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Old 09-30-2016, 07:14 PM   #1
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Allegro 31SA - Your experience with it

We recently looked at an Allegro 31SA and asked the salesman if it was suitable for use in the winter. He told us it was. I asked if it had double pane windows. He answered no, but said double pane windows were way over rated and Tiffin uses 1/4 inch glass which is almost as good.

We really liked the 31SA but wonder what experience actual owners have had. We presently own a Thor Ace 29.3

Any and all comments are appreciated.
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Old 09-30-2016, 11:58 PM   #2
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Depends on where you want to use it in Winter. I don't have personal experience with 31sa but my limited winter experience tells me that Florida was fine but I would not want to be where it snows.
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Old 10-01-2016, 03:54 AM   #3
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no regular MH is really suited as a winter vehicle. something like a Earthroamer built on a Ford F550 with 4 WD might work ok. Dave
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Old 10-01-2016, 06:10 AM   #4
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We love our 31SA, but we do not do winter camping. The windows are 1/4" thick not double pane.
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Old 10-01-2016, 09:46 PM   #5
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We love our 31SA, but we do not do winter camping. The windows are 1/4" thick not double pane.
Tell me how it works in hot areas like Flordia...that is how do the air conditioners perform?
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Old 10-02-2016, 05:08 AM   #6
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Bob, our 31SA is our first RV, and in the approx 18 months we have owned it, we have spent over 7 months traveling, from FL to NY, to MT and the Rockies, and many places in between. It has only sat in storage for more than 6 weeks straight one time.....

In cold weather, what I have noticed is that the window structures themselves are drafty. It just seems that is a character of the design, nothing to do with single or double pane, take a close look and I think you will see what I am referring to. When it was low / sub 30 at night I have stuffed a small pillow into the window valance next to the bed which stopped the draft; if I was going to travel a lot when it's "cold" I think I'd simply get some foam rubber and make a cut out the size of the bedroom windows next to the bed and use them as appropriate.

The optional front heat pump works ok until you get below 40, then you need to use the gas. I think you can also "order off the menu" and get a rear heat pump / AC as well.

And as hokey as they are, the fireplace is a really nice option to warm up the coach in the morning or evenings. We don't leave it on over night.

And, of course if it's cold and sunny, the sun effect on the coach keeps it plenty warm......

As for hot weather, the trick we have learned it to ensure both AC are running, as they use common ducts (which is also how the front heat pump heats the rear of the coach). Given the sun direction, sometimes you need to set one AC quite a bit lower than the other, usually the bedroom. Of course, given the sun direction, the PS awning helps immensely, as well as managing the sun impact with the sun shades and night shades as needed.

And keep the ACs on all the time when its hot, because if you "loose" the cool, it takes forever to re-cool the coach. Also, we try not to run the generator for the roof ACs when we are driving, but again, we have learned that while you may still be reasonably cool in the cab, the rest of th coach can get hot, so while we may not run the ACs all day, we often turn on the Genny and ACs an hour or so from our destination to start cooking the house, but if it's really hot, suck it up and run the ACs sooner.

We have no regrets or 2nd thoughts about our decision to buy our 31SA, it is a great coach for us.

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Old 10-02-2016, 05:34 AM   #7
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Tell me how it works in hot areas like Flordia...that is how do the air conditioners perform?
The two AC's are plenty big enough to keep the motorhome cool. As mentioned by Betr2Trvl you need to keep them on. Usually when we first get to a campground they take longer to get to the desired temperature. Otherwise they work great. At night I usually turn up the LR room and have the BR one running to keep the BR cooler, being I like it cool at night to sleep better.
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Old 10-08-2016, 12:36 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BobMontgomer View Post
We recently looked at an Allegro 31SA and asked the salesman if it was suitable for use in the winter. He told us it was. I asked if it had double pane windows. He answered no, but said double pane windows were way over rated and Tiffin uses 1/4 inch glass which is almost as good.

We really liked the 31SA but wonder what experience actual owners have had. We presently own a Thor Ace 29.3

Any and all comments are appreciated.
Bob,

I had an ACE 29.2 which I traded for my Allegro 32 SA (same as the 31SA, about a foot longer to accommodate the king bed). No regrets. A/C cools fine and I got the same answer regarding double pane windows and Tiffin's 1/4" glass.

I asked about winter use - specifically if there would be a problem with the pipes or water tanks freezing if I was driving in freezing weather and was assured I'd be fine. I also haven't found any areas where I can look through the floor of the coach a see all the way to the ground, like I could under the ACE's bed where the wires come up from under the coach to the fuse box and such.

There is one issue with the windows I'm waiting for an answer from Tiffin about: The small windows on either side of the bed, in the bathroom, and behind the sink all have small gaps that you can see directly to the outside through - pictures of one of the BR windows attached. That could cause a small draft. Otherwise, no worries so far. BIIIIGGGG improvement over the ACE.
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Old 10-08-2016, 04:22 PM   #9
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Dave-Oh,

Have those same gaps in my Phaeton windows (Tiffin made and double pane) and strangely, there are no air leaks and you can only see them from the inside looking out. Since there are no air leaks I've decided it is nothing more than an artifact and stopped worrying about them.
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Old 10-09-2016, 02:37 PM   #10
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Dave-Oh,

Have those same gaps in my Phaeton windows (Tiffin made and double pane) and strangely, there are no air leaks and you can only see them from the inside looking out. Since there are no air leaks I've decided it is nothing more than an artifact and stopped worrying about them.
Yeah, I was wondering. It just seems odd in a coach of this quality....

I can live with the gaps, too. I only became aware when I was cleaning the coach after our last trip and had the outside lights on and saw the gaps.

I'll see what Tiffin's response is.
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Old 10-10-2016, 05:02 AM   #11
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That's a gap in the screen frame only........ The window is right behind it, and does not have a gap. If you pull the screen out, and look at just the window, you'll see (I thought the same thing!).

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Old 10-16-2016, 08:43 PM   #12
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We have a 2016 31SA and really like it. In direct facing sun on the front the overhead cabinets were getting very warm from heat penetration. I removed the back panel in each cabinet and installed batt insulation, which has made a noticeable difference in the hot sun and likely cooler weather too.

For those window vents I cut small lengths of gray door/window foam and they fit in perfectly. They do absorb water when it rains, but no big deal and cut out the draft.

We have done the same as others have stated with cooling, but are going to add exterior windshield and side driver compartment sun screen shades installed in AZ this winter.

If really cold we have a small propane Mr Heater or can use a small electric heater, depending on if we are paying for electricity.
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Old 10-18-2016, 12:25 AM   #13
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Not to be critical, but propane heaters use oxygen. Using them inside a motorhome is very dangerous. Stick with electric. The oil filled radiator type keep it pretty nice.

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Old 10-18-2016, 01:48 AM   #14
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Correct, propane produces Carbon Dioxide Gas as a byproduct of combustion. It is very dangerous to use in a confined area. If you are going to burn propane for heat why not use the furnace that came with the coach? It works better to control heat, it doesn't take up your storage space, you are not tripping over it, and most of all, it vents it's Carbon Dioxide Gas outside of the living area.
I lost a friend to Carbon Dioxide Gas when he fell asleep on his boat trying to keep warm.
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