Add a second air conditioner to a 27' or 28' AS

[johnlanglois]

I would like to know if a second a/c can be added to a 27 or 28 FC, not a new, but one a few years old.

[TinTin]

I'm certainly no expert on this, but I don't see why you couldn't add a second air conditioner at one of the Fantastic Fan openings. The wiring would need to be upgraded to 50 amp I'd think, I'm assuming that your unit is wired for 30 amp. Running the new circuit could prove tricky.

Anything can be done, if you're prepared for the sticker shock.

[johnlanglois]

Do you know if it is prewired for a A/C??
Thanks

[AnnArborBob]

Originally Posted by johnlanglois

Do you know if it is prewired for a A/C??
Thanks

Your trailer is definitely not "pre-wired" for a 50 amp service which is what you will need to run two AC's. This could be a fairly costly project (i.e., $10,000 +/-.) You might want to contact a professional who specializes in Airstream electrical work to get a sense of the size of this financial commitment. I can recommend one member of this forum who goes by the name "Lewster" for this. You can send him a private message using that screen name.

But to address your specific question about the "pre-wire" for a second AC, I would tend to doubt that it is since the trailer only has a 30 amp service which cannot run two AC units. Getting electricity up to the roof for a second AC unit is going to be the least of your problems (i.e., expenses) if you undertake this project.

Good luck!

[BAB]

You don't have to go to 50 AMP if you add a 2d A/C. I had this done at JC to my 2012 28' Intl CCD. I elected to have a second 30AMP inlet receptacle installed on the exterior of my trailer. When I wanted to use both air conditioners, I used a 50 amp dog bone with 2 30 amp cables to my trailer...one to the main (as usual), with a second to the rear A/C inlet. The guys who did this at JC do it quite often, and it was NOT a big deal at all. I watched. They took some rivets out of the ceiling adjacent to where the (old) Fantastic Fan had been --- and where the new A/C was installed. They ran the wiring down into the lower part of the SS wardrobe --- where they'd installed a 30 amp circuit breaker and box. That box then connected to the new 30 amp inlet on the exterior of the trailer. This whole process took them about 3 hours. So, you don't have to do 50 amps at all. I'd also say that I didn't need that extra A/C very often, but when I did, it was no big deal. Total cost to do this, including the 2d A/C, parts, labor, etc. was around $2,000.

[AnnArborBob]

Good to know, BAB. I never would have guessed that was possible.

[JimGolden]

I converted my 34' triple axle to 50amp and I spent about $350 on it.

If you can do your own work, it's not that expensive. I got a new Progressive Dynamics panel (they call it a 60amp) and bought new GE breakers.

Ultimate All-in-One 240V, 50 Amp AC/DC Power Distribution Panel

I used a piece of 6 wire to feed it (an electrician told me I could use 8 gauge, but under certain conditions it was marginal so I went heavier).

It made a nice install. I could wire a second a/c, but haven't needed to.

Paint your roof white. That makes a huge difference. I painted my roof white, and got a new 15,000 btu a/c and it keeps it cool even into the high 90's, if I keep the awnings out.

Best of luck,

[johnlanglois]

BAB and Jim have good ideas, I can do one are the other.
Thanks a lot guys
Newbee

[m.hony]

I know a guy with a 30 amp trailer who added a second a/c. There are 2 power cords now- 1 for the second a/c and 1 for the rest of the trailer.
Also, there are 30 amp RV's with 2 a/c's and a thermostat that will only let one run at a time, so if you're in the bedroom you run the bedroom a/c, and if you are in the living room, you run the living room a/c.

[m.hony]

The 30 amp RV's with 2 a/c's on one thermostat might also have an auto mode where it runs one or the other according to the temperature at that end of the trailer.

[Jim A]

We added a second AC in the fantastic fan hatch in the bedroom of our 2012 27 ft FC FB after spending a couple weeks with air temps in the 104 F range and sitting in the sun. (I really hated to lose the second hatch) The single unit did ok at night but during the afternoons, the best it could do was about 90 inside. They (Camper Clinic II in Austin) ran the wiring down on the inside to a breaker box under the closet and then connected it to second 30 Amp plug outside. They then moved the thermostat that had been in the bedroom to the front and put a second thermostat for the new AC in the bedroom where the original one had been located. Also ran the drain tube between the outer and inside hull to exit over the wheels. We have a Y split from a 50amp plug to two 30's cables which run to the two plug points on the outside. I've also have run the front AC from the 20 amp campground connection when there wasn't a 50 but some campgrounds don't think there wiring will support both the 30 and the 20 feeding the trailer. Some say no problem. Only thing I would have added would have been a standard ac outlet wired with the second 30 amp circuit to run an electric heater on in the winter time when the second AC is not in use. It's not hard to push the original 30 Amp wiring to the limit with the right combination of other things running. I've learned to not run the water heater on electricity, the AC or heat pump, and start the fridge in a cool down cycle. Pushes the 30 amp system to the limit.

[TinTin]

Could the solar pre-wiring be used to run a second AC? It terminates at the inside flange of the forward Fantastic Fan

[jbroedlow]

When we ordered our 2014 27FB one of the options we chose was a second a/c at the recommendation of our dealer. When we went to our first Airstream Rally, one of the "old timers" i.e., resident expert, laughed at the fact that we had a second a/c. "You'll never use it" he said. Well, I think Jim A above thinks otherwise. The other reason we like a second a/c is in case one of them goes bad during a trip. Always have a second to falls back on. I'm glad we took the dealers recommendation.