2012 Airstreams

[xrvr]

Best to put the AC fan on high manual and set the thermistat at least 5 degrees lower than normal. Sometimes it takes several minutes before a difference is felt. This is camping and an AS is not a refrigerator, but it still should cool you down. jim

[xrvr]

Also the voltage could be low. jim

[xo1rider]

Anyone had a chance to have your 2012 in the heat? A couple weeks ago we were in Phoenix for our second trip and it was extremely nice weather with a few days in the high 80s. We finally needed to run the AC which tripped the 30 amp breaker a couple of times and then I plugged in to the 50 amp circuit and it stayed on but the trailer never got below 85 during the day


Just got back from a trip with OAT in the 80s, our A/C if anything got a bit too cold for me, plugged into the 30a breaker no problems at all. The only problem my 2012 has had was the fresh water sensor not reading correctly. Airstream replaced the panel under warranty.

[danlehosky]

Our 2012 25FB Flying Cloud is in the shop right now getting a new AC/HP unit. Ours lost the refrigerant charge and Dometic units do not have charging ports on either side. I guess they are throwaway units when this happens. The standard unit on a 25 is a 13.5 BTU. Doing some sq ft and heat loss calcs thisunit should cool pretty well. I'll get a temp differential and post when I get it back. I'll do the heatpump too.
Dan

[mtntime]

Hi everyone,
Thanks for the responses! It will be a while before it gets hot enough to give it a good test again. I am inclined to look for a new 15K unit that is quieter. Maybe I can at least get the labor covered to put it in, if not I’ll just have it done. While the low profile units look nice I am more concerned about cooling and quietness. Anytime my wife was working in the kitchen (right under it) she would insist on turning it off due to the noise. Another disappointment but it seems I am in good company (there must be a larger problem with these unit). Wonder what the actual failure rates are? Wonder how long the new ones that are working last? “Inadequate “, “Throwaway”, not what I wanted to hear about my premium trailer appliances. Let’s see so far; new dinette cushions to fix the table to bed problem, new twin mattresses and support decks, new LPG tanks with remote sensors, new iSeries tank monitoring system to include monitoring both LPG tanks waiting to be installed, new winterizing kit, talking with a cabinet shop about replacing the big single pull/swing up mirror (are they all this way?) in the bathroom with the traditional sliding mirror style, will upgrade the single stage converter when I have the solar put in, still looking into replacing the Audio Visual system, not sure about upgrading the tires/wheels yet. We like the trailer a lot and at least I got it for a very good price so I still have a long ways to go, I hope, before I hit full retail. Perhaps it will be a real Airstream by then,
at least to my personal expectations.

[xrvr]

Customizing your AS is one of the fun things about it. Add whatever you want, remember others may feel differently as to what is necessary for a real AS. The ac units usually are no problem if used correctly, but adding a 15000 unit would be nice. enjoy your safari. jim

[herrick51]

Hello,
I ordered a low profile ac unit for my Lance Max because the height is almost 12 feet.The noise was terrible.Having a degree in HVAC and working in the field for many years,I called the manuf.engineering dept with a sinking feeling in my stomach and confirmed when you compress the chamber or plenum the fan discharges to,you increase velocity,causing increased noise levels. The art of moving air in a small space does not exist in the new units I've encountered and is a difficult if not impossible to achieve. That said,the dometic unit in my 2005 classic 30 whether in cooling or heating was fairly quite.Remember anytime you restrict airflow,you increase noise. Also,unless you can control fan speed to offset air restrictions there will be noise. Additionally,if one cannot isolate compressor noise which is nearly impossible because unit is sitting on your head ,some noise will always be there.The moral of story is do your homework before you purchase.Call the manuf,they have not executed anyone that I know about. Finally,your AS/AC,you can relieve pressure in the system by opening damper on bottom of indoor supply unit. As mentioned,leave air fan on high to bring down temp.and then cycle to low.Many therm.do this auto.but not the dom.one.You should be getting a delta t of 25 degrees,between ambient and discharge temp.IN 82% this weekend,mine was 28.In order to maximize performance filters must be clean/condensor and cooling coils clean. Park under a tree/put awnings out/cook outside and try to ovoid bird droppings.Good luck.


oQUOTE=Collimare;1139267]Hi everyone,
Thanks for the responses! It will be a while before it gets hot enough to give it a good test again. I am inclined to look for a new 15K unit that is quieter. Maybe I can at least get the labor covered to put it in, if not I’ll just have it done. While the low profile units look nice I am more concerned about cooling and quietness. Anytime my wife was working in the kitchen (right under it) she would insist on turning it off due to the noise. Another disappointment but it seems I am in good company (there must be a larger problem with these unit). Wonder what the actual failure rates are? Wonder how long the new ones that are working last? “Inadequate “, “Throwaway”, not what I wanted to hear about my premium trailer appliances. Let’s see so far; new dinette cushions to fix the table to bed problem, new twin mattresses and support decks, new LPG tanks with remote sensors, new iSeries tank monitoring system to include monitoring both LPG tanks waiting to be installed, new winterizing kit, talking with a cabinet shop about replacing the big single pull/swing up mirror (are they all this way?) in the bathroom with the traditional sliding mirror style, will upgrade the single stage converter when I have the solar put in, still looking into replacing the Audio Visual system, not sure about upgrading the tires/wheels yet. We like the trailer a lot and at least I got it for a very good price so I still have a long ways to go, I hope, before I hit full retail. Perhaps it will be a real Airstream by then,
at least to my personal expectations.



[/QUOTE]

[SteveSueMac]

I haven't found the alleged water pump switch in the bathroom of my 2012 27FB Flying Cloud. Here is the text from my user manual:


Two remote switches for appliances are located on the bathroom wall. One is for the water pump, and duplicates the pump switch on the central control panel. Either pump switch may be used to turn the pump on or off at any time. The second remote switch, with a red indicator, is for lighting the water heater.


There are 2 switches on the wall; both for the water heater - one for electric, one for gas with that semi-counter-intuitive red light indicator :-) A third switch is for the bathroom lights.

Is the manual wrong or am I missing something?

[dkottum]

Well, mine's a 2012 FC 25' Back Bed. Never thought to look for another switch, and never bumped into it either. I don't think it's there, the manual's are universal for different size trailers. In fact the 25' Back Bed model is not in the manual at all.

doug k

[SteveSueMac]

Well, no problem. Kind of a fun quirk I guess :-)


I absolutely love the trailer...looking forward to finding more excuses and time to get on the road!!!

[Gene]

The manuals are often out of date on one or more things.

Gene