13.5k vs 15k AC for main room

[maximus216]

Hello all,
I'm getting ready to purchase a 32DPT which is a 37 foot 5th wheel. My local dealer has one but it has a 13.5 ac for the main living area. I can drive 7 hours and get one with 15k for the main ac and save $1500 also. The 15k is a $200 upgrade. Is there that much of a difference between the two? Will i notice in 100 degree weather? thanks

[houstonstroker]

I don't know about the rest of the country but one AC 13.5 or 15 will not cut it in Texas summer heat. I would upgrade to the 15 and add the second if possible.

[Witch Doctor]

Get as much A.C. as possible, you will have hard time cooling it with the 15000 unit. That is the biggest complaint on any forum. Why can't the closest dealer change it out? Only takes like an hour. For warranty I would think you would want the closer one....get the 15000 one

[5picker]

Have them swap out the 13.5k for a 15k as part of the deal. It will only cost the dealer a few bucks. If they balk over losing the $200 then you want a different dealer anyway.

Oh... and... yes... in 100ºF weather, TWO 15k's will have a hard time keeping up.

[maximus216]

it comes with a 13.5 in the bedroom. but the one i'm looking at has the 13.5 in the main area. the main area is what i'm concerned about.

[5picker]

Again, get them to swap it out as part of the deal. If they are REALLY interested in selling you the R/V, they will do it for no additional money.

If they won't and it only costs you $200 to upgrade, that is money well spent.
Saving $1500 for a dealer purchase 7 hours away is not.

EDIT: Buying from a dealer 7 hours away to save a few bucks isn't always a bad idea if the local dealer(s) is/are schmuck(s). You can always get a mobile tech to fix warranty items. But having a good local dealer is always a good thing to have in your corner should something major happen.

Choosing a dealer should be as much a part of the buying process as choosing the R/V. I always visit the service department, the parts department and the sales/owner folks BEFORE buying to be sure these folks can and WILL take care of us once we buy.

[maximus216]

Originally Posted by 5picker

Again, get them to swap it out as part of the deal. If they are REALLY interested in selling you the R/V, they will do it for no additional money.

If they won't and it only costs you $200 to upgrade, that is money well spent.
Saving $1500 for a dealer purchase 7 hours away is not.

EDIT: Buying from a dealer 7 hours away to save a few bucks isn't always a bad idea if the local dealer(s) is/are schmuck(s). You can always get a mobile tech to fix warranty items. But having a good local dealer is always a good thing to have in your corner should something major happen.

Choosing a dealer should be as much a part of the buying process as choosing the R/V. I always visit the service department, the parts department and the sales/owner folks BEFORE buying to be sure these folks can and WILL take care of us once we buy.

I believe the local dealer will do warranty work on units they don't sell. Gonna check to make sure.

[formerFR]

it's less of an issue if you have a 'ducted' system, where both can contribute to all areas of the RV at the same time...

[dustman_stx]

Originally Posted by maximus216

I believe the local dealer will do warranty work on units they don't sell. Gonna check to make sure.

If you've been shopping them and then show up for warranty service with one bought somewhere else- don't expect them to be happy about it and bend over backwards to get you taken care of. And be aware that they don't have to offer service at all.

[5picker]

Originally Posted by maximus216

I believe the local dealer will do warranty work on units they don't sell. Gonna check to make sure.

Many WILL NOT.

Do make sure!

[5picker]

Originally Posted by maximus216

I believe the local dealer will do warranty work on units they don't sell. Gonna check to make sure.

Many WILL NOT!
Do be sure!

[Brendon37]

A rig that size I would say definitely needs the 15k ac. My Crusader is the same floor plan as the one you're looking at and it's about 3 feet shorter and I have a 15k in the main room and 13.5k in the bedroom all ducted. You are going to want that 15k ac. I live in south Louisiana and that combination does pretty well in the heat. I can't imagine it with 2 13.5k ac units. I don't think they would ever shut off. Looking at the options page on the forest river website it says 15K Air Conditioner IPO 13.5 Air Conditioner. I'd try to get them to upgrade that for you. Just my 2 cents.

[Rookiewood]

What about one 15K + one 13.5K....?
That's what we did but we live in Savannah GA....

[Walholler]

None of the appliances in your travel trailer is manufactured by the dealer or the company that built your RV. I would not rely on a dealer for anything other than to give me the run around if I had a problem. Find yourself a RV repair shop that only repairs RV's and does not sell them. A repair shop bread & butter depends on fast & speedy service and how well he performs the repairs. If he is slow and does shoddy work, he will be out of business fast and a good shop knows that. All of the appliances in the RV have their own warranties and those warranties will be honored if repairs are done by an approved repair shop. I had a AC unit that had to be replaced, took the independent shop one day to get me in and out.

[Bluepill]

Keep in mind that the increase in cooling is only 11% if you swap. I love my A/C, but I would be more worried about the mechanic messing something up during the swap, and possible warranty issues. Dometic has had a lot of bad A/C units in the past few years, so there is reasonable possibility of yours going out while still in warranty.

[str8t six]

i would save the 1500 and have a second 13.5k ac installed in the bedroom

[dustman_stx]

Originally Posted by 5picker

Have them swap out the 13.5k for a 15k as part of the deal. It will only cost the dealer a few bucks. If they balk over losing the $200 then you want a different dealer anyway.

Oh... and... yes... in 100ºF weather, TWO 15k's will have a hard time keeping up.

This isn't really accurate, btw. It's a $200 option if added from the factory. The dealer doesn't get that price. If the dealer swaps, they'll have to install a new A/C that probably cost them better than $500. They can sell the old one but it will have to be considered used with no warranty, so it won't bring anywhere near as much. Plus the labor involved in the swap. Not saying I wouldn't try to get them to do it, just pointing out that it's not as cheap as the factory upgrade for the dealer to do it.

[Witch Doctor]

I guess only if the stealer I mean dealer is charging 500.00 dollars per hour. That stealer will turn it over as new. I think you forgot what industry your dealing with, I wish I had your faith, but I'll leave this on a good note, there are some honest ones out there, but they are far and few between....

[WayneLee]

I will share my personal experience. When I purchased a 36' Class A, diesel pusher, it came with 2 13.5K AC units.

One of my first trips went through Nevada, Arizona and Colorado with temperatures above 90 degrees. With both AC's working hard, I could not get a comfortable temperature in the coach.

Luckily for me, one 13.5 AC went out on my way back. I say lucky, because the service company found it was still under warranty. They suggested that I replace the 13.5 with a 15k AC for a small "upgrade" fee, with the 15k unit in the main living area, and leaving the 13.5 in the rear bedroom.

That 15 made all the difference to me. The combo of those two kept us comfortable in 100+ degree heat in Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, etc.

[Tundra 2014]

I agree w/ Houstonstroker. You need two units and the bigger the better, also TX. There is not enough insulation in most trailers for a 100 degree days to keep in below 80 in the trailer.