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06-06-2019, 06:39 PM
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#1
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4 Rivet Member
2021 19' Bambi
San Francisco
, California
Join Date: Apr 2019
Posts: 410
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Run AC and Fantastic Fans same time?
This is an air quality question. I don’t have issues with humidity because I’m in the desert, but woke myself up last night sneezing. The sun was shining through this am and I could see tons of particles floating. I remember my cat going a bit litter box crazy, had an extra body in the camper over the weekend when a friend was in town, and their doing some gravel work at the campground. I try to keep my camper exceptionally clean. Went right after work today and bought some no dust cat litter and did a good cleaning.
So my question, I read on another forum that running the AC helps. I really don’t want to buy any accessories like air purifiers, etc. So, when on shore power, can I run my Fantastic Fans and the AC together to try and get some air moving. Any risks or disadvantages? Would this really allow that much hot air in.
Need a skilled streamer for this one!
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06-06-2019, 06:45 PM
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#2
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Rivet Master
2012 27' Flying Cloud
W
, New England
Join Date: Oct 2012
Posts: 7,402
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I’m not deeply experienced so take with a grain of salt. In my experience, running the AC with anything open is not a good idea. For me, it causes the AC unit to leak inside on the floor. It only happens if the AC is on while a fan or window is open. That’s my $0.02.
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06-06-2019, 06:48 PM
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#3
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Rivet Master
2007 30' Classic
Oswego
, Illinois
Join Date: Jul 2010
Posts: 13,658
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The only time I run both is after a hot soaked day on the road. One fan in and one fan out. Exchanges the hot air pretty quickly and helps with initial cooldown.
That said, I am unclear what you are trying to accomplish.
__________________
-Rich-
"If the women don't find you handsome, they should at least find you handy." - Red Green
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06-06-2019, 08:43 PM
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#4
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Rivet Master
1972 25' Tradewind
1976 31' Excella 500
1974 31' Excella 500
1975 24' Argosy 24
Denver
, Colorado
Join Date: Jul 2015
Posts: 1,106
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I too am confused as to how running the fans with the ac will help clean the air. FWIW, I've found some very high end air purifiers at Goodwill, etc. for next to nothing. That's what I use.
__________________
25' 1972 Airstream Trade Wind Land Yacht (heavily customized)
2006 Jeep Liberty CRD (diesel)
BeahmStream.com
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06-06-2019, 09:33 PM
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#5
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4 Rivet Member
2021 19' Bambi
San Francisco
, California
Join Date: Apr 2019
Posts: 410
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Run AC and Fantastic Fans same time?
Appreciate the responses. I’m just trying to get the dusty air out, keep cool at the same time, and not overwhelm the AC system/filters. Also I’m a minimalist so trying to find a way to maintain fresh air without adding something else to my life. Cat owners may understand my issue better here...that litter dust, ha ha.
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06-07-2019, 06:54 AM
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#6
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Rivet Master
2012 25' FB Eddie Bauer
Vintage Kin Owner
Virginia Beach
, Virginia
Join Date: Sep 2004
Posts: 7,801
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A few people here have been very clever with their litter boxes - at a.cost of some underbed storage. Create a cat path to the outside storage door. Place the litter pan by the door. Change the litter outside and vacuum the immediate area, voila!
__________________
Today is a gift, that's why they call it the present.
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06-07-2019, 08:26 AM
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#7
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Rivet Master
1973 21' Globetrotter
Houston
, Texas
Join Date: Sep 2009
Posts: 3,314
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Think about it this way:
The interior of your trailer is essentially a closed system (when all doors, windows, and vents are closed). When you turn on the AC, you draw in air from the interior, cool it, and spew it back into the interior. Your AC (probably) has some filters built right into it that can be slid out and cleaned. If you haven't checked them, then you should. If they aren't trapping anything, then maybe there is a finer filter available for your AC that would help.
Now, if you open a vent and turn the fan on so that it draws air out of the interior and spews it into the outside, first, you are getting rid of air that you have already spent time/money cooling, second, you are creating a (slight) vacuum in your trailer, and "replacement" air is going to have to come from somewhere (ie., from the outside, through every leaking door/hatch/window seal). As mentioneed earlier, replacement air coming from outside will not only be hot, but if you were in a more humid environment, this air would bring humidity in with it, which might condense on every cool surface (especially the intake of the AC, which is why they drip to the interior).
So the most efficient way to use your AC is to keep your system closed, no windows open, no vents, no fans.
If you think the majority of your dust is coming from kitty litter, maybe you should try finding a less dusty litter. They make all kinds of completely artificial litter these days, if you are still using the old shale/clay based litter, then there are certainly less dusty options out there. Another option, as mentioned earlier, would be to enclose the litter box so that the litter dust stays within that space. I own a commercially available litter pan that has an enclosure built over it with a flappy door on it and a filter built into the "air vent" in the roof. Seems to work OK.
Another source of dust is probably the cat itself. I brush my cat every day if I can, and even though he is a short-haired cat, it is amazing how much hair comes out of him everyday.
good luck!
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06-07-2019, 10:02 AM
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#8
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4 Rivet Member
2017 27' International
Lake Havasu City
, Arizona
Join Date: Feb 2017
Posts: 310
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Good advice from Belegedhel. I agree that treating your rig as a closed system is your best bet. One tip based on my experience: those air conditioner intake filters get filled with dust a lot faster than you might expect. I clean mine every couple of days when I'm using the air conditioner. Also, for what it's worth, I've found that Arm & Hammer's "Clump and Seal" litter creates little or no dust.
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06-07-2019, 10:15 AM
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#9
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4 Rivet Member
2021 19' Bambi
San Francisco
, California
Join Date: Apr 2019
Posts: 410
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Belegedhel
Think about it this way:
The interior of your trailer is essentially a closed system (when all doors, windows, and vents are closed). When you turn on the AC, you draw in air from the interior, cool it, and spew it back into the interior. Your AC (probably) has some filters built right into it that can be slid out and cleaned. If you haven't checked them, then you should. If they aren't trapping anything, then maybe there is a finer filter available for your AC that would help.
Now, if you open a vent and turn the fan on so that it draws air out of the interior and spews it into the outside, first, you are getting rid of air that you have already spent time/money cooling, second, you are creating a (slight) vacuum in your trailer, and "replacement" air is going to have to come from somewhere (ie., from the outside, through every leaking door/hatch/window seal). As mentioneed earlier, replacement air coming from outside will not only be hot, but if you were in a more humid environment, this air would bring humidity in with it, which might condense on every cool surface (especially the intake of the AC, which is why they drip to the interior).
So the most efficient way to use your AC is to keep your system closed, no windows open, no vents, no fans.
If you think the majority of your dust is coming from kitty litter, maybe you should try finding a less dusty litter. They make all kinds of completely artificial litter these days, if you are still using the old shale/clay based litter, then there are certainly less dusty options out there. Another option, as mentioned earlier, would be to enclose the litter box so that the litter dust stays within that space. I own a commercially available litter pan that has an enclosure built over it with a flappy door on it and a filter built into the "air vent" in the roof. Seems to work OK.
Another source of dust is probably the cat itself. I brush my cat every day if I can, and even though he is a short-haired cat, it is amazing how much hair comes out of him everyday.
good luck!
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Really appreciate this write up, thank you!
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06-07-2019, 11:21 AM
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#10
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Stay CazuaL
2018 25' Flying Cloud
2014 19' Flying Cloud
Reseda
, California
Join Date: Aug 2014
Posts: 959
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You can only run the AC and the Vent at the same time during a full moon. Running them both will cause a tear in space and time.
BE VERY VERY CAREFUL!!
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06-07-2019, 11:42 AM
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#11
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4 Rivet Member
1976 31' Excella 500
Chappell Hill
, Texas
Join Date: Sep 2017
Posts: 485
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Running the A/C will draw the dust into it's filters but it you have the fantastic fans on exhaust, the A/C and Fans will be both sucking air. Sounds like you'll be making air soup then and who knows which dusty air will go where first? Also the A/C can be set to fan only so plan on cleaning filters more often if used for air purification (I am using that word loosely here).
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06-07-2019, 12:50 PM
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#12
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Rivet Master
1988 25' Excella
1987 32' Excella
Knoxville
, Tennessee
Join Date: Oct 2010
Posts: 5,103
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I run them both sometimes. No problem. But I think the trailer will be cleaner with the vent closed.
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06-07-2019, 01:21 PM
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#13
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Rivet Master
2012 Avenue Coach
Corpus Christi
, Texas
Join Date: Feb 2018
Posts: 1,719
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It may be a case where most of the floating particles are always there, cat or not. You just don't always have the right sunlight rays to catch them and make them visible.
It has happened both at home and in our rv that suddenly the sunlight comes in at the perfect angle to light up the dust particles. Kind of takes you aback when you realize what you're breathing, but they're probably there all the time. The test is whether you see excess amounts of dust accumulation on flat surfaces. If not, you may just be noticing things floating that have always been there.
.
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06-09-2019, 08:51 AM
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#14
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Rivet Master
2008 19' Bambi
2012 23' Flying Cloud
2016 25' Flying Cloud
Bandera
, Texas
Join Date: Jun 2012
Posts: 786
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dznf0g
The only time I run both is after a hot soaked day on the road. One fan in and one fan out. Exchanges the hot air pretty quickly and helps with initial cooldown.
That said, I am unclear what you are trying to accomplish.
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I concur, and this should help exhaust some of the pollen/dust particles along with the warm air.
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06-09-2019, 09:23 AM
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#15
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Rivet Master
Currently Looking...
Mantua
, Ohio
Join Date: Jul 2005
Posts: 7,062
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Change or clean the often forbest results.
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06-15-2019, 08:07 AM
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#16
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4 Rivet Member
2021 19' Bambi
San Francisco
, California
Join Date: Apr 2019
Posts: 410
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Just an update: I’ve managed to extract the intake vents and clean the thin filters. I also purchased a small air filter as bad as I didn’t want to. Cleaned up my litter box situation a bit and started applying more lotion to myself. The sun shining through the vista view window in the mornings is like a black light for air particles, you can just see them floating, was a bit amazed at all the floaties just scratching myself or even drying myself off causes. Maybe a desert thing? The air quality in Western Colorado is just awful and at this campground I’m at even worse, gravel roads, dusty sites, a pot farm. Thinking of my AS as a closed system really helps, thanks Belegedhel.
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