ITS SOOOO HOT, PLS HELP!!

[Rvbum06]

So I started my experience with a simple 27ft travel trailer. After watching 10,000 videos and getting the hang of it for 2 seasons, I thought I'd upgrade to my dream travel trailer. I traded in my little basic one in for a Coachman Express Liberty Edition. I had a checklist of all the things I wanted (bunk room, outside kitchen, a TV I can watch w/out straining my neck, bonus 1/2 bath etc.). This RV is perfect except for one huge problem. It only has one A/C. Ducted, but still inadequate. And it's insanely loud. Like jet engine at full throttle. Make matters worse, it's only a 30amp. From what I gather, my options are all $$$$$ big expenses. I'd love to have 2 things: a Whisper quiet main one to replace the loud one and add a 2nd to the master bedroom. I have a vent window already in the master, but my issue is the 30amp. I know my post is super long, but I would like to also help new buyers ensure they don't make the same mistake. Anyone have any suggestions for me that don't require cashing in my kids college fund??

 

[FL-JOE]

Not sure what good solutions there are since you picked an RV with only 30amp service, at least without spending some bucks. There are portable stand alone units you might check into but that certainly will not solve all the problems you listed.

After having a 37' gas coach with two a/c units a few years ago we knew any future RVs would always have three a/c units. We like to be able to get the day time temps down to high 70's and at night we enjoy low 70's for sleeping.

 

[Chuggs]

First...anything to reduce your heat transfer... Awnings, shades, insulated foil, slide toppers, window film.

Secondly...I've had to deal with what you're experiencing. There are a few different approaches...each with advantages and disadvantages.

1). 30A to 50A conversion. This changes out your distribution box and converter, and feed wiring...to allow for 50A service. When that is done, you can add a second rooftop unit. Two rooftop units will make a huge difference in cooling. We cool a 40ft Class A with two 15K units.

2) Portable a/c... with our fifth wheel...we used a portable A/C unit and ducted the exhaust out a window. I made a filler for that window when slide open, which also had an electrical pigtail. It allowed for a 12awg extension cord to be connected directly to a 20a outlet in the pedastle...and the portable A/C plugged into that,. It was only an 11,000 BTU unit,,,but added sufficient extra cooling in our 30ft fifth wheel to get us thru with the OEM 13.5K roof unit. I have also seen folks add a mini-split...which plugs in separately to the pedestal. If you have a place to mount it...they are super efficient.

3) Adding solar and Inverter... This requires a lot of additional items...and probably not advised for most wiring layouts. It requires a robust Inverter/Battery setup...as most of your coach will be running off of this during the day. A combined inverter/charger with pass thru is a must. What you do is during the day...the solar/battery/inverter is setup to power the lights, outlets, and electrical appliances that are within the capability of the inverter. The only thing running off of shore power during the day is the A/C units. You can run two rooftop units on 30A IF...IF...IF... (big IF)...you have all your other A/C loads running on the Solar/Battery/Inverter...and BOTH A/C unit's have a common control unit, and MicroAir Easy Start unit's installed. I do this a lot with our Coach. It's easy for me...I just set my inverter to not use shore power unless the battery drops below a certain state of charge. During the day, with solar providing plenty of watts...the batteries stay fully charged. So my solar is running outlets, tvs, water pump, microwave, etc... This leaves my shore connection of 30a dedicated to running my rooftop units. I have two 15KBTU Heat Pumps...and the common control is designed NOT to start the units at the same time. The MicroAir Easy start prevents the overcurrent protection from tripping due to high locked rotor amp spikes. I easily run them both on a 30A shore power connection. You would need to see if your distribution box has room for a second 20A breaker to add a second A/C unit. If it has it's own converter...you would need to disable that...so it's not hoarding the shore power. Let the solar do what your converter was doing...by charging the batteries, and suppling dc needs...as well as limited inverter ac loads.

 

[Chuggs]

I forgot...our fifth wheel with one ducted 13.5k unit had a "chill grill". When we setup...a lot of times, we would close off the bedroom and bathroom areas...and set the A/C in chill grill mode where it dumps 100% of the cold air straight down. This allowed us to cool a smaller area...and that's where we were for most of the day with our dogs. At night...we could go back to ducted distribution and open up the bathroom and bedroom. At night...we could actually freeze ourselves out... During the day...the unit would be taxed to it's limit. Running 100%...and only cooling to around 80 to 82 degrees. We didn't have slide toppers, the unit wasn't very well insulated, no double paned windows, no awning protection on many of the windows...so we suffered. We eventually added the portable A/C unit. We had purchased that to keep up comfortable at home...after hurricanes take away our utilities for days, sometimes weeks. Running a small generator would allow us to share the power between the refrigerators, portable A/C unit for sleeping at night...and as needed the water heater for taking a hot shower. The portable A/C was part of our post hurricane survival gear...we figured why not use it with our fifth wheel...whenever camped in full sun and hot weather.

 

[AbdRahim]

This can help with the noise. I put one in my old MH just before I sold it.

RV A/C Silencers and Filters - WackOProducts

 

[Kevin D Pem]

I would go with a mini split. And as @Chuggs says do what you can to shade the RV, and add insulation. To add a mini split and you need more power, lets say 50a vs. 30, You can add a small 50a service and feed the panel in the rig with that panel making the main panel into a sub-panel. Mini splits come in many sizes and some can have a second room evaporator unit. They are very quiet, much quieter than any roof mount unit I know of. Most are inverter style that lowers the amount of power required to start them. I would guess 2 ton unit would keep you cool. Scrap the RV roof A/C.

 

[Chuggs]

@Kevin D Pem That’s a brilliant idea. Keeps the majority of the wiring architecture intact...and adds your extra cooling upstream. Economical too. Wish I had thought of that.

 

[redbaron]

Do any rvs come from factory with mini split systems?

 

[Kevin D Pem]

Do any rvs come from factory with mini split systems?

I don't know, all I know is I have seen a few that people have added. Sorry to say it was not my idea but I know it works great.

 

[redbaron]

We use the split systems in server rooms. Makes sense it would work in rv

 

[NGC 613]

If it is a Coleman Mach series AC you might look to get better flow and a little quitter unit from installing one of these. People seem to like them. A lot of good reviews. They are not cheap for what they are ,but is still a cheaper way to try and get things cooler for you. People who have installed them swear by them.
RV Airflow Systems

 

[Chuggs]

I have noticed a few mini splits...of particular note...one recently at a Harvest Host we visited...a Class A with the condenser unit mounted on a hitch mounted tray. Also at a beach front park...a Truck Camper with the condenser unit mounted on a add-on shelf attached to the rear of the Truck Camper. The SEER on many of the mini-splits are very high efficiency. The problem is the height of the outdoor unit...not really conducive to mounting on the roof...and you also need a place inside to mount the indoor unit. Most Recreation vehicles take advantage of every bit of space for cabinets, windows, wall sconces, etc... We could have probably taken down the cabinets over the rear window of our previous 5th wheel to mount an indoor unit there. I really see no place at all inside our Coach. I could never bring myself to taking down the beautiful cabinetry inside our Newmar. Many of the splits come pre-filled with refrigerant, and can be installed by an average DIY'r. It would be nice if the mini-split mfgs...would get into the rv market. I would opt for a larger low profile roof unit, and comparable indoor coil to what Coleman and Dometic are using...it would be a big plus to have the efficiency. I'm guessing 30% lower amperage draw per unit...but haven't really sat down to compare. It would make it much more feasible to run an A/C unit off of a solar installation, certainly.

 

[Kevin D Pem]

I got told that some are making a unit that will mount in the vent hole (old A/C replacement), but I have only been told that. If the rumor is true it will be a game changer.

 

[GeoKat]

I'm still really green to the RV scene but experience back home with greenhouses and barns if you want to go cheap good ventilation and airflow can do wonders for any hot space.

 

[Kevin D Pem]

I'm still really green to the RV scene but experience back home with greenhouses and barns if you want to go cheap good ventilation and airflow can do wonders for any hot space.

@GeoKat I travel for temperature. We deal with the occasional 95 outside temp as we wait for it to warm up else ware. When the bugs don't eat you alive, I spend most of my time outside... but... when it is hot, and the wind is not blowing. I am inside with the A/C running.