Question 2002 Breckenridge 43 footer A/C not adequate?

[Soup-N-Sandwich]

just FYI, one 15k ac was not adequate in my 30’ Bay Star. My 35’ Ventana only has about 2.5 more feet of living space than my Bay Star did due to the closet and washer/dryer arrangement, but it has an additional 15k ac. Given a minimal increase in living space and double the ac, it is now what I‘d call well balanced.

Anything with 45’ in interior space should really have 3 15k roof units as Buly said. However, since it’s a park model why not see if you can make a ductless mini-split system work on it? You could get a lot more cooling than a roof unit can provide, and probably for about the same cost.

Thank you sir for the information. Very helpful. Well I did consider a mini split but with 15 windows there is zero wall space for the unit. Unless I can come up with a way to installed it on the roof and replace the existing unit...oh and use the duct work would be nice, I don't see how I can install a mini split in this trailer. I'm sure I can figure out a way to reconfigure a minisplit to work on the roof even if it's inside of an enclosure and fabricated to work. I'll look into this. Thanks. Hey Rich would you be able to take a thermometer and stick it into into one of the AC output registers for about 10 to 15 mins. the next time you run it and give me an idea what the temp is? My is only 52 degrees...it seems very high to me.


Chris

 

[Soup-N-Sandwich]

I’m sure some expensive units come with insulated glass but not on my ‘21 Arctic Wolf! Lol

Hmm that's really too bad. Oh well. All these issues to me is unacceptable for full time 4 season living in Rhode Island. I guess this is why I've been working on this things since I bought it.

 

[Texas Clodhopper]

The discharge air temp should be 15-20 ℉ lower than the air intake temperature, so I think you're output temp is good. The problem is, you need at least 2 and really 3 air conditioning units if you have minimal insulation.

I once had a mobile home on my ranch that was 16 x 80 feet and had a 5-ton ac, 60,000 BTU, and conversely, my home was 3,800 sq ft with two 3-ton units. The difference was in the insulation.

 

[Buly]

Sorry, I don’t have thermometer that I can use for that purpose.

 

[Rich W.]

Well you got my curiosity up earlier so when I moved my scaffold I plugged in and went inside and turned on the AC. It was 103 outside in the sun, 93 in the shade, 91 inside the coach.

I set the zones on 78. That was at 2:30. When they shut off (if they do) I’ll let you know how long that took. The air coming out of the vents is 63 degrees. So theres some data to mess with. One thing to keep in mind is that I have good insulation and dual pane windows (Newmar!). Back to work…..

 

[Texas Clodhopper]

I did some rough numbers on your 43’ trailer. Guestimating 43’L x 8’W x 8’ H interior.
You need minimum of 25K AC capacity if you have dissent insulation and windows.
To be on the safe side, two 15K units in proper working order should be fine.
I think

Using your same numbers, would your 4369 DS be tolerable with just two air conditioners? I know my 4369 Ventana often needs all three to cool it down and we know the Newmar coaches are some of the better-insulated coaches made.

 

[Buly]

We managed with two AC’s in Las Vegas with temps of 110-115F. I consider the 3rd one as a spare. It helped couple of times when one of them quit.

 

[AbdRahim]

I confirm. My 30 ft Forester had one A/C unit. It literally ran all the tome on those 90+ degree days and I had to open the dump vent. It was barely adequate.

My current Baystar 37’ has two 15000 BTU units. This uscomfortable.

 

[Rich W.]

Took about four hours. I dont know exactly because I was doing other things, but about that. Also there are ceiling mount mini-splits - suspended and recessed. Maybe some hope there….

 

[FL-JOE]

When we had our Newmar (2017 4369) it took all three a/c units working when the temps were in the high 90's with high humidity. Currently in a 44' fiver it takes all three a/c units when temps are in the low 90's. Cheaper RV with less insulation and more windows = more BTUs needed.

 

[Soup-N-Sandwich]

Wow SUPER disappointing to hear it takes as many as 3 A/Cs at 15K to cool a space this small. For me that is unacceptable. Slowly I've been converting the build stupidity of this park trailer to use more conventional methods. It's going to be some time still to get everything there but the ventilation whole house fan system and A/C are next. Well actually the roof is next but I have to work out the modifications ahead of time because all of these tasks will be done as one big job.

I think I'm going to go with a mini-split system and modify it accordingly if needed. I understand they have one that retrofits to existing ducts. The main unit would have to be a ceiling mount because with 15 windows there is almost no wall space in the main living area to mount it. I guess I should start looking into that.

Clearly there is no standard to the builds of these things. I honestly can't believe what the manufacturers get away with. It's like the effort they go through to do certain things that makes it unique to a trailer would be cheaper and easier if they just stuck with the house standards. I understand some of this is done for weight reduction but the electrical is a joke. No boxes with these Fisher Price looking receptacles and switches that actually pierce the Romex 12/2/g wiring.....Really?! I replaced all of these in my kitchen with slim boxes from Home depot and standard switches and receptacles with no problem at all. The insulation which is a huge reason why none of our A/C work well enough is a joke. I have R13 in the ceilings...with some of it left out completely. Then in the left half of the large pop out I had 3/4 polystyrene including 3 bays without anything at all and the rest of the pop out had R13 fiberglass. I have zero confidence in the manufacture to have any standards or quality control.

They can't even use standard fixtures like bathroom fans or sliding glass doors...everything is unique and odd. Slowly through I'm replacing all of this stuff with the standards of the home industry.
What a challenge so far. It really does make a rather simple job turn into something much more difficult that takes far more time to work out. Sorry about the rant guys!

Chris

 

[Soup-N-Sandwich]

Took about four hours. I dont know exactly because I was doing other things, but about that. Also there are ceiling mount mini-splits - suspended and recessed. Maybe some hope there….

Thank you my friend. Yes there is some hope there. I do like the mini-split systems.
A friend of mine has a fiberglass 30 foot travel trailer with a single A/C. He isn't sure what size it is though. I asked a few minutes ago if his system was decent. He said "it's like a freezer in my trailer. The kind of cold that actually makes the windows have frost on them." I didn't expect to hear that!