Hello Guest!
« previous next »
Pages: [1]   Go Down

unsatisfied with performance of Air Conditioner?

  • 7 Replies
  • 18820 Views
*

Dingman

  • **
  • 5
    • View Profile
  • OwnPC: Yes
  • NewUsed: Used
  • PurchDate: 09/29/15
  • Model: 3100
  • ModelYear: 2010
  • Slide: Yes
  • ExtColor: Toast
  • Location: South central New Mexico
unsatisfied with performance of Air Conditioner?
« on: October 23, 2015, 03:45:17 pm »
  Hello, after spending some time in the Phoenix, AZ area I decided to upgrade to a 15000 btu roof A/C from the 13,500 unit that came factory installed and hope this will improve the cooling enough in our 3100 PC so it is tolerable in hot climate....I have seen a few PC's that have two roof A/C but know it would be too spendy to put 50 amp service in my coach.
Logged
*

Pax

Re: unsatisfied with performance of Air Conditioner?
« Reply #1 on: October 24, 2015, 11:10:27 am »
We have a single Coleman Mach 8 (15000 BTU) in our 2552.  Our experience in very hot weather is that it will cool down the rig 20 degrees below outdoor temps, so if it is 100 degrees out there we can only assume we will have an interior temp of 80.  We do have double paned windows, but have not done the best job of insulating for very hot or cold weather yet...just one of those reflective windshield panels.  We will definitely be putting together some additional items for insulating the thing..... Cab area side window panels, panels to cover the fantastic fan openings, etc.  The coach door seems to be a major source of heat in the summer and cold in the winter, so we are making an insulation sheet to cover the door (and around the frame) and installed with Velcro.  A lot of infiltration comes from the bathroom skylight as well.  We also notice a positive difference when we turn the cab a/c controls to recirc before shutting the engine off.  Lastly, finding a shady site helps, or at least a site that has the sun on the side that does the most good....for us, we generally want to be able to block the sun with our awning which helps keep the rig cool and provides an outdoor shady site to relax.

There is a significant difference in our rigs size compared to yours.  I would expect a positive difference by upgrading to a 15000 BTU unit, but  I think you'll need to insulate as well.

   - Mike
« Last Edit: October 24, 2015, 11:13:02 am by Pax »
Logged
*

Dingman

  • **
  • 5
    • View Profile
  • OwnPC: Yes
  • NewUsed: Used
  • PurchDate: 09/29/15
  • Model: 3100
  • ModelYear: 2010
  • Slide: Yes
  • ExtColor: Toast
  • Location: South central New Mexico
Re: unsatisfied with performance of Air Conditioner?
« Reply #2 on: October 25, 2015, 06:19:27 pm »
Thanks for the reply Mike, your suggestions all sound like they might help...we thought maybe we could shut the sliding door to the bath area to make the inside smaller, don't spend too much time in the toilet during the hottest part of the day anyway...I found a great deal on an Atwood 15K with heatpump and it seems to move a lot more air than the original Penguin ll unit. Karl.
Logged
*

Doneworking

  • ******
  • 450
    • View Profile
  • OwnPC: Yes
  • NewUsed: Used
  • PurchDate: September 2013
  • Model: 2350 Ford
  • ModelYear: 2013
  • Slide: Yes
  • Location: Oklahoma City
Re: unsatisfied with performance of Air Conditioner?
« Reply #3 on: October 25, 2015, 06:46:21 pm »
I know what hot is and that is for sure.  We live in an area that can get very hot and we owned Class B motor homes for years and years.  They have lots of windows and very little insulation since they are a van conversion.  Our Roadtrek was 21 feet long and had an 11,000 BTU heat pump unit and it was virtually ineffective in the hot summer.  The nature of the beast is hot HOT and HOTTER.   Here is something that Class B folks swear by:

http://www.lowes.com/pd_13353-56291-ST16025_1z0ueyrZ1z0uh9aZ1z0uk7m__

You cut out pieces of this stuff just slightly larger (1/4 inch or so) than the dimensions of a window and just pressure fit it into the window frame on really hot days, then you pull all the curtains or close all the blinds as the case may be.  For the front part of the cab, the side windows and windshield is the culprit.  You make the cutouts a little larger on the side windows on two sides and bottom and a little smaller at the top leaving a gap at the top and you lower the side windows slightly (1/4 or 1/2 inch) thus providing an escape hatch for the hot air.  The windshield can most effectively be dealt with from the outside by using one of the commercially available covers available. 

Instead of shuttering the vent fans, try cracking them slightly.  That will allow hot air to exit since hot air rises, cool air settles. 

One of the reason we got away from our beloved Roadtrek was simply the heat making summer camping in it a sometimes impossible situation on bright sunny days.

This Reflectix stuff is cheap and can be purchased in various size width rolls at Lowes or HD.   You might give it a try and see how you like it. 

By the way, all those cutouts of Reflectix we stored by simply putting them under the mattress.  The stuff is only about  1/4 inch thick.   You can also use it to line other areas that have heat problems, like the back of cabinets that get hot from the outside walls. 

Here is some other options for the front:   http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=sr_pg_2/182-1275766-7420717?rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Arv+windshield+cover+class+c&page=2&keywords=rv+windshield+cover+class+c&ie=UTF8&qid=1445812921&spIA=B00E5HGF5I,B00E5HGBSY

Paul
Logged
*

Ron Dittmer

  • *******
  • 5621
  • Ron and Irene
    • View Profile
    • My 2007 2350 Phoenix Cruiser
  • OwnPC: Yes
  • NewUsed: New
  • PurchDate: June 2007
  • Model: 2350 Ford
  • ModelYear: 2007
  • Slide: No
  • IntColor: Cherry Green&Gray
  • ExtColor: Full Body Gray
  • Location: N/E Illinois
Re: unsatisfied with performance of Air Conditioner?
« Reply #4 on: October 25, 2015, 10:10:56 pm »
Hi Karl,

When you are in those extremely hot temperatures, are you staying in that camp site for weeks at time?  If you are, it might be worth making a shade canopy that covers above and around the rig.  It would take tall 2x2 poles in front & back, and shorter ones along the sides, roped-& staked all around.  Big screws into the ends needed to set through the eyelets of the tarp, and for the ropes to attach to.  You might have to make a stand to place on your PC roof to hold up the middle if it sags.  You'll want the a/c unit to breathe, allowing the heat to escape out the ends of the gable.

At a family reunion, my cousin setup such a canopy using a huge cheap tarp which provided massive shade for everyone.  It was so big that you could surely park a PC under it.  I just did a quick search and found THIS ONE.  If it works well but does not hold up well year after year, then buy something more durable.  I would first set it up in your back yard at home to learn how it's going to work in a camp site.  Of coarse such a canopy would be vulnerable to strong winds so keep that into consideration.  It is just a thought, not a proven idea for covering a PC.

Adding reflective insulation on all windows is effective, but that would turn the motor home into a cave.  I am just tossing out the canopy idea to avoid blocking out the light and to keep the sun off the entire rig.  Unfortunately the blue tarp I linked to will surely provide a lot of blue light inside.  A white tarp would be ideal, and cooler too.

There are also window shades available for the windows on the left side of the rig.  We have one for our dinette window, shown here in the "stored" position.  But the sun still beats down on the over-all motor home.
« Last Edit: August 21, 2016, 07:50:26 pm by ron.dittmer »
Logged
Ron (& Irene) Dittmer
*

Dingman

  • **
  • 5
    • View Profile
  • OwnPC: Yes
  • NewUsed: Used
  • PurchDate: 09/29/15
  • Model: 3100
  • ModelYear: 2010
  • Slide: Yes
  • ExtColor: Toast
  • Location: South central New Mexico
Re: unsatisfied with performance of Air Conditioner?
« Reply #5 on: August 21, 2016, 02:22:26 pm »
Quote from: Dingman on October 23, 2015, 03:45:17 pm
  Hello, after spending some time in the Phoenix, AZ area I decided to upgrade to a 15000 btu roof A/C from the 13,500 unit that came factory installed and hope this will improve the cooling enough in our 3100 PC so it is tolerable in hot climate....I have seen a few PC's that have two roof A/C but know it would be too spendy to put 50 amp service in my coach.

  Here is an update to my original post.   The Atwood 15000 btu heat pump seems to make a big difference  in cooling our coach...(for the better!)  however neither my wife or I can deal with the constant shutting off and restarting of the unit when it cools off at night and the thermostat is more easily satisfied...This shutting down and restarting has prompted me to order a Coleman 15000 btu roof unit to replace the Atwood unit because the Coleman has a constant running  fan and when the thermostat is satisfied only the compressor kicks out, the fan continues to run at the preset speed, making  it much easier to sleep.  So far the Coleman unit seems to cool about the same or maybe a little better than the Atwood...Had no trouble selling the Atwood here on the desert what with the hot summer we have had this year.  Incidentally the Coleman is an A/C only model (no heat pump)  and we may add the electric heat device later. Karl and Joyce...
Logged
*

Pax

Re: unsatisfied with performance of Air Conditioner?
« Reply #6 on: August 21, 2016, 06:08:16 pm »
Yep!   2o2. Besides the Coleman, our largest benefit was to insulate both the cab area and the coach door.  Our next PC will definitely have two Coleman A/C units, because we do spend a good amount of time in areas close or above 100 degrees.
Logged
*

Joe R

  • ***
  • 39
    • View Profile
  • OwnPC: Yes
  • NewUsed: Used
  • PurchDate: Jan. 2015
  • Model: 2350 Ford
  • ModelYear: 2004
  • Slide: No
  • IntColor: gray, maple trim
  • ExtColor: white, blue striping
  • Location: mountain region of maine
Re: unsatisfied with performance of Air Conditioner?
« Reply #7 on: August 22, 2016, 08:35:18 am »
One thing to be aware of in HVAC is that sometimes bigger is not better. It can cause short cycling because of the bigger evaporator will cool the air faster. It is a lot easer to calculate the heat load on a house. Because the house does not move all around the country. Its heat load stays pretty much constant. But in a PC the temperature can vary greatly. So say a unit is sized to a ambient temp. at around 85 degrees like Elkhart IN.  will not act the same if you are in a place that the ambient temp in the desert that can reach into the 100's 
Some of the things used to calculate heat load are. Room size, number of people in living area, amount of insulation, amount of window area, what part of the country the home is located, and a lot more.
Logged
Pages: [1]   Go Up
« previous next »