Sick and Tired of sweating... - Page 3

smlranger · 07-19-2010, 05:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mythplaced

Getcha one of these....$300-400 at Wally world

an additional 9000 or 12000 BTU's of cooling will bring the inside of your RV down to 70 degrees when it is over 100 outside! At least it does in my "cabin"

Keep it in the basement or a closet when not needed...

I'm thinking these must be vented to the outside? How do you do that?

mythplaced · 07-19-2010, 06:16 PM

Hose out the window.i made a thin attachment to the hose end and it fits into the window

1ciderdog · 07-19-2010, 07:06 PM

Mythplaced
I looked these up on the WalMart site and the smaller one gets mixed reviews. I presume you are using one so have to ask: is it realatively loud, kind of like some of the roof units? Thanks

azloafer · 07-19-2010, 08:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by azloafer

I have called a Winnebago Dealer and was told that they have installed roof units and continue to do so. The service department was closed at the time so I'll be calling them back on Monday. Although I was told that Camping World installed the roof units, when I talked to the tech, as he checked out our coach, it seemed that this was new territory. I ended up canceling the next appointment. I'll see what the Winnie Dealer has to say and go from there. Joe

Today I met with the techs at a Winnebago Dealer. The air conditioner has been ordered and the installation will begin as soon as the unit arrives. They only mount the AC units in place of the kitchen exhaust fan; they will not cut new holes in the roof. Our coach is wired for a washer and dryer, but we didn't install them so that circuit will become the dedicated roof AC circuit. I'll provide the results after our next outing. Joe

mythplaced · 07-19-2010, 09:47 PM

The one I use, I got at target, not WM...I just used WM as an example...

mine is a 12000 BTU unit and quieter than the rooftop unit...

This is not the exact same model as mine but looks similar..I couldn't find a pic on targets website..I got it on clearance in Jan for around $200

stardalo · 07-20-2010, 10:02 AM

So what rooftop unit would be the best choice for installing? I am leaning towards a 15,000 btu colman mach ac model. I see John Canfield used a 13,500 but I really would like to go bigger if possible.

azloafer · 07-20-2010, 02:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stardalo

So what rooftop unit would be the best choice for installing? I am leaning towards a 15,000 btu colman mach ac model. I see John Canfield used a 13,500 but I really would like to go bigger if possible.

The dealer recommended a 13,500 so I am going with that. Joe

azloafer · 07-20-2010, 02:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by azloafer

The dealer recommended a 13,500 so I am going with that. Joe

There is another way to go bigger, but I passed on this method. They said that they could put the AC on a 30 amp cord. When you get to a campground you would plug the normal 50 amp cord in for everything in the coach. Then you would plug in the 30 amp cord in for only the 15,000 AC. This way it would not be shedding things with the Winnie One Place Control Panel. I felt that could be a hassle and probably unnecessary so I went with the 13,500. They did say that something like a Microwave could possibly kick the AC off if the central air and the roof unit were on. We have found that we only want extra air during the day; at night we would not need more than the basement air. So, we'll save cooking in the micro until the sun goes down. We will only need both units on for a couple months out of the entire year; after that the basement unit would be enough. Joe

azloafer · 07-20-2010, 03:13 PM

I hope that PM went through, I've never used it before. Joe

sam-tip · 07-20-2010, 03:57 PM

I have been closing my bed room and hallway AC vent during the day. This forces more cold air to the front of the RV thus keep the front of the RV a little cooler. But with a dark brown paint job its hard to keep it cool.

DavidLyle · 07-20-2010, 04:31 PM

As a fellow Phoenician, I can agree that it is extremely difficult to keep our coach cooled down to a comfortable level during the summer. If you are parked in the sun, forget about it! I agree with a previous poster that most RV's are not designed for weather extremes.

I have insulated as much as I can, but only so much can be done. The LOW temp in Phoenix the other night was 94, so there is not a lot of opportunity for the RV to cool down.

Best bet, find some shade, keep windows covered, and close the vents on the dash. A pool might also help!

azloafer · 07-24-2010, 08:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by azloafer

The dealer recommended a 13,500 so I am going with that. Joe

The roof top air has been installed. It came in at $280 less than the original estimate; that was nice. I put the generator on and the Basement Air at high cool. It was drawing 22 amps. Then I put the new Coleman Mach 13,500 on at high cool and the One Place Panel showed a total amp use of 35. I turned the TV on and the panel read-out didn't change. With the microwave on the amp meter read 48. The Coleman Mach really throws a lot of cold air out. I wish the basement air had that much force. I did not run a test on the temperature inside versus outside because it happened to be a cloudy day and in the low 90's. I'll leave the test for another time when we camp in direct sun on a hot day. Joe

smlranger · 07-25-2010, 05:45 AM

Joe, you should now have plenty of cool

. When we get to a point where we can use our coach nearly full time, I would not hesitate to do this modification. At this point, we just avoid traveling in very warm weather.

How did they run/conceal the wire to the new AC from your breaker panel?

RickO · 07-25-2010, 07:14 AM

Congrats on your new mod Joe!

Until a couple of weeks ago I had never even heard of anyone doing this but after sweltering all week in 114 heat index here at The Rally in Louisville... parked on asphalt.... with only 30 amp and now water/sewer... it's on my list! Without 50 amp it wouldn't do me any good here but it still looks like it goes on the list!

azloafer · 07-25-2010, 07:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by smlranger

Joe, you should now have plenty of cool

. When we get to a point where we can use our coach nearly full time, I would not hesitate to do this modification. At this point, we just avoid traveling in very warm weather.

How did they run/conceal the wire to the new AC from your breaker panel?

The wiring went from the air conditioner, in a small short channel on the ceiling, hidden in the wall and down to the One Place Panel so that it would be included in the amp read-out. Then it went up and to the the shower wall and down to the floor and under the shower, under the sink cabinet, through the bottom of a long storage box under the window and to the circuit panel on the back wall of the bedroom. The wires cannot be seen. Since we do not have the optional washer/dryer unit installed, its 20 amp circuit was used for the new roof top air.

I wish there was a way to increase the flow of air from the basement unit. I think that it is cold enough, but it doesn't have enough force to push the air out like a roof top unit does. Joe

Retired and Happy · 07-25-2010, 11:39 AM

We just had to replace a roof AC and moved from 13500 to 15000. I don't know if the resultiung cooling was a factor of the bigger unit or just because the old one was old, but we could not keep the front of our unit cooler than 86-87 when the outside topped 90. Now it will stay around 80. Still warm, but a big improvement.

jemma112 · 07-26-2010, 06:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RickO

Congrats on your new mod Joe!

Until a couple of weeks ago I had never even heard of anyone doing this but after sweltering all week in 114 heat index here at The Rally in Louisville... parked on asphalt.... with only 30 amp and now water/sewer... it's on my list! Without 50 amp it wouldn't do me any good here but it still looks like it goes on the list!

I was looking at all of you parked out there and wondered how hot it was in the coaches.

I loved the Rally. My sister and I still haven't picked our coach out but had loads of fun trying.

We asked questions about roof vs floor air and got different answers from different people. My sister now says floor air and I'm leaning towards roof.

Wish I could have met some of you....maybe I did.

RickO · 07-26-2010, 10:16 PM

We enjoyed it too Jemma. I'll bet you had a ball looking at all the RVs there.

As for basement vs roof, if you search around this forum I think you'll continue to find a wide range of opinions. Funny thing is, a lot of people with basement air swear by it and report cooling capabilities much better than some others who have much the same rig and just can't keep it more than about 15 degrees cooler than outside. Usually that's not a problem but when it gets really hot, all of a sudden it is. Joe's cool mod outlined here is growing in popularity for those of us with basement air.

From what I've read on several threads Winnie is moving a large portion of their units from basement to roof in 2011.

jemma112 · 07-27-2010, 02:46 PM

I brought my nieces & a nephew too. Wow was it fun. We learned lots and everyone we talked to was more than willing to answer all of our questions. What a great group of people. I really liked the Avanti, a Georgtown and a couple Winnebago.
My nephew wants bunkbeds, the oval dinette, a bed over the cab and lots of storage for his "stuff." He also LOVES hush puppies.
I can't wait to go again and narrow the list and talk to some more people.

Also, the prices seemed pretty good to me. Some coaches were 30,000 to 50,000 less than list. Is that how it usually is? Are the best prices at the RV shows?

RickO · 07-27-2010, 09:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jemma112

I brought my nieces & a nephew too. Wow was it fun. We learned lots and everyone we talked to was more than willing to answer all of our questions. What a great group of people. I really liked the Avanti, a Georgtown and a couple Winnebago.
My nephew wants bunkbeds, the oval dinette, a bed over the cab and lots of storage for his "stuff." He also LOVES hush puppies.
I can't wait to go again and narrow the list and talk to some more people.

Also, the prices seemed pretty good to me. Some coaches were 30,000 to 50,000 less than list. Is that how it usually is? Are the best prices at the RV shows?

Be VERY careful and go slowly. (now, go read those words again).

I don't really know if that's good or not because I'm not sure the price range you were looking at. You'll find opinions, no, make that experiences that people here have had will be all over the map but I think the general concensus is that you should be looking at 30% below MSRP as a starting point. I bought my coach ($246K MSRP) in early 2007 before the economic crash (great timing) at about 25% below list and could have done better if I had been willing to purchase from a remote dealer rather than one near where I lived. I was new and wanted the support of a local dealer and it was a good thing for me at that time.

But... there are tons of nearly new RVs out there right now at bargain prices and you might want to think more about a gently used one and an extended warranty to provide you with some peace of mind.

Just food for thought. Glad you had a good time and the kids are getting into it.

BTW, I'm no expert on this but I believe that shows can be a good place to buy an RV but you can also get stuck with a unit which has been dragged all over the country from show to show and been walked through by thousands of people so you have to be kind of careful. Keep looking and asking questions.