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Old 06-29-2016, 06:34 PM   #1
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2018 25' International
Sioux Falls , South Dakota
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Cool Post 2015 International owners, are you happy with the new ducted A/C system?

We are interested in hearing comments from International Airstreamers who have the new, post 2015 model year, ducted A/C units.

Are you happy with this setup? How evenly distributed is the cooling air? Is it more quite than the previous non-ducted units?

How does the new system hold up on really hot days? Do you think that larger Internationals, 25 & up, need two units?

What do you think is best about the new setup? Where do you see improvements could or should be made?

Thanks for your time.
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Old 06-29-2016, 08:50 PM   #2
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I have a 2015 25ft Intl Sig with ducted AC and really love it. It's all I've ever owned though so I can't say it's better. I'm told it's much quieter though it is still kind of loud but we like having the "white noise" while we sleep. Because the unit turns on and off we typically just leave the fan on Low at night so there is no noise changes. I sleep like a rock.

As far as cooling power; again, I can't say it's better but I've been told it's much better. Which makes sense because it's cooling from all throughout the cabin and drawing in to the center. Non-ducted versions intake and output from the same location. For reference though, we live in the Carolinas where we get 95 degrees and 110% humidity from June to October. To cool that off in the sun takes a while but it will drop the inside temp down into the low 70's where we set it, it just doesn't stay off for long. In the shade, it's performs better and at night it's well within capability. (To me it seems that the Airstreams are well insulated but the sun heats the outside skin and then the heat transfers in to the cabin easily. Like a spoon in hot water. Bad in the summer but nice in the winter... still not a reason to buy a box RV.)

When we bought ours, the ducted AC was all the rage and it sounded like anything without it would become a resale problem. Like the ones with it would be so much easier to sell. Someone put that idea in my head and we paid the extra to get into the 25ft even though a 23 would have been fine. By the way, I kind of regret not getting the 27 now...
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Old 06-29-2016, 09:00 PM   #3
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Oh, on the improvements section: The air intakes in the cabin have these awful foam air filters in them that, I just don't see as very effective filters. Not compared with any sort of home filtration. There doesn't seem to be any replaceable paper filters that could be used instead yet but I think they are sorely needing to be developed. The way the ducting works though, I'm not sure it's possible. The foam ones are probably totally capable to filtering out the things that would hurt the longevity of the AC unit but enclosed spaces like an RV should probably be better for respiratory reasons. None here though.
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Old 07-02-2016, 05:58 AM   #4
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My thoughts having had both is its much better ducted by far. It is NOT like your home A/C where you don't really hear the unit running although any thing you read on "Quietstream Ducted Air" leads you to believe this. It is still loud directly under either unit, especially the bedroom unit (we have two a/c's), but that said it's still probably less then 1/2 as loud as our old a/c unit. A major improvement!

The ducted air has a good distribution of airflow throughout the Airstream if we only run one of the two units. Vents directly under either units get a little more air if only running one A/C but still they do a great job evening out the airflow throughout the whole coach.

We opt'ed for two a/c units in our 28 INTL as our single unit on our 25FC couldn't keep us cool on really hot days. On normal under 90deg days we haven't had to run both units so we run the unit furthest from where we happen to be in the Airstream (dinette A/C at night and bedroom A/C during the day) because of the good airflow on the ducted air. Our two A/C units are different sizes but when running we can tell little difference. If we are worried about electricity usage we try and opt for the smaller of the two.

For aesthetics, the inside look of the ducked air is amazing. Very clean looking.

Improvements? 1)Even quieter units 2) air vents have nice aluminum cover but a cheap plastic vent controller behind them. 3) better placement of the temperature sensor then behind the TV
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Old 07-02-2016, 11:57 AM   #5
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I love mine, no complaints. It's quiet and has worked well. I bought aftermarket vent covers with the little flip on/off incase I want to direct all of the air to one section but I have not installed them yet.

The only complaint if from by dog. In the old rig she could sit directly under the a/c and have cold air blasting at her. She used to really like that. Now she has to make do with climate control.
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Old 07-02-2016, 12:43 PM   #6
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I had a 25 foot AI without ducted air. So noisy you could not hardly watch tv and carry on a conversation. The single air conditioner was okay except on the hottest days. Overnighted once in Vegas in summer. Interior never got below 90 degrees.
I now have a 2016 30 foot AI with dual air conditioners. I love it! They are not whisper quiet but much quieter. We can actually talk and hear each other at opposite ends of the trailer. We just came home from a trip where we encountered some 102 degree days. No problems. At night we shut down one of the units.
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Old 07-02-2016, 12:46 PM   #7
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Best thing scene slice bread, when other AS stop by to see the AIR they fall in love with it.

I think that a lot of AS people will be moving on up to get this.
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Old 07-02-2016, 02:14 PM   #8
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Ducted AC vs. non-Ducted

Just sounding off with everyone else, our 27 IS cools like a fridge under all but the very hottest conditions. I wouldn't go with a 2 AC setup with anything 27 or smaller unless maybe full-timing in FLA. Not silent, but a comforting sound to me -- I grew up in DC and I'd rather have it icy. We sometimes wear sweaters and cover up with blankets with the AC on at night.

My grown kids have a 2010 same model with the single center AC. No comparison. They're amazed at the difference, so a direct comparison of ducts vs. no ducts makes it pretty clear to us. ALso agree on looks of the system. Only small niggle would be thermostat's in the bedroom and when its sunny, AC runs a good deal trying to get the bedroom temp down. Awnings deployed helps a lot. 66 coupe
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Old 07-02-2016, 02:57 PM   #9
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I have a FC 26U 2016 with 2 units. It is very nice v/s the 2013 30' Classic with 1 unit. Quieter, cooler and great air distribution.
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Old 07-02-2016, 11:10 PM   #10
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Last two days we have been getting the AS ready to leave in a week or so to a much cooler climate, we have had very high temperature in Phoenix 108 to 110.

I had a 30amp plug put in at our home so now we can work in cold trailer and take our time.

I had a total knee replacement 12 weeks ago and this has delayed out getting out of AZ, todays high was 110, AC keeps the trailer nice and cold all day, I have to stop replacing my Toilet with a larger one the Dometic High Profile 320 Series Gravity RV Toilet White w/hand spray, wife loves the hand sprayer make easier to clean to watch some GOLF.
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Old 07-03-2016, 11:16 AM   #11
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Cool

We live in S.W. Florida and have only taken our 2016 FC 26U on 2 trips. Both with temps in low 90's with a lot of humidity and it performed well. We keep all the window awnings up and the shades down. My wife likes it cool,so we keep the temp at 70. I think it is extremely quiet, but I usually don't bring my hearing aids with me camping, so maybe I'm not a great judge of the noise issue, but I think it's a great improvement over earlier years.
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Old 07-05-2016, 08:39 AM   #12
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Having an SOB trailer with ducted air and then a 2013 Airstream without ducted air I will say the ducted air is quieter.
Cooling with 2 a/c units is not a problem whether or not you have ducted air. The non-ducted units have flaps and louvers that can be adjusted to control air flow. The cool air hits the end wall of the trailer and turns back. It's cold everywhere.
The non-ducted air is extremely loud. It is the biggest downfall to my otherwise wonderful trailer.
The reduced decibels of the ducted system would be greatly appreciated.
The non-ducted a/c has a better filter. I'm sure a piece of good filter material can be bought and cut to size to fit the returns on the ducted system.
Ducted air may be less windy/breezy.
If I had been aware of upcoming improvements when I bought my 2013 Classic 30 in October 2012 I would have waited a couple of years and bought a 2015 Classic in 2014.
As it is, I will keep the trailer I have. It was the most expensive thing I have ever bought and I can't afford to take the loss to trade it on a new Classic.
I do love the cherry wood and other features in the new Classic, though.
Get 2 a/c units regardless for more reasons than cooling.
You have redundancy if one unit quits.
You get a 50 amp trailer vs. a 30 amp trailer.
That in itself is huge. No more microwave OR hair dryer OR A/C. No more tripping breakers.
The 2 a/c units is also good if one person in a couple is always hot and the other person is always cold.
The same reasoning applies to 2 televisions.
One person wants to watch this. The other person wants to watch that.
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Old 07-06-2016, 05:34 AM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by m.hony View Post
The non-ducted a/c has a better filter. I'm sure a piece of good filter material can be bought and cut to size to fit the returns on the ducted system.


If I had been aware of upcoming improvements when I bought my 2013 Classic 30 in October 2012 I would have waited a couple of years and bought a 2015 Classic in 2014.
As it is, I will keep the trailer I have. It was the most expensive thing I have ever bought and I can't afford to take the loss to trade it on a new Classic.
I do love the cherry wood and other features in the new Classic, though.

Unfortunately, I can't figure out a solution for the ducted AC filter. It would require a better filter being able to attach itself to the air intake itself, not in the duct work like in a home HVAC system. Above the air intake "grates" is a very large space which contains electrical and even some insulation batting. (I was very surprised by that too!)

For whatever it's worth, our International is not very comfortable. I envy that couch you have and will eventually either replace my dinette setup with one or do a lounge chair modification! Nothing in life is perfect.
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Old 07-06-2016, 11:49 AM   #14
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You couldn't cut a piece of good filter media and sandwich it between the ceiling and the return grill?
Is the return grill attached with screws?
I guess I need to look closely at the returns next time I am in a newer trailer at a rally.
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Old 07-06-2016, 11:52 AM   #15
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I chose the Classic based on floor plan/layout and the wood.
I prefer the wood and I like a distinct, separate bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, and living room without having to convert, flip, transform, presto/Change-o anything.
I want to walk through the door with everything ready to go like at the sticks and bricks house.
I like the wood because it resembles really old vintage trailer. I like the fact that it looks like your grandpa's trailer. That is a turn-off for some.
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Old 07-06-2016, 02:41 PM   #16
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I have a 2013 noducted 25. I had to open the unit up to work on it. I think the ducted unit would have to be opened on the top only ( I think). Only 6 screws hold the cover on the inside of the unducted.
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Old 07-07-2016, 01:39 PM   #17
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I tried different filter material in the ducted returns. The airflow was restricted enough to cause warm, moist air to be sucked in from the outside, resulting in dripping condensation on the ductwork. Water was leaking from the ceiling seams. I had to go back to the original filter material.

Bruce
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Old 07-07-2016, 07:54 PM   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by AstroBruce View Post
I tried different filter material in the ducted returns. The airflow was restricted enough to cause warm, moist air to be sucked in from the outside, resulting in dripping condensation on the ductwork. Water was leaking from the ceiling seams. I had to go back to the original filter material.

Bruce

Whoa! Yep, can't have that! Foam filters are fine.
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Old 07-30-2016, 11:19 AM   #19
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These are pictures of the air intake in the ducted AC system. I took mine out today in order to clean the "filters" which, as you can see are just very thin pieces of foam. The upper half of the "filter" has been "cleaned" the other half has not. Just above this area is the inlet to the AC unit on the roof and you can actually see the evaporator.

As an update to a previous post: The current outside air temp is 95 degrees with 47% humidity. My unit is sitting in full sunlight on a concrete driveway. The AC is set to 83 degrees to, ya know, keep it "cool" before it goes back into storage and I can only get it to drop to 85 degrees. It's a dry 85 though so it's survivable. If it were a cloudy day or the unit were in shade, had an awning up, whatever, it would do much, much better. Than aluminum is one heck of a good conductor!

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