Fellow Ashland owner have a AC question

[fredwrichardson]

I have already sent an email into the factory on this but I also find that it is good to ask other owners if they are seeing the same issues. Our Ashland has three air conditioners. We got our unit last December so we have not had any reason to run the ACs. The unit got into the 80s inside and I put on the two rear (living area) ACs. I then went around and checked the vents. By the shower and refrigerator you could feel pretty good air flow but in the back by the sofa there was nothing. Now I know that some of the vents are output and some are intake and intake vents are not going to feel like they are working. Is there a diagram to show what vents are intake and output and if not does any other Ashland owner have the same issue or can explain the system?

Thanks Fred

 

[travlingman]

One side is the returns and the other is flow. Shouldn't vary from side to side of the camper.

 

[fredwrichardson]

One side is the returns and the other is flow. Shouldn't vary from side to side of the camper.

So each vent has both an output and intake?

 

[jbeletti]

So each vent has both an output and intake?

Fred - I don't the correct terms, but think of it as two trunk lines. The door side trunk is the intake. You'll hae removable/washable filters under each of those grills. The off-door side is the output/discharge.

So, it looks like each vent has an output/intake but I think the in/out grill placement is for symmetry as well as performance. The runs (trunks) they are cut into are different.

If you are getting nothing from some of your discharge (off-door side) grills, you should have the duct system looked at.

 

[fredwrichardson]

Fred - I don't the correct terms, but think of it as two trunk lines. The door side trunk is the intake. You'll hae removable/washable filters under each of those grills. The off-door side is the output/discharge.

So, it looks like each vent has an output/intake but I think the in/out grill placement is for symmetry as well as performance. The runs (trunks) they are cut into are different.

If you are getting nothing from some of your discharge (off-door side) grills, you should have the duct system looked at.

Jim,

Thanks for the explanation. It now makes since to me. I will try and take a look at the rear vents and see if I can find a stoppage or disconnect. Is there a diagram that shows how the trunk lines run and how they connect to the ACs?

 

[fredwrichardson]

Another question. Are all the AC units tied to the same duct work? I notice with the two AC units in the back that the air flowed the same through the vents no matter which unit was on. I did not get a chance to try the bedroom AC but it's thermostat is by the closet quite a ways from the other two thermostats that are in the middle of the unit in the hallway. I assume if you want the bedroom to have it own thermostat that AC would not share the same duct work. The two AC units in the back have the thermostats right next to each other so they can share the same duct work. Sorry for all the questions but I really want to get these back vents fixed and understanding the logic behind the vents will make it a lot easy to understand and fix.

 

[Garypowell]

Fred I cannot comment on your model but on my 2013 Bighorn I was very concerned about the loss of air. Whenever I would remove a light fixture cold air would come out. I put a blockage at the end of my supply ducting (I have two in my coach) and the helped the air flow out of the registers considerably.

My my coach has two A/C's controlled by two different thermostats. With the ductwork cross connected between them when the bedroom a/c came on some of the air ended up in the living room......I noticed this caused the bedroom a/c to grind on for hours. The same thing but in reverse happened to the living a/c. So I blocked the ductwork between the two. This forces the a/c tied to a given area to cool just that area.

I think it helped the performance and runtime.

 

[danemayer]

It's handy to have shared ducts. After you get the temperature into a comfy range, you can adjust the 2 thermostats so the unit further away is doing most of the work. Makes the living room quieter for evening TV and the bedroom quieter for sleeping.

 

[fredwrichardson]

Well I think I have solved the problem. I have a neighbor that is a retired facility manager. He came over and told me that the system was tuned for three air conditioners. This means you need all three on and all the vents will work. We tested it and he was right. When we put the bedroom AC on with the other two all the vents in the living room worked. He said the Bedroom AC was adding enough positive airflow to push air into the living room. He told me if I wanted to tune the system for just two ACs then I would have to restrict the vents in the hallway and refrigerator area for these are the closest to the units and receive the most air. Because the vents cannot be adjusted you need to take a piece of card board or display board or anything that will allow you to restrict the air flow with the middle vents. That forces more air to the outside vents that are by the coach and in the bedroom. This weekend I will see how I can tune the vents for two and not three AC units.

 

[Garypowell]

At either Home Depot or Lowe's you can find circular registers that are adjustable. At least in our 2013 they fit perfectly. I put them in the bedroom as I searched to find the best solution for us.

One thing to note if you try this is to take them apart and double nut the screw. The vibration of travel will unscrew the adjustable part and it will fall to the floor...or bed....or whatever.

Dan has a valid point and we did operate that way....I have found zoning (isolating) the systems is best for my desire for cooler temperatures. Even with two units it is still just not cool enough for me! So I keep looking for ways to improve things.

 

[jbeletti]

Check these out Fred.

 

[fredwrichardson]

Check these out Fred.

View attachment 36608

Jim - they look great. Will they fit in the same spot as the current vents?

 

[fredwrichardson]

Check these out Fred.

View attachment 36608

Need to take the time to read everything. The fact that they rotate is another great feature for the current vents are only half efficient in that the vanes go in different directions. One half point right and the other half point left. The problem is air travels down the duct works going horizontal meaning only half the vent is flowing air and the other half is stopping the air. When you put your hand up to the vent only one side is letting the air flow. These should let all the air flow and will let if flow where you need it. Going to buy one and see how it works. Great find.

 

[fredwrichardson]

Check these out Fred.

View attachment 36608

Jim,

I think I found the vent that Landmark is currently using. Jet Stream" #8950 Wide Open Louvered RV AC Vent.



It has two colors white and medium white. I assume that Landmark is using medium white for there is a little color in it. The new vent is in white and light beige. When looking at images of the two the medium white and light beige look close. I am ordering one of the new vent in light beige and will see how it works. Will pass on the results when I get it.

 

[jbeletti]

Jim,

I think I found the vent that Landmark is currently using. Jet Stream" #8950 Wide Open Louvered RV AC Vent.

View attachment 36620

It has two colors white and medium white. I assume that Landmark is using medium white for there is a little color in it. The new vent is in white and light beige. When looking at images of the two the medium white and light beige look close. I am ordering one of the new vent in light beige and will see how it works. Will pass on the results when I get it.

I think they are white. Be sure to measure before you order.

 

[fredwrichardson]

Took one down and made all the measurements and the new one will fit where the current one is now. Also looked at color and the ones in the unit are off white. The white ones are white white. The light beige I believe will match the coach better but I ordered two for shipping ($14) was more that the price of the vent and shipping was the same price whether I bought one or two. If I do not use them I am OK with the investment. Will pass on how they work when I get them.

 

[jbeletti]

Fred - I see there are a few D&W grills on Amazon. Not sure what part number you ordered but if this is the one you need, you might want to consider ordering via Amazon.

 

[Rcnewell11]

Jim and Fred I noticed on my ac returns in ceiling that one of my returns does not have washable filter.i may need to get ahold of HL to send me one .Fyi

 

[fredwrichardson]

Fred - I see there are a few D&W grills on Amazon. Not sure what part number you ordered but if this is the one you need, you might want to consider ordering via Amazon.

Jim - I saw this one but it is different in that the four mounting screws are visible and I really like the no screw look.