Which direction do you face your rig and why?

[Redbearded]

Hi All,

So I have been thinking about this one for a little bit now. I know that solar exposure can be a major factor to heating and cooling a rig. My thinking is that unlike a house we can park in almost any orientation to the sun and change it throughout the year. I'm sorta thinking of painting one side of my trailer black to get good heating from the sun in the winter, and the other white to reflect as much off in the summer as possible. I an kinda thinking about orienting my solar panels to only tilt so that I get maximum solar power in the winter configuration. 

So do I want the side of my trailer with the door one the white side or the black one? I'm leaning towards the black side atm, because stepping out into the sun in the winter sounds a whole lot nicer

Thoughts?

 

[DuneElliot]

If I want heat quickly I tend to have the broad side of my RV with the door facing east. Up until today that was the direction of more than half of my solar panels too, to a point. Solar panels and sun was more of a deciding factor than anything.

Shade makes a whole lot more difference than color. You'd actually be better off pointing your windshield into the sun in winter and away from it in summer to make the most difference.

 

[B and C]

I face my rig North.  My solar panels on the roof are then on the Southside with no worries about shading them because they are behind my vent cover.  I only have room for 200 watts on the roof.  I have an awning on the East side that I can hang my portable panels from directly facing the sun when I need higher charging capabilities the most (early morning).  They also block the bright light from the East while I am drinking my coffee outside if I crank the awning out.  This gives me shade by my "front" door all day.  If I were to camp in warmers climes, I would probably add a shade cloth on the West side from the roof to the ground.  I put up or take down the reflectix in the back window depending if I want solar heat or not.

I normally camp where it is cooler nights.  40-70 is my preferred temperature range.

 

[Spaceman Spiff]

In the places I camp the orientation of my camper is usually determined by the site.  Either because there isn't enough wiggle room to pick a direction or one orientation gives an easier to level camper.  I always park with the truck facing out; I definitely don't want to try to back out of a place I can't back into!  If I have a choice I try to get morning sun, but orientation doesn't matter with horizontal panels.

 

[Motrukdriver]

When mine is finally built the tow vehicle (pickup truck with cap) will be east-west. I'm designing a tilting system with 3 panels that have hinges on either side width wise so you can pull the pins on one side and raise the panels up at 45 degrees. The prop will have matching hinge pieces on either end so I can just put the pins back in (two per panel). Then I'll be making up some brackets that hang off the side of the truck bed that will house 3 more panels at 45 degrees. If everything goes according to design I should have 6 panels tilted at 45 degrees to the sun and no shade. I like the idea of having access to the panels without having to climb up on a roof.

 

[Knit]

An interesting question. During the winter, sun angles are low in the sky so more of the solar heat gain will hit a vertical surface. During the summer, the sun is much higher overhead so more of the solar heat gain will hit the roof. Then there are all sorts of complications due to latitude, wind speed and cloud cover. But on the average, I’d say paint one of the long sides of you camper with the most windows and face this long side south during the winter. Then leave the roof white and the back white and then face the back of the rv to the south with the long white side to the west. Better yet during the summer is to park in the shade. And keep any windows facing the sun in the summer shaded if possible. How practical this is in a real campground with trees and pull throughs and such is a good question. Maybe this is why there is a big snowbird effect of heading south in winter and north in summer!


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[MrNoodly]

I take wind into consideration, too. In summer I like to position the van so the breeze flow through. Side door to rear doors, vice versa. Or if I'm somewhere dusty, I position the van so wind doesn't blow inward. When there are van-rocking winds, I point the nose into it.

 

[Weight]

I have a 250 window van. On cold mornings it is nice to have the windshield facing the dawn. As well, my panels can be tilted to my right, that is south. When hot weather, I have a reflective tarp used as an awning on the south side, and the rear door area. My painting the roof white has an impressive cooling effect over the original maroon. There is also a white windshield cover, if needed. Roof mounted panels means charging while driving on sunny days.

 

[lenny flank]

Hah, I never think about it much. I just always park by pulling into a spot in such a way that I can pull out again without backing up. My van is blind as a bat to the rear.

 

[Almost There]

I park whichever way suits the location best. Direction doesn't matter to me because I have portable solar and can set it up just about anywhere I want in relation to the van.

I want the best view and the most privacy at my side doors. Sometimes I manage to get both..

The only time I take direction in to consideration is if I'm travelling and have to deal with high winds. Then I'll park either facing in to the wind or against it as opposed to having it hit the van sideways.

 

[Surly Biker]

For my van, it's all about the sliding door view! Solar is flat mounted on the roof so it doesn't care. I tend to orient with the facing north, so less direct sunlight into the van interior.

 

[jimindenver]

I park with the awning side to the south if I disconnect the truck. This gives the best exposure to my panels up top with a slight tilt mid day, I can pull the awning to shade that side and the fridge is always on the cool side. The side to the north always provides great shade for sitting and Max's pen. The truck with its tilting panel is free to move and maintain the best exposure.

When I do not unhitch I park in the north/south orientation. This allows me to tilt the trucks panel to the east in the morning, lay it flat mid day and then tilt it west in the evening. The awning protects the eastern side early on in hot days and the southern side sees the smallest amount of sun mid day. By late afternoon when the western side is exposed I can use the air conditioner as long as I can get a good haul on the solar.

 

[Watch_Cowspiracy]

A diy passive window heater may help you.