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Gneiss Guy · 09-27-2008, 06:13 PM

We just returned from an eight-thousand-mile "shake-down cruise" with our nearly-new 2006 Safari SE FB 25-foot Airstream. We had a few problems like a leaky sky-light, a few other leaks resulting from loose rivets (according to a dealer at which we stopped), a leaky shower door, an ill-fitted screen door and a few other things which made me begin to suspect the quality of construction I had expected from the unit. Two things bothered me even more than these issues. The main one was the time required for the trailer to cool down. The unit is equipped with a air conditioner/heat pump which I believe is 13,500 BTU (I think that is what comes with the SE package). We had the unit checked out twice and were assured it was working correctly. Is this a function of the rig's construction? It does have a lot of glass. I bought this trailer after having two 5th-wheels in which I never had this problem. In this trailer we closed all the blinds and let the AC run full-blast and it never really cooled the rig until the sun went down. What do other people do? Is that the reason I see so many Airstreams with awnings over nearly all windows?

The other serious problem relates to the refrigerator. Every day, after about 300 miles of travel on gas , the temperature rose to around 50 degrees. Once more, that was never a problem with any of my previous trailers. ANY HELP WOULD BE APPRECIATED.

Inland RV Center, In · 09-27-2008, 06:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gneiss Guy

We just returned from an eight-thousand-mile "shake-down cruise" with our nearly-new 2006 Safari SE FB 25-foot Airstream. We had a few problems like a leaky sky-light, a few other leaks resulting from loose rivets (according to a dealer at which we stopped), a leaky shower door, an ill-fitted screen door and a few other things which made me begin to suspect the quality of construction I had expected from the unit. Two things bothered me even more than these issues. The main one was the time required for the trailer to cool down. The unit is equipped with a air conditioner/heat pump which I believe is 13,500 BTU (I think that is what comes with the SE package). We had the unit checked out twice and were assured it was working correctly. Is this a function of the rig's construction? It does have a lot of glass. I bought this trailer after having two 5th-wheels in which I never had this problem. In this trailer we closed all the blinds and let the AC run full-blast and it never really cooled the rig until the sun went down. What do other people do? Is that the reason I see so many Airstreams with awnings over nearly all windows?

The other serious problem relates to the refrigerator. Every day, after about 300 miles of travel on gas , the temperature rose to around 50 degrees. Once more, that was never a problem with any of my previous trailers. ANY HELP WOULD BE APPRECIATED.

You must give the AC a "head start" by turning it on, before you really need it.

In that way, the Ac does a much better job of cooling.

If your down south, a 15,000 btu unit does a much superior job.

Your reefer problem, could be a low LPG pressure setting, or a dirty burner orifice, or, inadequate ventilation.

Andy

jerrypeterma · 09-27-2008, 06:22 PM

I'm watching RV with Robin Williams and they are dumping their tanks right now. sounds to me like your trip was a great success.
welcome to the forum and I know that someone has some answers for you
Take care
Jerry

DrPlay · 09-27-2008, 06:45 PM

I have a 2006 25' CCD SS and the ONLY time I had a problem with the AC not effectively cooling the trailer was when I didn't put my reading glasses on and turned the FAN on instead of COOL! Other than that you could hang meat in the thing.

willyd · 09-27-2008, 06:57 PM

Sounds like a great trip. Sounds as if the problems all have a reasonable solution. Welcome to the forum.

63Silver · 09-27-2008, 07:09 PM

Gneiss Guy,
Welcome to the forum! I would like to hear more about this trip. I have a 28ft with the 13,500 Coleman and it will run you out, in July, in the South. BUT, you must turn it on early enough in the day that the trailer does not get too warm and yes the windows need awnings or curtains. We can tell a big difference when it is sunny and the curtains are open. Good Luck, I'm sure you will find an answer here.

63silver

altamont · 09-27-2008, 07:18 PM

I have heard the skylights are like radiators and just bring in the heat. If that is the case, you could get an insulated cover and that would at least keep the heat down from that source.

CanoeStream · 09-27-2008, 07:27 PM

Before making our selection we toured an early '05 25' FB SE with a skylight. I'm not going to nitpick on some inherent Airstream insulation issues, but there certainly was excessive heat gain on a Minnesota mid-June morning even with the shade drawn on that skylight. So we did not elect for that option. Of course they made that feature a standard item. So what's to do? Andy has probably hit the target with his comments.

The fridge? I've run mine on the middle '3' setting on both electric & gas but have moved to finer tuning. My experience has been that the gas is more effective given the same setting (your results may vary). I use an inexpensive fridge thermometer kept in the freezer and look for a freezer temp in the desired +4-5 degree range. I have gotten to where I don't use the '3' setting universally. I get used to the differences between electric & propane and manually change the setting when I set up camp and have an electric hookup.

Lumatic · 09-27-2008, 07:45 PM

Are you describing ceiling skylights or vista view windows ( at least that's what they are called on the 70s) which are above the windows where the side transitions to the ceiling?

thecatsandi · 09-27-2008, 09:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gneiss Guy

[deleted]
The other serious problem relates to the refrigerator. Every day, after about 300 miles of travel on gas , the temperature rose to around 50 degrees. Once more, that was never a problem with any of my previous trailers. ANY HELP WOULD BE APPRECIATED.

Are you leaving the refer one while driving? If so your refer may be blowing out on gas. If not I would not be suprized.

73Overlander · 09-27-2008, 09:25 PM

Andy's remarks fit very closely with my experience. Starting the AC after the trailer is already very hot makes for an extremely long cool down time. Starting earlier it will keep it quite cold throughout the day.

Also, I've got awnings over every window. Lowering them makes a world of difference.

TBRich · 09-27-2008, 09:28 PM

Gneiss Guy...welcome to the Airforums... The concept of giving the AC a head start in the efforts to stay cool is s good one...we live in the desert and it helps a lot. The other thing we did is get the street side/rear awning package added to our Bambi...this also makes a big difference...more than you'd guess. Now granted, a Bambi is a lot less area to keep cool, but we stay pretty darn cooled down when we use it...sometimes downright chilly.

Sounds like you had a good trip overall...congrats! That's quite a shakedown trip!

Lumatic · 09-28-2008, 02:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gneiss Guy

The other serious problem relates to the refrigerator. Every day, after about 300 miles of travel on gas , the temperature rose to around 50 degrees. Once more, that was never a problem with any of my previous trailers. ANY HELP WOULD BE APPRECIATED.

Is the fridge colder before you travel? On 110 or propane?? How's the temp when not traveling?

Frank's Trailer Works · 09-28-2008, 04:56 AM

I have a 22 year old Coleman 13,500. It is so cold that we can only stand it on the lowest possible setting.
The sun coming in will make a huge difference in heating up the trailer. Maybe you should draw the curtains during the day to block out the sun.

CanoeStream · 09-28-2008, 05:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lumatic

Are you describing ceiling skylights or vista view windows ( at least that's what they are called on the 70s) which are above the windows where the side transitions to the ceiling?

I've got vista views too. They do add to heat gain but would be shaded by deployed roadside awnings. Sounds like TBRich is well set up for warm locales! I was talking about the ceiling skylight. With shade drawn, walking under it felt like coming near a radiant heater.

redeagle313 · 09-28-2008, 09:35 AM

We have the 28 CCD with the 13,500 AC, and we have no issues with getting it cool enough. We did get the optional skylight (so we have 2), and as others have said, if the skylight cover is open it really adds heat in sunlight conditions, and still adds heat when retracted. If we are in full sunlight, we keep the window shades pulled shut on the windows that are not protected by the awnings. We also opted for the street side and rear window awning, and they do make a nice difference. When we tow, it is with all shades closed, this keeps the trailer as cool as possible.

As for the fridge, we had issues with the pilot going out while traveling. The techs at JC put in a baffle in front of the pilot light area, and that did the trick. We recently had the recall work done on the Dometic, and they took the baffle out, and they replaced it with some shielding that looks like it will certainly guard the pilot light.

RoadKingMoe · 09-28-2008, 10:12 AM

A single 13,500 btu unit is adequate for our 34 with two skylights, but then we live in Ohio, not Florida or out west. As others have said, when the trailer is hot we get all the windows open and both Fantastic Vents spinning while I deploy all the awnings. Awnings are a MUST-HAVE! Until you get the heat out of all that thermal mass inside the trailer, the air-conditioner can't win. Just cooling the air inside doesn't do it. Got to let all that wood, etc inside cool down as well. Sometimes we find the AC really isn't needed after it cools down.

Lumatic · 09-28-2008, 10:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RoadKingMoe

get the heat out of all that thermal mass inside the trailer, the air-conditioner can't win. Just cooling the air inside doesn't do it. Got to let all that wood, etc inside cool down as well. Sometimes we find the AC really isn't needed after it cools down.

I get a head start by partially opening the roof vents when traveling. Just make sure you have a type that won't get damaged by the wind.

Gneiss Guy · 09-30-2008, 09:45 AM

Thanks for all the advice. Just a couple of explanatory notes here. First, my hot trailer problems are at the end of travel days, so I don't have the option of turning on the AC before it gets hot. We do keep all shades closed, including the ceiling sky lite cover and vista view blinds. Once we got west the problem was not so great ... unfortunately I live in the southeast and have to drive through Missouri or Arkansas, as well as Kansas, to get west. It looks like some more awnings are in my future.

The frig does okay during the day, although it still doesn't seem as cold as the one in my 5th wheel. We do run it on gas while traveling. Is there another way? I think I will look into a baffle to protest the pilot light and see if that helps.

Thanks for all your help. Gneiss Guy

airbassador · 09-30-2008, 10:20 AM

If your air conditioner is trying to cool that super hot air in your trailer after you stop for the day, it can take a long time. In theory, it cools the air to about 19 degrees colder than the air it's bringing in. Thus if you can start out with cooler air, you'll obviously get cold faster.

I use mine as a home office, and during the peak of summer (95+ outside), the thing will be 120 degrees plus all closed up. When I need to get some work done, I go open all the windows 20 minutes before hand and let the air temperature equalize with the outside world (roof fans also). Then I crank on the air conditioner and close the windows and I'm nice and chilly within another 30 minutes.

If I just turn on the air without clearing the hot out first via open windows, it can take a couple hours to get comfortable.