A/Cs and Heat
Darrel,
First of all, I have already contacted my service guys to see exactly what is happening with their communication with Worldwide. If they really were waiting on something, they will not be after today.
Secondly, re: the issue of cooling your unit, your remote sensor may need to be moved. As I had posted in this forum previously, when we first starting using Dometic's "state-of-the-art" remote control system, they came out to the factory and installed the first ones for us. Turns out, where they put (and showed us to put) the remote sensor on the ceiling unit was too close to the down air flow if you have the "quick cool" vent open. This caused a number of units to shut off prematurely, because the sensor was reading colder than what the room actually was. Now, some people rarely use the "quick cool" vent and it wasn't much of a problem for them. That being said, the fix for this issue was to move the remote sensor to the other side of the A/C unit. Because of their participation in this issue, Dometic agreed to provide new plastic interior A/C shrouds so that there would be two little holes when the sensor had to be moved.
Beyond this short cycling issue due to the remote sensor location, there have not been a lot of issues with the A/C systems. I know a lot of owners have struggled with the operation of the remote itself and the settings, which has caused a lot of consternation. But the system works when operated properly. We did have one or two coaches where the A/C ducting had been compromised (squished) and they needed to be expanded back into shape to get the air flow back to where it needed to be.
Ken mentioned considering a second A/C in units so large - and he is right. Dometic themselves will tell you that as large are some of these fifth wheels are, if you are looking for significantly colder temperatures when you are in the South and SouthWest, you should strongly consider the optional second A/C in the bedroom. That's why we offer it. Why don't we make it standard? Because believe it or not, not everyone wants to spend the extra money on them (as they camp mostly in the Midwest and Northern states) and the vast majority of our competition also offers them as an option, so we can't price ourselves out of the market.
Regarding the sidewalls, I have been in this industry for over 20 years and I am going to tell you that the structure and the thickness of the fiberglass and substrate that we use is above average. I know that it takes a long time for one of our coaches to either heat up or cool down once it has reached whatever temperature it is at because of its insulation and construction. What do I mean? For example, when we pull a coach inside that was sitting outside in the lot to do some work on it, we can let it sit in the heated factory for an entire day, but when you go into the coach the next day it will still be frigid. Why? That's because the thing is very well insulated and the outside temperature takes a considerable amount of time to effect the inside temperature (unless of course you turn on the furnace or A/C).
Darrel - we will get your coach's A/C system working properly. Our guys will be on the phone today with Worldwide. If you want more cooling and heating power, you may want to consider the optional bedroom A/C with heat pump.