Due to bad luck I’m looking to be stuck living in a driveway this summer with a van that doesn’t run and no means to fix it. I work thirds so I’m going to be sleeping during the day and average temps for my area is 90. Assuming I can get access to an outlet, what CFM do you think I’d need to not cook my brain while I sleep? And if I can’t get access, do you have any tips on making it through?
Welcome to the boards!
Sorry to hear about your difficult situation. Too bad you work third shift, the cooler hours. Are you in an arid, desert environment where an evaporative cooler would work (CFM meaning cubic feet per minute)? Those are cheaper than refrigerated AC of course but limited.
A lot of people in the RV world swear by the “Fantastic Fan” for times when they don’t need AC but do want to move the air around. I grew up in Illinois and we never had AC, but if you can move air across your skin, it’s more bearable.
Is there any chance an employer would let you sleep in the back room? Can you move your van out of direct sun? Maybe find a roommate so you can get a place?
I forgot a word in my OP. I was referring to an electric fan I could run off an extension cord when I said CFM. I hadn’t really considered an AC, and living in Tennessee, a swamp cooler is right out. I think humidity averages in the 80s here?
Funds are a large part of my problem, hence the driveway situation. It also limits my ability to install anything like solar power or a roof vent. I am looking for roommates but haven’t been able to find anyone and, ironically, I work in a hotel but I can’t afford the rates. There’s also no chance I’d be given a room over a paying guest.
Thank you for the welcome.
Welcome to the boards and I am sorry about your situation.
Is it possible to move the van somewhere under shade? Are you able to get ice from work to take home? Do you have access to a freezer?
Can you cover the van with some sort of thermal coverings? Or spray paint it white? Not the windows, you want to have as much cross breeze as possible. There are battery charged fans available, but they are rather pricey.
I once knew someone who ran his garage home off of car batteries. He used one for his daily driver and the other for lights and a hot plate, then switched the battery out before going to work. He was careful and never set his home on fire. As I recall, he was evicted because he insisted on smoking in the garage which leaked into the landlord’s place, so don’t be that guy.
OP, have you called 211 to see if they can help?
2-1-1 center hours vary. Many are open 24/7 to refer callers to organizations that provide services in such areas as:
- Addiction counseling
- Affordable housing
- Alzheimer’s assistance
- Child care
- Debt counseling
- Disaster relief
- Donation opportunities
- Education
- Emergency food, such as food banks and soup kitchens
- ESL
- Financial assistance
- Homeless services
- Job counseling
- Parenting programs
- Psychotherapy counseling
- Senior citizen programs
- Suicide prevention
- Telephone reassurance, care for the elderly
- Volunteer opportunities
- Youth programs
A light-colored tarp over the van would help. Especially if you can get some air circulation under it (even just some bricks/scraps of wood to let air through).
You can spray water on your bedding (cotton sheets) during the worst of the heat. Can you seek help from your employer? I might try that as a last resort.
Without air conditioning a tent under a tree in a backyard would be preferable for hot days; vehicles just absorb too much heat.
You’re saying “South” so this may or may not work, depending on how humid it is. This evaporative cooler in a 5-gallon bucket was designed for Burning Man by FIGJAM, a burner in Arizona. It is using 12v motors for the fan and pump so it can run off of a battery. If you have access to an extension cord you can switch to 110vac but other than that, do not deviate from the plans. People have tried “improvements” for the past ten years and they do not improve anything at all.
If you have some time to comb through, and watch, a few videos, this guy’s channel may have some workable, low-cost solutions that may help. I searched for ‘insulation.’ This is the results from his YouTube channel:
Humidity and sun are the obvious killers. On a budget, it may be tough to do much about the former (other than move air directly across your body (to speed evaporation of sweat), but there may be ways to shade the entire van, and strategically shade/insulate other parts.
Good luck !
EDITED TO ADD: his “Beat the Heat” series (keyword search):
Direct link to the “Beat the Heat” playlist:
OP, have you called 211 to see if they can help?
I haven’t. I was vaguely aware of it but haven’t ever had to use assistance in the past so I was only vaguely aware of it. Thanks for the recommendation. I’ll definitely look into the homeless services and financial assistance. Thank you.
Is it possible to move the van somewhere under shade? Are you able to get ice from work to take home? Do you have access to a freezer?
There are no trees on the property where I’d be, but I’ve researched canopys and portable carports, which look reasonably affordable. Thanks for the tip.
As to ice, I should have access to a freezer but don’t know how well ice would help in Tennessee with the relative humidity being in the 80s and 90s.
Can you seek help from your employer? I might try that as a last resort.
Even after my employee discountt, the weekly rate where I work is about 1.5 times what I make, and we’re constantly full in summer. It’s not an option.
You’re saying “South” so this may or may not work, depending on how humid it is. This evaporative cooler 4 in a 5-gallon bucket was designed for Burning Man by FIGJAM, a burner in Arizona.
Relative humidity here averages in the 80s and 90s so evaporative coolers aren’t useful unfortunately. Thanks for the rec, though.
CheapRVliving
I actually subscribed to that channel about a month ago but hadn’t thought to search through his archive for this problem as it’s a relatively new development. Thanks for the reminder!
My questions about ice were two-fold. I’m concerned about how you will be storing your food without electricity. You will never save enough money to get out of the van is you are buying prepared food for all of your meals.
Also, if you can fill large freezer bags with an inch or so water and freeze them flat, you can put them in your pillowcase to help cool you while you are sleeping. Another bag by your feet can help too.
Best of luck to you!
@JaneDoe42 – gotcha. Food and hygiene shouldn’t be too big an issue. I’d be parked in a relative’s yard so I can use their bathroom and kitchen to a degree. They just don’t have sleeping space available.
Would parking under this with all the walls set up give me enough shade from the sun to at least be able to sleep without getting heat stroke, i.e. act as an oversized tent that I could survive in, if very uncomfortably?
To answer your question, assuming you can run an extension cord, a household fan would be a great help in cooling your body off. They don’t seem to sell these fans by CFM, though, they seem to go by blade diameter. I’m pretty sure you could do a decent job with a 14" to 18" fan. One with multiple speeds could keep the wind storm more manageable on those days it’s less sweltering. Somewhere around 20" to 24" on the highest speed, a van might start getting a little… rowdy… inside.
Are you in Middle TN? Any chance you can get a better job? I know around here (M’boro area) it seems like everyone is hiring. Whse work seems to start around $14-15/hr.
Just remember, people lived around here for thousands of years without A/C. Even I, 20 years ago, had an attic bedroom without A/C. It’s amazing how much a fan and cross-ventilation helps.
StG
My guess is that without having the sides rolled up (at least the sides getting direct sunlight), you’d roast like in an oven. You need to block the rays but get cross-ventilation.
Putting a tent canopy over the van is a good idea BUT you need something breathable for the top and sides. I recommend greenhouse shade cloth–it’s lightweight, lets light through but also allows breezes to circulate and it cuts down the heat amazingly well. It comes in various levels of sun blockage up to 90% and you can find it in bulk rolls in varying widths.
I’m outside Chattanooga. There are lots of factories and warehouses here and I’ve been looking into them but am also kinda leery because I’ve spent most of my life in retail and customer service, and am not really sure I can hack it as a laborer? I need third shift for personal reasons, and that’s the only kind of well-paying work I’m gonna find overnight.
Thank you for this! I had never heard of shade cloth but I did some googling and ran across a real world comparison of it vs aluminet (same thing, but reflective) through the same channel @DavidNRockies linked earlier and it looks doable. He just draped his across his van and still found it livable but I can get a canopy and two 10x20 aluminet panels for about the same price as the previously linked carport and keep slightly cooler.
There’s also portable AC units, here’s one on the Chatt Craigslist:
https://chattanooga.craigslist.org/app/d/cleveland-lg-air-conditioner/7294734638.html
They aren’t quiet, but you could set it outside if you can shelter it from weather, and since it’s cooling such a small space it shouldn’t have to run a lot. I also wonder if there would be a way to rig a small window unit?
Basically shade and airflow are what you’ll need most, and then screens for bugs. I lived in Soddy Daisy for 10 years, so unless you’re up on the mountain I know what you’re dealing with.
Working nights and sleeping during the day is not optimal in this situation, unless you can make yourself some deep shade with good airflow. The best scenario would be to be out and about in finding cool places during the day, and then coming back to a well ventilated van at night.
Good luck on the job hunt!
As far as warehouse work, I’m sure it depends on the warehouse.My company, for example, distributes pharmaceuticals, so the work isn’t too onerous. A/C, light boxes, etc. I hear Amazon is a bear to work for.
But the truth is, you’ll rarely make decent money in retail. At least at the distribution companies I’ve worked for, you can be hired out of the warehouse and into the office. And they usually have a 3rd shift.
StG