Dual A/C... Worth it?

[jamesk]

Hello,

I am on the verge of buying a new or almost new airstream in the form of a 27 foolt Eddie Bauer or International CCD. I have my eye on a unit with only one awning and one 15k btu AC. My issue is that I will be living in Las Vegas for at least 3 years, and it gets HOT.

I have a space under a tree, but will the intense heat of the summer overwhelm me with one AC? The dealer, of course, wants to make the sale and told me if it gets too hot in the middle of day, to just get a portable AC unit use that to supplement during peak hours. Is this feasible?

Thanks!
James

[SteveH]

We had a 28' Classic with one AC, and it wouldn't hold the temp down in the hot days of summer in Texas. I remember one night it was about 11PM before it was cool enough to sleep in the trailer, and that was with a fan blowing on us.

[perryg114]

It might be best to spring for the dual unit. You don't have to run them both if you don't need to. I assume it would be wired for 50A so you can run both of them.

Perry

[jamesk]

I hear you guys. It is a shame because this unit is the closest to my location.

I know the topic has been covered before, but is a small, portable AC possible? I know that you need somewhere to vent out the hot exhaust air, and the eddie bauer has those nifty vents placed throughout the trailer... I was thinking I could rig a ventilation tube to one of those vents to blow out the exhaust air from the portable AC.

[AtomicNo13]

The little box fans from Fantastic Vent really work wonders. In my classic there is only 1 AC and with a fan in the stateroom and sometimes one in the Salon, it is way more than comfortable. Keeping the air moving is part if the battle. Shade is another.

Just a thought

[switz]

Better to have two and not need it than to have one and need two, especially in Las Vegas. The second air conditioner does require 50 amp service to be able to run two units at the same time.

The cost to retrofit would be several time higher than the initial install factory option price. On a 2014 Classic, the 50 amp option with the second air conditioner (that is installed in the rear FanTastic Fan opening) was $2,129.

Good luck in your search.

[AtomicNo13]

A fellow with a little smarts, minimal tools and a friend can do thin in 3 hours time for the cost of the unit a breaker box, 50 amp cord and inlet. The hole is already there.
$700-$800

[jamesk]

^^
I possess none of the smarts, nor tools... but go on....

Would a 50 amp be necessary if I went with a smaller btu rated unit?

[BassCan]

Yes, dual A/C is worth it. In the Deep South it is hot, hot, hot.

[MattB]

Definitely recommend two. My family has traveled to Arizona several times in the summer just north of Phoenix and the second A/C unit was a necessity to keep the trailer cool. In Las Vegas in the summer you will regard it as the best investment you have made in the trailer, and some little portable will be a regret. It's like four wheel drive or flood insurance: you won't need it until you really need it.

Good luck!

[Jammer]

Originally Posted by jamesk

Hello,

I am on the verge of buying a new or almost new airstream in the form of a 27 foolt Eddie Bauer or International CCD. I have my eye on a unit with only one awning and one 15k btu AC. My issue is that I will be living in Las Vegas for at least 3 years, and it gets HOT.

I have a space under a tree, but will the intense heat of the summer overwhelm me with one AC? The dealer, of course, wants to make the sale and told me if it gets too hot in the middle of day, to just get a portable AC unit use that to supplement during peak hours. Is this feasible?

Thanks!
James

There are some other threads on this, might want to search for them.

I have the dual A/C and am glad I do.

Hot, humid, windy weather in the full sun is the worst and under those conditions even with dual A/C the trailer won't really be quite cool enough to be truly comfortable. Out west you don't have the humidity we do here so maybe it's not quite as bad.

The portable A/C aren't a practical addition, they get in the way and without 50a service there isn't enough power to run them reliably.

[jump]

Originally Posted by AtomicNo13

A fellow with a little smarts, minimal tools and a friend can do thin in 3 hours time for the cost of the unit a breaker box, 50 amp cord and inlet. The hole is already there.
$700-$800

I don t know what this means ... ?

[jump]

Definitely worth it for Texas and probably Florida

[idroba]

The problem with the portable units is that most of them have only one tube to exhaust the hot air, but that air which is exhausted must come from someplace, and that is from leakage into the trailer. So, you wind up sucking hot air in where it is cool and then exhausting it back out.

If you ever think of a portable, anyone that is, only get one with two tubes, one which brings the outside air in and one which exhausts it. You want the outside air to go only through the AC unit, not through the trailer.

I have no experience with your size of trailer and the 15,000 btuh AC unit. I will say that the insulation they are now putting in the new Airstreams seems to be considerably better than that in the older units I have had. My 2014 FC 20 heats and cools better than any of the older units I have owned.

[jamesk]

^^^

This is something I was thinking about too, and only someone with experience could answer. Is the insulation on a 2014 that much more superior that a single 15k btu AC would be sufficient in Las Vegas heat (in the shade)?

[idroba]

I believe the insulation is better but I really have no idea if the 15 k unit, in the shade, in LV would be enough or not. Some people want it 70-72 no matter what, some can be happy with it considerably warmer. I don't think there is a one size fits all answer possible for you.

[AtomicNo13]

My point was that this is a fairly straightforward installation one could do himself saving a heap of cash.

[xrvr]

I have used portable units with good results. Yes you need an exhaust hole and the units take up space, but it will plug into a standard outlet and does not pull yoo many amps. I used mine in a truck camper. Get the kind that does not need a drain. Jim

[m.hony]

We had a white box trailer with one a/c.
Our Airstream has 2.
The trailers with one a/c are 30 amp trailers.
The trailers with 2 a/c's are 50 amp trailers.
There are other benefits to a 50 amp trailer with 2 a/c's.
The microwave or a hair dryer will often trip the breaker in a 30 amp trailer with the a/c running. It is inconvenient to turn off the a/c to make popcorn or for the wife to blow dry her hair.
With 2 a/c's, 2 people can have different temperature zones. My wife is always burning up and I am always freezing.
The only downside to a 50 amp trailer is the bigger, heavier shore cord.

[Skater]

If I were buying a new (longish) trailer, I'd definitely get two A/Cs. Our 30' doesn't do well getting cool air back to the bedroom with just one A/C if the doors are closed (there's an opening above the doors for this purpose but it has limited value).