Adding 2nd AC to Sundance 285TS

larryect

Member
Has anyone done this yet?

The 285TS has a 30 amp service and is not prepped for a 2nd AC. I was wondering if anyone has taken the plunge to do it themselves.
 

BigJim45

Luv'n Life
You could possible do this if you have power to where the vent is in the bedroom. Could not run both a/c at same time. Maybe someone that has done this will give some feedback.

Good luck to you. We are over in Hemet not to far from you.
 

larryect

Member
I am considering runing some surface mount wire mold across the ceiling, down the wall and throgh, terminating in a power inlet plug on the outside. That way I could run a seperate cord to the 20 amp outlet at the power post and run both at the same time.

I am curious about roof strength, but I think it is plenty strong. I walk on it easily and it seems to not have any trouble at all. Dometic calls for a 200 pound design strength for the 100 pound unit.

I called the factory, and they said since they did not prep for the unit, they cannot recomend it. Was wondering if anyone had tried it.
 

Bob&Patty

Founders of SoCal Chapter
What size unit is on the roof now....13500 or 15000 BTU? Maybe you could upgrade the unit you have now, install A/C vents that close off and direct more air to the BR. Would be cheaper and easier.
 

larryect

Member
The current unit is 15,000. Just seems to be not enough if outside temp is 100+. Even opening the dump vent into the lving area and closing off the bedroom, getting the rig below 80 is a challenge.
 

Grey Ghost

Well-known member
Hey Larryect, I have a 29' 2011 Hearthland Greystone and have the same problem with not enough air in the BR when temps get up towards 100+. I've 50 amp service and was told by our dealer that he could mount another AC unit with no problems over the BR since it is prepped for it and we would have no more problems with enough air up there to stay nice and cool. Haven't done it yet but really thinking hard about it. We live in AZ so camping in the summer around here is difficult to say the least. We can go West and North but right now there are some pretty nasty forest fires in both those directions! Good luck and let me know what you decided to do.
 

larryect

Member
Hey Larryect, I have a 29' 2011 Hearthland Greystone and have the same problem with not enough air in the BR when temps get up towards 100+. I've 50 amp service and was told by our dealer that he could mount another AC unit with no problems over the BR since it is prepped for it and we would have no more problems with enough air up there to stay nice and cool. Haven't done it yet but really thinking hard about it. We live in AZ so camping in the summer around here is difficult to say the least. We can go West and North but right now there are some pretty nasty forest fires in both those directions! Good luck and let me know what you decided to do.

Yours should be simple since it is prepped already. Take the vent out and put in the AC and hook it up.

Is the Greystone a full size/height with 5 inch thick roof? My Sundance is an XLT - light weight mid-profile with 3 inch thick roof. It's interesting yours doesn't do better with the thicker insulation.
 

Grey Ghost

Well-known member
Yours should be simple since it is prepped already. Take the vent out and put in the AC and hook it up.

Is the Greystone a full size/height with 5 inch thick roof? My Sundance is an XLT - light weight mid-profile with 3 inch thick roof. It's interesting yours doesn't do better with the thicker insulation.

Yes, however it still gets plenty warm when the temp is over 100! The guy down at the shop said it would take about two hours to complete the install and right now the installation fee is free, so maybe this is the time to get it done.

We have camped a number of time over by Ventura, CA along Highway 1 and just love it there. I think the name of the campground is Faria Beach Campground and it is NICE. Right on the Ocean, we have seen lots of seals, dolphins, pelicans and some whales too. Very friendly people camp there and the hamburgers are to die for. Really a nice place to stay for a while. They have 50 amp service, water and cable TV also.
 

larryect

Member
Yes, however it still gets plenty warm when the temp is over 100! The guy down at the shop said it would take about two hours to complete the install and right now the installation fee is free, so maybe this is the time to get it done.

We have camped a number of time over by Ventura, CA along Highway 1 and just love it there. I think the name of the campground is Faria Beach Campground and it is NICE. Right on the Ocean, we have seen lots of seals, dolphins, pelicans and some whales too. Very friendly people camp there and the hamburgers are to die for. Really a nice place to stay for a while. They have 50 amp service, water and cable TV also.

Sounds like a great place to camp.

I have found what looks like a good price here for a Dometic 13,500 Brisk Air 2 AC unit:

http://www.adventurerv.net/dometic-duo-therm-brisk-air-conditioner-13500-btu-top-unit-p-1339.html

Anyway, I think it is the "2".... Shipping would be around $90 and you would need a lower unit (Air box), but it looks like a good deal compared to the low-profiles, heat pumps etc. They have the same unit with the non-ducted air box for $420
 

Ron-Cookie

Senior Member
I would not worry about the roof handling the weight of a A/C... Take a look at the brochure for Sundance on the Heartland website.... It shows a F150 sitting on the roof of a Sundance XLT! I know that my Sundance 3000MK has been wired for a second A/C and I have 50 Amp service on the coach... I plan to add A/C in the bedroom down the road as well as do the ceiling vent modification to increase airflow in the living room area later this summer.

By-the-Way you should join our Arizona Heartland Owner club... Was formed in February and we have a Rally in SE Arizona October and then another Rally over at Quartzsite in January... The club already has 20 odd members I believe... Ron
 

larryect

Member
Yep, I have seen that brochure. I really think the roof is strong enough. Sure wish the factory would confirm it and it had the wiring....

I will most liely wait a bit to do it. Go through this summer first and see how it goes. Going to Pechanga (Temecula, CA) in July.....

AZ for club seems a bit far for me.
 

westxsrt10

Perfict Senior Member
Yep, I have seen that brochure. I really think the roof is strong enough. Sure wish the factory would confirm it and it had the wiring....

I will most liely wait a bit to do it. Go through this summer first and see how it goes. Going to Pechanga (Temecula, CA) in July.....

AZ for club seems a bit far for me.

You will want to do the AC mods first (forum search) as they can improve you AC performance as much as 20%. Bubble foil I the widows another 20%.
 

Kbvols

Well-known member
I did the AC tent mod then blocked off the vents on the duct that runs to the bed room and bathroom. I did change the vent in the bathroom to one that could be opened or closed. It made a huge difference in the airflow to the bedroom and has evened out the cooling thru out the coach. Bedroom has been cool with temps outside in the 90's.
 

larryect

Member
Follow this link... post #2. It's kinda long, but does work.

Jim M

Thanks. Some scary stuff there.......

I really think I have a capacity problem though. Although, now I am wondering about roof insulation losses as well......

Even when I just open the air dump to dump all the cooled air into the living area, it is not enough at very high outside temps.
 

troybilt71

Member
I have an '08 Sundance 2900MK. It has 30amp service. I mounted a low profile unit on the front of mine. I ran a 100ft heavy duty extension cord up through the propane compartment. I put a hook on the wall inside the compartment to store the cord while traveling. I ran wall mount wire mold on the wall and across the ceiling. I did this in 2008 have never had a problem.
 

larryect

Member
I have an '08 Sundance 2900MK. It has 30amp service. I mounted a low profile unit on the front of mine. I ran a 100ft heavy duty extension cord up through the propane compartment. I put a hook on the wall inside the compartment to store the cord while traveling. I ran wall mount wire mold on the wall and across the ceiling. I did this in 2008 have never had a problem.


Thanks for the reply. I haven't done this yet. Thought I might as well wait to see if too little AC becomes an issue. We seem to be okay up to at least 90 or so. Although the main unit sure is noisy in the living area.
 

wrgrs50s

Well-known member
Due to the Texas heat I thought about adding a 2nd AC on my Sundance 277RL XLT, but found that the antenna is mounted right behind the vent. Not enough room for the AC to fit without relocating the antenna which would be a bit too much.

So, I checked the ducting to see if there was any reason that the air was not being distributed properly and found that the duct ran at least several feet past the end of the last vent on each end of the trailer. I closed off the space between the last vent on the one in the bedroom, 2 of the vents in the living area, and the one in the bathroom using some cardboard and foil tape. Then I made a baffle to block off some of the extra air that was coming in to the bathroom (for some reason it had a ton of flow). This increased the air flow to all the vents. Also I pulled the inside cover off the ac and checked to be sure it was sealed properly. I found that where the top unit blower slides together with the inside unit, there was no foil tape which was allowing some of the cold air to escape to the outside. I taped that up and anything else that didnt look right and it has made a real difference in how well our unit cools. Its very important to make sure that the blower side and return air is sealed properly, that is one of the biggest areas of loss if its sucking cold air right back into the return air.

In other words, to make a short story long, these mods have made quite an improvement on my rig. Now camping at 97 degrees in the sun, I'm setting in about 75 degrees inside temp instead of 80 or above. We dont camp when the temps reach above 100 unless we have plenty of shade.

Nothing beats a 2nd ac, but there is definately some benefit to be had from checking your factory install and making a few mods.
 
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