2019 Vista LX 27N A/C

[dandr614]

Hello,

Newbie here to the motorhome world, always had smaller travel trailers. Took our rig out this weekend, ambient temperatures were a dry but high of 88F mid afternoon.

My question is how long should I expect the rig to cool down? Knowing that depends on multiple factors, just seemed to take a long time and never really caught up until early evening. Just not sure if this would be normal for a 14800 BTU A/C system in a rig of this size? There were 4 of us (me, wife, and two girls) with our two dogs. So a lot of natural heat from all of us and didn't have a lot of traffic in and out of the RV. Blinds were pulled down and any other mechanism to try and keep cool. Just wondering if this is abnormal and maybe indicative that I need to look at the AC for a possible recharge or other maintenance.

Thanks in advance.

[powercat_ras]

With the Vista 27N with single roof AC and the Vista 27N allowing a good amount of heat flow thru the sidewalls in particular on the sunny sides, the best option is to get ahead of the RV heating up. Once it heats up and the roof and sidewalls are hot the AC will keep if the inside cool if it is already cool, but the rate of heat gain is almost the same as the rate of heat removed by the single AC so it will take hours to lower the inside temp if the inside is allowed to heat up and only then the AC is fired up.

Winnebago went to 50 amp and 2 roof top ACs when they transitioned from Vista LX 27N to the Adventurer 27N to address this by creating more cooling power in the RV.

To maximize cool down of a hot interior Vista 27N also:

Open all the vents on the chille grille
Make sure the thermostat hi/lo fan switch is on hi
Make sure the washable air filter on the chille grille is clean
Make sure all the round air vents in the ceiling are wide open.

Some more if practical:

Park with the nose of 27N facing north to minimize sun heat gain thru the single pane glass on the winshield and the front side windows

Cover the front side windows and front nose, close curtains and shades to minimize sun heat gain

Pull down the sun block shades on the sun side of the 27N for the double pane windows

[dandr614]

Thanks Randy,

I really appreciate the information. Some of these I had thought of and taken action, some I had not so I can use them the next time.

Just for clarification, when you say the "chille" grill you are talking about the unit as it sits in the roof, correct? I did have all the round air vents in the ceiling wide open and had looked at the air filters on both sides clear and clean.

Thanks again!

[be happy]

You might also think of putting something into the ceiling exhaust vents. I have cut a piece to styrofoam to fix into the fan opening and that really helps. There are products made for that same aplication.

Also you might want to think about running with the generator on. This would allow you to run the roof top ac and stay ahead of the heat curve.

Good Luck safe travels

[creativepart]

When you know it’s going to be a hot drive day it’s best to run the generator while you drive with the A/C running. Sometimes you need to start the day running them, other times if the morning is cool, you can wait until later in the day to start them up.

Try to keep the big box below ~78 during your drive and you’ll have an easier time cooling things down when you arrive. And use those sunshades.

[dandr614]

Thanks for the information on running the generator and A/C while travelling. Makes a lot of sense.

Regards,

[powercat_ras]

The other things I did on my 2015 Vista 27N:

I took down the grill beneath the AC and I found a lot of styrofoam beads on the evaporator fins above the return air side that I was able to vac out to slightly improve air flow. Vac all the loose beads out of there so that more to lodge as you use the AC over time. When you do this note that there is a temp sensor pushed into the evaporator to prevent freeze up, make sure it is still inserted after you do your bead clean up, its just in as a push fit and can be easily dis-lodged (ask me how I know, ha ha).

I used metal foil tape to tape up all gaps that allowed the cold outlet air to leak across to the inlet side above the grill. I formed a piece of sheet metal into a deflector that takes the air blowing straight down and gently curves it into the ducts reducing turbulence and improving air flow. It worked out the way I did it that I still get air flow out the chill grille slats when I have the chill grille vents open.

[Twpinaz]

In addition to the previously mentioned actions to take, recommend you buy a roll of reflectix and cut it down to the size of all your windows and install after you park between your window and shades. Just a tight fit when you cut them out is all that is required to hold them in. I even put one on the windshield between the blackout curtain and glass. I also installed a small piece on each stock fan and put Velcro tape on it and the fan to keep it in place as there is no insulation in the fan area. There are insulation pillows you can install, but my stock fan would have to remove cover w/screws to install.
We sometimes camp in Arizona in April and have run into 98+ degrees outside. The reflectix really cuts the heat. I keep it installed in all of the windows in the back and in the kitchen area. Run the genie and ac while driving, start the genie about 8 am the morning of the trip and head out in a couple of hours. Install the remaining reflectix when I set up camp. The reflectix folds/rolls up for easy storage.

[golden13]

Originally Posted by dandr614

Thanks Randy,

I really appreciate the information. Some of these I had thought of and taken action, some I had not so I can use them the next time.

Just for clarification, when you say the "chille" grill you are talking about the unit as it sits in the roof, correct? I did have all the round air vents in the ceiling wide open and had looked at the air filters on both sides clear and clean.

Thanks again!

https://www.pplmotorhomes.com/parts/...:dance::dance:

[SimonSKL]

I have a 2017 Vista 31BE with a 30amp service so only one 14800 BTU AC. We recently spent a week in Florida Keys with air temp in the high 80s and my AC was struggling to keep interior temp below 80F even though I minimized the total cooling interior space by closing bathroom and bedroom doors.

So I decided to research ways to improve efficiency of the AC and maximize airflow of the AC air. There are a couple products on the market but they are too expensive for their design. Most importantly the one that I was considering doesn’t fit my Coleman Mach unit. So I decided to design and make my own AC Airflow Diverter.

My design eliminates leaking of the cold air into the return, focus on duct air delivery and disable the dump ports, decrease turbulence in the air passages, and maximize the return air to the AC.

So far I am very pleased with the results. The AC seems to run quieter, and volume of cool air delivered to the back of my bedroom has increased noticeably. The true test will be this memorial weekend when we will be camping in some hot temperature for 4 days.

[Nmdoug]

Also if the wind allows it put out your awning to shade the passenger side of the RV especially if it’s facing south or west.

[mikee409]

We have a 2019 Vista 27PE.
We had the same isdues as you.
The refletix works well.
The front cap has zero insulation in it. We could feel the heat raidiating in from the front.
I removed the access panels behind the storage openings and stuffed pink roll insulation in there and filled as much of the void as I could. It made a big differance. Yeah a pain in the a$$ and itching arms but well worth the effort. Irritatrs me that Winnie didnt do it during the build. I would have gladly paid another $30 for the roll insulation.
Also the plenum in the ac air exit duct needs redesign. I made a diverter out of thin paneling to push/divert more air to the rear ducts. Get the pillows that fit in the celing crank up vents & cut & velcro refletix cover to cover the shower sky light. , mikee

[danhannah]

I have done all of the items above, and also an outside windshield screen, and can keep the 27N cool, even in Palm Springs.

Maybe the most improvement was from removing the ceiling grill, and making sure the intake air and exhaust air can never mix. You can use the silver tape made for ductwork to seal everything well, and smooth out bumps and obstructions for best airflow.

I also bought the (way overpriced) Wacko grill cover, and it reduces the A/C noise by a lot without reducing airflow.

Maybe our rigs are a little underpowered at 30 amps, but still a Great Rig! Enjoy...

[danhannah]

Simon SKL that is a great invention. Is it printed? Or how did you fabricate it?