Brand new Camper won't cool down

[stolly23]

Hey all,
I just bought a 2019 Cougar 32BHS half ton. Have it plugged in 50amp at home set up. The AC has not worked properly since I picked it up last week. Had it back to the dealer and diagnostics show it's working properly. I ran a test today to see what is happening. At 8:30 am the thermostat was set to 67, it was 62 inside the camper and 72 outside. The ac was not running as it was only 62 inside. At 10:30 69 in the camper 75 outside. at 11:30 70 inside and 80 outside. at 12:30 74 inside and 84 outside. At 1:30 78 inside and 85 outside, 2:30 79 inside and 88 outside. at 3pm I put a thermometer in the vent and read 64 degree air blowing in the front and 56 blowing in the rear vents. The ac unit is in the rear, only one unit. 15000btu. So the air coming from the vents is cold enough, the air flow is not strong at all. Keystone tells me that the unit should be able to cool 20 degrees. The dealer says ac unit working as it should, poor design by Keystone is the issue. Everyone telling me I need to get a second unit as it is plumbed already for one. This is my 3rd 5th wheel, all about the same size and all had one 15000 btu unit and had no problem cooling down. I am doing all this testing in my driveway in upstate NY. In two weeks we are supposed to be going to Myrtle Beach with the camper for 10 days. I can not take this thing down there as is. Has anyone had issues like this with this camper or floor plan? I am ready to return it and take back my Jayco that I traded in. I will not accept a cool down of 7 degrees in the camper in upstate NY. Any help would be appreciated

[Ddubya]

There are many threads about AC not cooling. First, remove the A/C vents. You will most likely see that the air is escaping into the attic rather than being blown out of the vents. Correct this with aluminum duct tape. Look for various posts about this because there are other things you can do to improve air flow.

[bob91yj]

I can't speak for your floor plan or even a 5'er as we have a 330RL bumper pull. The 15k single unit was marginal at best for cooling down our trailer last summer in the San Diego area. I ended up adding a 13.5K unit to the bedroom, trailer cools down quickly now and stays cool.

We're new to the full time (stationary) travel trailer life, I thought the ducted 15k would be adequate when we bought the trailer...all of my buddies with trailers/5'ers assured me that I would need the second AC unit...they were right.

After some research, I'd say that the AC unit is working as designed, just too much area/poor insulation for it to bring the over all temps down.

[flybouy]

Sounds like air circulation is the issue. The air differential from intake to output should be 18-20 deg drop. My trailer is 1 foot shorter than your, has outdoor kitchen, 2 large slides and 15K AC unit and it cools just fine. I open the "quick cool vents" on the interior shroud during initial cool down them close them off for air thru the ductwork. I'd suggest checking your ductwork for obstructions/leaks. Several good threads on here adressing that.

[stolly23]

just checked again, 85 outside and 81 inside. I have pulled off the vent caps and from what I have seen so far they all look tightly sealed . The vents are much smaller than I expected. I have read a bunch of the threads on here about AC. The only vent that seems to have empty space is the one in the master bedroom up front where the second ac could go if added. Just got off the phone with Keystone again, they say that what I am telling them is not correct, it should be cooler than that inside. They need me to bring it back to the dealer so they can send specialists there to check the vents and air flow. What I am looking for here is if people with similar set ups as mine have had the same issue or if I actually have something wrong. Too many people from the dealership and Keystone have said that I need to add a second ac. I find that unacceptable. If that was the case I would have either added to the purchase price or looked at different campers. If they know that the ac won't cool the unit down then why sell it with one AC? I did not spend $45k on something that can't cool itself down that is used primarily in the summer time. Sorry to vent, but at this point I am getting a little heated! No pun intended

[stolly23]

Sounds like air circulation is the issue. The air differential from intake to output should be 18-20 deg drop. My trailer is 1 foot shorter than your, has outdoor kitchen, 2 large slides and 15K AC unit and it cools just fine. I open the "quick cool vents" on the interior shroud during initial cool down them close them off for air thru the ductwork. I'd suggest checking your ductwork for obstructions/leaks. Several good threads on here adressing that.

Where is your ac unit located? My last two units I have had the ac was located in the main living area. In this camper it is located in the bunk house in the back.

[MerlinB]

stolly 23, you need to remove the inside cover from your A/C and check where the cold air is supposed to be flowing into the duct work. Chances are you will find extraneous openings that are allowing cold air to flow into the attic area. Those need to be closed up with aluminum duct tape. Also check the baffle in between the warm air intake area and the cold air discharge area. Any opening there will allow the cold air to just recirculate back into the intake.

In a previous trailer I had I found that area completely open and I had to construct a baffle to separate the two areas. I can't tell you how much the cold air flow to the bedroom area was improved. It was amazing.

In my current trailer I have the Breeze II 15 kbtu A/C and I found several openings in the area I just described. Patching them up made a big improvement along with sealing the vents and blocking the ends of the ducts as someone described above.

[flybouy]

Where is your ac unit located? My last two units I have had the ac was located in the main living area. In this camper it is located in the bunk house in the back.It's right in front of the end of the kitchen counter across from the sofa.

[SC Dreamer]

My ducts are terrible at best. I have fixed the plenum foam, taped all the vents and still little to no air flow with 2 units. I just open the front and back vents to dump and use a 12" fan to circulate air and it works great! I live in SC and when in Myrtle Beach, only run one unit at night and during the humid day time, can keep trailer and garage 72 degrees with both units cycling, not running all the time, condensation just running off roof top.

[ctbruce]

Using a fan to circulate the air, taking it back to the desler, buying a 2nd AC or doing the suggested fixes seem to be your options. There's no shame in a second air. Wouldn't be without mine. I'm preparing to take my AC vents and covers off this weekend to check the vents and tape job.

[Kojac]

I have a 2016 Laredo 28.5SBH and just now checked my AC vents and found that the vents in the Main bedroom and Bunkhouse extends at least 2 feet past cooling vent to a dead end. Thanks for the post, I will be fixing mine today.

[stolly23]

At 4pm Friday a keystone rep called me. She said that there must be an issue. They want me to take it back to the dealer and they are going to send a specialist. I am assuming that they will seal the duct work as many of you mentioned. I am all for diy, but not on something that I brought home last week. They know when we are pulling out for myrtle Beach so she has made it high priority. Hopefully they follow through. My dealer is also pricing out ac units to add in the front, problem is I have the brand new in command command center. Everything is touch screen. They need a special set up to connect the new ac to the system. Everything is wired to go, but only certain ac's will work. If I have to go that route I will be looking for someone to foot most of the bill. 7 degree temp difference is unacceptable for a 2019 camper. Especially seeing my last two campers would freeze my wife out in myrtle Beach.

[81Sprint]

Hi There, new to the forums, what was the outcome of this? I have my brand new 32 at camping world right now for the same issue. Reading all this stuff today I may have to add a 2nd AC (I live in Vegas)

[notanlines]

Stolly, your "I will be looking for someone to foot most of the bill" statement probably will not come to fruition. We are all waiting for you to maybe post the results of your search for satisfaction.

[stolly23]

Here's the update so far. The case manager I was dealing with through keystone went on vacation the week before me. Someone else was handed my case on Monday. After several phone calls and messages someone finally called me back just before closing time on Friday. During this week my dealer, after getting the service manager involved, did some of the modifications suggested on this site. Tapping up the gaps between the ceiling and duct where the vents go. More on that later. The fixes did increase airflow a bit better. At the end of the phone call on Friday the keystone guy said that he would consult consult with his team and get back to me Monday morning. Last Monday! Still no phone call back. I am still in myrtle Beach. During the week I have called 3 times and sent an email. No response back from keystone at all.
But, that's not everything. While on vacation we have had a good amount of rain. This is where I found out that both of the big windows in the main living area leaked into the camper. The outdoor kitchen door leaked around the top seal with water coming into the outdoor kitchen area and then through the wall into the main bathroom. The tub drain leaks like a river when showering, pooling under the tub and then streaming out under the walls into the main living area. The fridge pilot won't stay lit while running on propane. It lights, goes out, lights and repeat. And my favorite part. I have a yellow liquid dripping from the ac duct vents in the back bedroom where the ac unit is and the main bathroom. It is also starting to seep through the ceiling in those areas. So now I have water damage in several areas due to shotty craftsmanship. I called camping world and they said that keystone will have to deal with the water damage. I leave for home tomorrow. Then I will have more time to deal with this pos.

[stolly23]

As I walk around lakewood here in myrtle Beach I see many many cougars. None of them have a single ac in the back room. Most of them have a single ac in the middle of the camper. Many of them have 2 a's, one in the middle and one in the front. Almost none of them have 2 a's located in the front and back

[stolly23]

Also forgot, 11am 87 degrees outside and 81 degrees inside. And that was with it being 68 degrees inside throuout the night. My ac works fine as long as there is no sun out. My wilderness and my Jayco had no issues keeping cool with one ac unit located in the middle

[wiredgeorge]

A one a/c trailer may have a hard time keeping up with direct sun heat. I first did ALL the taping mods and sticking the stuff at the ends of the vent runs and it helped a bit. I also took off my lower unit cover and made sure that there was tape between the instake and air exhaust sections and taped between the lower unit and ducting inside the lower unit as there was leakage there as well. I have installed new vents that can be shut or aimed.

While these things help, I then removed my old 13.5K BTU Dometic a/c and replaced it with a 15K BTU Dometic Brisk II. That helped enough where we can keep the trailer under 80F in direct sunlight triple digits.

Major source of the heat problem is the poor insulation in a camper and the worst issue are the single pane windows; they get HOT to the touch and contribute greatly to the inside heat. I bought a roll of adhesive window tint film and will be on that job this weekend. I think this will be a win and hope we can freeze in the summer if we want to. It is 20 percent film meaning 20 percent of sunlight gets through. This mod wil darken the trailer but my wife and I don't look out the windows much anyway.

If all these things can't get us to 75F or below on triple digit, direct sunlight days, I have a 8000 BTU portable A/C to augment. IT WILL BE COOL IN THE SUMMER! Finding shade in my part of Texas is kind of tough as we don't have shade-type trees.

I considered putting the old A/C over the bedroom vent but would have had to run a separate power cord to hook up outside. The bedroom actually stays cooler than the main cabin for the most part and cooling during the times of the day when it is real hot isn't a priority up there (5th wheel) as we are up and in the cabin for the most part.

Sorry to hear about all the leaking. This "specialist" stuff is hooey. Any A/C tech can do what needs to be done to fix/install an A/C or thermostat, etc. I think that someone feels you are an easy mark and making excuses means they don't have to do the repairs and work that they should.

[stolly23]

I also replaced some of the vent covers with one's that push the air toward the floor and can close. I found that the covers that came with it push the cold air right along the high ceiling. No air pushing down. I also close off the vent in the main bathroom. I also removed the vent cover completely on one of the living room ducts so it dumps cold air straight down. This all helps a bit. What I am so pissed about is that both of my previous fifth wheels cooled just fine with 1 unit. And they were all 32' living space

[JimMach1]

I also added a second unit to cool mine works great without a problem. Bought it and installed myself.

[RGreene]

We have the exact same issue with our new 2018 cougar 310rls. Dealer has checked it and said the system is operating as designed! If i stand still under the quick cool vent and not move around, i can cool off. After our first hot day, we wanted our old trailer back! Dealer is saying that i may need the second a/c unit just to be comfortable. I call BS on that. Design problems with the highly touted racetrack a/c ducting is where i believe the issue is. I have gone through all the ductwork with a video camera, sealed all the leaks, trimmed off the extra plastic on the ceiling vents and still do not have sufficient air flow through the unit to bring the temperature down.
We feel your pain.

[stolly23]

I appreciate everyone who has said that they just added a second ac. BUT, one ac should be able to do better then cool down the inside of the camper 5 degrees on an 87 degree day. Both of my previous fivers had no issue doing this. The vents that came with the camper push the air around the ceiling. I changed a couple out to push the air down. Does work if you are standing under them. I sent a nice long email to my repair manager at Keystone that I have been dealing with. Told her that I was not happy that no one from there would return my calls. She was away for a week and while gone someone else was supposed to be handling my case. He called me once, was a little rude and condescending. He actually told me, "I don't know your case, maybe you are running the ac with the windows open and shade up". Seriously??? He was supposed to call me back last Monday. Never did. I also told her about all of the water issues I had on our first trip. She finally sent an email back to me telling that unfortunately my spec sheet for my vin number shows my camper is not set up for a second ac and they will not do anything about it because it is to much work to wire the camper for the second ac. I called her back and said Hello????? My camper is wired. There are two temperature readers, the in command is set up for two zones, and the wiring is already in place for hook up. Plug and play. She said that is not what her stats sheet shows. I explained to her that my dealer and I can both confirm that she was wrong. Then she told me............wait for it........
As a good faith gesture their customer service will pay for my second ac if it is the case that I am set up for it. There it is, What I have been waiting to hear. Now, I don't know if it had anything to do with my windows leaking, my shower drain leaking, my outdoor kitchen door leaking, my ceiling dripping a yellowish liquid, my fridge not running on propane, or as I found out as we were leaving Myrtle beach Wednesday morning, neither of my black tank flushes would take in water. I hooked up the hose, opened the tank, and turned on the water. and nothing. I turned off the water, took the hose off and got sprayed by backpressure. Both blank tank flushes did this to me. I am assuming the check valves were installed backwards? Or she is doing this for me for the way the other guy spoke to me or the fact that no one called me back in a 9 day period. What ever it was, my dealer is getting the quote together and sending it to keystone so they can approve the second ac. If they want to sell a 5th wheel that cools it's self down either put two ac's in it to begin with or move one to the middle of the camper. Just stupid that they sell it with one in the far back. I don't think many of us buy a $45K camper to use in the winter. I will keep everyone updated once the quote gets sent out, it was supposed to go out today.

[RGreene]

Were you able to have your a/c issue taken care of?

[George1]

I totally agree with you. They do a horrible job of cooling the camper. And you should not have to Jack around with a whole bunch of stuff in order for it to work right off of the bat from camper sales place. The space that these crappy AC units are required to cool is too much for them to handle. And the only way that I got my camper to cool down going to the same exact thing that you're going through, would you add another AC unit and two fans. One thing I did notice is that underneath the stairs going up to the bedroom is a vent that was blowing out hot air from the generator. So I feel that off a little better. But I am done a lot of reading and a lot of complaining just like you and I have come to the conclusion that it just cannot do a good job like an AC unit in a house. Again, kind of money that we are spending on these 5th wheel campers, a person should not have to be taping and ducting and pulling apart or doing a damn thing to them. You should plug it in and it should be ready to go. It is a bunch of crap. So I totally agree with this guy.

[George1]

I totally feel for you. I am very disappointed in my Keystone camper purchase as well. I'm stuck with it a couple of years because of the loan I took out on it. But I won't buy another Keystone and that is all there is to it. Where your other campers other brand besides Keystone

[sourdough]

Sorry folks, I've followed this thread for a long time, but, real life really needs to be interjected.

Some real life RV facts; owning an RV of 30' ft. + and using it in hot weather/humidity requires a second AC...period. You can foil the windows, buy extra fans, plug the vents etc. etc., BUT, you need a 2nd AC to make things comfortable...that is the way it is unless you have R50 enclosing your 2" camper walls.

Buying a 30' ft. rv with an AC in one end and not the middle and expecting it to cool the entire trailer is, well, silly..... and then to blame the manufacturer/dealer/etc. because you made that choice...?? I guess I don't get it. If cooling was important, there is no way that anyone with sense would think that an AC in one end of a 30' RV is going to adequately cool down the rest of the trailer; that is what due diligence and research is about.

[xrated]

Sorry folks, I've followed this thread for a long time, but, real life really needs to be interjected.

Some real life RV facts; owning an RV of 30' ft. + and using it in hot weather/humidity requires a second AC...period. You can foil the windows, buy extra fans, plug the vents etc. etc., BUT, you need a 2nd AC to make things comfortable...that is the way it is unless you have R50 enclosing your 2" camper walls.

Buying a 30' ft. rv with an AC in one end and not the middle and expecting it to cool the entire trailer is, well, silly..... and then to blame the manufacturer/dealer/etc. because you made that choice...?? I guess I don't get it. If cooling was important, there is no way that anyone with sense would think that an AC in one end of a 30' RV is going to adequately cool down the rest of the trailer; that is what due diligence and research is about.

I agree mostly with what you are saying, but I also believe the trailer manufacturer should have some responsibility in this also. A second A/C unit should be standard equipment in trailers of a certain size and be based on the way it is built as far as the R factor of the insulation used in the build. They know that when a trailer leaves whether or not it will have the cooling capacity, based on the A/C BTU output and the heat load/loss factor for that unit. But hey, if they can send them out the door will and undersized or insufficient cooling capacity, they will likely be able to sell you a second unit and also get the install work. My Toy Hauler (34 1/2') came with one 15K BTU A/C unit, centrally installed in the middle of the trailer and I had hopes that it would be enough, but I also was prepared for it to NOT be enough.....and it wasn't. I did my own install on the second unit and probably saved myself $700-$800) and just as importantly, maybe more so....it was done correctly and a quality install with zero shortcuts taken. I realize that not everyone can install their own A/C unit, but having trailers of a certain size coming from the factory WITH a second unit as standard equipment would be a step in the right direction.

[mazboy]

just saying....doesn't anyone use paragraphs anymore? hard to read what the issues/solution are.

but regardless, RV A/C sucks. That is the bottomline. Don't ever assume that you will cool your trailer down very much when it is really hot outside.

[xrated]

just saying....doesn't anyone use paragraphs anymore? hard to read what the issues/solution are.

but regardless, RV A/C sucks. That is the bottomline. Don't ever assume that you will cool your trailer down very much when it is really hot outside.

Just sayin', doesn't anyone capitalize the start of a sentence? When you use perfect grammar, structure your sentences correctly, and do not use dot dot dot instead of a properly placed comma, come back and lecture me about my postings! Touche'

[IRV2]

I have 2nd 13.5 Mach 3 in the bedroom on our 5er and that air does not make it much farther than the bathroom. I plan on fastening a plastic air diverter to help it down the hallway into the living area since it just hits the wall. Our bathroom only has the one door. I've sealed off the ducts as suggested at the end of the runs and taped where I could reach in. I just wonder if there are better units out there. We haven't really heard much on that. My 15k is also Coleman Mach 15 ducted. Just don't set the thermostat to low or you'll ice up. In the end my unit is pretty warm in full sun.

[Ken / Claudia]

My last truck camper a 990 AF, that means 9 3/4 ft floor. The single A/C would not keep it cool to a nice in temps over 100 degrees until or unless it was turned on early and left on all day. My last TT with A/C that got used was a 19 ft. and it was about the same. Current TT has never been in temps above around 90 and so far it is Okay. I think it's really a RV thing. And nothing like sitting in one with the A/C running all day and putting up with the noise.

[Duck65]

Yes I have the same situation is pathetic! How are they handling your situation? I have the 2nd air but I have concerns for the hot weather to come, I'm in Missouri.

[Frank G]

Duck65, this thread is almost two years old, not sure the main posters are even around. Campers, A/C units and hot weather don't go well together.

By the way "Welcome" to the forum, there is a lot of information to be gained. In my personal experience with 2 A/C units in Florida it helps to crack the outlet vents on the A/C units and blast some cold air directly into the living space. To me, sending cooled air through a HOT attic duct system does not help in keeping me cool.

Remember, there is more to cool than temperature, I am perfectly happy at 80 deg. with 30% humidity and a little air movement.

[Ribtip]

Duck65, this thread is almost two years old, not sure the main posters are even around. Campers, A/C units and hot weather don't go well together.

By the way "Welcome" to the forum, there is a lot of information to be gained. In my personal experience with 2 A/C units in Florida it helps to crack the outlet vents on the A/C units and blast some cold air directly into the living space. To me, sending cooled air through a HOT attic duct system does not help in keeping me cool.

Remember, there is more to cool than temperature, I am perfectly happy at 80 deg. with 30% humidity and a little air movement.
I agree with this. Or maybe im just lucky. I have a 327res with 2 a/c units. The one in the living area i keep the vent half closed. It seems to be keeping everything cooled just fine. I never have to run both units unless im trying to quick cool after setting up.