AC doesn’t seem right

[HappilyLost]

My rig is a 41 foot 5’r with a rear living. In the summer in the sun when it’s 90 out, we can’t get the living room down below 88 and it’s miserable. The bedroom upstairs will cool down to about low 70s as expected.

I took it to the dealer and they are telling me the living room AC is working perfectly fine. I’m considering finding another authorized dealer and having them take a look at it.

I don’t believe that we should only be seeing a 2 degree drop.

Anyone else have a similar experience?

[MR.M]

Originally Posted by HappilyLost

My rig is a 41 foot 5’r with a rear living. In the summer in the sun when it’s 90 out, we can’t get the living room down below 88 and it’s miserable. The bedroom upstairs will cool down to about low 70s as expected.

I took it to the dealer and they are telling me the living room AC is working perfectly fine. I’m considering finding another authorized dealer and having them take a look at it.

I don’t believe that we should only be seeing a 2 degree drop.

Anyone else have a similar experience?

The dealer should have taken temp reading of return air and output air should expect about 20 difference if it's less then 10 something is wrong . This you can do yourself with a temp gun or other thermometer .

[tomkatb]

Your rv is one that is getting near three ac units.

You should have 2 15,000 btu units.

Read the temp in the rv. Use a thermometer stuck in the air outlet nearest the unit. Should be about 20 degrees colder than the air In the trailer. If not.

The outside unit may need a cleaning of the outside coil and cabinet. If that does not do it, then likely you need a new unit.

In Houston at 105 degrees our two 15,000 btu units have trouble getting the daytime temperatures below 80 degrees.

[loyda]

Make sure you run all three units. Maybe close off a couple of vents some to force more air towards living room. Small fan blowing may help

[Mr. Dan]

Originally Posted by loyda

Make sure you run all three units. Maybe close off a couple of vents some to force more air towards living room. Small fan blowing may help

Are you sure he has 3 units?

[Aussieguy]

Have you got a big rear windows letting in a lot of sunshine ?
couple of slides in the living area?
rear entry door always getting opened closed?

All the above can make it hotter in the rear....
check for air leaks especially around slides
UV window treatments and film on the glass
park in more shady spot.

check if a/c has correct divider so cold air is pushed all the way out of the unit and not sucked straight back in.
There is a modification you can try to the divider

either around $30 DIY using some foam board and tape
OR $180 for store bought

https://www.google.com/search?client...onditioner+mod

[Jim34RL]

What unit do you have? Can you run both A/C's together?

With my Cedar Creek we run both A/C's together in the summer. The front A/C fan is set to high, and the temp is set to 76F and not on auto. The rear unit is set to 78F, but the rear fan is set to low-speed manual. We pull both the sunscreen and night shade down in the trailer on the windows. Since the door side faces south (seasonal site) we use the awing and a sunscreen attached to the awning. This seems to help in keeping our trailer around 78F.

[HappilyLost]

Thanks for the comments.

We only have 2 ACs. It’s a 37MBH Cedar Creek. We keep the shades closed when trying to cool it. We do have big windows and 2 large slides.

I asked the dealer if adding a third is possible but I feel like we should be getting better results with what we already have.

I haven’t done the divider trick but have heard of it. I also haven’t tested the temperature of the air coming out of the ac vent. What exactly do I compare that temp to?

[Aussieguy]

put a digital thermometer inside the trailer at:
1) the air filter (air going IN to the a/c )
2) the first outlet vent (air coming OUT )

the air OUT should be about 15 - 20 degrees colder, than the air IN

example
when you start cooling the inside can be very hot in 90* - out 70*
as the trailer cools down a bit you will get in 85* - out 65*
then will get to where your thermostat may start to kick in.... in 75* - out 55*

If you can leave the a/c ON all day .... it has a better chance to maintain cold morning temps than to allow the trailer to heat up then turn the A/C ON .

Look for the air leaks around slide ... if possible close slides during day especially if you not using the room.

--------------------------------------------------------------------

you can also try ... slowing down the air a little bit as it passes through the a/c coils
use low speed on the fan setting

OR cover the filter with ONE thickness of paper towel. (restricts the flow a little)
DO NOT be tempted to slow it down a lot... YOU will cause condensation problems if the air difference between IN-OUT is too much.

[Reverse_snowbird]

Originally Posted by HappilyLost

t
We only have 2 ACs. It’s a 37MBH Cedar Creek. We keep the shades closed when trying to cool it. We do have big windows and 2 large slides.

Looking at your floor plan, you've got a lot of things that will heat up the back of the rig. You've got massive windows in the rear of the rig and two massive slides that probably leak air too, not to mention the kitchen appliances.
We know people who use Reflectix on the windows in the summer and they swear it helps cool the rig down. Plus you've got a door there that's going to let all the airconditioning out as soon as you open it.
The dealer probably took a temp reading and determined that the air conditioner is working properly, but you can test that yourself.
You've gotten lots of good ideas, but a third AC might be the only thing that cools it down.

[HappilyLost]

Originally Posted by Reverse_snowbird

Looking at your floor plan, you've got a lot of things that will heat up the back of the rig. You've got massive windows in the rear of the rig and two massive slides that probably leak air too, not to mention the kitchen appliances.

We know people who use Reflectix on the windows in the summer and they swear it helps cool the rig down. Plus you've got a door there that's going to let all the airconditioning out as soon as you open it.

The dealer probably took a temp reading and determined that the air conditioner is working properly, but you can test that yourself.

You've gotten lots of good ideas, but a third AC might be the only thing that cools it down.

Is it possible to add a third ac to the unit after the fact?

[tomkatb]

With two 15,000 btu ac units the rv should be ok in 90 degree weather.

Until you test the outputs of the ac units you are flying while blind.

I wonder what mechanic checked you system out for you. Generally, rv repair places do not have a trained ac mechanic on the property. They are expensive.

There is special certification required to work on Freon systems. That is why rv shops do not work on compressor fridges or air conditioners as a general rule.

Simple. Go to any automotive shop and buy a $5 temp gage. We own a laser temp Gage for the tires.

Use that to measure temps. Then read the display on the indoor temp of your rv. Should be up to 20 degrees different.

My bet is one of your units is filthy.

Likely the rear one in our system. We seldom use the front ac.

[Jim34RL]

HappilyLost, have you changed your return filters and replaced them with new filters, lately? We do this about twice a season in our Cedar Creek. The filters tend to get really dirty in the return side of our A/C system. We change all four return ventes two in the bedroom and two in the living room.

Just a thought!

[HappilyLost]

Originally Posted by Jim34RL

HappilyLost, have you changed your return filters and replaced them with new filters, lately? We do this about twice a season in our Cedar Creek. The filters tend to get really dirty in the return side of our A/C system. We change all four return ventes two in the bedroom and two in the living room.

Just a thought!

I have not tried this. I will give it a shot!