Frustrated with a/c and hot weather

mpoint3 · 08-07-2013, 12:27 PM

Maybe we were naive thinking we could camp in our travel trailer in Texas summer heat. Our 2012 272bhs with a single 15,000 BTU a/c just isn't cooling in this 100 degree temp. It keeps the interior (with the single slide out) at around 88 degrees during the day (air temp exiting the a/c is 68 degrees). It got it down to 82 with the slide in. Now, I'll agree that 88 feels a heck of a lot better than 102, but I'd rather have that trailer down into the 70's. It appears to be the trailer itself since the a/c unit is working exceptionally well. We temp gunned the walls and the walls range anywhere from 80-90 degrees on the interior depending on if it was in the shade and if it was a wall on the slide itself. We had hoped that our trailer would truly be 4 seasons, but guess here in TX it's only going to be 2.5 seasons. Thinking about trying to flip this and get a trailer with a dual a/c. I'm looking for thoughts from other campers who travel in this stupidly hot weather and have either single or dual a/c units. Thanks.

Festus2 · 08-07-2013, 12:49 PM

From what I've read from others who live either in Texas or one of the other "hot" states, a single A/C just may not be enough to keep the interior comfortable. We have seen a number of recent posts/threads from others who are finding that 1 A/C is insufficient and are looking at having a 2nd one installed.

I've heard from one Texan who has 2 15000 A/C's and they are going full-time all day long and can barely keep up! His unit is bigger than yours but nonetheless it presents a challenge for you folks trying to stay comfortable in horrific conditions.

Good luck and try to stay "cool".

jje1960 · 08-07-2013, 01:35 PM

If you like your trailer, install a second aircon unit and have the windows tinted, that should do the trick. We actually run 3 units, original 15K, 13.5K in the bedroom and a portable unit in the garage. If we did not use the garage we could just keep the door shut to the cabin and be fine in the heat, however love the extra space back there and use it!

geo · 08-07-2013, 02:38 PM

Mpoint3 -

Festus2 is correct. We too are in the DFW area. We also have a 38' SOB and two 15,000 BTU units. I'm kicking myself because I didn't get the third 12,500 unit! I have a power management system that would have "looked after" the amperage draw. However, by using the awnings, limiting door usage, and overcooling at night, we can keep the inside maximum to around 80. Or maybe even a little below, or a little above. JJE1960 is correct. Ask about installing a second AC. But I will say, it will be tough to have a 272bhs as a four season unit, especially if we get the rare cold winter.

Ron

Javi · 08-07-2013, 03:43 PM

Something may well be wrong with y'all's a/c because we camp several times a summer in our Passport with a single 15K a/c and have no trouble keeping the inside temp below 76 during the day and we turn the thermostat down to 73 for bed.

labs4life · 08-07-2013, 04:28 PM

I agree with Javi here. I have a 35' TT and have no problem keeping the temps in the mid-low 70's during the day. I have a single 15k unit. It is prewired for a second, but i do not need it at all. We recently spent 2 days in New Orleans and 4 days on the gulf in FL and experienced zero problems. The only time the temp in the TT was over 80 was when we pulled up and turned on the a/c!

I am from GA as well, so I have some experience with the heat as well.

Bob Landry · 08-07-2013, 04:41 PM

There have been many post on less than acceptable cooling. Some may be trailer/insulation problems, but many, mine included, have been solved or at least improved checking the taping around the AC plenum and the ducts/registers. You need to to make sure you aren't sending cold air into the ceiling where it doesn't do any good.

**JRTJH** · 08-07-2013, 06:50 PM

I was reading through the posts in this thread and formulating my response, then I read Bob Landry's post and it said exactly what I was thinking. Every RV I've had with ducted air has had significant air leaks in the ceiling ductwork. Even the new Cougar needed several yards of aluminum foil tape to better seal the ductwork. When I finished the taping, the airflow in my bedroom and bathroom vents was more than double what I had before resealing the ductwork.

Pull the vent covers and see what you have. A quick inspection will probably reveal open spaces around the vent/ducting which are leaking significant cold air into the roof. That air should be flowing into the cabin. If it's not, you'll never be cool enough.

geo · 08-08-2013, 05:32 AM

Actually, there isn't anything wrong with our AC. Like in real estate, it's location, location, location.

. Where we are camped has no shade. The rear Hehr window faces south. And then there is the eight foot ceiling and four slides. The AC does a good job keeping the inside at 78 with both shades down on the windows. But if one starts opening and closing the door too much, then the cool inside gets dumped for hot outside. This means the Chihuahuas have to go on a modified "walk" schedule.

. When the sun goes down, the ACs bring the inside temps down fairly quickly. In our Alpine, even in the shade, the inside temps would hit 80 by noon on these triple digit days. It's all about the volume of air one is cooling. Next week will be a break when we escape to the Midwest.

Ron

Javi · 08-08-2013, 06:44 AM

Location middle of June for 6 days

Kristi · 08-08-2013, 07:00 AM

I was concerned about the heat also so we drug her home from the storage unit & hooked everything up at the house (we have a 30 amp set up) so we could test the a/c. It's been 98-103 here all week. Where we parked it has morning sun on the slide & partial afternoon shade.

The results...
With the blinds closed & minimal traffic in & out of the trailer plus vent cushions in the vents, daytime -the trailer held steady at 72F, but the a/c ran constantly.
Personally it is too hot for me to enjoy being out, but at least I know if we do get into some hot weather the a/c has a chance...

Overall I am pleased with it, but as I said I don't plan to spend time camping in this kinda heat.. counting down till fall....

There are several helpful hints on a few threads that have been posted recently, good luck.

mpoint3 · 08-08-2013, 05:11 PM

Good call on checking airflow volume. 68 degree air doesn't do much if it's not all making it into the trailer. We found that 3 of the 5 vents don't have much air coming out of them. So how do we access the duct work?

Festus2 · 08-08-2013, 05:49 PM

There are numerous threads and posts already on the forum about the A/C ductwork, how to access it, and what others have done to prevent cold air from the A/C dissipating/escaping into the ceiling. The problem is where the ductwork joins the A/C and other vents along the line. Some of the posts have photos to show you before and after shots of the repairs.

You can access all of this previous information by doing a forum search and type in A/C ductwork.

If you can't seem to find how to correct the faulty ductwork by doing a search, get back to us.

filmtex · 08-09-2013, 05:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by geo

Actually, there isn't anything wrong with our AC. Like in real estate, it's location, location, location.

. Where we are camped has no shade. The rear Hehr window faces south. And then there is the eight foot ceiling and four slides. The AC does a good job keeping the inside at 78 with both shades down on the windows. But if one starts opening and closing the door too much, then the cool inside gets dumped for hot outside. This means the Chihuahuas have to go on a modified "walk" schedule.

. When the sun goes down, the ACs bring the inside temps down fairly quickly. In our Alpine, even in the shade, the inside temps would hit 80 by noon on these triple digit days. It's all about the volume of air one is cooling. Next week will be a break when we escape to the Midwest.

Ron

Chihuahuas. Sheesh! We have two and they too have a "modified walk" schedule. Our 2013 248RKS Bullet is parked in semi-shade southeast of DFW not too far from Athens at Cedar Creek Lake and our 13,500 unit runs all afternoon for sure. We keep our thermostat at 80 and are pretty comfortable. But the vertical fan we use in the living area during the day and the bedroom at night make a HUGE difference. My neighbor has a 35' fiver with a 15,500 and a 13,500 and his unit is right at 82 from noon to nine. That Texas sun is sure killer. We are considering a portable AC unit ducted through a window (or something). My wife would really like to have the inside at about 76-77 all the time. I like the tip about checking the duct. Think I'll take a look next weekend when we're there.

jje1960 · 08-11-2013, 11:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by filmtex

Chihuahuas. Sheesh! We have two and they too have a "modified walk" schedule. Our 2013 248RKS Bullet is parked in semi-shade southeast of DFW not too far from Athens at Cedar Creek Lake and our 13,500 unit runs all afternoon for sure. We keep our thermostat at 80 and are pretty comfortable. But the vertical fan we use in the living area during the day and the bedroom at night make a HUGE difference. My neighbor has a 35' fiver with a 15,500 and a 13,500 and his unit is right at 82 from noon to nine. That Texas sun is sure killer. We are considering a portable AC unit ducted through a window (or something). My wife would really like to have the inside at about 76-77 all the time. I like the tip about checking the duct. Think I'll take a look next weekend when we're there.

76-77 is a pretty tall order. I would look at the problem as well as a solution. Tinting the windows and adding additional cooling capacity may be needed. After we tinted just two of our windows (the high rectangular ovals in main cabin) it was much better. The additional 13.5k in the bedroom did pretty much solve our discomfort in Myrtle Beach though. Again, that's with the portable 7.5k running in the garage.

gearhead · 08-11-2013, 07:01 PM

I saw a unit with solar screens on it when we were buying ours. The salesman said you put them on when parked...if you're interested call Holiday World in Houston.
http://www.hwhrv.com/houston/

cmssorrell · 08-12-2013, 03:13 PM

I just finished covering my windows (inside) with Reflective Foil Insulation with Bubble Core. Made a huge difference. Got it from home depot. I'm in Bartow, FL. Planning on being here for the next 12 months.

Mark

Robby9 · 08-12-2013, 04:44 PM

As BobL and others have said, be sure to check out your ductwork. I just finished going over mine this weekend and both ducts had major tears in tape that was supposed to seal the ducts to the AC unit. Repairs made a big difference in airflow.

Hansel · 08-12-2013, 06:22 PM

I'm guessing it's a duct work issue, I thought my A/C was shot so I took it to the local camper place and too my suprise I did not need a new A/C. They found that the duct work had some openings and was blowing the cold air into the ceiling space, so after some a/c tape the unit keeps us cool.

08-14-2013, 06:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jrtjh

i was reading through the posts in this thread and formulating my response, then i read bob landry's post and it said exactly what i was thinking. Every rv i've had with ducted air has had significant air leaks in the ceiling ductwork. Even the new cougar needed several yards of aluminum foil tape to better seal the ductwork. When i finished the taping, the airflow in my bedroom and bathroom vents was more than double what i had before resealing the ductwork.

Pull the vent covers and see what you have. A quick inspection will probably reveal open spaces around the vent/ducting which are leaking significant cold air into the roof. That air should be flowing into the cabin. If it's not, you'll never be cool enough.

*****ditto*****

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