Dual A/C IS IT WORTH THE EXTRA $$

[Airbear406]

About to take the plunge and buy a new 2020 or a used 2019 FC25 FB. Both units are 30 Amp with single A/C. After reading several post on this site, I'm very unsettled as to whether the single A/C unit will be adequate traveling out west, and probably the elephant in the room is what impact it may have on resale if I want to move up. Live in the southeast where we have " air you can wear " (humidity for those who live out west) so the thoughts of being in 100 degree temps with an a/c unit that can't keep up is pretty scary. Both units are priced between $67500 and $70000. Really would appreciate any feedback regarding pricing and whether stepping up in price to get the 50 amp dual a/c is worth the extra money. Thanks Alan

[GMFL]

Heck yes. 2 ACs is the way to go

[rmkrum]

Originally Posted by GMFL

Heck yes. 2 ACs is the way to go

GMFL is right. We used to live in Huntsville, Alabama and i know exactly why he’s saying that. There were times I swore we were drinking the air instead of breathing it.

Keep in mind that you also can run only one A/C on a 30 amp cord adapted to the 50 amp inlet for ease of hooking up.

We only have one A/C unit on our 2007 22 footer. There have been times out in the heat of California and Texas when I wished I had two units.

Parked in 100+ degree weather in El Paso last fall was ‘interesting in the Spockian sense’. Good thing we had a 3400 watt inverter propane powered Champion generator along with us that could haul the A/C load that afternoon.

We could not put out the awnings because we were parked in the street next to a friend’s home. Even the dogs held still to avoid overheating. The A/C kept us more or less comfortable once it cooled the interior down but the A/C compressor ran hard for as long as we were in the Airstream. Good thing I overkilled on the generator...

In really humid weather it helps to have enough cooling to reduce humidity some. Alabama this last fall was a sweat box.

Your call, but if you can get two ducted A/C units it’s easy to just run one in the other end of the Airstream from you to reduce the noise even more.

[DoubleR]

One other thought is what type of camping facilities do you plan to use? Do they only have 30 amp or do they offer 50 amp? The other thought is if they are 30 amp only you can use the AC/Heat Pump on the unit in the area further away from which end of the trailer that you are in to lower the noise levels.

[AirLewis]

No regrets with two A/Cs, go for it!

[kittmaster]

Yes, Yes, Yes....I'll take two ACs over 2 fans any day.

When it's hot and sticky......and you just need a good night of rest, the last thing you want is to leave windows open so the humid air gets in.

Look at most room ACs, they are around 5000 BTU to cool a room that is around 13x13 and most times it barely keeps up, with two ACs in a tin can on a hot summer day......well 25K BTU will be a lot easier to get the inside under control than 13.5K BTU. Not to mention the duty cycles they have to run to keep the interior cool.

Then factor in a super hot summer day with piercing sun......oh yeah, you'll be thankful to have 2 ACs.

Spend the money now....not later.

[Mollysdad]

Dual A/C IS IT WORTH THE EXTRA $$
YES!
Besides more A/C, you also get 50 amp service. More and more parks are switching to 50 amp. You no longer worry about running the hairdryer and water heater at the same time.
And it gives you options. Run the bedroom air only to make it quieter in the living area.
If one unit fails, you still have A/C.
If you only boondock or travel out west where the humidity is 25%, one A/C is fine. Remember, Utah can be blazing hot in the summer, even with low humidity and who doesn't want to visit the parks there?
It was a deal breaker for me. 2 a/c or no deal.

[JonDNC]

Yes. For all the reasons above. You can always use less. Wanting / needing more is a challenge.

[turk123]

Just one note. If you go for the 2 AC's (and you should), you can add an Easy Start from Micro-air to one of them and actually run two ACs on 30 amp. We do it all the time. You do have to be aware that the microwave or hairdryer is a no-no during those times, but you can always shut one AC off if need be.

We had an international signature 27 with one AC and found it difficult to keep up with the humidity and heat in the south.

[Donutboy]

I have a 27 fr. In the heat of the summer, a single A/C can't keep it below about 85 on a hot day. With two A/Ca it's frosty cold.

I bought new--the dealer told me they only order 25 ft and above Airstreams with two A/Cs.

If I were buying used, I would not consider a unit with a single A/C.

[trikdacy]

WE have a 30' Classic Rear Bed Queen that came with two A/C's, but we never had the need to use both at the same time. At a 50 Amp site we could use both at the same time, but at a 30 Amp site you can use only one. The way we use the A/C is when we are in bed run the forward A/C unit to reduce the sound while sleeping, and when we are forward end of the AS we use the rear A/C unit to reduce the sound at the rear. We also have a Dyson tower fan running most of the time to circulate the air. The Dyson is ultra quite, and takes up minimal room. We just lay it down next to the bed when underway.

[greenflag]

I had a 25 with a single A/C unit. We overnited in Las Vegas one August. It never got below 90 degrees in the trailer.
We now have a 30 with two A/C units. Yes two are the way to go.

[cazual6]

One thing to consider why I only opted for the single AC.

The single AC unit has a secondary shore power in the front of the rig. This is useful, although I have not used it yet, to have your AC/HP running with a generator in your truck bed. When I went to Vegas and it was the hottest day in the summer, I could have done this. In doing so, you could go into your rig already cooled.

As a bonus, at home, I have my shore power towards the front, less "stuff" towards the back.

[thewarden]

Absolutely YES! My 27 FB has single A/C, (new) and it does not keep up in 90 degree+ heat. We had to pack up and leave a number of locations in SoCal this past summer. When the temps were above 90, our A/C could only get the interior down to the mid 80s, making the nights unbearable.

[jeffmc306]

Airbear406, as you can tell from the resounding "YES" votes, go for two + 50A service if you can afford it.

By the way, that's two 50A legs to your distribution panel split across two 50A breakers which allows you more freedom when using the A/C and other devices. Both A/C units are on separate legs.

The 30A is one leg to the panel so every circuit is competing for that 30A of service. The *only* benefit I could say is what cazual6 mentioned, you get the Generator receptacle on the front of the trailer.

So, you get N+1 on both A/C and Heat Pumps plus 50A service. No brainer!

[Daquenzer]

Another benefit of 2 AC units. When you sit toward the front you can run the back AC unit. When you sleep at night you can run the AC unit that isn't above the bed. You stay cool and don't have to hear the noise. We do the same with the heat pumps. Definitely go with 2 AC units. Also it is a bit of a back up just in case one unit fails. Redundancy.

[hhendrix]

YES, two things though. Failure rates for the Dometic A/C are unreasonably high. In ten years on two different trailers, I have to replace 3 including one a the Doswell international. If one fails, you still have the second one.



With Easy Starts in both A/C's I can run both if I have a very good 30 amp shore power. Nothing else but the A/C's. Refer and water heater on propane. Battery switch in the store mode.



Whether you are or are not a fan of extended warranties, I have saved quite a bit on the warranties. One of the problems is dealers have told me the units are not serviceable and must be replaced.

[AgBullet]

Two A/Cs. Period.

[Pastor Bruce]

I have a 31ft 1998 Excella 1000 with 30amp service. There have been times I would like to have been running 2 ACs, but wouldn't have been able. Seems it is pretty much cost prohibitive to upgrade to 50amp service. Considering having Easy Start installed in present AC, but not sure if that would make it possible to run second AC on 30 amps (need two ES?). I have 3500 Champion Dual Fuel and run on propane exclusively and have not had any problems running the one AC. IMHO, better to have 50amps available and not use it, than to not have it and wished it were available.

[Toasterlife]

I have different views from most - it depends how you plan to use your unit. We camp because we enjoy the great outdoors, and we often dry camp. If it too hot to enjoy outside, we decamp and move to a higher altitude (or further north) where we can enjoy the outdoors....If it is so hot you have to run 2 ACs to stay comfortable ask yourself why you are spending time at that location, if camping for pleasure?.

Since we mostly dry camp we use the awnings and fans only, and rarely use the AC as we rarely have shore power and find the generators noisy and a hassle. open windows and fantastic fans create good drafts.

Our Airstream is our pleasure vehicle, we have a nice home with good AC. No matter how much we love our "toaster" we would not choose to be cooped up in it night and day due to the outdoor temperature, we would rather relocate or stay home.

Just my two cents worth, but there is a reason these vehicles have wheels..