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Old 01-11-2009, 11:11 AM   #1
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Questions!

Hello, having not seen a NH fiver up close yet, I have many questions about their construction. Erin sent me their DVD and more info, but I'd like to pick your collective brains about your rigs. Lets start with:

Are they using Nobel fiberglas, or is it Filon?

Are you happy with the AC not being ducted?

Will a slide out tray fit in their basements?

Are the roofs rigid fiberglas, or is it the rolled fiberglas like I have on my Itasca motorhome? Mine looks and feels a lot like white vinyl flooring material, even though it's not. Similar thickness, etc.

Thanks in advance for your help!

Roy
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Old 01-13-2009, 08:21 PM   #2
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New Horizons RV should be able to handle your questions regarding the fiberglass. Of course, that would mean finding that person to talk to.

My guess is that installing a slide out tray in the basement would depend on the width of the door and a way to fasten it to the frame. The problem might be with fastening it to the floor of the basement; you want steel under that floor at the attachment points. Your design of the unit could include steel welded to the frame where needed for that attachment.

My 24 foot unit is not representative of the usual New Horizons trailer, but other than the AC being noisy it works fine and is able to send cold air to the front and the rear. Location mid-ship over the stair allows the air to be sent both directions.

Depending upon where you are located, perhaps you might be able to get a tour from a New Horizons owner who happens to be nearby.

Finally, check out the used units at http://www.nhog.us/forsale/index.htm. There may be one there that would fit your wants.
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Old 01-15-2009, 07:33 PM   #3
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Thanks for the reply, Lloyd! I was hoping some more owners would chime in along with you. We're still a few years out, but I'd really like to pin down what we're working toward buying in order to go full time.

Regards,

Roy
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Old 01-16-2009, 03:57 AM   #4
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For what it's worth, I know Joe Green has at least one slide out tray in his rig's basement. 'Course, Joe also has a pretty large rig.
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Old 01-19-2009, 06:11 AM   #5
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I have not experienced a ducted air conditioning system so I can't make a comparison. I have two a/c units in my 33' unit. What I like about it is when I am in the living area I turn on the unit in the bedroom and vice versa. This keeps the majority of the noise in the area that I am not occupying.

Your other questions are too technical for my knowledge of the unit. I am sure that the folk at New Horizons could easily answer those questions about materials etc.
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Old 02-09-2009, 05:20 PM   #6
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I, too, don't feel qualified to answer the technical questions and would second the recommendation to refer them to New Horizons. I can speak to the AC question, however -- we are OK with the non-ducted units. I think that to have the ductwork behind the walls would reduce the living space by a certain amount and (I think, but don't know for sure) make the AC unit less accessible for cleaning and service. Yes, they're noisy and we don't use the one in the bedroom unless, as others have stated, we're in the living room and the noise is less obvious.

As to the sliding storage tray, I think it depends on the size of your coach and the configuration of the storage bays, but I believe it is possible. We were, however, advised against adding one because it would actually reduce the usable storage space when you account for the space taken up by the frame and tracks for the sliding tray. I don't know if that helps, but we have never really missed one.

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Old 02-12-2009, 01:27 PM   #7
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We did have a ducted AC unit with our previous RV. I was somewhat skeptical about a non-ducted unit, but it has worked very well. We have a 32 ft. 2-slide unit. We do live in the northeast so do not get the intense heat of the south and southwest, but when we have been traveling during warm weather, the AC unit has done a very good job of cooling the RV down quickly and keeping it cool. With a single unit mounted mid-coach near the stairs to the bedroom, it keeps the bedroom at a very comfortable level without having too much cool air blowing directly on you. Our old non-NH unit had the AC ducted in the ceiling with several vents along the length of the unit. The ceiling ducts, although supposedly insulated, did absorb heat, decreasing the efficiency of the unit. The non-ducted system seems to work much better. You would have to work with NH to determine the number of ACs you needed, based on the size of your unit.
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Old 02-21-2009, 09:59 PM   #8
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Thanks, everyone, for your responses. From my experience, ducted (in the ceiling) A/C does make the whole unit quieter when the A/C is running (whether one or two A/C units.) The access to the units is the same, so maintenance is not an issue. Distribution of the coolness is an issue, however. Our current SOB is ducted, with one A/C unit, but the ceiling is not very well insulated. I do like having the air coming out in multiple locations like a house does, but I think the main thing is to have a very well insulated RV, which will require less A/C operation whether ducted or not. And whatever the RV, I'd rather have dual A/C units with which to do the A/C-is-running-at-the-other-end-of-the-RV trick!

Roy
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Old 02-22-2009, 07:16 PM   #9
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A/C Unit

My first trailer (not Horizon) had a ducted A/C unit. It was only a 27 foot trailer, but the A/C did a horrible job keeping the unit cool.

I took the trailer to an A/C specilist to find out what was wrong. I expected them to say it was not functioning in some way. But they actually said the unit was running fine. It was the ducting that took away so much of the cooling power trying to force the cool air through the ducts.

I now have a 31 foot NH trailer with 15,000 BTU A/C unit, not ducted, and I am getting much better cooling in even higher outside temperatures.

If you really want ducted A/C lines, then I would boost the size of your A/C unit by 50%.

Hope this helps, Don
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Old 04-15-2009, 05:06 AM   #10
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AC

A slow reply but don't get online as much these days. Have a 32' and went with 2 units for a little different reason. Did not upgrade the 13.5 but added a 7.1 in the bedroom. Two main reasons: 1. as a backup incase main unit went out 2. I wanted a unit I could run off my Prosine 3.0 inverter for a few hours to help reduce heat if broke down or just needed to pull over for a short break. Six T105 batteries allows me to do this and if times really turn bad carry a Honda 2000 to back up batteries. Have used both units at the same time less than 10 hours. Also good to know that the inverter would kick on if power is lost while in RV park if concerned about heat build up as we leave our dog in 5W some. Do a cool down then just leave the 7.1on if we are going to be away for a few hours, no stress on us or the dog that way. Always try to stay on top half of batteries but will always take dead batteries over dead pet, just something to keep in mind.
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Old 04-23-2009, 02:16 PM   #11
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Re: AC

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ron1247
A slow reply but don't get online as much these days. Have a 32' and went with 2 units for a little different reason. Did not upgrade the 13.5 but added a 7.1 in the bedroom. Two main reasons: 1. as a backup incase main unit went out 2. I wanted a unit I could run off my Prosine 3.0 inverter for a few hours to help reduce heat if broke down or just needed to pull over for a short break. Six T105 batteries allows me to do this and if times really turn bad carry a Honda 2000 to back up batteries. Have used both units at the same time less than 10 hours. Also good to know that the inverter would kick on if power is lost while in RV park if concerned about heat build up as we leave our dog in 5W some. Do a cool down then just leave the 7.1on if we are going to be away for a few hours, no stress on us or the dog that way. Always try to stay on top half of batteries but will always take dead batteries over dead pet, just something to keep in mind.
That's a great plan that I need to consider. I have a Honda eu3000 generator which can easily run a 13K A/C, but was planning on having to buy a larger genset if we go with a 50 amp coach. Is it possible to run part of the coach (and only one 13.5K A/C) with less than 50 amps?

Roy
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Old 07-14-2009, 03:16 PM   #12
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30/50amp service

Yes, however I would still recommend 50 amp. service over 30. Going to 50 amp was one of the best values I got on upgrades. i don't use my 50 amp cord often but nice to have when needed. i am sorry I did not get an automatic reel for the cord. I have not added a reel, just don't use the cord enough for the added cost.
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Old 07-14-2009, 07:38 PM   #13
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Having answered before about the benefits and efficiency of the non-ducted AC, we have ordered a 2010 NH with ducted AC. However, in ducting the AC, NH has doubled the insulation in the roof, so that the ducts do have a full layer of insulation on them and the rest of the roof has twice as much insulation as before. Hearing the AC running in the prototype while we were at the factory in May/June, it did sound quieter and did seem to cool quite quickly and efficiently. Guess we will find out when we pick up the new unit in September.
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Old 12-27-2009, 08:45 AM   #14
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You hanen't posted since you got the new trailer. How do you like the ducted air versus the non ducted air. Did it do as well as expected, and have you had any trouble with it?
Of the 3 5th wheels we have owned, the first a Forest River non ducted, and 2 Hitchhikers with ducted air, I have found that the ducted air is distributed much better.
Our current unit is a 35 ft with 4 slides.

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