Basement air conditioner air flow

[azloafer]

We have followed and tried every tip in this forum to increase the basement air flow in our coach to no avail. Doors opened and closed, various air vents closed, filters with increased flow, etc. The unit and duct work was checked by a Winnebago/Itasca Dealer and found to be in good working order. The dealer said that all the basement air units are the same (weak) as far as the force of the air flow. They couldn't come up with any way to modify the basement unit to increase the flow when it is 100 degrees or higher. They did install a roof top unit to supplement the basement unit. The air really blows strong from the add-on unit and I wish the basement unit moved the air like the roof unit.

Has any Winnebago/Itasca owner in this forum found another way to increase the flow? Joe

[Wayne M]

Joe,
I have not had the problem with air flow for my 2008 Destination. On my control panel switch there is a control for "Auto" and "On." There is also a switch for the fan of "Hi" and "Low." I leave ours in the Auto, and Hi positions and the air flow has been more than sufficient. I also redirect the ceiling vents to blow where I want them to blow, and not against the walls where the temperature is higher.

I do understand about that 100 degree temperature. So, when one day of our trip reached that point I went to a hardware store and picked up a roll of "Astro-foil." I only have big windows on the driver side of the coach and I cut out an individually fit piece for each section of the window. It will even fit behind the screen with a little push on the screen, and clip back into place. The side of the window without the screen held the formed piece in without incident. When we traveled w put them between the couch and dinette, although they would store flat or rolled in one of the compartments. My gosh! What a difference it made in keeping the coach cooler.

I have read the reports on adding a roof system. Not a bad idea. Worse case scenario if the basement air went out would be less cooling, but you would still have the roof air, and a nice easy chair to sit in directly underneath.

Good luck.

[Wayne M]

Joe,
An afterthought.

Turn the fan on, move the fan switch from hi to lo and see if here is a change in flow (sound). If not, it could just be wired wrong.

Good luck.

[ruppr]

Joe,
Absolutely no problem with air flow from basement air, so don't quite understand dealer's comment. Never been in one that didn't have strong air flow. However, basement air is susceptible to air leakage (and loss of cooling) on the vertical duct running from the unit up the rear cap to the ceiling ducting. You need to check for cold air leaking in this area. Several threads on this site about checking and repairing.

My unit had developed a bad leak where two sections joined together, (tape had turned lose from vibration/movement) didn't realized that was the problem but had noticed unit was running full time in hot part of day. Repaired joint (not the easiest thing) and unit now cycling again. (also more air flow)

Best,

ruppr

[azloafer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wayne M Joe, I have not had the problem with air flow for my 2008 Destination. On my control panel switch there is a control for "Auto" and "On." There is also a switch for the fan of "Hi" and "Low." I leave ours in the Auto, and Hi positions and the air flow has been more than sufficient. I also redirect the ceiling vents to blow where I want them to blow, and not against the walls where the temperature is higher. I do understand about that 100 degree temperature. So, when one day of our trip reached that point I went to a hardware store and picked up a roll of "Astro-foil." I only have big windows on the driver side of the coach and I cut out an individually fit piece for each section of the window. It will even fit behind the screen with a little push on the screen, and clip back into place. The side of the window without the screen held the formed piece in without incident. When we traveled w put them between the couch and dinette, although they would store flat or rolled in one of the compartments. My gosh! What a difference it made in keeping the coach cooler. I have read the reports on adding a roof system. Not a bad idea. Worse case scenario if the basement air went out would be less cooling, but you would still have the roof air, and a nice easy chair to sit in directly underneath. Good luck.

We have added the roof unit but have not had a chance to test it under conditions of full sun and high temperatures. I'll say this much, the air really blows from the roof unit. Way, way more than the basement unit! Joe

[azloafer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ruppr Joe, Absolutely no problem with air flow from basement air, so don't quite understand dealer's comment. Never been in one that didn't have strong air flow. However, basement air is susceptible to air leakage (and loss of cooling) on the vertical duct running from the unit up the rear cap to the ceiling ducting. You need to check for cold air leaking in this area. Several threads on this site about checking and repairing. My unit had developed a bad leak where two sections joined together, (tape had turned lose from vibration/movement) didn't realized that was the problem but had noticed unit was running full time in hot part of day. Repaired joint (not the easiest thing) and unit now cycling again. (also more air flow) Best, ruppr

Put it this way, the air flow from the new roof unit is really blowing, while the basement unit isn't anywhere near the force of the roof unit. If the basement unit moved air as fast as the roof unit, I wouldn't have had to do anything! That's the best way that I can describe it. The ducts were checked by the dealer when they installed the Coleman roof air. Of course, Winnebago is going to roof units in 2011 from what I have read on the this forum. Joe

[azloafer]

A quote from John Canfield on another forum: On the new 42QD, the ceiling ducting from the three roof airs is a formed duct with smooth walls which will greatly contribute to increased air velocity. The Styrofoam ducting present in most other models has rough walls which increases air turbulence. John seems to know what he is talking about. Joe

[DancinCampers]

I looked at some new units with roof air at GNR. I am concerned how they will work over time. The return air uses ceiling ports similar to the outlets. When you look at the ceiling, there are 2 rows of ports down the length of the coach. One side is outlet, the other side is the return. Each return port snaps in place, is removable and contains a small circle of coarse foam filter material. My guess is you remove these and clean them under water.

I did not see any other filters.

This was in the high end coaches, I did not check the lower end ones.

[mrschwarz]

I had basement air on my old Suncruiser 33. It worked fine and always cycled, even on hot days. My new nearly 38' Meridian with dark sides (and maybe not quite so good insulation) and a lot higher inside ceiling has a lot more cubic feet of living space. I also has the same size basement air that doesn't appear to be adequate for the size of the unit.

Winnebago says it is, but they know a lot of people that have added a roof air. I have already added front screens for a minimal improvement. I am about to order window awnings and a roof AC unit. That should get it below the 80s on a hot summer day.

I think the reality is that there are not enough tons of AC for the size of the coach. It's obvious the AC was sized to the available model and basement air was a marketing opportunity that trumped cooling requirements. Oh, well. Maybe next time, I'll insist they put the coach in an oven and demonstrate the cooling ability or only buy a new motorhome in south Texas in the summer.

[McDuff]

Quote:

Originally Posted by azloafer We have added the roof unit but have not had a chance to test it under conditions of full sun and high temperatures. I'll say this much, the air really blows from the roof unit. Way, way more than the basement unit! Joe

My guess is, if you ducted the roof ac the length and turns the basement ac goes thru, you would find that it didn't flow any more, and maybe not as good as the basement ac. Would take a huge blower to try and match the output of an unducted model.

But I am with you, my basement doesn't keep up. Just spent a week in Key West and I had to start the days cooling early to try and "get ahead" of the sun. We were lucky to keep it in low 80's this way.

You've got me thinking of adding a 3rd ac now.

[cryoman]

I had a similar proplem with my 35U, on the back of the bed where the return grill is our bed cover was hanging down and was sucked in next to the grill. Now we tuck that under the mattress and all is well.

[two2go]

Not in a Winnie product, but we have the basement a/c. Sitting here right now under clear skies and 95 deg. and the a/c is blowing strong on low fan, holding 81 set point at the thermostat and 78 near the front. We have full paint with a white roof.

The basement units will deliver, so one would have to suspect the ducting design, obstructions, blocked intake or filter assuming the unit itself is charged and functioning per spec.

[azloafer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by cryoman I had a similar problem with my 35U, on the back of the bed where the return grill is our bed cover was hanging down and was sucked in next to the grill. Now we tuck that under the mattress and all is well.

Our return is along the side of the bed and very close to the bed. That is something that I never thought to look for. What a weird place for the return. Maybe that is the culprit. Thanks so much; I am going to check for that as soon as I can. Joe

[azloafer]

Quote:
Originally Posted by cryoman
I had a similar problem with my 35U, on the back of the bed where the return grill is our bed cover was hanging down and was sucked in next to the grill. Now we tuck that under the mattress and all is well.










Our return is along the side of the bed and very close to the bed. That is something that I never thought to look for. What a weird place for the return. Maybe that is the culprit. Thanks so much; I am going to check for that as soon as I can. Joe

UPDATE: I went to check the coach and specifically the return register by the bed. Sure enough, about 2/3rd of the return was blocked by bedding. I fixed that and we will see what change that causes when we camp next time. Thanks for the help. Joe