Upgrading My A/C.....which unit is best.

[Inland RV Center, In]

Originally Posted by RLS

Is this really true? I thought the reason for a heat pump was to save electricity. If what you say is true, then what purpose does the heat pump serve

I also thought heat strips would give you dryer air compared to a heat pump.

If I am reading this right, it is the general consensus that a 15k unit on a hot day will keep a 25 Classic cool, say a comfortable 76? Reason for asking is that mine does not. When outside temp gets above 94, the unit will run all day and not cool down to 76.

Thanks, Bob

Bob.

Put an AC thermometer directly in the exhaust of the cold air.

It should read 15 to 20 degrees cooler then the interior temperature of the trailer. If not, then that suggests the unit is not functioning correctly. It could be a tad low on freon.

If you do measure that difference, then the next things to look for are the shades or drapes closed, windows and doors tightly sealed, lights at a minimum, no oven use, minimal stove top use?

Are the awning(s) out? How is the trailer oriented with the sun movement?

Also, when you know it's going to be a hot day, don't wait to turn on the AC after it gets that way.

Turning the AC on, earlier in the day, gives the interior a chance to cool down, before the heat sets in.

That costs a little more for electricity, but it provides the extra comfort that we all seek.

Keeping a trailer at say a constant AC setting, especially on hot days, is nearly impossible.

Learning the little tricks, pays dividends.

Andy

[Silvertwinkie]

Originally Posted by RLS

Is this really true? I thought the reason for a heat pump was to save electricity. If what you say is true, then what purpose does the heat pump serve

I also thought heat strips would give you dryer air compared to a heat pump.

If I am reading this right, it is the general consensus that a 15k unit on a hot day will keep a 25 Classic cool, say a comfortable 76? Reason for asking is that mine does not. When outside temp gets above 94, the unit will run all day and not cool down to 76.

Thanks, Bob

Dimensionally Bob, your 25' Classic is the same as my 25' Safari. I have the 15k unit and I can get it down to well below 76 on a hot day, in full sunlight. I've had it below 70 degrees with the outside temp at about 93, but I was not in direct sunlight. One thing that I did, was seal my crappy HEHR windows. Of course being a Classic, you have far better windows and better window seals. I actually had some windows without ANY window gaskets. I also modified the main entry door seals a bit to help better seal the trailer and keep the outside out. I have two roof vents, but no skylights, no wrap around front windows, and also no street side awning. You can ask anyone that visited my trailer at the midwest rally a few years back when we had a heat wave....folks were coming in for the trailer tour in parkas.

I don't know if the heat pump uses less electricity or not compared to the heat strip, but I will say, I had a Bambi ('03) that had the strip. Unit would run all day and night if I let it in heat strip or A/C mode. Middle of the night I would be sweating bullets with the heat strip. One of the things I like about my 15k unit is that it actually shuts down when the desired temp is reached, the whole unit shuts down, not just the compressor cycling. Very comfy on both modes (heat pump and A/C).

[RLS]

Thanks Andy, Silvertwinkie,
Guess I will go buy an A/C therm. and see what's going on
I have put some insulation up over the skylight and fans. I think it needs some freon or whatever they use now. It just does not seem that cold coming out, but as Andy stated, a therm. is the only way to know for sure.
I do like how it operates. I also found out that it does have heat strips and they automatically come on when it gets cold enough

Bob

[ROBERTSUNRUS]

Hi, szimmerer. I also have the 11,000 BTU air conditioner with heat strip and I'm happy with how it works in my 25' trailer. Also because I have a Yamaha 2400 portable generator, I wouldn't want to upgrade to a larger A/C even though they say it will still power it. My question for you is: My 11,000 BTU A/C has it's controls on the roof unit, does your's? And if yours did, how did you set-up the A/C, Furnace, Thermostat system? And at what extra cost?

[klattu]

Dang...y'all make me want a Carrier too (two)

[Silvertwinkie]

Originally Posted by RLS

Thanks Andy, Silvertwinkie,
Guess I will go buy an A/C therm. and see what's going on
I have put some insulation up over the skylight and fans. I think it needs some freon or whatever they use now. It just does not seem that cold coming out, but as Andy stated, a therm. is the only way to know for sure.
I do like how it operates. I also found out that it does have heat strips and they automatically come on when it gets cold enough

Bob

I seem to recall newer (within the last 5 years or so) RV AC units use R-134a. I however have found that there is an alternative to 134a and that is R-12a. Now I am not suggesting you run out if you need refrigerant in your rooftop unit and switch immediately to R-12a, but I would in fact do some research on it. Yes it's flammable, but so is 134a. I am leaning toward this as a replacement should I ever have problems with any of my mobile cooling systems.

[szimmerer]

My 11K Penguin was a manual control unit. It was not tied into a central control thermostat to control both furnace and A/C. The 11K unit was OK for cooling in 70 - 85 degree situations but in 90+ degree heat , plus high humidity conditions (which is Mississippi for several months of the year) the 11K unit was not cutting it for us.

[gunner]

I have the same problem that everyone has stated which units to purchase. The factory recommends the Duo-Therm Penguin A/C unit. I currently have the original 1984 year Coleman units and one works perfectly and the other works 50 % of the time (don't know why). I don't want a mismatched set due to appearance but I want the best unit with drainpans that are dependable and will cool. I read another thread where some of the Penguin's did not work well. No one is mentioned the Coleman as as replacement why is that? Based on what everyone is saying I don't believe there isn't a clear front runner that is recommended.

[Silvertwinkie]

Originally Posted by szimmerer

My 11K Penguin was a manual control unit. It was not tied into a central control thermostat to control both furnace and A/C. The 11K unit was OK for cooling in 70 - 85 degree situations but in 90+ degree heat , plus high humidity conditions (which is Mississippi for several months of the year) the 11K unit was not cutting it for us.

IMHO, Airstream should not even consider offering the 11k unit on anything larger than a 19' Bambi. Any larger trailer should have the 13.5k unit standard. Last I saw the 13.5k was an upgrade avail only when the "LS" package was purchased. I would argue that the 15k should be part of the LS upgrade or the 15k be made standard after 23'.

I had an 11k unit on my 19' Bambi and though it worked well, it did struggle in high temps and direct sunlight combined with high temps and humidity. I am sure that furnaces are different that A/C units, but in my Safari I have a 25k BTU furnace, yet standard, without options, they put an 11k A/C unit in them? Just doesn't make sense to me, but then again, I'm no engineer.

[Inland RV Center, In]

Originally Posted by gunner

I have the same problem that everyone has stated which units to purchase. The factory recommends the Duo-Therm Penguin A/C unit. I currently have the original 1984 year Coleman units and one works perfectly and the other works 50 % of the time (don't know why). I don't want a mismatched set due to appearance but I want the best unit with drainpans that are dependable and will cool. I read another thread where some of the Penguin's did not work well. No one is mentioned the Coleman as as replacement why is that? Based on what everyone is saying I don't believe there isn't a clear front runner that is recommended.

There sure is a front runner.

You want a Coleman? You need a drain pan. But, they are no longer available.

You want Dometic? Read the posted negatives. Plus, you must have a drain pan.

Carrier? Read the posted positives. Plus, "no" drain pan is necessary.

Andy

[Jaxon]

We're fixin' to move our Airstream to an RV park here in Austin (be neighbors with Kevin & Prim ). We are upgrading from the 13.5k Dometic to a 15k Carrier. The 13.5k did well in the mornings and OK late at night during the beginnings of our summer (already 105 and it ain't even July yet!) but during the mid-day, the 13.5 was barely keeping up. Since we will be spending quite a bit of time there, we figured we'd have better luck with the 15k.

If that's not sufficient, I've still got a 13.5k AC to mount over the bedroom!

[Silvertwinkie]

Originally Posted by Jaxon

If that's not sufficient, I've still got a 13.5k AC to mount over the bedroom!

If you do actually find you need two A/C units, you will most likely have to upgrade to 50a service.

JCanavera has a 30' slide w/ the 15k. Seems to work fine. I would suggest that your seals are all good and fits are tight so there are no air leaks.

[Jaxon]

Originally Posted by Silvertwinkie

If you do actually find you need two A/C units, you will most likely have to upgrade to 50a service.

JCanavera has a 30' slide w/ the 15k. Seems to work fine. I would suggest that your seals are all good and fits are tight so there are no air leaks.

Thanks, good advice. I had been thinking the same thing re: 50 amp upgrade which would necessitate some wiring/service changes. If the 15K Carrier is going to make it, we'll certainly know here pretty quickly. Really don't want to have to deal with 2 A/C's though...

[vswingfield]

Originally Posted by Jaxon

Thanks, good advice. I had been thinking the same thing re: 50 amp upgrade which would necessitate some wiring/service changes. If the 15K Carrier is going to make it, we'll certainly know here pretty quickly. Really don't want to have to deal with 2 A/C's though...

Hi Bill & Kim,

You guys are moving downtown, huh? Need neighborhood, I am jealous.

By coincidence, I just post a comment about the advice I got from Andy about this topic a couple of minutes ago at Two AC Units on 30 Amp???. My guess, since I lived outside Austin and the weather there is much like here in LR, is that you will have about the same results that I do. You might have some shade there depending on the lot, I have none. Also, my Excella is oriented perfectly East-West. If you have a North-South orientation, solar gain will be increased.

Everything else going OK?