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Lothlorian · 06-23-2009, 08:26 PM

How well does you airconditioner work when it is 95+ degrees out? Does it keep it really cool, comfortable, OK, a little warm? I had a friend checking out my airconditioner when it was blazing hot out and he said his motor home stays very cool until it gets really hot out and then it can get a little warm in there. He feels my air is working fine.

I have a 27' with a 15000 BTU airconditioner.

How well does your air work.

Brian

HiHoAgRV · 06-23-2009, 08:33 PM

If I'm in blazing sun, don't open the door, shades shut...the AC runs 100% and keeps things, well, um, tolerable. Then there's the Humidity...If the dehumidifier doesn't ice up, it does free up the AC to cool the air instead of wringing water out.

klattu · 06-23-2009, 08:35 PM

I have to dump the ice out every few hours

Best thing I ever did was to replace the freon.
Drained it all out and reloaded the correct amount of fresh.
Sounds crazy, but it worked.
AC friend told me freon loses some form of ingreadiants.
All I know is the temp coming out is now much lower on my 1989 units

Isadora · 06-23-2009, 08:37 PM

On our trip to New Mexico and Arizona, we got the chance to try out the AC again this year, it didn't take long until it was cooled down nicely in the 95 degree heat, it works great. We have used it here in Missouri in the heat and humidity we have, and have had no problem with it.

3 Dog Nite · 06-23-2009, 09:43 PM

Do you have Coleman Mark V on your rig? That's what came on my '89 345. I think it's about time for a charge too. Were you able to convert to R134A or just lucky enough to find some old good stuff (R12)?

Ricky

Lothlorian · 06-23-2009, 10:24 PM

Mine is a Coleman and it was built in 76. It will blow cold air but when it gets really hot like today (mid 90's). It just makes it cool enough so I can tolerate it. It does not have a valve on it to recharge, but I spoke with a person who has an airstream who had a friend who works with airconditioning sweat a valve on his and recharge it with R12. He said it is blowing very cold air now. I have not found anybody who wants that job because of having to capture the old and put in the new. I understand the importance of not letting that stuff loose.

Brian

klattu · 06-23-2009, 10:37 PM

I changed over to the new stuff.
(yes I remember seeing R12 at K-mart for $1 a can, and passing it up)

Mark V...yes...two of them.
I got up there just to look them over, see how tough to replace.
But when I took the cover off, and saw how much better they were built than whats available today, iI decided to keep them.

When recharging, be aware of temps coming out of air ducts.
Just a few ounces too much, and it warms up...not down.
And it happens fast.

Maryw164 · 06-23-2009, 10:46 PM

Brian,

Check out this thread regarding A/C recharging:

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f427/1971-overlander-ac-unit-42846.html

Ours was the original Armstrong and had the same problem, so we decided to just go for it and bought the new Carrier AirV 15,000 btu unit. We'll be installing it next weekend. Overlander63 (Terry) is coming over and we're having a A/C swapping party-BBQ on July4th. Theirs needs a new one too.

We found the best price on these units for us being in Calif. was from FamilyRV (727-389-3440-talk to Ted), They sell on Ebay, or you can call them directly which they prefer and will throw in free shipping insurance. The cost for this unit all parts included (main unit, inside ceiling panel, ext. gasket kit,shroud) was $589, including shipping. They are in Florida, maybe you are close enough to go and pick up if you buy from them.

Good luck with whatever you choose.

Mary

Steve & Susan · 06-24-2009, 05:49 AM

We have taken several steps to increase the cooling efficiency....

1. Streetside and rear awnings - it is AMAZING how much these help.
2. Bought reflective bubble wrap and cut to fit skylight openings and Fantastic Fan openings. The amount of heat that gets in those 4 openings from the sun (even with the skylights closed) is tremendous.
3. Clean the filter mesh on the AC regularly - it's amazing how much dust that thing accumulates.
4. Close the vents in the shower and the bath when not in use.
5. Keep the curtains closed when the sun is shining in those particular windows.

These five things have made a huge difference!
Best of luck!

Silvertwinkie · 06-24-2009, 06:55 AM

My unit keeps an interior temp where I could hang meat in the trailer at the temps questioned above, in full sun.

I have been very interested in refrigerant out there that replaces R-12 and in fact can replace R-134a. There are two companies that make the stuff, it's called Duracool R-12a:

Duracool®.com 2004 - Duracool® is The Recognized Leader In Hydrocarbon Refrigerant Technology

I am not considering doing this to the Safari since it works very well, however my truck A/C appears to be failing and I have been considering replacing my 134a with this stuff.

utee94 · 06-24-2009, 07:16 AM

FWIW, on my '63 Overlander 26', I have a new (1-year-old) Carrier AirV low profile, 15K BTU. In 100+ temps, my A/C cools down to 78 within 30 minutes or so, and the compressor continues to run near-constantly. But as you might expect, the further away from the cold air you get, the warmer it is. The bathroom is more like "tolerable" under those conditions, while the bedroom and galley/front lounge are very comfortable.

-Marcus

grtwhthuntr · 06-24-2009, 11:35 AM

As I do not have documentation to help with this. "I would not use Duracool R-12a". The R134a is the prefered replacement and is the closest to R-12 in the ability to transfer BTU's than the Duracool. I looked on the website and could not find a chart of such.

Also, I liked how they stated that R-134a was global warming...duh isn't that the point? Get the heat out of my trailer...?

Naw, they were saying that the process to manufacture it contributes to global warming, but isn't all processes?

Anyway
Good-luck

Silvertwinkie · 06-24-2009, 02:28 PM

Interesting take on 12a. Here are some links I found that had me considering it since even 134a is flammable, has a lower flash point and higher head pressures.

Legal Status of HC-12a ®, DURACOOL 12a ®, and OZ-12 ® | Alternatives / SNAP | US EPA

Bennett Cycle & Supply - 1-866-865-6233-Links -faq

Keep in mind from what I've read the EPA has not looked at this in over 10 years.

I will also add that I have installed R12a into a commercial refrigerator. It has run on 12a now for 6 years and has provided cooling along what I expected. This fridge is housed in a shed and though it is not exposed to the elements (rain, etc), it does see the extreme temps both hot and cold that the greater Louisville area does see annually.

I like the next guy don't ever want to do something stupid, but with my exp so far with 12a and a lack of any real reasons why not to use it, I am still considering it for my automotive applications. Keep in mind that the average unit takes maybe 1lb 6oz of this stuff. Even if the entire engine bay hit 1800 degrees, by the time something were ready to explode, the gas would be long, long gone wouldn't it?

If in fact these were dangerous, and around now for over 10 years, why has no one halted the sale of this stuff like they did with straight R-12? I may be way off base here (as I've been known to be from time to time), but I smell a bunch of lobbyists at work here.

emdubyadee · 06-24-2009, 07:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lothlorian

How well does you airconditioner work when it is 95+ degrees out? Does it keep it really cool, comfortable, OK, a little warm? I had a friend checking out my airconditioner when it was blazing hot out and he said his motor home stays very cool until it gets really hot out and then it can get a little warm in there. He feels my air is working fine.

I have a 27' with a 15000 BTU airconditioner.

How well does your air work.

Brian

Our 27' with only a 13,500 is never satisfactory in direct sunlight even if the outside temps are in the 80's. Forget about Texas when it is 100º outside and humid. We only camp in cool places in the summer and camp locally only in cool or cold weather. This is one of the biggest disappointments with my trailer.

JimGolden · 06-24-2009, 08:30 PM

I recently threw my Coleman Delta T 13.5 1987 piece of junk in the weeds and replaced with a new Carrier AirV 15,000 unit. I also painted the roof white. That is a BIG deal!

My unit is a 1987 34 foot triple axle. Whereas the old a/c would make it "tolerable", the new unit makes it NICE.

Get a new Carrier and be done with it.

I got mine from Palomino Parts, and they beat the $589 price quoted on here a few posts back. Not by a lot (the $589 was a good deal), but by $15 or so. The number is on these forums....I think I posted it last a couple weeks ago.

cheers,

Lothlorian · 06-24-2009, 08:58 PM

These are all very interesting posts about AC. I have read much and I would like to get a new air conditioner, but it is not in the budget. It is a bit perplexing to me because my air conditioner looks good. The coils are clean it seems intact, very well built, still blows some cool air, and has good power. It just seems like a waist dumping it if it could get valves put on it and recharged for 1/3 the cost of a new one (I am assuming?). I have a video downloaded where a guy takes old window air conditioners that do not blow cold air anymore and cleans them up puts valves on them (They did not make them with valves) recharges them and sells them.

Freon must be highly regulated because nobody wants to work on them and I don't have the tools to recharge. I don't want to hurt the environment, but if somebody knows how to handel this stuff I would sure pay them to fix my air.

I will have to figure this one out. I went through this inner debate about my axels until I saved the money and bought new ones. Right now the air is tolerable. I can live with that until I can either find somebody to make mine better or buy new.

Thanks for all your input

Brian

**jcanavera** · 06-25-2009, 08:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JimGolden

I recently threw my Coleman Delta T 13.5 1987 piece of junk in the weeds and replaced with a new Carrier AirV 15,000 unit. I also painted the roof white. That is a BIG deal!

My unit is a 1987 34 foot triple axle. Whereas the old a/c would make it "tolerable", the new unit makes it NICE.

Get a new Carrier and be done with it.

I got mine from Palomino Parts, and they beat the $589 price quoted on here a few posts back. Not by a lot (the $589 was a good deal), but by $15 or so. The number is on these forums....I think I posted it last a couple weeks ago.

cheers,

Airstream put the 13.5k units on those 34'ers and it never did the job. 15K is at a minimum what you need for comfort. Dependent upon the climate 13.5K is sometimes marginal down to 28'. That's why a lot of us either building new or replacing are putting in 15K AC units.

Jack

HiHoAgRV · 06-28-2009, 08:24 PM

How about some "today" feedback? we just returned from an outing to Perdido Key RV Resort with our 29' and the original Armstrong AC unit. The only shade was from the main bridge to the island and lasted until 07:00am ...

Not too hot, maxed out at 92-95 degrees outside but in full sun we would creep up into the mid 80 degree level inside. The sun was BRUTAL!

A neighbor in a 28' C class SOB finally tossed in the towel and went home, his single AC just couldn't compete with the solar load.

The road side awning was deployed and the trailer was pointed east-west. The morning sun would warm the rear so we closed the bath, the evening sun hit the nose.

One day with some clouds in the late afternoon dropped the internal temps by 5 degrees.

FYI the original fridge did quite well, low 40's during the day, mid 30's at night!

AirsDream · 06-28-2009, 09:22 PM

Just back tonight from a trip with our little (23') unit - I think it has an 11k unit on it, facgtory original. It was 98 on Tuesday ... trailer in full sun, awning out, shades drawn anywhere sun was shining in, trailer oriented east-west. It did fine. I had it set on "medium cool" and the temperature dial set midway toward "cool." I was outside most of the day, but whenever I went inside, it was about 72 in the trailer all day. I'm sure it would have gotten quite a bit cooler, had I set it on "high cool" and dialed the temp. down further.

wayner61 · 06-28-2009, 10:09 PM

I have been relatively content with the factory unit on our 27FB. I am almost positive it is 13.5K Btu, but it could be 15K. In hot weather (and we have PLENTY of that) here in TX, I just try and do everything that I can to get shade on the trailer and then I try and stay ahead of the curve for cooling.

I have streetside and rear awnings that I deploy. I deploy the main awning and will drop it down to get more shade on the side of the trailer if I can.

I keep the blinds closed and the shades drawn during the day. I minimize the use of lights and anything that generates heat inside when possible.

I keep the AC fan on high and the temp set low enough to keep the compressor running most of the time.

With all of that, it usually stays comfortable in the trailer. Usually in the very hottest part of the day, it will start to warm up, but not uncomfortably so. I haven't checked with a super accurate thermometer, but the cheap one that is part of my alarm clock usually doesn't show much above 78 degrees even with outside temps over 100.