ATF: Big Country - Ducted AC has hole leaking cold air

[Shortest Straw]

Here is a picture of the "diverter" Heartland installed in one vent to help. Needless to say, it did not.

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Well that made me smile!!

 

[TravelTiger]

Well that made me smile!!

Mike, glad you got some entertainment! I certainly ain't smiling.

I've been talking to Heartland since Tony returned from the factory on the 12th, and they insist the AC works as it is capable (best below 80* ambient temp.)




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[Shortest Straw]

Mike, glad you got some entertainment! I certainly ain't smiling.

I've been talking to Heartland since Tony returned from the factory on the 12th, and they insist the AC works as it is capable (best below 80* ambient temp.)

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One of the advantages to having the elevated living room is that we are not cooling as much air and space. Much like the bedroom but at both ends. One thing I noticed was that air was only coming out one side of each vent. The vents were so far up in the ceiling that it had to go over the front lip to even accomplish any flow at all. I have taken to cutting down the front edge of each of the vents so that they are lower than the track. We are getting more air flow all around now. Its 93 degrees here today and the front ac is off the rear on low and we have an inside temp of 74. Hope that helps you. We also blocked our system off so that we aren't cooling the closet or the rear cabinets.

 

[TravelTiger]

Oh yes, I've changed the vents altogether and have no obstructions inside the duct. I also blocked the ends past the last vents, even separated the two systems to living/kitchen only and bedroom only. That separation does help. I have no issues with the bedroom AC.

Running both AC units as it came from the factory are far worse... If the duct run is allowed to be open the entire length of the coach, it can't keep the rig under 86* when it's 95 outside.


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[wdk450]

Oh yes, I've changed the vents altogether and have no obstructions inside the duct. I also blocked the ends past the last vents, even separated the two systems to living/kitchen only and bedroom only. That separation does help. I have no issues with the bedroom AC.

Running both AC units as it came from the factory are far worse... If the duct run is allowed to be open the entire length of the coach, it can't keep the rig under 86* when it's 95 outside.


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I have set up roots here in Porterville, Ca., in the central valley between Bakersfield and Fresno. Summer has hit, and I can expect the daily high temperature to be near or above 100 degrees every day until Fall comes. I have a single 15k btu ducted Air Conditioner, and a desktop fan. I have covered most all of the exterior windows with double foil bubble wrap wall insulation. I even added some of this to the top of the air conditioner shroud, and the covers of the 2 fantastic fans, as I think that these uninsulated spots let in a lot of heat. And finally, I temporarily covered the tops of 3 of the slides (the 4th sits under tree shade) with the dual foil bubble insulation. When I was climbing down from the roof, I got my face near some of this slide-top reflective insulation and could REALLY feel the heat being reflected.

My inside daily high temperature is about 80 degrees in the living room/kitchen; about 85 degrees in the bathroom/bedroom. I am considering a 2nd ac, but am getting along OK. I keep my tabletop icemaker going in the afternoons for cool drinks and icees made with sugar free flavoring syrups. I also keep a good supply of sugar free popsicles and low cal fudgesicles in the freezer.

Speaking of the refrigerator/freezer, I move the heat source over to propane when the outside temperature is above 90 degrees, and put 2 frozen blue ice blocks in the refrigerator on top at about noontime. I think it refrigerates better on propane, but can't prove it. I do know that I regularly have layers of frost and frozen water droplets on the refrigerator cooling fins when it is 100 degrees outside. I refreeze the blue ice during the night.

I have had some occasional circuit breaker trips on the air conditioner. I went on E-Bay and got a new compressor/fan combined run capacitor, a new compressor start capacitor, and a new start capacitor relay. I also installed a desk fan on the outside of the shroud grille blowing inward directly on the compressor to help it run a little cooler. I can get a new breaker at a hardware store, or move the front AC wiring to the unused rear AC breaker. I realize everything on the rig is now about 10 years old, so I am prepared to replace some of this stuff as needed. I have plans to re-coat the roof with Dicor's thermal reflective paint after the summer is over. The double foil bubble wrap reflective insulation seems to help so much I am thinking of laying it on the whole roof temporarily, and keeping it in place with weights.

I got here about this time last summer, and will survive another summer here.

 

[D_BTravelers]

I deleted the continuous HVAC ducting by blocking flow between living and bedrooms, thus separating the coach into two zone areas. This also blocks flow into the area you are having the loss problem. Just place some soft foam blocks into the ducting just beyond the further most vent in each room. Nothing to lose...try it.

RoadJunkie, I inserted the foam rubber into the ducts as you described and it has improved the cooling a lot. The thermostat for the unit in the living room now is set about the same as the bedroom thermostat and the entire coach cools much more quickly. With the air leak down the wall, the LR thermostat had to be set about 68 degrees to keep the compressor running. Granted, we were just in the Pacific NW, so temps were not high outside; however, on the way home we were in CO and then Amarillo TX and the AC performed better than it ever has. THANK YOU for the suggested solution.

 

[RoadJunkie]

Sounds great. Happy you’re getting better results.