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Old 06-23-2015, 12:07 AM   #1
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Is the 13,500 btu air cond OK for Forester 2701DS

Our ordered Forester will have the 13,500 btu a/c.
After reading some posts on noisy and inefficient air conditioners, we wonder if the 13,500btu unit is adequate for the 28' 1" . The dealer said the 15,000 btu unit came with a heat pump which we will never use. We have a 13,000 btu in our current 22' class c Winnebago and it freezes us out. It has a heat pump and we never use it as we dry camp mostly. The 15,000btu unit with heat pump was $600 option.
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Old 06-23-2015, 04:29 AM   #2
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I don't think you will be happy with that size A/C for a 28' unit. It also depends on where you camp. If you you go south where it 90 degrees with humidity No. I don't understand why they can not just put in a 15000 btu A/C? I wouldn't compare a Winnebago to a Forester to begin with, plus your adding 6'. MH are different then TT. Your pre cooling while you drive. I have a 15,000 btu in a 31' 5th wheel. If I'm not plugged in by 3:00PM forget it working until around 7:00 PM. 600.00 dollars sounds pretty high to go to a H/P anyway. They should be giving you a rebate for 13,500 that they are not using. If you check on the web, you will see the price difference, between a HP vs. A/C. Not much difference. I would question why you can't get a A/C that size, sounds like a lazy salesman to me. My A/C will not shut off during the day at all, it will cycle at night but forget it in 90 degree weather. I'm only 3' longer then you. You can not have enough A/C in any unit by the construction alone. Just my observation knowing A/C's and what they can do.
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Old 06-23-2015, 05:14 AM   #3
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Well Worth It

We optioned for the 15k a/c when we ordered ours knowing a 13.5k wouldn't do the job adequately. Even with the larger a/c it still runs constantly on a 90-degree day, as stated above. If you can make the change, I'd highly recommend it!
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Old 06-23-2015, 05:32 AM   #4
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I would agree with gljurczyk. I would max out the a/c. Price difference on my 2650s(the other 28' sunseeker) was$350. Depending on your travels and sites I would max out the options on a new unit cause you never know. We used genny and heat pump during allowed times to take chill out and save propane here in New England.
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Old 06-23-2015, 06:14 AM   #5
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I would agree with gljurczyk. I would max out the a/c. Price difference on my 2650s(the other 28' sunseeker) was$350. Depending on your travels and sites I would max out the options on a new unit cause you never know. We used genny and heat pump during allowed times to take chill out and save propane here in New England.
X2. Orders my 3170 with the 15k as well, figured it couldn't hurt. So far so good. Next weekend, no shade at our site so will be a good test.

Heat pump works great on a chilly night to save propane.
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Old 06-23-2015, 07:58 AM   #6
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I agree that it depends on where you live. My previous TT was a 34' with a 13.5K and there was no question I wanted a bigger unit. However, after using my 32' Forester on a 90 deg. day I wish it had 2 units...
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Old 06-23-2015, 12:38 PM   #7
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Originally Posted by Sagecoachdriver View Post
Our ordered Forester will have the 13,500 btu a/c.
After reading some posts on noisy and inefficient air conditioners, we wonder if the 13,500btu unit is adequate for the 28' 1" . The dealer said the 15,000 btu unit came with a heat pump which we will never use. We have a 13,000 btu in our current 22' class c Winnebago and it freezes us out. It has a heat pump and we never use it as we dry camp mostly. The 15,000btu unit with heat pump was $600 option.
You should be OK with it. Have that size in my 32 foot 5th wheel and it does the job. I was just in the trailer and it was nice and cool and it is 93 degrees out right now.

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Old 06-23-2015, 12:42 PM   #8
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We have a 32' 5th wheel and have *two* A/C (13.5K & 15.5K) on hot summer days in the south they are on almost all the time.


If I were you, I'd call and make the change ASAP.
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Old 06-23-2015, 12:53 PM   #9
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Mine's a 26' box and I have 1 A/C... 13.5K btu... I'll never have another TT without 2 A/C units. It can be miserable. Where I live it can still be over 100 after sundown... Max it out. Surely they can get you a 15K unit without the HP. If not, you're dealing with the wrong folks... so keep your hand on your wallet!
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Old 06-23-2015, 01:12 PM   #10
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I'd also recommend upgrading to the 15,000 BTU. I agree with Bob from AL. You will not regret it. Depending on num of slide outs one has this makes a difference to cooling. My new trailer has two, is 35 ft long and we live in the south and they both will run but I have 3 slides. Also depends how much insulation the trailer has and I'll bet not much.

My old trailer was 34 ft and just one 15,000 and it would run all day. Most dealers here will not even think about using 13,000 on your type of trailer.

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Old 06-23-2015, 04:42 PM   #11
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We have a 2015 2608ws with 15k a/c. We live in Fl and travel our west and it barely keeps us cool. We use fans. My advice, when and where you travel is to go with the larger option. Mind you this means other devices you operate will be limited but in my opinion to be comfortable, especially trying to get to sleep it will be worth it. My next will have 2 a/c's for sure.
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Old 06-25-2015, 08:06 AM   #12
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37 ft Silverback in Florida RIGHT NOW. Dual AC's run day and half the night. Set both on 80 degrees to avoid freeze ups. You can NEVER have enough cold air when you need it! You cannot cool these units down from a git go when it's 90 degrees plus.
Does not matter it it is a Winnebago, Forest River, etc. they lack insulation that a home has....period! If you ever see a $ million dollar plus Prevost, they have 3 or 4 ac units plus dash air. I would guess they are better insulated than the avg $70,000 retail unit.
Start early in the day and let er run!!
don't worry, be happy!! 😄
These things are great versus the old models, BUT, they are boxes on wheels.
Be safe and travel healthy. Enjoy our beautiful USA.
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Old 06-25-2015, 08:24 AM   #13
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Get the bigger unit.....it'll work less and last longer. Besides, you never know where or when you'll end up camping in a different climatological zone and might actually use the HP or the extra AC capacity. I suspect it would also be cheaper to do it up front rather than retro-fit later
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Old 06-25-2015, 10:48 AM   #14
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spoke with AC tech

I spoke with an air conditioning tech about the 13,500 vs 15,000. He said there is only a 10% difference in capacity. 1 ton of A/C is 12,000 btu's and normally cools 500 square feet of floor space in homes and offices. My motor home will be no more than 300-350 square feet.
He said, motorhomes are terrible when it comes to heat gain and loss. Cab windows, metal doors and living space windows probably account for almost all of the problem. Along with family going in and out the door.
So the 10% differnce would be marginal and that's why they add a second A/C unit to gain another 15,000 btu''s. Doing more to insulate the cab from the living space, placing sunscreens on the cab windows along with the living space windows and cracking open a vent or two to allow the warmer air at the ceiling to escape will far exceed the 10% difference. The 15,000 unit will have shorter cycling than the 13,500 but not so I would notice it.
Trying to cool down an RV that has direct sun hitting a large window and cooking the cab will be impossible. Any cooling effect will be quickly lost to the radiating heat from the window. Best senario would be to drive with sunscreens in the living area windows and run the generator and both A/C units (roof and dash). this would allow the A/C to have a jump of sorts when we arrive at our destination. However, there is still loss from the cab windows.
Makes sense to me.
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Old 06-25-2015, 11:20 AM   #15
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Hey Sagecoachdriver enjoy your rig when it comes in. I'm sure it'll be fine.
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Old 06-25-2015, 11:35 AM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Sagecoachdriver View Post
I spoke with an air conditioning tech about the 13,500 vs 15,000. He said there is only a 10% difference in capacity. 1 ton of A/C is 12,000 btu's and normally cools 500 square feet of floor space in homes and offices. My motor home will be no more than 300-350 square feet.
He said, motorhomes are terrible when it comes to heat gain and loss. Cab windows, metal doors and living space windows probably account for almost all of the problem. Along with family going in and out the door.
So the 10% differnce would be marginal and that's why they add a second A/C unit to gain another 15,000 btu''s. Doing more to insulate the cab from the living space, placing sunscreens on the cab windows along with the living space windows and cracking open a vent or two to allow the warmer air at the ceiling to escape will far exceed the 10% difference. The 15,000 unit will have shorter cycling than the 13,500 but not so I would notice it.
Trying to cool down an RV that has direct sun hitting a large window and cooking the cab will be impossible. Any cooling effect will be quickly lost to the radiating heat from the window. Best senario would be to drive with sunscreens in the living area windows and run the generator and both A/C units (roof and dash). this would allow the A/C to have a jump of sorts when we arrive at our destination. However, there is still loss from the cab windows.
Makes sense to me.
Used to design HVAC, we always used 300 sq ft. per ton. Now that is for a well insulated house air tight. This was in California. I agree with your senario. The only way you can cool these things when it is over 90 is to live like your in a cave. Windows are the big killer as you stated. I don't care if they are duel pane or not. All my windows came tented. It helps but if you put your hand by them with the shades pulled you can feel the heat gain. I think the walls are R-9 also the roof. Not much at all. I tried this at home on a 90 plus day. With the 3 slides pulled in my unit would cycle, 15,000 btu's. With the slides out the next day pretty much the same exact condition, the unit ran all afternoon without cycling at all. I will never buy another 5th wheel without 2 A/C's.
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Old 06-25-2015, 11:54 AM   #17
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Same trailer as Glenn's. Same experience. Get 2 AC's. We also live in the North and have it cooler but a Diamond edition can not keep up with dark surfaces.
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Old 06-25-2015, 12:14 PM   #18
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The Forester 2701 isn't designed to handle 2 A/C units. We dry camp 90% of the time and the Onan 4K will not handle the load. Plus the A/C unit is right in the middle of the MH. WE are going to insulate ourselves from the cab and probably the cabover too as it's not going to be used. since it's ducted, I can also close the vents to the cabover and bathroom and even the bedroom area and close it off. I think it will be fine. I could also replace the unit with a 15,000 later and sell mine to my neighbor whose A/C went out. But as the tech said, there isn't that much additional cooling capacity between the units.
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Old 06-25-2015, 12:24 PM   #19
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We have a 38' FW with 3 slides and when we only one 15,000 A/C on hot days it just wouldn't cool down. We added a second 13,500 A/C in the bedroom and made the difference. Plus in the evenings we needed to only run the one in the bedroom. That helps if your long term and paying the electric bill.
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Old 06-25-2015, 12:52 PM   #20
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The Forester 2701 isn't designed to handle 2 A/C units. We dry camp 90% of the time and the Onan 4K will not handle the load. Plus the A/C unit is right in the middle of the MH. WE are going to insulate ourselves from the cab and probably the cabover too as it's not going to be used. since it's ducted, I can also close the vents to the cabover and bathroom and even the bedroom area and close it off. I think it will be fine. I could also replace the unit with a 15,000 later and sell mine to my neighbor whose A/C went out. But as the tech said, there isn't that much additional cooling capacity between the units.
According to the domectic specks your 4.0 generator would carry to 13,500 btu A/C's. But as always it your decision but here is the info from them below, look at the bottom about generators:

S
57915.421 57915.521 57915.621 59016.621 59516.601
MODEL NO. 57908.521 57912.621 57915.426 57915.526 57915.626 59016.626 59516.606 600312.321 600312.421 600315.321 600315.421
Nominal Capacity (BTU/HR) * 7,100 11,000 13,500 13,500 13,500 15,000 15,000 11,000 11,000 13,500 13,500
Electrical Rating 115 VAC, 60 Hz., 1 ph.
Compressor Rated Load Amps 6.6 8.5 11.5 12.1 11.0 12.9 12.9 9.5 10.7 12.4 11.5
Fan Motor Rated Load Amps 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 3.1 3.1 3.1 3.1
Compressor Locked Rotor Amps 34.0 48.3 50.0 59.0 54.4 71.0 71.0 53.0 50.0 60.0 50.0
Fan Motor Locked Rotor Amps 5.8 5.8 5.8 5.8 5.8 6.0 6.0 8.8 8.8 8.8 8.8
Heater Amps/Watts @ 120VAC NOT AVAILABLE ON THESE MODELS 12.7/1530 NOT AVAILABLE
SCFM-High Speed Max./Min. 325 / 250 350/250 335/250
Total Static - Min/Max. 0.55 / 0.90" W.C. 0.40/1.10 0.12/0.65" W.C.
Refrigerant R22 Charge ( Oz.) 17.0 16.0 13.5 16.0 16.0 26.5 31.0 16.5 16.0 15.5 17.0
Minimum Wire Size ** 12 AWG Copper Up to 24 ft.
AC Circuit Protection 20 Amp Time Delay Fuse or 20 Amp HACR Circuit Breaker
DC Circuit Protection Installation must comply with all National, State, Providence, and/or local Electrical Codes
Installed Weight (Pounds) 75 94 100 94 94 101 102 95 101 96 102
Minimum Generator 1 Unit 2.5 KW 3.5 KW 2.5 KW 3.5 KW
Size *** 2 Units 4.0 KW 5.0 KW 4.0 KW 5.0 KW
59016.521
59016.526
59516.501
59516.
The 4.0 is for 2 units 13,500 and the 5.0 is for 2-15,500 btu units.
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