15,000 BTU Dometic AC on extreme heat day

[Mark of SJC]

Originally Posted by az-streamer

One other thing you might try to keep the heat off your AS. We open our street side awning and hang a black plastic mesh tarp from it using clips. The bottom edge is staked to the ground at an angle away from the AS. This drops the air temp at the outside wall 5-10 degrees. And you can also see out through it. As noted above, we also use reflective foil in all the skylights. In the windows also if really hot!.

These are a game-changer, and can work on both sides of the coach (if you have the full awning package). They even include stakes!

https://store.airstreamlife.com/prod...ee-solar-shade

[RJKSr]

We have two AC units in our 30'. What they say about refrigeration units only able to reduce temps 15-20 degrees is correct, especially in Airstreams which are just like cars with lots of glass, and only have nominal insulation. We look for 50A whenever planning a trip in summer weather, but sometimes that's not always available. When restricted to 30A, and it is hot outside (ie: above 90), we place a floor fan which has an adjustable direction for the air out and 3 speeds in the rear of the trailer in front of the queen bed. It draws in air from the side, at floor level. Keeping the blinds closed, awnings deployed on all three sides, it does a remarkable job recirculating the air so the temperature is more uniform (ie: cool air settles towards the floor). It can help to keep the unit cool and the air from the fan helps people feel cooler. If there is no shade for the trailer, even running two AC units on 50A can be problematic in very hot weather, especially when first disconnecting and cooling the unit down. We deploy the floor fan under these circumstances as well. The floor fan is in our Airstream all the time and stores on the floor of the large wardrobe closet. It also helps keep one cooler when sitting under the awning on warm days as you can direct the air to whatever level you need. The fan can also be deployed when boondocking with a generator. It will run on the inverter, but will take to much battery life overnight. So a generator is needed to run it or for a quicker recharge than the solar panels might provide.

[Bill M.]

If the campground will let you spray a little water on the top of the trailer from time to time.
Or, move to a campground with 50 amp power.
Or find a motel that will allow dogs


we have a 25' and in high heat situation close off the end of the trailer were are not in and cool the other end more. Non ducted AC and we adjust the fan vents. Often run the fan slower that full speed to make the air feel colder.,
And we close off the bathroom.

[gary1burke]

Noticed these mentioned in this thread but not sure who. Wondering where to find them?

Thanks!

[Fungus]

I don’t know of any insulated shades. We cut our own inserts for all the windows using reflective insulation available at any HD or Lowes. Also Amazon. See my previous post.

[ASFC25_2019]

Originally Posted by Fungus

Check the temp of the air coming out of the register with the infrared thermometer you use to check tire temps. If it's 14 to 20 degrees cooler that the temp of the air in the trailer, your AC is doing its best.

Then pursue other strategies that cool the outside of the trailer, keep the sun out of the inside of the trailer (some mentioned previously), and improve air flow:

1. Park in the shade.
2. Deploy awnings.
3. If the registers haven't already fallen out then pull out a couple of them. Those registers are notorious for blocking the air flow. This is probably the most effective solution to your problem. You won't miss them. If you do there are a number of homemade alternative solutions posted on the forum. We use these secured to the ceiling with a six-inch threaded rod running horizontally through the pre-drilled holes. Someone has posted a file you can download to the 3D printer you carry with all your other camping gear so you can print your own.
4. Cover all windows and skylights with reflective foil insulation cut to snugly fit the windows. We keep a set for all our windows and the skylight. Actually, the skylight cover is a piece of cardboard wrapped in the foil insulation taped together with foil tape.
5. Cover your ceiling FanTastic fans with these pillows that double as throw pillows.
6. Try to run both units if you have installed easy-starts but keep everything else turned off.
7. Lie/sit on the floor. Not kidding. BAE (Before Airstream Era) we borrowed an A-frame trailer with a very poor AC unit. The floor was 20* cooler than sitting at the dinette.

Great points. I purchased ceiling FanTastic fans pillows cover for winter camping to keep the heat in. Any chance you found one for the sun skylight.

[FredWilma]

Originally Posted by Ridgerunner8

We’re currently in Missouri under a heat advisor as well. Our 27FBT 30A rig in full Sun has struggled to stay cool. The best we have achieved inside the Rig during the heat of day is 82 degrees. We would prefer it cooler, but the key has been using the awnings, keeping the inside humidity level low (25 to 30%) and replacing the OEM vents with a modified version that doubled the AC airflow. Also a good quality fan helps to circulate the cool air. After we finish visiting family we’re headed to Maine in July and hope to find cooler temps [emoji846]

Can you tell me where you sourced the replacements to the OEM vents (photo) Those look really neat.

Many thanks

[jondrew55]

Originally Posted by FredWilma

Can you tell me where you sourced the replacements to the OEM vents (photo) Those look really neat.

Many thanks

That looks like a shower drain. But still, a great idea if it is

[BT2513]

Not saying anything that hasn't been said but this problem isn't unique to airstream. We camped in our old Lance in 95-100 degree Tennessee heat with a single A/C unit. It was more comfortable inside than outside but nowhere close to being under 80 degrees inside.

Our dual A/C Airstream on the other hand has no problems staying frosty with both units running. I installed soft-starts so no problems running both on 30a.

[Ridgerunner8]

Originally Posted by FredWilma

Can you tell me where you sourced the replacements to the OEM vents (photo) Those look really neat.

Many thanks

They are 6” stainless steel drain vents from Amazon. I also bought a piece of aluminum strap from Lowes and cut to 7” length to use as the backing bracket.

Drilled and tapped for the screw to hold it all together.

Pro: The airflow doubled once installed and improved the AC performance.
Con: You can no longer direct the airflow from the vent.

[uncle_bob]

Hi

When it's hot, you cool down due to lowering the temp, that part is pretty obvious. You also cool down by lowering the humidity an A/C unit also does this. The final bit is cooling by increasing the wind speed. That part may or may not be desirable ( = cold draft ). Improve any of the three and you will feel colder.

A simple fan is by far the best way to "speed up the wind". You can point it in any direction you wish. If one of the crew is hot and the rest are fine, point the fan at "hot stuff". . They use way less power than the A/C and make far less noise. Running one 24/7 is quite practical, even on batteries.

Bob

[swed02]

Thank you folks for the great ideas. I really appreciate the variety, especially the ones that are beyond the obvious. One day, maybe I'll be brave enough to replace the AC grills, but for now, we're looking into the insulated window covers and potentially the mesh exterior screens. Dogs are our primary concern, so the fans we already have don't really work for them, since they don't sweat. Our big 3-week trip that's about to start in 10 days or so will mostly be 50-amp or Harvest Hosts with 2x 2500watt Champion generators running on propane, so I just need to make sure we have enough propane, since we'll be staying mostly in The South and then Appalachia. 'Much appreciated.

[los man]

I'm having a minor little problem, The fan/condenser motor mount bolts are backing out, I was able to see a post on here and I was able to fix the noise it was making. Now I'm trying to find out what the model number of the 15K and 13K BTU are. I know that they are Penguin II w/hat pumps ...any help would be appreciated for future reference and to be able to replace the anti-vibration rubber mounts are in case I need to replace them. Thanks in advance
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