trialdog Report post Posted May 1, 2017 Traveling in 44 footer with massive slides and passengers (kids). Dash air won't even touch cooling beyond driver and front passenger. Roof tops could run under geni power, but ducted vents are blocked by slides. Swamp coolers won't work as we are in high humidity location. Typical portable ACs call for venting. Anyone out there found a solution for cooling their passenger compartment while traveling down the road? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jleamont Report post Posted May 1, 2017 trialdog, welcome to the FMCA Forum! With the roof tops on does any air trickle down the slides to the interior? What make and model coach do you have? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
trialdog Report post Posted May 1, 2017 Thanks for responding jleamont. It's Monaco Diplomat DP (2016). There are 3 acs, but all vents but 1 are covered by slides w/ very little (like 2-3") clearance above. If any cool air comes down from up there, you can't feel it. We've closed back bathroom door to contain engine heat. It is a crazy design as it's all ducted so no option to dispense straight from unit in middle of coach (b/n slides). Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tbutler Report post Posted May 1, 2017 Our slides cover some of our AC vents but the ones covered have louvers which can be aimed out into the center of the coach. Beyond that, I've read of people using a shower curtain rod to hold a curtain behind the front seats to help retain the cool air from the dash air. If you have passengers (children or pets) beyond the front seats that may or may not be a workable solution. We have a small Vornado floor fan which we have at times used to circulate air while driving. It runs off the inverter power with no problems. Use whatever internal window curtains you have to limit heating by the sunlight. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
trialdog Report post Posted May 1, 2017 Thanks Tom/Louise. Are going to go with the fan to circulate our dash air (issue is spreading the dash air, not retaining) to the back. Unfortunately, there is no ability to direct that air above these slides, best case closing them (there is 1 exposed b/n driver and passenger- so closing others could increase flow there, into fan blowing to the back. Looked at this GoCool 12v cooler you put ice in it and it blows, but reviews seem to limit the ability to smaller areas than the back of our coach. Curious if anyone uses a portable that requires venting, and if so, what they've come up with to vent as you're cruising down the road. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jleamont Report post Posted May 1, 2017 Being the coach is so new, If it were me I would take it back to the dealer and ask them to contact REV and come up with a solution. A problem like this is a total engineering blunder that should not have happened. We see it way to often with newer coaches where access with the slides closed causes a problem with access lack of heat or A/C. This isn't a cheaper low end product, 44' DP had to have a pretty salty price tag, suffering from heat while driving would be unacceptable to me. I would arrange a meeting with your dealer and discuss with them. One thought; Some older coaches had vents at the fresh air intake in the center of the unit in the roof, if you closed that off it forced the air through the ducted vents. Sounds like that would solve your problem, not ideal but one solution. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
blakeloke Report post Posted May 2, 2017 Trialdog, How much space do you have between the top of the slides and ceiling when the slides are in? One thing we do when traveling, when it's hot and we have to run the generator for A/C, is close the bedroom door to keep engine heat towards the rear of the coach. Sometimes we run the rear A/C when on the road but it really doesn't keep up with the heat the engine puts out. When we pull over for the night I open the engine compartment until the engine cools down. Blake Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kaypsmith Report post Posted May 2, 2017 Locate a sheet metal shop, or be ingenuitive. The box stores "Lowes, Home Depot etc.", sell a rectangular shaped dryer vent that is extendable, you could try one of these. Place the round opening directly under the duct opening and on top of the slide unit, extending the opposite end past the edge of the slide to move that AC air from the vent over and downward. Your second post indicates that there is 2 to 3 inches above the slide, if this true what I am suggesting is doable. I would try at least one to see it this is workable, if so, then others can be added, also you can even add vents to point the air where it is most usable. Or as first mentioned, locate a sheet metal shop and explain your concerns, they deal with this type of problems on a regular basis.http://www.truevalue.com//catalog/product.jsp?productId=53217&parentCategoryId=15&categoryId=2969&subCategoryId=3125&type=product&cid=gooshop&source=google_pla&9gtype={ifsearch:search}{ifcontent:content}&9gkw={keyword}&9gad={creative}.1&9gpla={placement}&ctcampaign=4680&ctkwd={product_id}&ctmatch=&ctcreative={Creative}&ctplacement=753426-43411605579 here is an example at True value. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wildebill308 Report post Posted May 3, 2017 I am with Jo on this. I would be talking to the dealer and factory. Bill Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hermanmullins Report post Posted May 3, 2017 We all must remember that the A/C compressor on a Diesel Pusher is more that 40+ feet from the evaporator. The coolant has that far to travel under the coach 18" from the hot pavement. It doesn't have a chance of a snow ball in hadies of being really cold by the time it travels that distance. When we are in the situation where we are too hot we turn on the generator, turn on the front AC and put up our curtain. We have a vent in front between the driver and passenger. We colse off the other registers and it does a nice job keeping it cool up front. However when traveling in a westerly direction into the sun in late July and August there comes that 'ole' snow ball in hadies, not much will help other than dusk. Herman Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
manholt Report post Posted May 3, 2017 Herman, do agree, with most. My zone 1 is like yours, my zone 2 has unobstructed vent's, because it cools the bathroom and hallway. Zone 3, I leave off. Blake. I have great insulation in engine room and get very little heat in bedroom. I do set the AC temp at 70 and high fan, when it's summer in TX. Carl Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rickkey2 Report post Posted May 3, 2017 In our 2007 Charleston 40QS the dash a/c has always worked great, it puts out 50 degrees on high from day one. We used to keep our front 15000 btu unit set at 70 for those hot days when the dash unit would not keep up. We installed the curtain behind the front seats last year and have not needed to use the coach ( roof ) a/c unit. Now as Herman stated driving into the sun will change the situation and I just reach down and hit the generator and all is good. One thing I did do was to check all the ducting in the dash and found three ducts that were flattened with the wire harness laying on them and also kinked in a few spots. I rerouted the flexible ducting so there was no restriction and increased the air flow at least 50%. Now with the fan on high it really blows hard and makes a huge difference. Also makes a big difference when heat is needed and the curtain helps keep the heat in the front area. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wildebill308 Report post Posted May 3, 2017 To improve the cooling of the dash air, try setting the air on recirculate so you aren't trying to cool the hotter outside air. Bill Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
manholt Report post Posted May 3, 2017 Bill, I don't have "recirculate" in my dash air! You have that in your 03' Rig? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wildebill308 Report post Posted May 3, 2017 Yes I do and it helps keep it cooler than trying to cool the outside air. You may need to upgrade. Bill Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jrock Report post Posted May 4, 2017 Not sure but on some they have max cool instead of recirculate I think it is the same Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jleamont Report post Posted May 4, 2017 MAX A/C is supposed to be Recirculate. My dash A/C works decent, it will keep me cool and the DW's feet frozen . When I switch to the Generator and turn on the roof tops I shut off the dash A/C. I also get little heat from the engine inside, especially after reinsulating the engine bay with this stuff. http://www.jegs.com/i/Thermo-Tec/893/13590K/10002/-1 My insulation was peeling, so I replaced it with thicker stuff. Installed with stainless pop rivets and fender washers. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
manholt Report post Posted May 4, 2017 I found out (Have posted on it) that I get better fuel economy on Generator vs Dash AC ! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wayne77590 Report post Posted May 4, 2017 MAX AC or Recirculate recombines the air inside the coach and when the house AC is on it will keep the coach cooler by running the dash in MAX or REC. Economically MAX AC and REC uses a tad more fuel but any dash AC will cause a .5 Mpg (give or take) difference. About the same as house AC using fuel tank. I also have about 50˚ air coming out of the dash on regular AC. We have been comfortable when driving even when the inside temp is 80˚ as we can direct the flow of air onto us and it keeps us comfortable. Regarding the curtains. I would like to know how you attached the curtain from one side to the other. I have not been able to find a curtain road to span the distance. Never mind - just saw some on Amazon. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
huffypuff Report post Posted May 4, 2017 Mine has a slide on the roof units to change from duct to outlet at the unit. I can't believe they stopped doing that. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
five Report post Posted May 4, 2017 1 hour ago, manholt said: I found out (Have posted on it) that I get better fuel economy on Generator vs Dash AC ! Same here. When my dash AC is turned on the MPG goes down about 1.5 when the big side radiator fan comes on....which it does every time. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rsbilledwards Report post Posted May 7, 2017 In so far as adding insulation to the engine compartment. In many case this is very difficult and a job for a contortionist! But I have the ultimate coach allowing for ease of this effort. I used a lamination of foil faced foam and foil faced bubble wrap insulation. Depending on how it is assembled with a 3M spray glue one can attain R 12. The reduction in heat was substantial, 20 degrees +. Foil faced foam is available in 1/2, 3/4, 1 and 1 1/2 inch 4 foot by 8 foot dimensions and can be cut with a box knife. All it takes is time... Bill Edwards 1999 Safari Panther Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rickkey2 Report post Posted May 8, 2017 As I understand when replacing or installing engine insulation in a DP especially in a rear radiator it is recommended to use fasteners and glue not just glue. The reason is that the air gets pulled in engine compartment and blown out the radiator to the rear. If the insulation comes loose it could be sucked into the fan and block the air flow or worse break a fan blade and damage the radiator. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
obedb Report post Posted May 8, 2017 Have never seen a vehicle without some form of air recirculation. And I mean going back a long time. May be called different things from manufacturer to manufacturer. Before the ozone hole supposedly caused by R-12 and enviros losing their minds, I measured just above freezing on auto air using R-12. Our lowly entry level 2003 Phaeton has air recirculation 😉. I run our gen set for roof top air when traveling. Freightliner has a v belt turning the engine water pump, and everything else is powered by the serpentine belt. The a/c compressor could seize up, trash the serpentine belt and make a mess out of a trip. Wish that the a/c compressor was powered by the v belt. I do run the left defroster fan aimed at me. Helps a bit when headed into the sun. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kaypsmith Report post Posted May 8, 2017 My first auto with AC was an Oldsmobile Jetstar 88, the salesman cautioned me not to run on recirculate after initial cooldown, would cause ARTHRITIS. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
