrees. I left her in the air conditioned truck cab, set up the trailer, turned on the AC for 72 degrees, and went to visit relatives. When we came back 4 hours later the temp was only down to 87 inside.
Last year, on my way from Cody, Wyoming to the Gillette rally, me and another Heartlander got lost through following our GPS's and ended up on about 25 miles of red, dusty dirt, washboard, road taking a "shortcut". I was the rear trailer driving through all the dust stirred up by the first one. I had a bunch of open windows (I had forgotten about) in the trailer. When I got to Gillette it seemed like I had about an inch of red dust throughout my trailer.

I think it pretty much depends upon the outside temps in the area you are traveling through. If your vehicle air conditioner is off and you roll down a window and the temp outside is 105, it won't take long for the inside to be 105. It won't cool much with just hot air passing by.

If I leave home and it is 110 (which it will be today) and travel 2 hours to high country, the inside of the trailer is still at least 90 when I get there. I could open a vent the last 30 minutes of the trip and cool it some, I think. I have not tried it. I just turn the Maxi-vents on and let them run when I set up. If I leave high country and it is 65 (or less) the trailer will still be nice and cool when I get home but that does not last long here. It gets hot inside in a hurry.

When it is warm I will leave the bathroom Fantastic fan running and the bedroom window open. Our cat sits in the window and watches the world go by.

If we hit heavy rain I will stop and close it.

Since we have a Genny I have at times stopped an hour early and ran the AC for the final leg.

thanks, thought it was worth asking. Guess I better skip all but the roof vent.

If you do it in west Texas, NM , and Az it will take you a week to clean all the red dirt out of the thing.

coletrickle said:

It gets awfully hot by the time we reach a site and takes a while to air out or for a/c to catch up. was wondering if leaving the bathroom roof vent (covered) and the back window open would help or hurt something. 2011 big country

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When I travel in Texas I will turn on the Fantastic Fan with the thermostat set at mayby 80*. When the inside temp gets to 80* it will come on and help cool the cabin.. If it starts to cool the cabin down below 80* and the fan will go off.

I also will open a window in the back to help draw air through the cabin. It may not help a lot but I think it does help some so when I get to a campground it makes it easier for my A/C to cool the trailer down...


FWIW thiis is what I do.

BC

porthole said:

Since we have a Genny I have at times stopped and hour early and ran the AC for the final leg.

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That's what I do. The trailer seems to cool much fast with the slide in. When I get to where I'm going I can open the slide and it's nice and cool inside.

We rarely open our window when we are sitting because of dirt and dust so I can't imagine doing it going down the road.

I use to tow with the vent open until I noticed sewer smell was getting inside. Those sewer pipe vent are very close to the roof vent and even allow the smell to come in when parked and the wind is blowing it in.

We have tried it and had to clean after we drove all day. Dirt, dust, road grime and rain. All might seem fine until you have to tow thru a construction zone and they have the dust flying.

I leave the vents and windows closed, start the generator and run the A/C before I get to my destination.


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Sumo said:

That's what I do. The trailer seems to cool much fast with the slide in. When I get to where I'm going I can open the slide and it's nice and cool inside.

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Same here with the genny. It seems like a good deal of our travel is in very hot weather. Motorhomes do it all the time. We also travel with all 3 vents open with maxair vent covers. It may create a little dust but the Maxair's seem to keep water out.

Don't have the perfect answer to arriving with a hot trailer. However I have learned (the hard way) that leaving the emergency exit window unlatched is a bad idea. $200.00 and a temp plexy glass insert put us back on the road