Galley Sun Shade

Discussion in 'Custom Additions' started by Les Izmore, Apr 13, 2017.

  1. Les Izmore

    Les Izmore Junior Ranger

    As others have commented on this forum, the closed galley can get scorching hot in the summer, especially if you are using a Dometic refrigerator. And if you are using an ice chest, the heat inside the closed hatch will mean more frequent trips to the local store in search of fresh ice. Because of this, we feel it is a good idea to keep the hatch open as much as possible during the heat of the day. But if the galley is oriented south or west, the stainless steel surfaces can get hot enough to cook dinner on. It seems the common solution to this problem is to put a shade awning over the galley. We aren't big fans of this approach, primarily because we don't spend significant time in front of the galley. We want shade where we choose to sit, rather than having to sit where there is shade.

    So we enlisted the help of a friend of ours (Nancy Rolig) to create a simple sun shade (we needed both her sewing machine and her much more considerable sewing experience). Consider this a prototype. If we were to make this effort a second time, the construction would probably be more like that used on the Camp Inn galley wing walls.

    IMG_20170412_162738092.jpg

    We purchased four feet of tie-dyed spandex and a snap kit at JoAnn Fabrics, plus we had some left over paracord on hand. We basically decided on the size of the shade (several inches narrower than the distance between the galley hatch ribs and extending below the galley counter) and put a zigzag hem around the edge of the spandex. The corners were reinforced with 4" squares of ripstop nylon, folded diagonally to form triangles (thus two thicknesses of nylon). This provided a suitable base for installing a female snap in the two upper corners of the fabric. Corresponding males snaps were screwed into the galley hatch ribs, located a couple of inches forward of the nearest wing wall snap. We added a loop of paracord to go over the hatch handle, and loops of paracord on the bottom corners to anchor same to the bumper. The resulting shade cover takes up about a quarter of a square foot of storage space. A ripstop nylon shade would probably take up a bit less space and would weigh less than half as much.

    Installation is simple: slip the loop over the galley hatch, snap each corner into the hatch rib, then slip the paracord loops over the top tube of the bumper. The one advantage of the spandex is that there is a lot of give when the wind blows against it. It will be interesting to see how well it holds up over time, or whether the sun will quickly cause it to rot.

    IMG_20170412_162811132.jpg IMG_20170412_162913882_HDR.jpg IMG_20170412_162817264.jpg

    There is one important tip worth using with this sunshade - never store bread or tortillas in open shelves of the galley. That stuff is like crack cocaine to wildlife! We know from experience that they won't bother chewing through the wrapper - they'll just take the whole package and run!
     
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  2. DeeMGee

    DeeMGee Novice Donating Member

    I am going to make one of these for us. Thanks for the tip.
     
  3. Les Izmore

    Les Izmore Junior Ranger

    We added grommets to the bottom corners of our sun shade, in order to see how well it would works as an awning. We really like the results, but again, regard this as a prototype. Ideally the grommet corners would be more heavily reinforced (I would suggest seeing how quality tarps are reinforced for ideas).

    IMG_20170502_145843844.jpg

    IMG_20170502_145843844.jpg

    The poles we used are 6' adjustable poles from REI (they have spike-like tips, which extend through and about 2" beyond the corner grommets). If we ever replace this version, the next will probably be made of ripstop nylon, making it much more effective against rain (it is possible to adjust the poles to different heights, which would allow you to direct rain water to one corner or the other). But the stretchiness of the current fabric seems to help with stability - so we may loose more than we gain. On the other hand, having both versions would take up very little space.

    We have not tested this in a significant wind (and probably never will, at least not intentionally. But for the brief amount of time that most people spend in the galley, this seems to be a simple and effective solution to providing shade from the sun (and in a nylon version, also rain).

    We have carabiners at the ends of the guylines, which we clip to the loops on the shade. It is very easy to unclip the guylines, remove the poles and set it up as originally intended, and vice versa.
     

    Attached Files:

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  4. Les Izmore

    Les Izmore Junior Ranger

    Our galley sun shade has been working out great for us lately, helping us to survive better in hot weather when the galley is facing south or west. Earlier, I had thought we might someday make another version of this in ripstop nylon, thinking it could be supported by poles and thus also act as a rain fly. The downside of doing that would be having to take it down every time we want to close the galley hatch. This version goes up and down in a flash and takes very little room to store.

    If we were to make another one of these, we would look for a shiny surfaced Lycra/spandex. Something that both reflects light AND blocks light. Aside from that we are quite content with the current design.

    IMG_20170708_131526043.jpg
     
  5. AlCat

    AlCat Junior Ranger Donating Member

    I like the idea, but I'd like it more if it was useful when the galley is closed.

    If you keep the galley open, you don't get much heat in the galley, compared to when the galley is closed.

    I'd like an easy awning that you deploy when the galley is closed. That's when the galley heats up and pushes the Dometic into working overtime in my experience, but the direct sun on the Dometic doesn't help, agreed.

    -Al
     
    Last edited: Jul 12, 2017
  6. Dean Pinter

    Dean Pinter Novice

    We have been using the PahaQue Cottonwood LT 12x12. We started out with a smaller REI canopy but quickly realized that if it was raining, we had to basically stand next to the galley. The 12x12 gives ample room to hang out in inclement weather. The hatch opens under the edge and fits just right. It also comes with removable sidewalls.

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  7. Les Izmore

    Les Izmore Junior Ranger

    The value is in keeping the galley cool on hot days when it is oriented toward direct sun, plus the fact that it deploys in seconds and requires very little storage space. It provides better air circulation for the Dometic and keeps the galley counters from getting too hot. We don't need it when trees provide shade or the galley is oriented east or north.
     
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  8. AlCat

    AlCat Junior Ranger Donating Member

    I wonder if the result would be more easily achieved by just propping the galley open a few inches (though I haven't solved that approach easily and safely).

    Kudos to you for developing a solution you like.

    My bigger problem is when the galley is closed during the day and ambient temp is high. The Dometic doesn't like that and it's a big drain on the battery (until the Dometic overheats and turns off).
     
  9. Les Izmore

    Les Izmore Junior Ranger

    Now that we have solar on the van, we keep the Dometic there during the day. As long as we have daylight we don't need to worry about the drain on the van's battery (plus we have the ability to jump the battery with our generator). The camper battery ends up with a better charge to keep the Dometic running at night.

    By deploying the sun shade we don't need to open and close the galley hatch as much. We've opened and closed it enough in five years that our hatch dust seal failed a couple of months back...
     
  10. AlCat

    AlCat Junior Ranger Donating Member

    I had not considered the wear on the galley seal. (but I'm guessing that you do more nights in the TD than we do)
     
  11. Les Izmore

    Les Izmore Junior Ranger

    Yep. 365 in a good year. Though because of Alea's knee replacement, only about 250 this year...
     
  12. gregangsten

    gregangsten Junior Ranger

    This is changing the subject on this old thread, but I noticed in your pictures, Inn42 that you propped up your side table by triangulating the leg and placing it up against the bumper mount. Did you add anything there to make it more secure? This looks like a good trick for uneven ground but I wouldn't want my fridge to flip over and end up on the ground.
     
  13. Les Izmore

    Les Izmore Junior Ranger

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