Main AC Unit Not Cooling Enough.... Some options?

[cruzer076]

Hey guys,
I live in Texas and I just purchased this 2009 31qbs. I really like it. Today I got it plugged in and started testing the AC, it blew cool air but the unit never actually cooled down, I tried closing and opening ducts to see if it made a difference but not really. I had the unit on high for about an hour and a half and even though it blew cool air, the inside was not really cooling off that much. Its a 1 ac system.

Being completely new to RV's in general and the Northtrail, how cool should I expect the cabin to get with the front and rear inside doors close, and the AC on full blast for an hour and a half in temps hotter than 90+? I'm quite sure inside was well over 85 degrees as I had to put a fan on to stay cool, (while sitting under the blast of the AC). My car AC works so much better...why don't we just use those on top? haha.


So I was trying to find some other options to keep the cabin cooler.
1. I read removing the vinyl window coverings and upgrading to coverings that block out more heat. Using something like: MCD Day/Night shades.
2. Try using Tim's AC Tent Modification - Maybe that will help with the flow of air throughout the cabin.
3. Add a second AC unit to the bedroom...Something like Atwood Air Command RV Air Conditioner, or Dometic Brisk Air II (not sure how much work or how $$ this is yet)
4...A idea I was toying with was putting radiant heat barrier on the roof and glue it down? Has anyone tried that? What would be the down side to that? (other than blinding squirrels and pilots)? They have these 24 inch rolls on Amazon and I would think this would dramatically reduce heat absorption from the roof during the summer. Something like Reflexit or Home depots version.
5. Last idea was to spray the roof with SuperTherm. (A ceramic based paint NASA used on space shuttles, normally sprayed on metal to reduce heat)

Anyone have any other insight?

Thanks

 

[danemayer]

Hi cruzer076,

Congratulations on your new North Trail and welcome to the Heartland Owners Forum. There's lots of useful information here along with a great bunch of friendly and helpful people.

The bigger the RV, the harder it is for the A/C unit(s) to cool things down; especially in Texas summers. If you have 50 Amp electrical service, your bedroom may be prepped for an A/C unit and you'll do a lot better with 2 units.

You're on the right track thinking about ways to block or reflect sunlight to reduce the heat load. If you get an laser temperature reader, you'll be amazed at how much heat is coming through your windows.

We have an owner-written Heating and Cooling Guide that has some tips you may find helpful. Here's a link to the user guides page.

 

[cruzer076]

Hi cruzer076,

Congratulations on your new North Trail and welcome to the Heartland Owners Forum. There's lots of useful information here along with a great bunch of friendly and helpful people.

The bigger the RV, the harder it is for the A/C unit(s) to cool things down; especially in Texas summers. If you have 50 Amp electrical service, your bedroom may be prepped for an A/C unit and you'll do a lot better with 2 units.

You're on the right track thinking about ways to block or reflect sunlight to reduce the heat load. If you get an laser temperature reader, you'll be amazed at how much heat is coming through your windows.

We have an owner-written Heating and Cooling Guide that has some tips you may find helpful. Here's a link to the user guides page.

Thanks for the warm welcome. I am planning on living full time in the RV until I build my house...moving from a 2br apartment to this..seems like it will take a little getting use to.

I only have the 30amp....I guess I will go ahead and try the window coverings first to see if that makes a big difference...

...but with it getting to almost 100 today, I am really curious how the radiant heat on the roof would work... Has anyone done this? Why or why not?
My only worry is it flying off going down the highway but I have a few ideas to make sure it stays put, such as Self adhesive tie downs and some kind of tie down strap in addition to the material being glued down.

 

[Grey Ghost]

Hey cruzer076, I have a 29' Greystone with one A/C and we live in phoenix, so we know HEAT. 114 today so it is hot. Our little A/C will not cool down the trailer either so we looked at installing a 2nd A/C in the bedroom. It is already prepped and Camping World will install for $39.00 so I think that is the route we are going to take since it is so very hot here in the summer time. It's much cooler only 2 hours north of us so we usually go up to Flagstaff in the summer months and really do not need two A/C up there. Good luck with what ever you try but I'm pretty sure your going to end up with a 2nd A/C unit.

Thanks for the warm welcome. I am planning on living full time in the RV until I build my house...moving from a 2br apartment to this..seems like it will take a little getting use to.

I guess I will go ahead and try the window coverings first to see if that makes a big difference...

...but with it getting to almost 100 today, I am really curious how the radiant heat on the roof would work... Has anyone done this? Why or why not?
My only worry is it flying off going down the highway but I have a few ideas to make sure it stays put, such as Self adhesive tie downs and some kind of tie down strap in addition to the material being glued down.

 

[cruzer076]

@Grey Ghost - Sounds like what I am going to do, I have too many girls with me and even though I could take it...my daughters and gf will def not.

So this brings up a few more questions:

1. How can I tell if my bedroom is prewired for an AC - (I have a 30amp 31qbs, currently has a pop up vent)
2. If I am going to buy a new 15k btu AC, would you recommend I move the main AC to the bedroom and install the new unit in the main cabin, or will it really matter as long as I have both going at the same time? ( I assume the front of the RV will cool faster than the rear in that case?)
3.Would you recommend I upgrade to 50amp or just run an external plug for the 2nd AC Unit?
4. Ducted vs Non-Ducted: Does the front bedroom have ducts to connect to if I add a Ducted unit there? The main unit I assume is ducted too but when would you not install a ducted unit? (is there some kind of limitation to where you can install one?)

Thanks!

Thanks

 

[CapnSteve59]

Right there with you, Cruzer076. We have a newer unit and two A/C's but the bedroom AC is self contained and not much help with the living room/kitchen area. We use the reflective material in the windows and run a 20" box fan during the heat of the afternoon, but it still gets up to the mid 80's. We are going to change out the AC vents in our bedroom and bathroom so we can shut them off and concentrate more air into the main living area. With that said, we kind of expected this problem and eventually plan to spend summers on The Oregon coast and winters in Texas. I'm just afraid that going to the expense of installing a bedroom AC unit and rewiring to handle 50 amps will not provide the relief you are looking for. Just an opinion and I'm sure there will be many more. Good luck.

 

[danemayer]

Comments inline.

So this brings up a few more questions:

1. How can I tell if my bedroom is prewired for an AC - (I have a 30amp 31qbs, currently has a pop up vent)

If you have 30 amp service, the bedroom is almost certainly not pre-wired. Also, the ceiling is probably not framed out for the A/C unit.

2. If I am going to buy a new 15k btu AC, would you recommend I move the main AC to the bedroom and install the new unit in the main cabin, or will it really matter as long as I have both going at the same time? ( I assume the front of the RV will cool faster than the rear in that case?)

Usually with the bedroom being a smaller space to cool, a slightly smaller unit works well. No need to switch.

3.Would you recommend I upgrade to 50amp or just run an external plug for the 2nd AC Unit?

Upgrade to 50 amp will be more expensive. New power cord, new internal power lines. New circuit breaker panel.

4. Ducted vs Non-Ducted: Does the front bedroom have ducts to connect to if I add a Ducted unit there? The main unit I assume is ducted too but when would you not install a ducted unit? (is there some kind of limitation to where you can install one?)

Trying to use the existing ducts might be difficult. Heartland starting doing that a couple of years ago on selected models after doing a lot of engineering work. Pushing cold air into the same duct(s) from 2 directions might not automatically give you good results. Because the bedroom will get very cold very quickly, many people use a fan to push cold air from the bedroom toward the living room. Just remember to keep your living room thermostat set very low so the cold air from the bedroom doesn't confuse it.

Thanks!

Thanks

 

[boatto5er]

Some 30amp units are per wired for a second AC unit. Our previous 2008 Sundance was. Check your sales paperwork. You should have a build sheet with all theta cards and options listed. 2d AC per wire would be listed as an option. You can also call Heartland Customer Service and give them your VIN. They should be able to tell you if it is pre-wired.


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[cruzer076]

Thanks for all the replys.

Here is where I am at:
1. I called the manufacture and gave them my VIN, indeed it does NOT have wiring for a second AC.....that blows...(or not)
2. Installed temporary radiant heat barriers in the windows. Went to Lowes - $27 for a huge roll of it. Haven't tested it out yet but they are installed, so hoping it will help. http://oi59.tinypic.com/2r7c3k8.jpg
3. I am going to install Tim's AC Tent mod and see how well that works
Visual example: //heartlandowners.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=560&d=1148163090
I will test then that out for a bit and see how it work...then I will just price out a second AC if all else fails..

New discovered problem: When I turn on the AC...I hear the compressor going for about 5 minutes then the compressor turns off and only the fan blows...(I am pretty sure thats why after 2 hours being on the cabin was still hot, I didn't realize it was cutting off) Why would it only work for a little while, then turn itself off?
I currently have a dogbone plugged into a 110 outlet at work, would that cause it? I have the thermostat set to 65 and the Fan set to <on> and the the fan speed setting set to (low). I also have all other lights/appliances off. Just the AC.

 

[boatto5er]

I would be surprised if the 110 outlet (15, maybe 20 amps?) is enough current to power the AC unit. But, I also would think you would be tripping a circuit breaker.

 

[TravelTiger]

Buy a couple of Vornado brand fans. These will help circulate the room air better than anything out there. You could also look at a portable AC unit.


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[StephenKatSea]

Our BH3670 is on a semi permanent site at an RV resort on Lake Havasu AZ. Our BH did not have a 2nd unit in the bedroom. Our site is only 30amps. So, second roof unit in the bedroom was not an option. Did NOT want to install an ugly window unit. Went to Home Depot, purchased a free standing unit for about $500. Purchased an exhaust vent fixture and mounted that on the outside of our RV. This is the same fixture used on the stove exhaust vent, so it looks factory installed. Built a simple flat mounting pedestal for the unit and placed it in our bedroom closet. Connected the exhaust from the AC to the newly mounted exhaust fixture. When we use this AC we simply slide the closet door open. It blows super cold air over our bed and keeps the forward end of our BH very cool. Yes, we do operate it at the same time as our factory installed main unit. We know we are "on the edge" of the site's 30amp limit. So, when operating microwave etc. we must secure one of the ACs. We do have reflective foil insulation on some of our window. Summer time temps reach 115, at times. This has worked for us for a few years now.

 

[jnbhobe]

Turn your fan to HI, AC will freeze up on low. Timks tent mod works well, check the ducts for leaks and seal with aluminum tape.

 

[Imn2vws]

We have a 31qbs also. You need 30amps to properly run the AC. A standard plug will let it run but it seems to cycle all the time. I'm going to install a 30amp plug outside near the camper soon.


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[cruzer076]

We have a 31qbs also. You need 30amps to properly run the AC. A standard plug will let it run but it seems to cycle all the time. I'm going to install a 30amp plug outside near the camper soon.


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@Stephen, I may end up doing that or getting a second unit, I'm still researching but its good to know you found a way to install it inside. Do you have an drain valve somewhere that goes outside or do you have to manually empty it?

@jnbhobe I didn't realize that would happen. I def will, Thanks

@Imn2vws I am relieved to know the AC unit is not going out on it..its just the power I'm connected to. I will be moving it to an RV park in August so I will be able to fully test it then. Thanks for the response.

 

[cruzer076]

Re: Main AC Unit Not Cooling Enough....Update

So a quick update.
I found a 30amp power supply at work and was able to use it for a few hours. AC ran with no problems and did not cut off, so indeed the problem with the AC was the 110 outlet. On 110 power it will only run the fan. The compressor will cycle on and off (never really cooling).

Also for around $75 and 2 hours of sweating, I've been able to double the amount of airflow through all the vents and significantly lower the heat inside the cabin.
30' Roll of Reflextic $27, Metal HVac tube $4, HVAC Duct Tape $4, Tin Snips $7, Plastic Hangers $3, small quiet fan $29

1. Retaped up the inside of the AC Unit and installed Tim's Tent Mod yesterday - Took about 2 hours but the results were significant. Bunk room with the door closed was actually cool inside.

2. Cut Reflextic for each window, then slide it behind the blinds and placed jhooks underneath them to hold them in place.

3. Purchased a small fan which helps move the cold air around better.

Summary: There were major improvements of airflow throughout the cabin, The rear bunkroom received the biggest change in temperature and with the door closed cools nicely. The front BR however still does not cool down enough with the current configuration. Although it does receive air from the ducts its just not enough to keep it cool in the Texas 100 degree heat. Will be looking for either a portable or top mount ac unit in the near future. I am still very pleased with the results so far.
I plan to replace all the vents with Spaceport vents, allowing me better to control which vents should be open.

Other than that so far so good!