Thanks to a growing interest in comfort while camping, itandrsquo;s possible to bring along HVAC essentials. Although part of the allure of camping is roughing it and standing up to the rigors of nature, in the end, thereandrsquo;s really little to be gained by suffering through hot weather.
The heat depletes your energy, dehydrates you and interferes with sound sleep. If you want to exert yourself by hiking or cycling, no matter the distance, itandrsquo;s going to be harder when youandrsquo;re tired from battling the temperatures. Children suffer just as much as adults, and maybe more.
Camping in an Improved Spot
Small window air conditioners are perfect for cooling a tent. Youandrsquo;ll have to bring along a sturdy table or stand to set it on so that it sits at window level. It should be able to blow conditioned air through the nylon screen. A specially made portable A/C with a heater just for camping is also commercially available.
You can also use fans to pull air into the tent at night after sunset. However, if youandrsquo;re expecting high humidity, you will be more comfortable with air conditioning because it removes water vapor.
Camping Without Electricity
If you have room and donandrsquo;t mind the noise and exhaust, you can bring along a generator to run your air conditioner or other HVAC essentials. If youandrsquo;re more of a purist, you can scale it back and use solar panels to power a fan. Combined with water on a cloth or a small, personal evaporative cooler, youandrsquo;ll be able to keep yourself more comfortable.
Solar panels small enough to take camping arenandrsquo;t large enough to power an air conditioner, although Lennox makes a solar-assisted heat pump for homes. Their SunSource system combines electricity generated from solar panels with power from the grid to provide year-round cooled and heated air.
If youandrsquo;d like more information about HVAC essentials for camping or your home, contact Valley Heating, Cooling, Electrical and Solar by calling at (408) 868-5500, or visiting our website for more information about HVAC products and energy savings.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in the South Bay Peninsula and Santa Cruz areas of California about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).