Adding second AC unit, is this a DIY upgrade?

[GT4Point6]

Is a second ac a DIY project? I'm Pretty handy, rig is prepped for second ac from factory, 2014 Hearland Sundance 3000MK.

Couple of other questions, is the prep work that is done at the factory for a second ducted ac or will it be non-duted? Not sure which unit to purchase.
Seen both on rv parts sites so not sure.

This will be a spring modificaiton in prep for next summer in the Mojave area.

Any recommendations for and against certain AC units will be greatly apprceiated. Looking at 13.5-15k unit, it gets hot out here!

Thanks all!

 

[mrcomer]

You will want to purchase a non-ducted unit. Maybe consider a low-profile duo therm.

The only tricky part would be if you decided to have a remote thermostat on the wall. Running the wire might pose a challenge other than that the A/C unit should replace the current vent over the bed.

Good luck and post pics for us to see.

Mark

 

[Snow]

Do you have washer & dryer prep if so I would forget about that noisy roof air and get about a 12000 btu portable air and stick it in the closet run my vent out the side of rv they range from 300-600$ and it's a DIY and it works we were at Bethpage cg the temps in the mid 90 s and it did an excellent job jmho⛄️⛄️⛄️⛄️⛄️⛄️⛄️

 

[GT4Point6]

Thanks for the info.

No washer/dryer prep.

 

[Ray LeTourneau]

Kevin, I'm attaching a PDF of a modification that may help increase your existing A/C efficiency by quite a bit. Our Bighorn is a bit larger than the Sundance 300 and we almost never need the bedroom A/C. It basically improves the air flow in the vents.
The front A/C will be non ducted. There may already be thermostat wiring in the wall for the t'stat. A call to Heartland Customer Service with your VIN should help to determine where the wire are located in the wall.

 

[Lynn1130]

I looked at this for the Cyclone and found several things in my research. They are non-ducted, at least for the Cyclone with prep. Most every unit I researched had many comments about noise and several of the low profile, which is what you need up front, had the worst noise complaints. I am sure some are not, and I am sure someone will chime in with how quiet theirs is but by and large the comments were negative for noise. If you have a way to get it to the roof the rest of the job is not that difficult but remember they are 80-100 lbs and carrying one up a ladder is not a safe option.

I went with a Fan-Tastic fan with a remote, reverse and rain sensor. The few times I have been in hot weather the main unit has done fine.

 

[GT4Point6]

Thanks all, great info! Will try the mod and look at the noise levels as well.

 

[sengli]

We opted for the second AC when ours was built. And it is noisey. Never owned any other RV, so I cant say whether this one is louder than anything else or not. Ours is ducted thru the "H" channels in the roof.

 

[GOTTOYS]

I second Ray's suggestion. I did this to mine as well as for a friend. Takes only a few minutes. The difference in airflow to the bedroom was considerable. Might not be as good as a second A/C but a lot quieter and adequate in most situations. Cheap too...Don

 

[GT4Point6]

...about noise and several of the low profile, which is what you need up front,...

Why do I need a low profile? I've seen several RV's with two or three full size AC units. With it being a fifth wheel and the large frontal area, I'm not concerned about areodynamics.

Thanks,
kevin

 

[Ron-Cookie]

I have a 2013 Sundance 3000MK and spent a week in 100 to 105 degree heat in Tucson this past summer... We found we were able to maintain around 80 degrees in the trailer... I do plan to do Ray's mod this spring however.... If you do put in a front A/C you will have to buy a non ducted model... Our 3000MK has no access to the ducts up front but is wired for the A/C.

 

[HornedToad]

The bedroom is pre wired with 20A romex on a 20A breaker off the 30A house circuit.

I installed a hi efficiency 13.5 unit that the compressor pulls 8A & the fan 2A for a 10A total. A 15000 BTU unit is going to pull 13A to 15A. This was necessary for the installation outlined below and would help reduce the load on a pre wire install. I think the hi efficiency puts out as much cold air as my house unit.

http://www.rvpartwholesaler.com/servlet/the-178/Dometic-459530-Brisk-RV/Detail

I installed mine in the garage of my TH (that was not pre wired) were it was really needed, the bedroom did OK off the main unit but I could still add a third AC down the road. West Texas gets as hot as the Mojave!!!

The hard part is getting it up on the roof!!! Pop the vent off, clean up the sealer, the unit bolts right on. I used a non ducted ceiling assembly that had a built in thermostat. If you are going to use a non ducted ceiling assembly in the bedroom be sure and check the clearance to the wall so it doesn't block the vent.

Now here is the tricky part for a garage install. I ran 20A romex from the AC unit to a Marinco inlet mounted outside.

http://www.marinco.com/product/15a-125v-board-charger-inlet-black

If I'm in a park I plug the rear AC into the shore power to get it off the house circuit. When I'm on the generator I run an extension cord from the exterior outlet to the inlet. Your exterior GFI outlets are on a separate breaker from the living area. At first I was plugging the AC into the outlet in the garage that was on the 15A living area circuit and it would work until we turned on all three TV's, the cable box and what tripped the breaker one day was adding a box fan. It has never tripped on the exterior outlet that's on a separate 15A breaker.

What's wrong with this picture, the spec's on even the hi efficiency AC call for a 20A circuit. The bedroom is pre wired to a 20A breaker and the hi efficiency would work great there and lighten the load. The others, the living area and exterior outlets are on 15A breakers. Now you know why I installed a hi efficiency unit, the 15A breaker can handle the 10A draw.

 

[drsasser]

Where did you mount the a/c plugin and how did you get the wire from the a/c unit over to it??

We bought a 2014 prowler 289 that only has one a/c unit and is not wired for a second, I know that the 30 amp service will not carry both a/c units so my plan is to do what you did and run the second unit off of the park service post with a extension cord, I can handle the rest of the job being an old heavy equipment mechanic but the wiring is my problem.

Thanks

 

[HornedToad]

Where did you mount the a/c plugin and how did you get the wire from the a/c unit over to it??

I ran the romex in plastic electrical raceway with adhesive strip backing (from Home Depot) on the ceiling from the AC unit, to the garage bulkhead, across to the corner, and down the corner to about 1 ft off the floor.

Now here was the fun part... I drilled an opening with a hole saw through the exterior wall to mount the Marinco inlet and hookup the romex. I covered the opening / wire from the inside with a keyed access hatch. If you have a fiberglass sided trailer it is basically a sheet of plywood with fiberglass laminated on the outside, the wall covering over a thin sheet of plywood on the inside and Styrofoam bead insulation in the middle. To make sure you don't drill into a wall stud, check your trailer on a chilly morning and the condensation pattern will help you mark the location of the studs. With an aluminum sided trailer I would use a stud finder from the inside wall.

I helped a friend do this same mod adding a bedroom AC to a 30A trailer. We were able to fish the romex thru the ceiling to the cabinets between the bedroom and den, down and out inside the cabinet without any romex / opening visible.

I'll try to post some pics when I get back from Christmas holiday.

 

[Birchwood]

No matter who does the install make sure your front AC is boxed off from the attic.Do a good job with this otherwise your AC will be drawing air from the attic that will contain sewer fumes because Heartland tank vents are nor sealed from the attic.Very important!

 

[drsasser]

Thanks both of you for the good information,
I think I can get this project done now.

 

[HornedToad]

Good Luck with your project drsasser, come summer you'll be glad you did.
While I think a hi efficiency unit is the only way to go with a generator,
if you'll only be using shore power don't spend the extra $$$.

By the way Birchwood is absolutely right, believe me I know...
if you just happened to forget about your tank flush,
and the vent just happened to be air tight
then water would just run off the roof!!!

 

[Birchwood]

Good Luck with your project drsasser, come summer you'll be glad you did.
While I think a hi efficiency unit is the only way to go with a generator,
if you'll only be using shore power don't spend the extra $$$.

By the way Birchwood is absolutely right, believe me I know...
if you just happened to forget about your tank flush,
and the vent just happened to be air tight
then water would just run off the roof!!!

HornedToad.......I don't think we are in sync ....not sure what you mean ????

 

[HornedToad]

HornedToad.......I don't think we are in sync ....not sure what you mean ????

Birchwood,

I agree the sewer vent is not air tight,
because if it was air tight
and you over filled with the tank flush
the water would just run off the roof
instead of down the wall from the attic!!!
"believe me I know..."

So the recommendation to box off
the AC from the attic is good advice.

 

[jassson007]

Birchwood,

I agree the sewer vent is not air tight,
because if it was air tight
and you over filled with the tank flush
the water would just run off the roof
instead of down the wall from the attic!!!
"believe me I know..."

So the recommendation to box off
the AC from the attic is good advice.

Question for you, if someone should happen to over fill black tank flush and it does come off roof, would there still be a problem with the water running down wall from attic?


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