3250ts ac

waterboy1

Member
We have a 2011 3250TS with a single 15000 BTU AC. When the temp gets above 80 degrees the unit will not keep up. It will run from 8:00am till almost dark. Is this normal? The way this is insulated I can't believe this unit is not big enough.
Thanks in advance
 

jimtoo

Moderator
Hi waterboy1,

Welcome to the Heartland Owners Forum and Family. We have a great bunch of people here with lots of information and all willing to share their knowledge if needed.

Hopefully someone with a 3250 will jump in and give their opinion. But it does not sound right to me. You need to contact your dealer and get them to check it out.

Enjoy the forum.

Jim M
 

Nabo

Southeast Region Director-Retired
Waterboy1 - unfortunately we had the same problem with another 5th wheel. When we got the Big Country, we have the dealer install a second unit in the bedroom. If we ever get another rig, a second ac unit will be a must.
 
Hi Waterboy1 ... We have a 2009 Big Country 3250TS and we live in the Dallas, Texas area. Needless to say, our summers are hard on A/C units. Your experience matched my own. When we camped in an area without tree cover the single A/C simply can't do the job. I had ours checked and it was working properly and efficiently. (as best it could under the conditions it was subjected to) I purchased a low-profile Carrier 15,000 BTU unit and did the install myself. I'm only moderately skilled at diy stuff and it was not nearly as difficult a task as you'd think. Your coach is already pre-wired for an A/C to be installed in the bedroom. To install the unit, you remove the vent fan. This is simple enough, screws hold the trim inside, cap off the wire nuts for the old fan. Up on the roof a number of screws hold down the upper portion of the vent. Sizing of the opening matches the requirements of the Carrier low-profile unit. The one issue I ran into was the length of the 4 screws that hold the new A/C to the frame that mounts in the cabin. (The Carrier supplied screws were too short) A trip to home depot and a hacksaw purchase and some "all-thread rod" created 4 screws with double nuts and lock washers that were perfect for the task. You have to "fish around" in the attic to find the wiring that is factory supplied to bring power to your new A/C. My wife's small hands made that easier. The wires are attached to a junction box and it's pre-wired all the way to the circuit breaker panel. (Make sure circuit breaker is in OFF position before connecting your wires. By the way, the people at Carrier made the wiring very simple to install. You don't have to be an electrician to do this. Oh, one other thing - I fabricated my own "ductwork" using home depot ductboard and duct tape. The Carrier supplied duct "sock" was a little too short to connect easily to the outlet flange. Only took a few minutes and a utility knife to custom fit my duct-work plenum. (Carrier makes a 13,500 BTU & A 15,000 BTU low-profile A/C) I opted for the 15,000 BTU (a Year later and I'm glad I chose that one) There are a number of "trim kits" to choose from to deliver the conditioned air. We chose the simplest install without connecting into the coach's ductwork. The bottom line is that an afternoon of work doubled our air conditioning capability. We have never had a power problem or tripped breaker using our 50 Amp service. Our trailer will freeze your tail-off now if you set the stats to do so. One more tip - Shop around online once you choose your model. There are huge variances in pricing for the A/C and Trim Kits. We saved about a $1,000.00 by shopping smart and doing the work ourselves. Hope this info was helpful.
 

SouthernNights

Past South Carolina Chapter Leader
Hi waterboy,

We also have a 3250. We have the single A/C and live in the south. The A/C used to struggle in the summer.
After doing these mods in the attached thread AND adding a digital thermostat the performance of the A/C has improved.
If you will read the attached thread, it will most likely help you issues.
The biggest issue we had with ours was the airbox not sealed off inside the unit from the return air.
//heartlandowners.org/showthread.php/1069-AC-air-flow-problem-SOLVED

This next thread is the installation instructions for the digital thermostat.

http://home.roadrunner.com/~morodat/hunter_install.html


We are currently in North Myrtle Beach. Temp yesterday hit 93. The trailer stayed at 76. The unit never shut off during the day but it did keep the trailer cool.
Keep in mind the most you will ever see out of an A/C is about a 20 degree difference between out side air temp and inside air temp.

At 80 degrees your A/C should be freezing you out.

Both of these mods are very simple and easy to do. Good luck.
 

waterboy1

Member
Thanks for the help. We have an appointment with a dealer next week to check it out. We are getting a 15 degree drop from the intake to the output. Seems a little low to me. I will post the outcome from the dealer.(not where we bought it, they won't call me back).
 

Ray LeTourneau

Senior Member - Past Moderator
waterboy1, the link from SouthernNights is your best bet. Look at post #172 in that thread. There is a very detailed instruction to solve most of the problem. There are other possibilities including a sensor that attaches to the coils in the return plenum. It may have come dislodged.
We bought a 2nd A/C unit last year but rarely use it. We have done the mod in the link as well as the Hunter t'stat. Try those before spending a lot of money an a 2nd A/C unit. In fact, print out the pdf instructions and show that to the servicing dealer.
 
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waterboy1

Member
Well we went to the dealer yesterday and was told that the ac was within factory specs. After 1.5 hours the temp in the trailer went down from 91 to 87. I paid the $31 tech fee and was told to sweat it out. Not the right answer. We had a 06 coachmen with a lot less insulation and a smaller ac and did not have this problem. If this unit needs 2 ac's the selling dealer should have told me from the start. It really upsets me that we now own a beautiful unit that we cannot use for 2 months in the heat of the summer in Michigan. Is this a design flaw from the factory?
Thanks for the input
 

Ray LeTourneau

Senior Member - Past Moderator
waterboy1, I'm pretty confident your a/c unit has the capability to keep your rig comfortable. I don't know what your other rv's were or if they had 3 slide outs or what type of insulation etc. Many of our forum member have modified the way the air is distributed through the ducts and have had great results. Heartland installs these unit according to the manufacturers recommendations. The link you were provided earlier in this thread is a way to alter the air flow so it is more efficient. It can be completed in less than a few hours by a cave man. your cost will be for a roll of flashing tape and a small piece of sheet metal. Probably less than $10. Like I had said in an earlier post, I have 2 a/c units. I rarely use the 2nd unit.
 

SouthernNights

Past South Carolina Chapter Leader
Garry, I really suggest you follow Ray's suggestion and do these mods . We have the same trailer as you-one A/C unit and with temps in the 90s in SC the trailer still stays at 76 during the day in full sun.

In the heat of the day if we had just turn on the A/C after traveling it will bring the temp in the trailer down about 5 degrees per hour. That is what I look for to make sure everything is working properly.

It sure would be worth a look into your A/C unit with the inside cover off. Sealing off the the return airox from the outlet airbox did more for my unit than anything else. And it took about 45 minutes.
 

waterboy1

Member
Thanks and I will try these add ons. I just did not want to mess up my warranty. I am just disappointed that I have to do anything to a brand new unit. I guess that I had hoped that Heartland would have had a fix.
Thanks again a I will let you know the progress.
 
I added a 2nd ac to my 2011 3250 and in the process I found a thermostat wire in the vent area where the 2nd ac was installed. Anyone have any idea where the other end of this wire is located?
 
B

bwwalczak

Guest
On a 3250TS Big Country the thermostat wire for the 2nd AC is located inside the wall next to the bed. This is the closet wall on the off door side. The wire is coiled up inside this wall.

Hope this helps.
 

SouthernNights

Past South Carolina Chapter Leader
On a 3250TS Big Country the thermostat wire for the 2nd AC is located inside the wall next to the bed. This is the closet wall on the off door side. The wire is coiled up inside this wall.

Hope this helps.
Bryan, is that on the 2009s also???
 

waterboy1

Member
Well I did the changes and they helped somewhat. We just got back from a sweaty 4 day weekend. 86 degrees outside and 82 degrees inside with high humidity. I guess I will have to add a second AC for another $1000 or so. I really wish that the dealer would have told us that 1 unit would not work so I could have added it when we ordered it. Maybe this will help potential buyers from the same mistake. The factory service did tell me that the grey color can add 10 to 15 degrees to the cabin temp.
 
B

bwwalczak

Guest
There should be a thermostat wire on the 2009 3250TS Big Country - same location.

We have been prepping these models for many years.
 

Ray LeTourneau

Senior Member - Past Moderator
I do find it curious that this is the "ask the factory" forum and they have not weighed in on my problem here.
Garry, Keep in mind, the factory doesn't have someone monitoring the forum 24/7. They do read posts and respond as they can. Your a/c issue has been addressed by your dealer. While your dealer may not have satisfied your problem, I still believe your single unit can be made to cool the coach on normal Michigan hot days. I know mine does.
 
B

bwwalczak

Guest
In response, we have been watching this thread, but lets consider some key facts. This summer has been the hottest on record in many years for many parts of the country. It is a rare day when the high temperature in Wichita, KS is higher than Miami, FL for a consistent number of days. This summer has been VERY hot. I know first hand, when my camping trip the first week of July - the temperature did not go below 100 degrees, in Pennsylvania.

Second, our air conditioner suppliers verify that a single 15K A/C should lower the inside temperature from ambient temperature 20 degrees. This process can take several hours if it is an extraordinarly hot day. The best practice is to lower your ambient temperature as early as possible, like early in the morning. This gives equiptment a better "head start". In addition, doors and windows remain closed. Shades drawn.

A second A/C will not lower the temperature any more, it will just lower it faster. With more air flow, you increase your efficiency.

This all being said, make sure air flow is checked in your unit. Pleniums, ducts, and other airflow devices have and will come loose. Please be sure to check and recheck these because there is nothing worse than being uncomfortable.

I hope this helps. As usual, there are unique circumstances that we cannot address individually. We rely on our dealer network and Heartland service department to look into specific instances. Please use these resources to make sure this is a comfortable summer.
 

waterboy1

Member
Garry, Keep in mind, the factory doesn't have someone monitoring the forum 24/7. They do read posts and respond as they can. Your a/c issue has been addressed by your dealer. While your dealer may not have satisfied your problem, I still believe your single unit can be made to cool the coach on normal Michigan hot days. I know mine does.

Ray, I have done the modifications in this forum and it did help with the air flow. I set my thermostat at 77 degrees and leave the unit on day and night and like I said earlier when the outside temp reached 85 to 86 degrees it was 82 degrees in the trailer. This is with the doors and windows shut and the blinds adjusted to limit the sun. As for "my" dealer I am still waiting for them to call me back after leaving them messages many weeks ago. I took it to another Heartland dealer who charged me to say it is working fine. If their service manager had to stay in my unit I bet they would find a problem. I just find it frustrating that with the investment we made we cannot be comfortable. One last thing, when the air is running should the floor vibrate? I don't think so but so far I am being told that I don't know what I am talking about. Thanks for listening.
 
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