AC Having a Rough Time

[Roberte52]

We use a fan to help circulate the cool air.

[Roberte52]

Originally Posted by Waffen06

32' camper so around 250 sq ft? Awning is out, I dont ever hear it cycle off but the air was not blowing that cold last time so maybe it cycled off

Believe you should have had a 15000 BTU unit. That's what we have in our 30 footer and it does fine in the Texas heat.

[petrx]

Originally Posted by dontay

There are some good youtube videos on checking for air leaks in the a/c unit and showing how to use real silver duct tape (please not grey duck tape!!) to seal them up.
But I can tell you that our rig is 27' with one 13.5k a/c and the a/c performance when we pull into a spot after driving most of the day sounds just like yours when it is hot and humid. Ours is a class c and there is much heat coming up from the floor in the front for a couple of hours.
We have a full white vinyl windshield and side window cover and that goes up as soon as I plug in the electric so the a/c can start. Also put out the awning if it is on the sunny side. This summer we hope to experiment with hanging a quilt behind the windshield using the velcro tabs that hold the privacy curtain. The quilt will then be draped over the backs of the front seats and down to the floor. Hoping this will trap the hot air until things cool off outside.
I just finished looking at our a/c and it is in much better shape than those on the videos but I am going to try to seal a couple of places better after I get the tape.

I just did that, kind of! I knew it was going to be hot in the afternoon where I had to park with the dogs in the RV, so I put up a long curtain attached to the short privacy curtain that blocks off the bed over cab. When in full sun you can feel the heat coming from the front cap. The drapes I bought are thermal & sun blocking. It worked great, I could tell the difference right away. Im sure it will work the opposite way in the winter.

[salwolfe]

Originally Posted by motorsport2

Honestly at 30' or more ideally you would want 2 A/C units. I have a 34' motorhome, it has ducted 15k front unit and rear, 13.5k ducted. For a unit your size you need at least a good quality 15k air conditioner. A q3.5 will not handle high heat in a unit your size.

X2 from my experience, but I do use my rig in the west and southwest mostly. My 29' rig has 2 ducted units and they do a great job working in tandem.

[motorsport2]

You deffinetly need to a/c units over 27 feet in my experiance.

[lewisra]

I have 35ft TT with a single 15k unit. Been in 100degree heat several times. Open the vent on the a/c so it doesn’t go through the ducting and get a pedestal fan to circulate the coolness. Works for us. 98 in Dodge city last 2 days and we were cool. Turned furnace on today, it’s 50 now.

[Ziggyb0y]

Our first RV was a Flagstaff 5th wheel with a small slide out for a booth and a loveseat the second slide in the bedroom was the closet. It had front and rear AC. We only used it twice both times in 90+ degree weather. The RV never got below 87 during the day and 82 at night. I now have a Cedar Creek Hathaway with Factory installed three roof top AC units. The Cedar Creek is one of the best built and insulated RV’s period. The units are set to alternate between each other, two units run with fan an compressor when the coils are cold the fan continues to blow across the cool could and the compressor on one of the other units kicks on. In 90+degree it can keep the RV 72 degrees at night can get down to mid 60’s. The best advice I can give you is to pull you unit with a couple of windows cracked open and when you park turn it on cold and keep it there.best of luck.

[ronheater70]

You don't have to have a 15K unit for that size camper. Our first camper was a Shasta that was only 2 feet shorter than yours and it had little problem bringing the temps down with a 13.5 unit. Its not an inadequate ac, its a broken AC something is not working right. Return to your dealer and get it fixed if you can't diagnose yourself, or maybe have a mobile tech look at it. Our 43' Unit has two acs and we were on 30 amp over the last week and could only run one ac, and when we ran the small 13.5 unit to rest the larger unit it still managed to keep it under 80 in 86 degree heat.

[nwtraveler]

Sounds like the divider between the intake and outlet (plenum box) has been dislodged
or not correctly installed. (Usually not correctly installed at the factory).

Remove the inside cover and look for a fiber board that may be out of place.

Google this problem for pictures/youtube videos to give you an idea of what to look for.

Put it back where it should be and secure it in place with foil tape, the kind made for sealing ducting.

[cekkk]

Originally Posted by motorsport2

Honestly at 30' or more ideally you would want 2 A/C units. I have a 34' motorhome, it has ducted 15k front unit and rear, 13.5k ducted. For a unit your size you need at least a good quality 15k air conditioner. A q3.5 will not handle high heat in a unit your size.

Motor sport is right. We have 32 foot box with two slides and a single ducted 15K air conditioner. We have used it in hot weather, upper 90s, and it does an adequate job in the living area. Not so much in the bedroom. I don't know if 50 amp and two air conditioners was an option when we ordered the trailer and at this point I'm afraid to find out.

but since the OP is unsure if the compressor is operating I have this suggestion. Do not turn on the air conditioner. Just turn on the fan if you have that option available on your thermostat. Listen carefully and get an idea of the sound that you are hearing. Now turn it off, turn your thermostat down low, and turn on cooling. You should hear immediately if the sound is louder, at least different if the compressor is coming on. Also, the air coming out of your air conditioner should be 15 to 20 degrees cooler than the ambient air in your camper.

[mvsu002]

You need to determine if the compressor is running. Put a thermometer on a cold air vent, preferably right at the ceiling vent under the root top unit. Better yet get an infrared gun and use this to read the temp. The temp should be in the 70's if not lower. Check your 20amp circuit breaker to make sure it isn't tripped. I have an Aircel 15,000btu in my 29.5 5th wheel. I've battled this AC for 10 years. I have had certified Coleman techs look at it, but nobody has resolved the problem. I tried everything except replacing the capacitors. When it works it can quite easily cool the unit. The trouble is, out of the blue the compressor shuts down, while the fan keeps running. Sometimes it trips the breaker sometimes not. We can't recreate the problem, so it is pretty difficult to fix. Also when the compressor stops, sometimes I can just cycle the unit and it works correctly. Other times you have to wait 2-4 hours before the compressor will run again. There are a lot of suggestions in this thread, most of which won't solve your problem, but hopefully one will.

[sunnyinfla]

never ever buy a rv with no less than a 15000btu ac

[boatnut]

Is there really that much difference between a 15,000 btu ac and a 13,500 ??

[Major Oz]

Originally Posted by Waffen06

New 282QBXL with single ac unit. We got to our site around 1 o'clock and it was 85 out. Inside the camper was 81. Turn the ac on High and set it to 76. We have all the blinds shut, its now 3 and a half hours later and its now 82 in the camper and dropped to 84 outside. To me this doesnt seem right but maybe someone can chime in if Im wrong thanks

A/C ducting is trendy, but sucks.

By the time the air GETS TO the end, it has warmed up from the sun on the roof.

Why they do this is insane.

[Tampajohn]

Had to add portable unit to ours. Walmart has haier8000 btu unit 12 inches wide works perfect. Vent through window. Your current unit is max out.

[Tampajohn]

Put in bedroom, difficult to make bed, strap it down, might have to put drip hose through floor, small hole. Otherwise cook without it.

[samTummo]

Google A/c preventive maintenance, follow the list. I have replaced a condenser, control board and thermostat, all at different times. Each fix was effective. I’m voting on Rv A/c preventive maintenance

Samtummo

[BAPotter]

25 years at this, and a little research you can do will show that a 13,500 is good for up to 500sf of floor space.(you're under 300sf.) It sounds like your AC is not working correctly or to spec. Check the differential between the intake air and output air. Working is 15-22 degrees difference.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uE82T04KR34

. Open the direct discharge vents, ducting is too inefficient. More is not necessarily better, especially if you camp a little off grid. My dual 2000 Watt Yamaha generators will start my 13,500 AC but not my friends 15,000 AC. (You can also find starting and running amps for each size)

[McKannick]

Like everything in a typical RV, the AC system is slapped together as fast as they can do it, sometimes at the rate of 30+ units per day in the factories. So, DIY improvements are useful. Here's one:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rxCljBVi8DU&t=3s