new hornet a/c bummer

[bulldog2001]

On our maiden voyage/ dream vacation to the western states with our brand new 2011 Hornet 31RBDS platinum TT we experienced several problems with the plumbing, heater and T.V. antenna. These were resolved in O.K. City. @ Leisure Time R.V.4/21. When in Az. the outdoor temps reached 95F the airxcel 13,500 B.T.U. a/c would not get inside temps below 90F with shades drawn down tight and all cooking done outside in the outdoor kitchen. We waited a week to get an appt. to have it checked out 5/31 @ Bakersfield CW. The tech told us the unit was working within design specs and was too small for this size TT and would have to be addressed by Keystone which could take another appt. and alot of time. I asked him to take some photos of the a/c temp readings and the dinette table that fell through and pulled it's laminate top loose when we used it as a bed. He said he would be happy to forward these issues to Team Cougar. I figured it would be better addressed by Timber view R.V. Center in Mokena Il. the dealer where we purchased the unit back home in Il. After waiting another month to get an appt. the dealer still had not resolved the A/C problem and said I would get better results calling Keystone. After numerous phone calls leaving Voice mails I finally got a call from Keystone customer relations saying the unit is working properly and I should have ordered the upgrade 15,000 b.t.u. A/C I told him we did not order our trailer but bought it from dealer stock. He told me there will be nothing further Keystone will do I asked if this problem would be solved by 1,500 additional B.T.U.s He told me to have all vents pointing to the rear of the unit and this may make a big difference . I can't see why the manual for this unit never said this and will this make a 10F difference? Considering this is a warrantee issue should'nt it merit further investigation? I am a very sad and overheated camper. The extra ride 7 yr. extended bumper to bumper warrantee I purchased @ Timber View R.V. in Mokena Il. is useless at this point. I am a reasonable man but this is not acceptable. This is my first TT and hope nobody else gets this type of treatment it's a sad comment on Made in the Heartland.

[Bob Landry]

I don't understand why the OEM builders don't put 15KBTU units on all of their trailers. In spite of the published insulation R values, the Polar and Artic packages, blah, blah, blah, these things are poorly insulated and probably lose as much heat/cold as they retain. Given that it is only a $150 upgrade to the customer, it's a no brainer to install the larger unit since there's always the possiblilty that trailer is going to be used in one of the Southern Regions.
My first trailer was a Jayco 22 footer with the 13.5 AC and even at that size, it struggled. That any builder would put that size unit in a 31' TT is surprising to say the least. I suppose they figure most people won't be camping in scorching heat, but that's not always the real world.
If your trailer is prewired and reinforced for a second unit and you plan to keep it for a while, a second unt would be a worthwhile consideration. Your cooling situation is not going to improve on it's own.