Air Conditioning

[meganjoe]

Hi,

We are looking for a new Travel Trailer in the 17 to 19 foot range. We have seen 5000, 8000, and 13.5 btu a/c units. How do we determine which size will work best?? We plan on being in Florida during Jan., Feb., and Mar.

Thanks, Joe

[Ford Idaho]

IMHO as to air conditioning "bigger IS best" you can always throttle it back if it is too cool.
Get the most BTU's offered.

[LANShark42]

Unless you will be camping somewhere that it doesn't get very hot (or if heat doesn't bother you), it seems you would want the biggest AC available to you. Someone correct me if I'm wrong...

[Cowracer]

agree! nobody ever kicked themselves in the butt for getting too much A/C

Tim

[Mountndream]

Unless the OP plans on Boondocking

[Toddupton]

I guess I have to disagree with what everyone is saying. An AC unit that is oversized will not run enough to remove the humidity from the air. It will cool the air so fast that it will not have time to get the moisture out. It is better for AC to run longer to get the job done than to run too shut off before the job is done. Just my $.02

[dieselguy]

Been there and still, have the T Shirt with a previous 24' TT. Sitting in Florida with a 5K or 8K A/C ... you'll kick yourself for not getting a 13.5K. Leave the fan on high and adjust the cool setting to your liking ... the coils won't freeze up that way. If you go auto and the fan speed adjusts to low ... it will tend to ice up the coils.

[meganjoe]

Originally Posted by Mountndream

Unless the OP plans on Boondocking

Nope, no boondocking planned.. We are looking at the Jayco 195RB, that and the Clipper 17fq both come with the 13.5.. We also like the Palomini 180fb but that only comes with a 5000.. Could the 5000 be swapped with an 8000??
Just wondering..

Thanks everybody for responding..

Joe

[meganjoe]

Originally Posted by Toddupton

I guess I have to disagree with what everyone is saying. An AC unit that is oversized will not run enough to remove the humidity from the air. It will cool the air so fast that it will not have time to get the moisture out. It is better for AC to run longer to get the job done than to run too shut off before the job is done. Just my $.02

I see what you're saying..

How do I figure out what size is correct??

Thanks, Joe

[Toddupton]

It's all about the math. Heat loads, geographic locations, insulation and windows are just a few of the things that go into it. All these numbers are used to get a calculation to tonnage or BTU.

[meganjoe]

Originally Posted by Toddupton

It's all about the math. Heat loads, geographic locations, insulation and windows are just a few of the things that go into it. All these numbers are used to get a calculation to tonnage or BTU.

Thanks .. but I don't understand why I'm seeing such a wide range of btu's in similar sized rv's..

Joe

[Toddupton]

Location, location, location! Florida summers are different than Michigan. If you buy a trave trailer to use in Florida you would most likely need bigger ac than one for Michigan. For heat you need less in Florida than Michigan. So they can be built for more comfort on various locations.

[Witch Doctor]

Originally Posted by meganjoe

Thanks .. but I don't understand why I'm seeing such a wide range of btu's in similar sized rv's..

Joe

You can not really have to much A/C with a travel trailer just by the construction and insulation. If you were going to size an A/C for a house you would be looking at 300 sq ft per ton. Trailer A/C are normally 13,000 to 15,000 Btu's. In Florida at that time of year the humidity is down. I would still get the biggest, and let the fan run and let the unit compressor cycle to your set temp.