Bigger AC Or Add One

[wolfe10]

Correct.  Absolutely do NOT run the exhaust fans unless the temperature of air at the exhaust fan is higher than the temperature outside.  Said another way, only if the inside is superheated-- for the first couple of minutes.

There is no "free lunch".  Removing 2000 CFM of interior air WILL be replaced by 2000 CFM of outside air at whatever temperature and humidity it is. And, yes humidity is a real consideration, as it takes a lot of BTU's to condense that water vapor into condensate.

[kaypsmith]

Thanks for being honest. The little trick that I mentioned before does work, if turning off those exhaust fans is not enough, try if before going to another unit.

[jleamont]

Kay, great tip! Just returning from Florida our two 13,500 Penguins got a good workout. We used a fan to blow air around the interior, mostly from the back to the front. I pointed it up on the front unit to see if I gave the air intake cooler air if it would help, it did! I'm going to take them apart this weekend and give both a good cleaning, plus the rear unit needs a new mounting gasket.

[mweiner]

rhinderber- 

Price is all relative these days.... I figured that you paid between $17 and $24,000 for this coach? Maybe you got a better deal?

Just what exactly did you "overlook" to cause the engine damage? 

Did you overheat?? 

I've been told that it's ALWAYS a great idea to open the windows and let your car or even your motor home breathe fresh air before turning on the AC. It just makes sense and the system doesn't have to work as hard. 

I'm 65, right behind you.. yes, I understand exactly what you are saying...

Best luck with your rig.... 

[kaypsmith]

The cooler air input is, the cooler the output will be. Also, the head is the most important body part to keep cool, cold air falls, so if you place the fan on the floor at the coolest location in the coach and point it to where people are, at any given time, the coach will feel much cooler than it is overall. For really extreme temperatures, one can actually put an ice pack under their cap, to help bear the heat more comfortably.

[hermanmullins]

I just visited the Onan Booth and they had a 4 kw Generator with a sign stating that it would run one (1) 13,000 BTU A/C and a few other items. 

I myself would not replace a functioning A/C. As Brett has said Clean the Evaporator and the Fan. Replace the filter. This is a much less expensive way to go before considering replacing a unit or adding another one.

Herman   

[tbutler]

So I've been reading through this entire post.  Just a couple of points.  You don't have to just cool the air in the coach.  The entire coach is at 100+ degrees when the temperature inside is over 100.  That means the furniture, the floor, the walls, especially the ceiling and any cargo you have on board is also at 100+ degrees.  Heat comes in through the basement as well as from the engine compartment.  This is why you run the air conditioners before the coach gets hot.  It is easier to evacuate the heat as it accumulates than to try to cool every component of the coach once is hot.

One of the biggest heat inputs comes through the windows, that huge windshield is not double pane and is a great heat collector. 

1.  Park the coach facing north if at all possible.  Anything you can do to keep the sun from shining into the windshield will help.  In cold weather, park facing south!

2.  I would never own a coach without some kind of sun screen for the front windshield.  In fact, when I purchased my coach, I also purchased sun screens for every window on the entire coach.  The less electricity I have; the less shade I have; the hotter the temperature; the faster I put up the sun screens.  Newer coaches have the dark shaded windows, they will help reduce the solar heating of the coach.

3.  Use any awnings you have to shade the side windows.  All windows are good heat collectors, even double pane windows.  If you don't have awnings, they would be a very cost effective upgrade compared to adding an additional air conditioner.  With awnings, the sunlight shining through the windows should be significantly reduced.  They are even more effective than sun screens.

If you have a 50A coach, a second air conditioner could be a good addition.  You would at least be able to run two air conditioners when plugged into shore power.  With the generator, perhaps only one.  We can run both our air conditioners with 30A - but that is about all we can run.  50A gives us the ability to run both air conditioners and much more.

[wildebill308]

Tom glad you are enjoying the nice cool weather in Indy.  I went down to where I keep my coach and decided I needed to mow some grass. I turned on the AC and it was about 94 inside. 2 hours later when I decided I had mowed all I was going to for the day it was 74 inside. It definitely felt GREAT as it was up to 97 outside. 

Great advise on using awnings and window shades. finding a spot to camp with shade is also a big plus.

Bill

[rhinderber]

blew a heater hose and over heated

[mweiner]

rhinderber-. I thought that you may have overheated... that caused the engine damage...did that warp the heads?  

I guess you didn't see the warning light?

What a bummer... sorry. 

[desertdeals69]

19 hours ago, rhinderber said:

blew a heater hose and over heated

The problem with the temp gauge is that the sender that is in the coolant is measuring the temp of the liquid.  If you have a sudden loss of coolant there is quite a long delay until the gauge or light reacts.  The heat has to transfer from the surrounding metal to the sender.

[thezafts]

Rhinderber,  go to.  TrekTraks.com.  And search air conditioner, some people say the 15,000 unit did not help any.

lot of good information on this site, very friendly Trek owners.

harry