A/C ducting modification questions...

tgreening

Active Member
I have 2 A/C units in a 2011 3950, and when I'm someplace hot it is just barely doing the job. The bedroom unit will cool the bedroom and not much else. The excess cool doesn't seem to transfer to the rest of the unit much at all. A strategically placed fan helps, but only so much.

My friend has a new Dutchmen Komfort with dual a/c units and his are both mounted above the main living area. One unit feeds ducts in the main living area, and the rear bathroom/bunk room. The other unit feeds a duct in the main living area and the front bathroom/bedroom. With both units going and the A/C vents opened up in the "quick cool" mode they will pretty much freeze you right out of the living area. With A/C vents closed the whole unit will stay very cool.

What I'm thinking of doing is replacing the front bedroom a/c with a ducted model, tieing it into the main duct work, and then trying to split that duct work in half so the front unit feeds the bedroom/front bathroom and one vent in the living area, and the other a/c feeds one living room vent and the garage/back bathroom.

Changing the a/c to a ducted model should pretty much be a no-brainer, but the big unknown is splitting the existing duct work in half. It "seems" like it shouldn't be a big deal, but I haven't taken a look at it yet. Can anyone offer any insight on doing this?
 

ILH

Well-known member
I was serjously considering one of those free-standing a/c units for the garage area. Not sure how I'd duct it out - but if I could it would certai ly be cheaper and more directed to the garage problem area.
 

tgreening

Active Member
Mods will do what Mods will do but...I posted this over in the Cyclone section because I thought the duct work in a Cyclone may be specific to a Cyclone, and someone there may have already tread this ground. At the risk of being redundant I had also posted my question to an existing thread here in the general HVAC section, where I now have two posts asking the same question, and no question in the forums specific to my model. :)
 

porthole

Retired
The main AC is ducted, a rather thin rectangular duct. If you are looking forward under the main AC, the trunk that goes to the rear is on the right and the forward trunk is on the left. You can follow the ceiling vents to see the positioning. The ducts stop about 12" past the last discharge.

The front AC is not ducted.
 

tgreening

Active Member
The main AC is ducted, a rather thin rectangular duct. If you are looking forward under the main AC, the trunk that goes to the rear is on the right and the forward trunk is on the left. You can follow the ceiling vents to see the positioning. The ducts stop about 12" past the last discharge.

The front AC is not ducted.


Any and all input is appreciated, but I'm a bit unsure of what question you are answering. I know my front A/C isn't ducted. I added it and used a non-ducted model, which if I had to do over I might do different, hence my questioning on the practicality of changing it out, replacing it with w a ducted model and tying it into the existing duct work.
 

porthole

Retired
You did question about spilting the ductwork, I just suggested that it is already split for you. Block it off at the main unit and it is split.
The way the ducts are run in the Cyclone you could probably do exactly what you are thinking of in your original post.
Currently, half the ducts feed the front bedroom, bath and you can add a discharge into the living room if you don't have one already on the forward running duct.
The 3010 doesn't have a discharge on that frward run and I cut one in.

Since the factory duct work is already split at the main AC, it is worth looking into tieing into it.

I gave this some thought but I really think it will not be worth the effort on the smaller 3010. But what I was considering was tieing the front in and then experimenting with blocking it off in the middle and having it not blocked Figured if both were on they would make their own "air flow block", if only one of two were on there would be some beneficial spillage into the opposite rooms.
 

tgreening

Active Member
You did question about spilting the ductwork, I just suggested that it is already split for you. Block it off at the main unit and it is split.



Aaand, the light bulb goes on. Makes all kind of sense now. :) I might try that tent in the vent thing first to see if it makes any significant difference. I'd rather not have to shell out the money for another A/C if I don't have to. No idea what I'd do with the extra one.
 

porthole

Retired
I tried the tent, saw no improvement. Figured I should take it out and play around with the shape.
That was a year and a half ago.
 
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