Is one Air conditioner adequate?

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Is one Air conditioner adequate?

April 30, 2017, 06:17:29 pm

We're considering buying a 26.5 MB LD and see that most if not all have only 1 overhead air conditioner. What size is it and does it cool the entire inside to the mid to high 70's in 90+ ambient sunny days?
I read somewhere in my research that LD uses 1-1/2" foam for insulation and double pane windows. What years did that start? I'm thinking we'll look at late 90's to mid 2000's and want to make sure the a/c will be adequate for our travels. Or if we will need to consider adding a 2nd a/c.
Is the a/c ducted? and if so what year did that start?
Thanks!

Re: Is one Air conditioner adequate?

Reply #1 – April 30, 2017, 07:03:09 pm

Quote from: folivier - April 30, 2017, 06:17:29 pm

We're considering buying a 26.5 MB LD and see that most if not all have only 1 overhead air conditioner. What size is it and does it cool the entire inside to the mid to high 70's in 90+ ambient sunny days?
I read somewhere in my research that LD uses 1-1/2" foam for insulation and double pane windows. What years did that start? I'm thinking we'll look at late 90's to mid 2000's and want to make sure the a/c will be adequate for our travels. Or if we will need to consider adding a 2nd a/c.
Is the a/c ducted? and if so what year did that start?
Thanks!

15,000 btu. Yes, it cools the RV fine as long as you don't try to cool down from a 95+* interior temp. You won't need a 2nd one. A/C is not ducted. Check this link out for changes through the years. Changes by year
Chris

Re: Is one Air conditioner adequate?

Reply #2 – April 30, 2017, 07:33:48 pm

AFAIK, the 30' was the only model that came standard with the 15,000 BTU AC in the years that "folivier" indicated that s/he has an interest; the standard for the 23.5' and the 26.5' was a 13,500 BTU AC.

Re: Is one Air conditioner adequate?

Reply #3 – April 30, 2017, 07:41:39 pm

I would add that the truck cab also has AC and may assist in lowering the overall temp of the coach in conjunction with the roof AC.

As we have the RB, it is not uncommon for us to isolate the truck cab with a heavy blanket (cab AC off of course) and close off the bathroom area with the large closet door.

Running the coach overhead AC has no problem keeping the mid coach section very comfortable even when outside temps rise above 100 degrees. Although to reach this level of comfort we start the AC earlier in the morning when outside temps have not yet risen.

Full electric hook ups are required for this if you plan on keeping the coach cooled for multiple hours as there are limitations on how long a generator should be run as well as restrictions in the campground on how long a generator can be run.

Just sayin'

Kent

P.S. According to our manual for our 2015 LD the roof AC is rated at 15,000 BTU and is standard for all models that the manual covers.

Re: Is one Air conditioner adequate?

Reply #4 – April 30, 2017, 08:57:51 pm

We live in Texas and the summer is HOT. Our 15k btu AC will drop the temperature about 20-22 degrees when over 95 degrees. Over a 100 degrees, 80 degrees inside. The AC is loud IMO. So we try to park under trees and use winterizing techniques to help cool. To be honest, we travel very little during our hottest months as a result. Hope this helps.

Re: Is one Air conditioner adequate?

Reply #5 – April 30, 2017, 10:03:59 pm

Very helpful, thanks.
We live in southeast Louisiana and like to hit the mountains in the summer but getting across Texas in the hot summer can be painful, well except for the brisket and chicken fried steak. But we also like to travel in the fall-spring to Arizona and Utah.

Re: Is one Air conditioner adequate?

Reply #6 – April 30, 2017, 10:51:50 pm

Quote from: Traxless - April 30, 2017, 08:57:51 pm

We live in Texas and the summer is HOT. Our 15k btu AC will drop the temperature about 20-22 degrees when over 95 degrees. Over a 100 degrees, 80 degrees inside. The AC is loud IMO. So we try to park under trees and use winterizing techniques to help cool. To be honest, we travel very little during our hottest months as a result. Hope this helps.

Indeed the a/c is loud. In 15 yrs of ownership, I recall only 3 nights when we slept with the a/c on. Of course, here in the West (not SW), the hot days for the most part cool off at night.
Chris

Re: Is one Air conditioner adequate?

Reply #7 – May 01, 2017, 07:42:28 am

Quote from: Chris Horst - April 30, 2017, 07:03:09 pm

15,000 btu. Yes, it cools the RV fine as long as you don't try to cool down from a 95+* interior temp. You won't need a 2nd one. A/C is not ducted. Check this link out for changes through the years. Changes by year
Chris

Wow, Chris! Thanks for posting the "Changes by Year"...it is great. I'm a total newbie and I've heard many stories about how "set in their ways" the founders were over the years. It's awesome to see how things have changed and I believe improved the LDs. Very exciting to be getting our first one soon.
Regards
David

Re: Is one Air conditioner adequate?

Reply #8 – May 01, 2017, 09:53:46 am

We love Death Valley. One week in March we camped for a few days in the no generator zone. This was the results.

So to answer your question directly, yes one air conditioner is adequate ..... if you are heat tolerant a few fans will work fine also.

BTW the temps hit 110 between just after the sun with down. That night was one of the darkest and most beautiful star light sky I have ever seen.

Re: Is one Air conditioner adequate?

Reply #9 – May 01, 2017, 10:28:50 am

Poor kitties! Could you imagine wearing a fur coat in 96 degree heat? Good thing they have 9 lives!

Re: Is one Air conditioner adequate?

Reply #10 – May 01, 2017, 10:51:28 am

One other question, has anyone added a wall thermostat to better control the a/c unit?
I've seen a couple blogs where someone has added a Hunter or other brand.

Re: Is one Air conditioner adequate?

Reply #11 – May 01, 2017, 11:05:15 am

I often drive from near DC down through Florida and back in the summer visiting family. Temps in the mid to upper 90's humidity off the charts. Like the others, I blanket off the cab area. I leave the AC's fan on all the time so the noise is constant instead of cutting on and off. Just turn up the radio some or read a good book.
John
07 Mid Bath

Re: Is one Air conditioner adequate?

Reply #12 – May 01, 2017, 11:16:25 am

Our '15 RB has a digital AC/Heat Pump wall mounted control panel. Works great. Plenty of climate control.

I'm not sure when this became a standard equipment feature but as our owner's manual (37th edition) covers several years prior to ours it seems to have been around since 2013 or perhaps earlier.

Kent

Re: Is one Air conditioner adequate?

Reply #13 – May 01, 2017, 01:51:41 pm

Quote from: colddog - May 01, 2017, 09:53:46 am

We love Death Valley. One week in March we camped for a few days in the no generator zone. This was the results.
So to answer your question directly, yes one air conditioner is adequate ..... if you are heat tolerant a few fans will work fine also.
BTW the temps hit 110 between just after the sun with down. That night was one of the darkest and most beautiful star light sky I have ever seen.

Might have been a good reason to abandon Sunset Campground and to have gone down to Furnace Creek, where generators are OK.
We made the mistake of doing a similar thing years ago, coming back from a week's kayak trip on Lake Mead.
Furnace Creeks's low that night was 82 degrees and we were in our van, with no A/C.
it was a lovely night and we couldn't wait to get up into DV's high country, the next day, where the temps were much more enjoyable.

Larry

Re: Is one Air conditioner adequate?

Reply #14 – May 01, 2017, 02:05:49 pm

In 2005 or 06, LD changed to a wall mounted thermostat that controls the furnace and roof top A/C.
I would prefer not to have this because of all the problems I have seen with the thermostat.
If the thermostat dies, for some reason, neither the furnace or A/C will work, even though they have nothing wrong with them. There is no easy or safe way to bypass the wall thermostat, in case of a failure. I vote for individual controls.

It was asked if LD's have ducted A/C. No they don't.
RVs with ducted A/C will have a higher overall profile, the ducting needing to pass between the ceiling and the roof.
LDs have low profiles, compared to many other Class Cs, which contributes to their good handling by keep the center of gravity as low as possible.

The rooftop A/C is good up to a 100 or so degrees. Much over that and we will be looking for a cooler place to visit.
Most of our high temps experiences come while we are moving from one destination to another, we always look for cooler places to visit and camp. In the summer, you will find us at the beach or at high altitudes.
We are done with desert until next fall.

Larry

Re: Is one Air conditioner adequate?

Reply #15 – May 01, 2017, 02:08:15 pm

"One other question, has anyone added a wall thermostat to better control the a/c unit?
I've seen a couple blogs where someone has added a Hunter or other brand. "

This would be a fair amount of trouble (and expense) for such a small space. When I use my AC, I set the thermostat at 4 on the dial and leave it there. With a blanket isolating the cab, the AC maintains the coach at around 78 degrees (my preferred temp), unless it gets too hot outside and it simply can't keep up. IMO, you will not get better control from a wall thermostat.

Re: Is one Air conditioner adequate?

Reply #16 – May 01, 2017, 02:55:11 pm

Our 2015 RB has two separate controls for the roof AC (which also has a Heat Pump/Strip built into it) and the floor furnace.

The AC/Heat Pump control panel is mounted above the standard Furnace thermostat.

Included is a pic of their position in the coach.

Kent

Re: Is one Air conditioner adequate?

Reply #17 – May 01, 2017, 03:09:06 pm

Our '06-chassis-delivered-in-'07 TK has the single thermostat that controls everything --heat strip, fan, furnace and AC. I hate it. It has a weak LCD display that requires me to take off my polarized glasses to see anything. The last few years it has refused to display anything in very cold and damp conditions. Can't operate the furnace until it warms up. Big help. Forum gurus have played with it but we're still stumped. Probably a bad ground somewhere, but that covers a lot of territory. I can tell you it's not fun camping when you have to roll out of the bed into a 35 degree coach. 😨 -- Jon

Re: Is one Air conditioner adequate?

Reply #18 – May 03, 2017, 09:42:29 pm

I thought my air conditioner was great at cooling with the temperature in the low 80's. But sitting in Bakersfield CA. this afternoon with the temperature at 99 degrees. It just doesn't cool enough it is on high and dropped the temp by 20 degrees.

Re: Is one Air conditioner adequate?

Reply #19 – May 03, 2017, 10:27:29 pm

"I thought my air conditioner was great at cooling with the temperature in the low 80's. But sitting in Bakersfield CA. this afternoon with the temperature at 99 degrees. It just doesn't cool enough it is on high and dropped the temp by 20 degrees."

79 degrees inside when it's 99 degrees outside sounds to me like it's doing a fine job!

Re: Is one Air conditioner adequate?

Reply #20 – May 04, 2017, 08:57:10 am

I agree that a 20° drop in inside temperature shows that the AC is performing as designed. The AC in my 2003 (24') is a 13500 BTU, and managed to keep the interior "livable" in a late October AZ heat wave (day temps a bit over 100°) last year as well as in similar "hot spots" in the past.

To maximize the AC cooling, the windshield is covered, the cab is blocked off with its "drape", and the shades are drawn. I also close off the "bathette" (the TK's tiny, but functional, bathroom). A couple vents were left slightly open. A bit cave-like, but the AC is not going to do much cooling if it has to struggle to overcome heat coming through the cab and the uncovered windows.

Having a hookup in high heat is preferable (to me, anyway) to running the generator, but when it's in the high 90s or higher, everybody else who's hooked up is also running their AC, and the drag on a park's or campground's power system can be a big strain. The EMS (you do have one, right?) will cut off if the voltage drops too low to sustain the draw(s).

I much prefer to never be in that kind of heat, particularly if coupled with humidity, but sometimes it's unavoidable.

Re: Is one Air conditioner adequate?

Reply #21 – May 04, 2017, 09:38:30 am

Ok, so it looks like 1 a/c is adequate as long as I stay out of 100+ temps. No problem there as long as the wheels roll.
Has anyone added awnings over the windows?
We had Zipdee awnings on our 45' and they worked great to keep the sun off the windows.

Re: Is one Air conditioner adequate?

Reply #22 – May 04, 2017, 10:38:42 am

Quote from: Duro - May 03, 2017, 09:42:29 pm

I thought my air conditioner was great at cooling with the temperature in the low 80's. But sitting in Bakersfield CA. this afternoon with the temperature at 99 degrees. It just doesn't cool enough it is on high and dropped the temp by 20 degrees.

In hot weather, never turn the A/C off. Leave all the interior cabinet doors open at night to let the heat out and the cooled air in. Shut them at daybreak. Use removable insulation in the windows, especially if facing the sun.
Try to park with the refrigerator on the shady side.
When on the road, start the generator and run the rooftop A/C for 2 or 3 hours before you get to your destination for the day.
The dash air doesn't do much for the rear of the coach.
And my best tip, get the heck out of Bakersfield.

Larry

Re: Is one Air conditioner adequate?

Reply #23 – May 04, 2017, 04:56:54 pm

Quote from: Larry Wade - May 04, 2017, 10:38:42 am

And my best tip, get the heck out of Bakersfield.

Agreed, next time stay over in Tehachapi. Much cooler up there!

Re: Is one Air conditioner adequate?

Reply #24 – May 04, 2017, 05:01:08 pm

More and better food in Bakersfield!

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