2011 FC at 18 Months

[Tater]

I will offer a few observations after having our 2011 Flying Cloud for eighteen months.

The drawer just inside the entry drawer would not stay shut after trying several latches and a dealer installing a new catch in the rear. The fix we finally made was my wife's suggestion. a screen door latch with eyelet on the side of the drawer being careful to make sure the latch eyelet clears the brackets on the side. The drawer hasn't come open since while traveling. The bracket did disintegrate on one trip and A/S send me replacement brackets which I installed with no problem.

Leaking shower. I couldn't find the source of the leak and having a previous A/S with the same problem that wasn't corrected by a dealer and trip to JC, I learned to just remove the door trim down to the sealant. Remove all sealant and recaulk with silicone. Neither A/S ever leaked after this fix.

My biggest concern for which there is no fix other than buying a new A/C is that for a 25' FC in Florida, the 13,500 BTU A/C is insufficient to cool the trailer in summer. It heats up considerably during the day although the A/C is running full tilt. Heats up means upper 80s inside. I believe a 15,000 BTU unit would be better suited for these conditions but won't know. I asked about this when ordering and was assured the 13,500 was properly sized for a 25'. I should have followed my instincts and gone with a 15k unit. Additionally, the A/C drips water out the filter area on both sides in high humidity conditions. The drain is working but I believe there is a design flaw that lets humidity build up inside the unit. I have no fix for this either.

The blue LED power indicator on the power input didn't work. Took a trip to the dealer to get repaired and I understand the liability issues from A/S to not send me the part. A trip to the dealer took care of this.

A leaking fresh water tank. Crazy thing was I though it was A.C draining but it was a crack in the fresh water tank. A trip to the dealer fixed this after trying a repair to patch the crack failed. No problem since replacement of the tank.

A leak under the sink required a trip to the dealer and was not fixed properly and continued to leak. I replaced the bad piece of pipe and put a valve in and there has been no leaks since.

Overall, we're pleased with our second A/S. The quality issues I see are more interior than exterior. Our biggest issue is the lack of adequate cooling by the 13,500 Dometic heat pump. We had a carrier A/c on the previous A.C with no problem.

The latest issue we've noticed is that the front outside center window that flips up is warped. Our trailer is garage kept so it isn't baking in the sun and warping and it's outside about six weeks annually. We're waiting to see if A/S will require a trip to the dealer to replace the center outside window or will let me return the one on the trailer and replace it myself. Dealer trips are expensive from the stand point of gasoline and two days lost going and coming.

[Florida_27FB]

I recently purchased a 27FB flying cloud - have had it one month and it is breaking in. The entry drawer issue is still the same, won't stay closed when underway. I have a small leak that is entering along the bulkhead under the mirrored cabinet. The hinge on that cabinet has snapped right off as well. The worst thing that has happened is the ZipDee awning support arm snapped and I'm bruised up from the whipping I took trying to exit the coach. I'm new to airstream but am concerned that I may have a defective unit.

[Luckyducks]

As a fellow Floridian dealing with heat and a 25' Flying Cloud with the 13.5 BTU AC, I've done a few things to make my AC more effective. First, I added the roadside and rear awnings - this gives shade to the sides of the trailer in the hottest part of the day. The other thing I did was get my windows professionally tinted. The tint really helps. The factory has a dye in the glass that makes the windows somewhat darker but the film I had installed reduces the UV and infrared rays. The curved rear corner windows were done with one piece of film too (heat gun trick). The trailer looks great and the film adds to the privacy. Overall, I've been content with the cooling feature - the AC fan blower noise is another subject.

One other thing I learned in the forums (using the search function) is to turn the thermostat down much lower than you really want the temperature to be (try 60-65). It works. I wasn't getting cool enough by setting it at 75.

On your water leak inside from the AC, try the auto fan feature. When the compressor and fan cut off completely, this lets the water drain out on to the ground better. When the fan stays on all the time, the fan keeps pushing moisture back into the air of the trailer.

Russ

[SilverRanger]

I have a friend with a 25 ft AS with a 13.5 BTU AC, and she has the same cooling issues on very hot days. I have a 13.5 in my Bambi and, as you can imagine, it cools down quite well. It seems like overkill for a 19 ft. trailer, but it came with the upgrade package, and has come in handy on more than one occasion. At a rally this weekend, it was exceptionally hot for this area, 102 degrees with no shade. It still took about an hour to get it from 98 degrees inside down to 70. Then there was that time in Georgia, when it was 104 degrees...

Luckyducks made a good suggestion of setting the thermostat lower than needed. I also set the fan on high speed until the temperature lowers, then I kick it back to low speed, or on auto.

[richinny]

LEWSTER our resident rv master tech says to run the ac ran on high speed to help prvent the coils from icing in high humidity. someone on the forum insulated the inside of the ac interior to improve cooling and reduce condensation drips. i have the same dripping issue.

same issue but not the thread i was looking for:
http://www.airforums.com/forums/f308/a-c-20129.html

[Tater]

Originally Posted by Florida_27FB

I recently purchased a 27FB flying cloud - have had it one month and it is breaking in. The entry drawer issue is still the same, won't stay closed when underway. I have a small leak that is entering along the bulkhead under the mirrored cabinet. The hinge on that cabinet has snapped right off as well. The worst thing that has happened is the ZipDee awning support arm snapped and I'm bruised up from the whipping I took trying to exit the coach. I'm new to airstream but am concerned that I may have a defective unit.

I had arms break on two separate A/Ss. They broke where the claw is riveted to the aluminum square support. I asked Zip Dee about this since they wouldn't cover them by warranty and this is their response.
Hello,

Yes the claw and bar assembly is designed to be a weak point to avoid more costly
damage that could occur under extreme conditions
You probably should keep a spare on hand

The Relax ( when it is available should be an easy transition for an Airstream owner to retrofit)

Thank you
-The Zip Dee Team

96 Crossen Ave
Elk Grove Village, Il 60007

800-338-2378
Awnings By Zip Dee

In both of my cases the claw did not break, it was the square female piece broke where it was riveted to the the solid square male extension that is spring loaded into the awning support.

[Tater]

Originally Posted by Luckyducks

As a fellow Floridian dealing with heat and a 25' Flying Cloud with the 13.5 BTU AC, I've done a few things to make my AC more effective. First, I added the roadside and rear awnings - this gives shade to the sides of the trailer in the hottest part of the day. The other thing I did was get my windows professionally tinted. The tint really helps. The factory has a dye in the glass that makes the windows somewhat darker but the film I had installed reduces the UV and infrared rays. The curved rear corner windows were done with one piece of film too (heat gun trick). The trailer looks great and the film adds to the privacy. Overall, I've been content with the cooling feature - the AC fan blower noise is another subject.

One other thing I learned in the forums (using the search function) is to turn the thermostat down much lower than you really want the temperature to be (try 60-65). It works. I wasn't getting cool enough by setting it at 75.

On your water leak inside from the AC, try the auto fan feature. When the compressor and fan cut off completely, this lets the water drain out on to the ground better. When the fan stays on all the time, the fan keeps pushing moisture back into the air of the trailer.

Russ

Russ, leaving it in auto at night instead of the fan being on may be worth a shot although I don't believe it would cycle much during the day with the temp turned down. I have covered all windows except galley with the aluminum sandwich (can't remember the correct term) insulation. We'll be at Daytona next week so it will get a workout again. I may explore running something at night other than the AC fan because we do leave it on to block out outside sounds. It does sound like we will need to come up with an alternative to leaving it on though. If we find someone who can tint the windows properly (curved glass), we may go that route as well. Thanks for the fan info.

[Tater]

Originally Posted by richinny

LEWSTER our resident rv master tech says to run the ac ran on high speed to help prvent the coils from icing in high humidity. someone on the forum insulated the inside of the ac interior to improve cooling and reduce condensation drips. i have the same dripping issue.

same issue but not the thread i was looking for:
http://www.airforums.com/forums/f308/a-c-20129.html

Hmm, run the fan on high is something I can try. I guess I didn't realize the coils would freeze in high humidity but I can sure crank the fan on high at night. I leave it on auto during the day but I can try running high and see if it drips.

[Tater]

I should have added originally, Don't try to dry your A/C filters with a hair dryer. Yes, I did and the heat from the hair dryer put two small holes in them. I ordered replacements so they are going in today. I should have known better but was in a hurry to get them back in.

[richinny]

tater, here is one of the answer lewster has posted:
http://www.airforums.com/forums/f427...tml#post851203

i think you'll need to use the high fan during the day.

[Tater]

Thanks. I'll try high setting.

[Tater]

We spent a week in Daytona. Ran the fan on high and had no water dripping. Thanks Ricky for the tip. I did break another claw on the zip dee awaning. I have reviewed opening closing several times and I'm following those instructions exactly but have now found two broken. Replaced the first one about two months ago on a camping trip. I will now carry a spare just in case. Five interior rivets have come out over the last eighteen months and I'm having a challenge trying to find 1/2 long rivets in 1/8 in diameter. HD, Lowes and Ace did not have them in their stores.

[Bruce B]

Originally Posted by Tater

We spent a week in Daytona. Ran the fan on high and had no water dripping. Thanks Ricky for the tip. I did break another claw on the zip dee awaning. I have reviewed opening closing several times and I'm following those instructions exactly but have now found two broken. Replaced the first one about two months ago on a camping trip. I will now carry a spare just in case. Five interior rivets have come out over the last eighteen months and I'm having a challenge trying to find 1/2 long rivets in 1/8 in diameter. HD, Lowes and Ace did not have them in their stores.

While at Alumapalooza I watched the owner of ZipDEE demonstrate how to adjust and basically just care for the awning. One of the things he pointed out was that if you do not locate that "claw" exactly where it belongs on the storage pin (in the recess or smallest diameter part of the pin) it will in fact break every time as you store the awning. If you watched his demo you could see exactly how and why this happened. I would call them and ask to speak to the owner. I'd bet this is what it is doing.... Maybe you can talk him into producing another YouTube video showing how to avoid the problem.
Bruce

[Tater]

Thanks Bruce.

[JamuJoe]

I had an early broken claw incident with our ZipDee. The claw and pin is a very poor design, highly susceptible to misplacement and failure. When I called for replacement of the claw, they did grudgingly replace it after rudely lecturing me for not using it properly. When I suggested that the design flaw should be corrected, the response was "we've made it that way forever - it's the users that are the problem". Amazing arrogance! The Fiamma awning on our Casita was a much better designed product.

[Tater]

Same impression I received. If something breaks, its user error not product.

[herrick51]

The 2012 fc/fb now comes standard with 15000 btu Dometic and the MSRP was higher.One other thing you can do besides the awnings which no AS shoiuld be without is cover the vent and skylight openings and adding better window coverings will also help at a cost.

Originally Posted by Luckyducks

As a fellow Floridian dealing with heat and a 25' Flying Cloud with the 13.5 BTU AC, I've done a few things to make my AC more effective. First, I added the roadside and rear awnings - this gives shade to the sides of the trailer in the hottest part of the day. The other thing I did was get my windows professionally tinted. The tint really helps. The factory has a dye in the glass that makes the windows somewhat darker but the film I had installed reduces the UV and infrared rays. The curved rear corner windows were done with one piece of film too (heat gun trick). The trailer looks great and the film adds to the privacy. Overall, I've been content with the cooling feature - the AC fan blower noise is another subject.

One other thing I learned in the forums (using the search function) is to turn the thermostat down much lower than you really want the temperature to be (try 60-65). It works. I wasn't getting cool enough by setting it at 75.

On your water leak inside from the AC, try the auto fan feature. When the compressor and fan cut off completely, this lets the water drain out on to the ground better. When the fan stays on all the time, the fan keeps pushing moisture back into the air of the trailer.

Russ

[BAB]

So, I have broken TWO of the claw pieces on my Zip Dee awning. If they are designed to break easily, it's an excellent design. I guess the manufacturer would be a lot happier if we customers got smarter...we customers would be a lot happier if they didn't make a cheap pot metal casting for this essential piece of gear.

[Tater]

I wouldn't have minded as much if I knew what was causing them to break. Two separate A/S and broken claws on both and you're right, the pot metal cracks away if you look at it the wrong way. Of course the design is perfect, just user error.