One AC enough?

[PeterF66]

Question to 27' model owners with only one AC: have you ever had issues cooling down your trailer in hot weather with just the one AC and any issues in only having the 30amp service? We're in the process of upgrading from a 23' and looking at some offerings but only one AC and really have no experience. in the 23' the one AC turns the trailer into a fridge, just don't know if the larger trailer are fine too with just one. Thanks much!

[richard5933]

Simple answer - it depends.

Depends on where you travel (north or south),
When you travel (spring/fall or summer),
Etc.

We have one a/c unit in our 25-ft Excella. It's more than enough for us, but then again we don't typically travel in the summer in Texas or Florida.

[Andy543]

It's not just a question of how well it keeps the trailer cool. One AC may do it, but how long will it take to cool the trailer down? I find that the two AC's are necessary.

[PeterF66]

Originally Posted by richard5933

Simple answer - it depends.

Depends on where you travel (north or south),
When you travel (spring/fall or summer),
Etc.

We have one a/c unit in our 25-ft Excella. It's more than enough for us, but then again we don't typically travel in the summer in Texas or Florida.

good point, I should have added that - we mostly travel north in the summer and maybe south in the winter, so trying not hit not too hot weather, our dog does not tolerate heat well, and we're not big fans either. Thanks

[Bearstream01]

Even if one is enough, ask yourself is zero enough if that one quits?

[jeffb831]

Really depends on where you camp and how frequently you have full hook ups to use any AC. If you rarely have full hookups, than it really doesn't matter how many you have.

Also consider:

• The resale value: Some buyers may only want 2 AC units while few people would exclude a 2 unit trailer if they were looking for a single unit one.
• Upgrade to 50A service: Allows more power consumption. With a 30A service you may encounter issues with running the AC, microwave, & other appliances simultaneously.
• Redundancy: You have a backup in case of failure
• Sound: I frequently only run the one that is at the opposite end of the trailer from where I am to reduce sound a little.

[sfranklin]

If you have the 15k, it rarely depends. I know many with 13.5k units where it does depend. I will say I know folks with the 15k on a 30 footer and it does struggle a bit. My 30' has 2 and I can tell when I run only the 15k it does cool, but nowhere near how it would with a 25-27 that I had. The two on a 30', in my opinion is a must have and only 3 feet shorter, I can't see how having 2 with 50a service could go wrong.


23 footer, one unit all day long.

[Gene]

As already said, it depends where you go. When we had a 25' we stayed away from hot places in the summer because the A/C was not great when it was about 85-90˚ and up. Living in Colorado, summer camping always happened in the mountains and during the shoulder seasons, we travelled elsewhere.

It also helps to park with something between you and the sun. That is not always possible. An awning shades part of the trailer. Some people who travel in hot places during the summer get a full set of awnings.

Airstreams used to have poor insulation and when it got wet from the many leaks, it clumped and got worse. I doubt that has changed. Best to try to live with what comes until you see how that works. Upgrading to a second A/C and 50 amp service is a big expense.

[waninae39]

We have 1 ac in our FC 25FB
Never needed 2

30a service is more frequent than 50a service

[Keys Dave]

If you travel in the summer in the south you WILL appreciate two units. We live in and do most of our trips in Florida. Once it gets over 85 degrees our single 15k unit ran almost constantly. I added a second unit on a second 30 amp shore line and it gives us the most options. We can cool off the A/S quickly and usually we split a 50 amp circuit. Although I can run both from one 30 amp circuit because both have soft start as long as I have nothing else on. It would have been so much easier if it had come with two A/Cs from the factory.

[richard5933]

Originally Posted by PeterF66

good point, I should have added that - we mostly travel north in the summer and maybe south in the winter, so trying not hit not too hot weather, our dog does not tolerate heat well, and we're not big fans either. Thanks

Like I mentioned, we travel mainly in the northern states and do very nicely with one a/c unit on our 25-ft. If you're sticking to places that don't bake like an oven all summer you should be fine.

It does make all the difference if your trailer has awnings over all the windows (and you use them when possible).

If you're moving from a 23-ft with 30-amp service you are already used to what that brings. But the upside is with only 1 rooftop a/c unit you get an extra rooftop vent opening. For us, when we camp in northern states we often don't even run the a/c and just use the two vents (one pulling in and one pushing out) to circulate the cool evening air.

[JeffKim]

Hi! This is one of those religious issues and people with two will swear they need two and people like us get along just fine with one for our 25'. But we stick to the north in the summer and the one A/C cools well and when boondocking there are the two fans. I completely see the argument for two A/Cs if you were living in the South.

We've never had two so I can't say what it's like wrestling with the 50A cord. We haven't had to use the A/C that much so having a 30A connection makes life simpler. We don't have a lot of AC appliances so 30A hasn't been limiting.

[overlander64]

Greetings PeterF66!

Originally Posted by PeterF66

Question to 27' model owners with only one AC: have you ever had issues cooling down your trailer in hot weather with just the one AC and any issues in only having the 30amp service? We're in the process of upgrading from a 23' and looking at some offerings but only one AC and really have no experience. in the 23' the one AC turns the trailer into a fridge, just don't know if the larger trailer are fine too with just one. Thanks much!

I have owned my Ovelander (26' 8") for 30 years, and it has always had a 15,000 BTU roof air conditioner. I have been fine with that arrangement as long as my travels were North of Interstate 70. The only time that I have had difficulty cooling has been when I spent time closer to my home (over 150 Miles South of I-70) in far Southern Illinois. It is under those conditions, after May 30th that the single air conditioner in my Overlander can struggle keeping up with the heat and humidity.

Over the years, I have often traveled out West during the summer before retiring 10 years ago when I would be traveling below I-70 during the peak of the Summer, and the single air conditioner struggled in my Overlander. Today, since retiring, I would be more apt to time my travel to the times of year when the daytime temperatures are in the 70s so the single air conditioner would not be such a struggle.

Were I to be in the market for a new or late model Airstream, I would definitely be looking at models with the two air conditioner option to maintain the flexibility to travel anywhere in the USA throughout the Summer. After 30 years, I don't foresee switching from my Vintage Overlander, however.

Good luck with your decision!!

Kevin

[RedSHED]

We have a 27' with one AC.

The answer "it depends" is the correct one. It depends mostly on you.

We've camped in TN and Alabama several times in every month except maybe January and December. Particularly we've been there in June, July, and August. Plus a lot of weekends etc in IN, KY, and OH where it's been in the 90's both in Fahrenheit and % humidity.

We are happy with one. BUT, even in southern Indiana there are some summers where we've run the house AC a total of maybe 10-15 days, and not all at once. Mostly just to dry the air a little, really.

Only you know you.

[LJS1211]

Agree with others that it will depend mostly on you. We have one AC in our 25' and live in Texas and we are fine even camping in the summer with 100+ degree temps. We do utilize a couple of small fans in the bedroom to keep us a little cooler in the summer since our AC unit it in the living room area. With only one AC, we also try to fund spots that might have a few more trees to offer shade throughout the day which really helps.

Our previous 30' trailer had two ACs and yes it was nice and kept us very cold but they both went out at the same time on a trip during the summer leaving us with a hot trailer on a camping trip to Florida so having two isn't always a solution.

[Mike G]

Originally Posted by PeterF66

Question to 27' model owners with only one AC: have you ever had issues cooling down your trailer in hot weather with just the one AC and any issues in only having the 30amp service? We're in the process of upgrading from a 23' and looking at some offerings but only one AC and really have no experience. in the 23' the one AC turns the trailer into a fridge, just don't know if the larger trailer are fine too with just one. Thanks much!

I would go with two. I have two in my 27', and it really helps cool things down faster. On really hot days when we only have 30 amp service, one runs constantly and sometimes can't reach the desired temperature.

Speaking of which, the two thermostat sensors often read widely disparate numbers. Remember, Zone 1 is the area where the thermostat is. In my 27' front bed, Zone 1 is the bedroom, and Zone 2 the kitchen. Zone 2 often reads abnormally warm. Zone 1 might be 24C, while Zone 2 reads 29C. People blame the warmth on the TV. I don't know the reason. My point is, the kitchen isn't really 29C. So, you can set Zone 1 for 22C, and Zone 2 for 27C, and the trailer will be comfortable.

[Mollysdad]

Originally Posted by PeterF66

Question to 27' model owners with only one AC: have you ever had issues cooling down your trailer in hot weather with just the one AC and any issues in only having the 30amp service?

It's more complex than cooling. I'd always opt for two a/c's. First, you get 50 amp service now; instead of 30 amp's 3600 watts, you have at your fingertips 50 amp 12,000 watts. No worrying if you can use the microwave while taking a shower. (that didn't come out right!)
Next, noise. If you're sitting in the living area, run the bedroom a/c. It's quiet and the ducted cool air still gets to you. Conversely, run the living area a/c while you sleep.
I find that when it's chilly, I run the bedroom a/c in heat pump mode at night and open the door to the bathroom. So the warm air stays in the bedroom and not running up the thermostat. Toasty!
Finally, it's a spare. Why ruin a trip because your one and only a/c stopped working?
Always, two. What do you lose? One fantastic fan and about $2 grand.

IF, if, if, you mostly boondock and run the a/c off a generator, and like two roof vents, then maybe 30 amp service. (But not me)

[hikingcamera]

Originally Posted by richard5933

Like I mentioned, we travel mainly in the northern states and do very nicely with one a/c unit on our 25-ft. If you're sticking to places that don't bake like an oven all summer you should be fine.

Same here. We have one A/C (important note it is a 15k BTU unit), and find it generally does it's job. We had one weekend where the high hit 109 and the lows in the evening were in the mid 70s to mid 80s. The A/C ran almost 24/7. But guess what, we were working off a 20-amp house circuit with another 30-amp trailer and a 50-amp RV both trying to pull power from the house as well. We lowered our amp limit to 12.5, if I recall, and made it 3 days while still staying above 60% battery the entire time (we have a Trade Wind with 810Ah). And we were completely exposed to the sun and due to the tight parking, could not extend our street side awning. (This was in high dessert of the Pacific Northwest.)

Admittedly, it did get into the upper half of the 70s in our trailer on the hottest day and took a while to cool down after we arrived. We have since replaced our vent innards with the Air Vent Upgrade from Upstream Outfitters. Air flow is a huge piece of the puzzle that Airstream factory vents struggle with (they limit about half of the airflow coming through each vent). I imagine that will make a huge difference this summer.

Originally Posted by richard5933

If you're moving from a 23-ft with 30-amp service you are already used to what that brings. But the upside is with only 1 rooftop a/c unit you get an extra rooftop vent opening. For us, when we camp in northern states we often don't even run the a/c and just use the two vents (one pulling in and one pushing out) to circulate the cool evening air.

Couldn't agree more. We are boondockers first, and when we do hookup to power, we value having a low footprint. Allows for cheaper campgrounds when we are getting services, allows us to piggy back off less than ideal situations more readily, and it keeps the power cable smaller and more manageable.

Unfortunately, our Trade Wind came with only 1 roof vent, despite having only 1 A/C. If it had been my choice, I probably would have done away with the skylight, moved things around, and had one A/C and two air vents. But no one consulted me, lol. It also drives me crazy that they skimp on the factory vents. Ours do not have the option to reverse the flow, and I would really have loved them to include the Deluxe version that has the rain guard built in. Perhaps a future upgrade down the line.

[Daquenzer]

Originally Posted by Mollysdad

It's more complex than cooling. I'd always opt for two a/c's. First, you get 50 amp service now; instead of 30 amp's 3600 watts, you have at your fingertips 50 amp 12,000 watts. No worrying if you can use the microwave while taking a shower. (that didn't come out right!)
Next, noise. If you're sitting in the living area, run the bedroom a/c. It's quiet and the ducted cool air still gets to you. Conversely, run the living area a/c while you sleep.
I find that when it's chilly, I run the bedroom a/c in heat pump mode at night and open the door to the bathroom. So the warm air stays in the bedroom and not running up the thermostat. Toasty!
Finally, it's a spare. Why ruin a trip because your one and only a/c stopped working?
Always, two. What do you lose? One fantastic fan and about $2 grand.

IF, if, if, you mostly boondock and run the a/c off a generator, and like two roof vents, then maybe 30 amp service. (But not me)

We just camp in the north. I agree, this is why 2 are nice. Also when using heat pump and it is in the 40’s, it is nice when there are 2 units to turn on. The only downside to 2 units is not having an extra fan in the back.

[Gene]

If Airstream properly insulated their trailers, this would be much less of a problem. Insulation can be done relatively cheaply, a second A/C not so much. But having the customer pay for a 2nd A/C vs. Airstream paying for better insulation is what it is about. When we had a Nash, the insulation was far, far superior and we used very little heat or cooling, spent less on propane, and temperatures were more even. The used Thor MH we bought also has poor insulation (same company as Airstream), but most of our travels are in the spring or fall or up at high elevation, so we are ok.

If you live and travel in the South or Southwest, you have much more of a problem. Improving insulation in any RV is very expensive, so unless you are doing a restoration, it is not a good answer. Airstream tried foam many decades ago, made poor choices and it failed, so they went back to what was ok long ago, but is not up to present day insulation standards. They may still be using cheap fiberglass batts poorly installed—that is, not properly sealed around the edges. I doubt they have changed that in the last few years.

Awnings all around do help, but are also expensive and up to the customer to pay for and Airstream to make more money on. If you live and camp in a hot climate, Airstream is not the best choice.