Scorching Desert Heatwave Threatens to SHUT DOWN Our Off-Grid Solar

[@blissfulacresoffgridhomest2098]

Good luck staying cool! We hit 112 yesterday. We are watering the turkey and chicken runs and watering the pig's wallow area. Frozen fruit is a treat for everyone!

[@ourselfreliantlife]

Stay cool over there. We usually don't get that hot down here.

[@blissfulacresoffgridhomest2098]

@@ourselfreliantlifehope you never do! Enjoy your day. When its hot, HAVE FUN! STAY COOL 😎

[@quietcountrycreations-870]

A tip on cooling your solar shed and Rv, cover any windows that are hit by sunlight with an emergency survival blanket shinny side out. I cut the blankets to fit the windows and tape to the inside. It drops the temp in my house by 10 degrees. Its a cheep small fix, hope it helps.

[@mariejames5333]

Absolutely! Cover any and all sunstruck glass from the outside. I recommend the lightest weight something. Again if it moves you are harvesting wind energy to lift the light shade...it then falls by gravity and that tiny puff of movement keeps the outer layer of air you have surrounding the exterior envelope from building up heat. Make a cooler layer of air around any structure by doubling the envelope in a way that doesn't build up hot air...but first as commented shade glass from the outside.

[@kaydog2008]

You need to get your RV out of direct sunlight their not insulated all that great and adding a second roof layer 4 inches apart or cover the roof with mud bricks on the shed this will knock down those temps and cob some more the out side walls.

[@ArizonaHighDesertHomestead]

Yes have had triple digits here in Northern Arizona high desert...and I have had to cut down tremendously on speed of projects..its just not worth risking my health. You guys are still kicking names and taking some ass!!!

[@adampolselli597]

We're looking at 113 today in Casa Grande. Worst part about Arizona is the summertime heat. Oh, 117 Thursday and Friday. Yikes.

[@kebertxela941]

"But its a dry heat" lol

[@StoneKathryn]

@@kebertxela941 I always love that. Can't be that bad because it's dry! I have to say when it is 100 degrees here in Minnesota with dew points in the 70s it's really bad. Fog in the morning and like a sauna later. Humidity can suck!

[@gregyohngy]

FYI... If you get a tarp as others suggest for your shed, you can expect it 15F cooler. Based this on testing using a large rectangular patio umbrella in a tiled patio in Cali, Colombia. 👍 Paint the roof white, if not silver already. Both reflect similar amount of light/heat, but white is usually cheaper. Yes, did it on a concrete roof. My solar hot water came from cold water pex tubing in the roof getting to 120F by 11:00 AM. Dropped 15F after protecting the roof with the coating of a white concrete sealant. Checked the temperature right from the faucet! 🙂

[@pamelagresenz3196]

I also live in AZ and in the summer I put shallow containers of water in my chicken coop. The girls love to stand in them when it gets hot.

[@Fishin723]

Consider building a roof over your trailer to provide more shade....? So close to your shelter.

[@deborahmcsweeney1650]

So some tips I've learned not having ac for 15 years in Central Kansas where we can get pretty hot. If you open the window in your shed at night and use your fan to pull in cool air then shut everything down as the sun comes up. That has helped me tremendously! I also got some small Blaux room coolers that basically work like a swamp cooler! Very happy with what they do! Low energy too! I also cover all windows with heavy dark curtains that get direct sun exposure and that really helps. We just got new windows last year and so far I haven't even needed the curtains. So if you are getting cold at night like I remember the desert, pull that air in at night with fans then shut down when sun comes! So hot out there right now! My nephew is a hot shot wildlands firefighter working the Telegraph Fire. Like 110-116 up there! I don't know how the crews are doing it! Ugh! Stay cool guys!

[@kebertxela941]

Praying for you nephew to stay safe,that's a heck of a job especially in that ambient heat.

[@xyzsame4081]

I read a tip of watering the plants (yard) and in the home at dawn, and then once again (if I remember correctly. Maybe the first dose to soften the soil and to get the plants used to it. They will evaporate a lot and then you give them some more. That allegedly had a noticeable cooling effect. A major airing in the morning (then it is the coolest) and closing the windows at 9 or 10 am. If you have a backyard or the home is shaded by a tree it is much cooler. Mass in the home helps (that is a problem with wood / wood board homes that are well insulated. That works in winter - but once you have the heat in it it is hard to get it out, there are no heavy walls, ceilings & floors etc. to moderate the temperature and to absorb cooler night temperature. Closing the windows during day and shading the windows (idealy with a large roof. in many regions they try to have large South and West facing windows that let in the lower standing sun in winter and early srping / late summer but in summer they are shaded by the roof. Even if there are warm days, the nights are usually still cool so that helps.

[@sequoiawarner6756]

Pretty generous sharing your frozen fruit with the chickens!

[@ericrhees8590]

I use a solar chimney on one side of my shed and an underground pipe coming in the otherside, it keeps all my equipment nice and cool.

[@higheriam]

Great idea!

[@JohnSmith-vz8pc]

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passive_cooling

[@donaldcowick4280]

Solar equipment shed is a good candidate for a fast growing pioneer tree. Thornless honey locust trees grow 25' feet in 5 years around Farmington NM, providing dappled shade.

[@cindyhill5970]

Good Morning! I lived without AC for years. Open everything up at night using fans to bring in the night air. Then before the sun gets up, close it all up, shut windows curtains, even hang blankets over southern windows. This will last until noon or better. Then by 3 or 4 you open eastern and northern windows for cooler cross drafts.... the AC works better also if you start it when everything is cool, then it maintains rather than fighting the heat

[@kylespeaks7401]

Little tip on A/C in the car. The car needs to be moving at least at an idle if you're going to run the A/C. Just bingwatched a bunch of your videos. Keep it up! You two are stoking the fires of my dream!

[@alshirley3444]

Have you thought of adding thermal mass to the roof? Add roof vents? Stay safe.

[@jamespitts8679]

Build another roof above the roof you have with a large gap between the too. Air will move between the two, to keep it cooler inside for the solor !

[@Citystead]

Keeping cool is vital!

[@gayahithwen]

I'll echo the sentiment of the people who've suggested putting up a secondary roof over the shed and RV. Even if it's just a shade cloth (just remember to give it at least a little space between the roof and the cloth so the hot air doesn't accumulate in one place). Also, for the future, it might be worth looking into windcatchers (also known as wind towers and wind scoops), which is an old African/Asian design that helps with natural cooling.

[@CBsGreenhouseandGarden]

Heat is on no doubt. Stay cool as ya can and don't be getting heat stroke!!

[@ourselfreliantlife]

Thanks CB! We're trying. We're mostly concerned about keeping Crew cool.

[@mariejames5333]

I found a dog cooling mat at the big purple 99 cent and more store. It's I beleive called phase change material cooling but basically pressure on thos 24 inch by 30 inch mat causes a chemical reaction that is quite cool for it says 3 hours but I tested it and it feels like an hour. You have to literally sit on it but it's a gel mat and soft...so it will keep a person or dog cool by having body areas that touch it cool. Of course because of our body circulation it cools the body's core not just the parts touching it. You reuse this mat indefinitely... It recharges after a couple hours or so when there's no pressure on it...so I'd day get 3 mats. For the pup and maybe a couple for yourselves. Remember there's no such thing as cool...you just need to unload heat from your body or the pups body. It's latent heat It cost like 6 bucks.

[@GreenTechFusionRenewableEnergy]

At some point you will want to move the inverters and solar in one of your basements. That is going to be cooler for them. Or dig another hole in ground or tire building for solar hardware. Keep cool you all and Crew too!

[@chriscallaway6993]

Good job. You are great and the chickens and Crew love the cold treats.

[@suewomack5528]

Maybe dig down an area for the animals to help stay cool. Also cooling tubes that bring air through underground tubes sound like it would be a great tool for the desert climate

[@RikHaanen]

We in Zambia made sure there is a lot of ventilation between roofing sheet and ceiling and isolate the top of the ceiling but not so much that is blocks airflow. We also sometimes see double roofing with a big free open air flow between them. Make sure the highestt point of the roof allows air to escape easy.

[@builtontherockhomestead9390]

Only getting into the 90's here, though not far to the east it's hitting 100f. Anyway, yesterday I was out in the garden working while listening to YT on my phone. The phone shut down due to overheating. That sun is brutal. Stay safe.

[@Preview43]

We had a series of summers where the bricks on the front of my house were hot enough to fry eggs or cause serious burns. After putting up some UV block shade-cloth, the bricks ended up just being warm to the touch and inside the house was waaaay cooler.

[@jameshartman5574]

Cooling tubes into the shed would help a lot

[@mrs.jillaroo6907]

Hi Jim, if you have some white paint laying around then quickest/cheapest thing to do is paint the outside roof of your shed white. It will actually male a huge difference. The zinc alum / corrugated iron won't absorb as much heat. We had something similar happened to us and the paint trick was just like night and day. You could actually touch the metal after it was painted.. never expected how much it woukd help. Good luck with the heat.

[@mrs.jillaroo6907]

For Crew , try getting his belly fur nice and wet.or at least moist. If humidity is low, it will work a wonder on his organs and body. Cooling the belly is where it is most beneficial in a dog , not his back. Learned the hard way with one of our dog, but it brought her back.

[@PatricesProjects]

We're starting into a heatwave today. 102, then 108, then 102 again. Some say as high as 111. We only have one wall air conditioner for the whole house, so it has to go all day, and sometimes through midnight as well. I like that Jessica is as concerned about the animals comfort and safety as your own.

[@56radioboy]

Heat is very bad for batteries, I worked for Johnson Controls battery division for many years....Ac in the shed isn't probably neccessary but good ventilation is!

[@curtk8715]

might make sense to hang a shade cloth - over the roof and sides. Blowing the air out - then dig a 30 foot trench about two feet down and bury some drainage pipe and pull fresh air through the pipe and vent into the shed. The fan blowing the hot air out.. Then insulate the roof and doors and weatherstrip around the doors to try and have the air coming into the shed being pulled through the pipe hopefully being cooled a bit by the earth. Was always amazed at how having a shade on the exterior of our house in front of a window and then having the window open- how much cooler the air coming in the window would be.

[@cliffharris582]

Put a shade cloth over your RV. Allow air flow between the shade cloth and RV.

[@johnhubert339]

1. A tin roof radiates heat into an enclosure. There are several approaches to dealing with that. 1. cover over the tin with another roof with airflow between. 2. insulate. 3. If you have 6000 watts, why aren't you running a small ac unit in the solar building? 4. You can reduce temps greatly with more shading around the room. Tin roofs in open air reduce heat if they are high enough. I think you need at least 9 feet to offset the radiant heat. 5. The thermal mass of the walls is compromised if you have no mass in the ceiling.

[@StoneKathryn]

Very well said!

[@mariejames5333]

The radiant gains of a tin roof if y'all wanted to get really operation heavy solution...what gains solar heat radinantly can lose heat just as fast to a desert night sky in theory. The old school.heavy operational passive solution was to.have the metal roof be highly insulated in the day but remove the insulation at night so the metal roof loses heat as supereffectively as it would gain heat if exposed by day. Those nifty solutions required vigilance to move insulation off and on night and day. A notch better than that was using the water storage to dump heat too but obviously that's sketchy on the roof. Walls work too though...Done right the mass of the water storage tanks wrapping the spaces needing cooling can act as if burying underground...you just have to insulate in the day and expose and remove the insulation at night. And never forget. I imagine you get really thick insulation panels like on a big hinge...did that fridge come with any stryo foam?

[@donaldsmith3601]

Geo thermal tubes ducted into the solar shed along with a exhaust fan should help with the temps. Adding a roof over the RV’s would help with temps in there as well as add to rain collection.

[@theshermano3000]

It seems to me that during the hottest part of the day is when you most likely have excess solar energy which could be used to power a small a/c in that shed, coinciding with the time of day you actually need to cool the shed. There is no way I could stand having it be 95 degrees in the house. We're in Gilbert AZ so we're experiencing even hotter weather than your area (115 degrees as I type this), but there is no way I could handle the house being any hotter than 80. You're definitely a heartier breed that myself. Haha! Love the content... as usual!

[@mariacrane8318]

Leave a couple of shallow pans of water out for the chickens. Just a couple of cat litter pans with about 3" of inches of water will do it. We were 117 the other day here in queen creek and my chickens made it through just fine! Honestly when i was first told of this, i truly i did not think it would work. They stand in it and it cools there feet, thus cooling the rest of the body. It really DOES work!!!

[@StoneKathryn]

I'll have to try that. It is $20 at a hardware store item but you can buy an OATEY washing machine plastic pan that I use around our water buckets and chicken feeders to contain spills. They are about 3" deep and probably could work too. A little expensive but I have had them a long time and they clean up well too.

[@RegenerativeMojave]

Long term solutions would be get some shade trees (Mesquite) planted in the key areas that you need shade protection.

[@StoneKathryn]

Glad your inverters didn't shut down! Great work on your vehicle AC with the change of your cabin air filter (it needed it) and the new blower motor. Crew, stay cool. Thanks for this video Jess and Jim!

[@robertbutler6877]

I was just out there working on our "homestead" and it was HOT!!! The best time was the morning and right around 4:30 when the sun went down, nice cool breeze.

[@ericjohnson1008]

Always fun trying to stretch you wings and doing new things. It's just a little bit harder when you have a crew that wants to help.

[@annmarie566]

The heat is on for sure across the u.s. if not the world.Stay hydrated enjoy the day pace yourself.Love your care of the animals ❤️❤️❤️

[@honthirty_]

Only the North half.

[@StoneKathryn]

@@honthirty_ Right, the southern half is having Winter!

[@OutWestHomestead]

Hot here also. Been in the 100 plus here. Our blower in the car went out but Bill fixed it with a new one. I think you will love your new house. It will be interesting to see how cool it gets in there.

[@VG-yh3ci]

Great video you two! One thing I do for my doggies to keep them cool is take an ice cream bucket and put there toys and bones and treats inside then fill with water then freeze it. They love it and it lasts for a few hours 💕🦋🍀🍄🌸☀️

[@YourAverageWitch]

Yeah, we're miserable around Tucson too. Keeping the chickens cool is a task! The dogs choose to stay inside for the most part. I put up reflective insulation on the windows in the main living area and it's made a big difference- the stuff you can buy in a roll at Lowe's. I hope this isn't foretelling a nightmare summer... hopefully monsoon comes this year. Oh and I feel you on the outdoor kitchen- we finally broke out the solar cooker again, and I told Ken we need to buy another propane tank so I can hook up the cooktop. There's no way I'm turning my oven on again until probably September.

[@mauriciobutron9205]

A tip for the solar shed, put up a couple of black vent pipes on the higher part of the roof and open a couple of intakes on the bottom of the shaded northern wall to induce a cool draft, kinda like in an earthship. Best wishes to you guys!! You're doing a great job👍🏻

[@StoneKathryn]

I thought Jim already did the stove pipe thing.

[@firstmate015]

FYI If you can find some Koolaroo shade cloth it really helps. This brand does a better job than the open mesh you use for the chickens. It's available in a big roll on Amazon. In the off season, stock up on it and cover your solar shed, the chicks, and cover your shed windows with dark cloth. I've done this many times and it really does help. Good luck, keep Koolaroo. My best to you all.

[@richardholmes3046]

When I lived out there in the desert I did alot of my work in the morning and late in the evening. I spent 5 year building my brothers house and my apartment.

[@minecraftcreeper1850]

Hi love your channel, I'm also in AZ and it is hot. I really like how you guys are looking out for each other making sure each other is drinking water. Very important in this AZ heat. Keep up the good work guys.

[@johnpatrik6291]

Hey Jim look into a radiant barrier to line the inside of your solar building it's cheap enough and easy to install should lower your temps considerably...it refracts uvs like a mirror

[@mariejames5333]

The radiant barrier like reflectix sounds good but I think it belongs on the outermost subside possible or it will keep the equipment heat gains from dissipating. You have heat gains from the outside and from the inside ..not to mention the sunstruck glass generating heat gains ( cyg! Cover your glass from the outside!) I would hang sheets of reflectix like laundry from lines a foot away from the shed walls. All over and around it. And the trailers. And if it's too much shiny stuff I'd cover it with white cheap temporary stick on accordion shades..so sad they don't sell schottis panels at Ikea because that stuff was great. Let the wind blow it and attach only on one edge with binder clips.

[@circlewindranch]

Put a kiddie pool in the shade and let Crew cool off there, our dogs love laying in the water.

[@servicedoglydia503]

Have your tried a portable swamp cooler rather than using AC in your RV? They are suppose to be much more efficient than AC when in comes to the AZ dry heat. ..Just a thought..

[@ram1brn]

Water is a premium for these guys they have to use it wisely they are better off running the AC units it dont cost them anything .. They pay for their water

[@seeqr9]

@@ram1brn plus they plus the can harvest the condensed water from the ac

[@yorotirb3941]

@@ram1brn a tank of water would be cheap to ensure not having heat stroke and solar is not cheap either if ya have to buy a couple more batts at bout a thou apiece. Ac takes up a lot juice and will probably have to skimp on elect stuff used.

[@joannehyduckhopkins6898]

Evaps work great. Use less energy...they don't take that much water. Use during the hotest time then switch to AC when you want to.

[@nates2526]

You can throw some shad cloth over your geodesic dome for a place to hangout.

[@richardross7219]

Silver tarps, held up by milk crates(they used to be free around here) would help the shed and trailer stay a little cooler. The gap from the roof to the tarp must allow free flow of air. Can your a/c be more efficient if you wet the condenser? The auto a/c may just have crap plugging the fins of the condenser(in front of the radiator). Occasionally there will be crap between the radiator and the condenser. I clean all of my air conditioners each spring. It pays off. Years ago, many houses had "summer kitchens" for cooking and preserving. Our goofy newfies used to love frozen tomatoes to chew on in the heat. Good Luck, Rick

[@bvisel4558]

Reading comments a lot of good advice. I was a mechanic most of my life the alternator doesn't start charging till after the engine hits a certain rpm. That could be why the engine stalls when you turn on the AC. Also make sure the fan is blowing air across the front of your radiator/condenser at idle. Also check the freon level

[@richardfromcanada6129]

Jim, I have been in that exact position before !!!! So funny.... I was testing fuses thought. I hope all went well. I had to laugh when Crew attempted to get up on the seat while you were working. Best wishes to you two and all your projects. Stay Cool.

[@richardsolomon8076]

Wow that's warm team, nice job keeping everything running 👏 very happy to see gutters ready for hanging 🔨😎👍 stay cool happy people 😀

[@drywallit43]

Construct a solar shade above both RV and shed should reduce solar gain on both easy and cost effective solition

[@mikerenner3394]

We are also off grid and it also gets hot here in Texas. I like. To keep the solar equipment cool so it will not shut down and last longer. If I my suggest to add some extra solar panels and add a energy star 6,000 BTU window unit for your power room. The equipment will love you for it. Also put shade screens on the sun exposed walls.

[@AtomicSaunders]

Shade the shed. If you can keep direct sunlght off the tin roof it will cool down a bunch. You guys are a super cute couple BTW.

[@PAINFOOL13]

I have a gel neck wrap that really helps. I also have an Ice vest which is a god send . be careful 🙏🌟

[@waynee.2856]

Great video. You guys are really making progress. I had a simple idea for your shed to help keep it a bit cooler. A simply sun shade that will need to be big enough to fully shade the shed from dawn to dusk. We used camp nets when deployed in the desert and it drops the temp a good 20 degrees. I lived in my tank and that netting was crucial to keeping it cool in there. Just a thought and it won’t break the bank. Keep up the good work and stay safe out there.

[@jewelssylva3738]

Here in Central California it's hot & dry. I've always preferred a swamp cooler to air-conditioning in dry climate. Building a swamp cooler might be easy for you to put together for the shed window, Jim. 😉 They use less power than air-conditioning.

[@RR-ek2bu]

Watching this gives me hope to living in desert those chickens are happy you should plant some fast growing trees around the shed

[@upallnightgolf]

My Grandpa had my brother and I whitewash the barn to cool it off. It worked surprisingly well. I whitewashed my roof and it made about a 5 degree difference.

[@lisamcdonald7828]

It was 113 here where I am at in Az yesterday. Bullhead was 121! I am on solar also and when it gets above 107 it gets really hard to keep my fifthwheel cool! Luckily I am on county water and with my solar I can run a 3100 cfm evap cooler and a small window ac for half hour shots of extra coolness for a half hour at a time! We will be at 110 or higher through the weekend! Miss our usual summertime highs of 104! Its amazing how much just a few degrees in outside temp can effect heating or cooling! Stay safe through this heatwave!

[@northstarprepsteader]

Stay cool and safe!

[@chagogorado1990]

My grandparents had a solar system in the desert in California, we put up a window ac to keep the batteries cool and it worked well even in an uninsulated shed

[@alazanjoe]

Roof/Patio cover over RV Paint shed exterior walls white also maybe a patio roof over it. Turn then into rain water collection as well

[@BigDougDNC]

Tarping your RV with a foot or 2 gap will make it a lot easier to cool. The more sun you can block the better but even a cheap blue tarp would help a lot.

[@Mamasmovietime]

Be very careful you two. Modesto, California is right there with you guys. 101 today, 110 tomorrow and 108 Friday and Saturday. Sunday goes back to 104. Yikes. You are doing an awesome job but you are more important ❣️

[@retiredreyes5084]

Hello Justgrams4short, I feel your pain, I'm in Los Banks CA.

[@cattails1166]

Maybe house your solar in a shed under your large roof, or put an additional cool roof over the solar shed?

[@circlewindranch]

Live roof would cut down the heat, or put a reverse solar fan in the shed window, close the door and let the fan blow the warm air out.

[@private15]

Dig a well inside the building and fill with water, pump cool water up and over a wood mesh in front of the fan. Sort of a swamp cooler. That’s what we used before air conditioning was available. Where I lived in 1960-1980 temps above 100 where common in summer.

[@fireofenergy]

How about criss cross lattice, like three layers of it for shade without radiative heat blasting down on any roof?

[@BarbaraC02]

Yep, it's hot. Spent several early hours watering the young trees and now I'm in under an ice pack on my chest and under my feet! We love watching your project. A couple more weeks of this and relief is on the way (we hope).

[@xyzsame4081]

How about mulching ! your trees it cuts water losses by evaporation to 10 %. See permaculture (Geoff Lawton is a great resource).

[@BarbaraC02]

@@xyzsame4081 Trust me, I'm into mulching. 45 truckloads of native wood chips and 35 loads of red rock for the large trees.My neighbor raises horses and I have 30 chickens. Loads of good stuff from them. I'm a big fan of Geoff, I'm having good success with draught tolerant trees he grew in Jordon. I'm on 5 acres so it still takes some watering. Thanks

[@summerland6397]

Swamp cooler, swimming pool, small pump up plant sprayer that holds a gallon or two to mist yourselves, the dog and those chickens. :) You two are awesome!

[@gabrielmartinez3171]

You should get a window unit in the RV the top units are really inefficient. Also for the shed some lightly forced air through tubes under ground will help keep it cool.

[@mariadolores8468]

Your working hard 107 hot in California good team you two

[@karenbuckner1959]

Perhaps a shade cloth cover for the solar shed would help. And one over your build.😉😁 It'd be nice if you could have ground tube vents like on the earthships. Keep cool.💨💨💨

[@stevensbirds4455]

Stay Cool.

[@Jerry-ko9pi]

If you ever decide to move into another building or make changes to this one, bury a 12" pipe in the ground and have air flowing through it into the room. The ground will remove some of the heat. Cheap way to get a little air conditioning. By the way, what is the temperature in your dome basement? I'd be sleeping in there. You could also run a hose from there into the solar room as well. Even a 3-4" hose would help cool off the room. How far is it from dome?

[@dmj1170]

We lived out of our garden in the summer wilted lettuce, tomato slices with mayo on top. Cucumber salad all good summer meals

[@peterproudfoot4127]

You need to point the fan right at the inverter !!!

[@ronwilliams1656]

hey Jim install a 30-foot cooling tube like they do in the Earth ships... I know how much you like to dig!!! LOL!!! But it will give you free Cooling and you already have a solar stack.

[@debbiputman3482]

Double coated dogs actually stay cooler due to their double coat insulating against the heat as well as against the cold. I raised huskies for many years before “downsizing” to a miniature American Eskimo Dog (also double coated). In 110° heat any mammal is going to be uncomfortable, but if Crew isn’t panting, he’s okay!

[@roscoepatternworks3471]

I got a siberian husky. Had some lady threaten to call the police because I left him in the car, with all the windows down,, while I ate lunch. Long story short. I asked her to come out and feel the kodi's hair. He was quite cool. I sit by the window so I can see him and if he wants out he let's me know. But the lady apologized after I showed her I keep an eye on kodi and he's never in the car longer than 10 minutes at a time.

[@AnAlaskaHomestead]

Pretty jealous of your solar set up, it’s a nice set up. We live in polar opposite places. We are still heating our place at night. You guys stay cool and keep up the good work.

[@rc3291]

Is the roof of the solar shed insulated? Maybe paint it white outside also. A kiddie pool for Crew to lounge in. Reuse the dirty water for plants.

[@kennethalmond8922]

Mini-split heat-pumps work REALLY well and use much lower power than what I saw you're using for AC.

[@donutmuncher666]

You all got this! Prayers to you... puppy could use a shave!

[@deserthorizons]

Got to 115 yesterday and I didn't even turn the AC on until 2:45pm.. I covered all the sun exposed windows the day prior with reflectix and it helped considerably.. You might want to try that on your shed window.. (and if it extends beyond the window,, so much the better.) Ahhhhh,, summer in the desert.. Beautiful at night and early morning..

[@ourselfreliantlife]

We'll have to give that a shot! I keep meaning to send you an email. I'll have to get that out soon.

[@cynthiacrawford1573]

Akira are so pretty.They are very protective too.Great pets

[@madmex2k]

I was going to suggest A/C recharge. Mine is not cooling unless I am driving, but it just needs coolant recharge. Also, my son's dog likes ice cubes as a treat. She loves it if the door ice maker drops an extra ice cube, she will crunch them right up. I always save her a couple of them when I am there. Her brother doesn't care much for the cubes, so I pop some in their water dish.

[@danielhughes6896]

Insulating the shed won't be enough, in fact it could make things worse, that equipment generates heat and insulation will keep the heat in. I would do a earth tube system to cool it using geothermal.

[@mariejames5333]

Ventilation is more critical than insulation.

[@saintracheljarodm.holy-kay2560]

Have you considered a small air conditioner too keep the equipment cooler. Then you could keep the door closed. Because those systems work better cold than hot. I would seriously consider it! Take care and God bless amen.

[@SeanBlader]

I'm just outside Joshua Tree, CA and I feel you. Our low temp overnight was 86.9f, and we saw temps just over 113f. In the low humidity, I personally might think about a swamp cooler for the solar shed, assuming you could spare the water to run it.

[@StoneKathryn]

A normal AC might be better because electronics don't like water or humidity. It would work great for the RV!

[@annwithaplan9766]

Wouldn't it help to clean all the dust out of the inside of the car? Correct me if I'm wrong, but if you're running the ac on max, I would think it's pulling the dust back into the filters. I thought the ideas of using swamp cooler or small a/c in the solar house good ideas.

[@dantronics1682]

swamp cooler in the solar house? do you know how these things work? thats mixing water with electric plus it would speed up corrosion

[@annwithaplan9766]

@@dantronics1682 - Ah ok. Not really. Thanks.

[@omegaroyal]

Thumbs up for Kru!

[@ElPasoRealEstateExpert]

Have you considered adding straw bale walls to the shed & adding some to the roof as well for more insulation? For the car possibly adding freon might help too. We had issues when ours was low that vanished when we added more... just a thought. Wishing you both all the best.

[@MichaelMaddog3584]

My last car had the problem of not blowing hot/cold unless the car was in motion. A coolant system flush fixed that up. Not an expensive fix. Make a 1"X2" frame raised up about 6" above the shed and drape it with shade cloth so the sun isn't beating right on the roof of the shed. The trailer too. Having airflow between the roof and the shade cloth might help.

[@Valincio]

You should make Gazpacho soup. It's a great and refreshing summer treat!

[@noteem5726]

Dogs don't sweat like humans do, they cool through their paws. Try giving him a kiddy pool to cool off in

[@ArizonaHighDesertHomestead]

So true.. we bought a pool made for dogs and they love it

[@miltonhopper2932]

To help cool your Living in RV build a roof over your RV WITH 2 to 3 foot space for air flow so hot air doesn’t build up. Plus you get more roof for rain water harvesting. Remember your AC will only drop the ambient temperature 18 to 22 degrees.

[@VibrationsfromMirror]

Like build a connecting "room" with heavy mesh around older rv and to the newer... instant more square footage but also the wind is a major factor.. so how would that do?

[@cerberus1364]

Geothermal cooling and heating through underground earth tubes: air ventilation for passive house

[@GBear]

Excellent idea.

[@williammoyer9063]

You might try putting a sunshade over the RV to keep the direct sun off it.

[@debbiputman3482]

Over the solar shed, too, since the panels aren’t on it. Shading that uninsulated metal roof would really help!