Basement air conditioner air flow

[azloafer]

Originally Posted by lpasekof

Re: Air Flow issues - I've been experimenting with the airflow in my rig. I've noted that the air ducts in the rig run back to front but not all vents are directly in line with the duct. The vents in the bedroom, bathroom and toilet are actually 90 degrees to the duct whereas the vents in the front 2/3s are vented directly into the duct.

The vents in the rear section of the RV get VERY little airflow the front 2/3 isn't too bad. I've been experimenting by adding "diverters" into the airflow in the main duct area to try to divert air into the vents that hang off at 90 degrees without reducing the airflow too much to the front. I put them in yesterday and will be on the road this weekend to test. My preliminary tests have been very positive but I do need to get hold of an anemometer to obtain emperical data on airflow.

I suspect, because of the poor airflow in the rear, the majority of my cooling in the rear is from air flow moving front to back as return air - which means I have to cool the entire front before the back starts to cool.

We'll see the result after this weekend.

I had wondered about the basement air flow in the rear of the coach as compared to the front. The front of our coach also receives more cold air than the bedroom. Question: What holds those vents to the ceiling; there must be something more than that soft ceiling? Joe

[lpasekof]

The construction of the ceiling and ducts is basically laminated styrofoam over thin plywood and then the fabric covering. The vents screw into the wood and sometimes into the styro.

I made my "diverters" out of 3/4" aluminum angle - the thin stuff. Bought at HD for about $4 for 36". I cut a couple of 4" pieces (I'm working multiple vents) and drilled a hole about 1/2" in from one end. Since I'm still experimenting I've not installed them permanently. I've used one of the screw holes on the vent as the anchor (the one closest to the duct) and screwed the vent and diverter together through the ceiling. I then used a screwdriver to help angle the diverter into the airflow while tightening the screw. The change was immediate and dramatic. Try using something like a credit card and stick it in the duct flow to see the difference. I plan to try different angles and lengths to determine the affects in the bedroom and front of the coach.

When/if I'm satisfied with the prototype I'll probably go back and reinstall with an adhesive like Liquid Nails or similar.

[lpasekof]

Well, just got back from 3 days in the West Texas/Southern New Mexico heat - mostly upper 90s. The little diverters I made really worked well. I was able to feel a significant difference in the bedroom especially at night. I could actually feel air blowing on me! I'm going to experiment with a slightly larger diverter. The prototypes were made of 3/4" angled aluminum. I'm going to try 1" to see if that makes much difference - don't want to interrupt the flow to the front too much. No noticeable difference in the front from the air I "robbed" for the back.

[azloafer]

We simply close some of the front vents at night and this causes more flow to the bedroom. We really don't need all that cold air in the cab area even during the day. If we can't end up with a camping spot facing north we use an indoor sun screen which we recently purchased for $60.00
here: Sun & Comfort: RV Screens, RV Products, RV Privacy Screens, RV Solar Privacy Screens, quick and easy shades It really works well and because it is installed to the inside of the window it doesn't get dirty. It is a simple suction cup install. Joe