Big Country A/C

[tripleoakstx]

Is anybody else having problems with their Big Country A/C keeping the living area cool? We currently have ours parked at Port Aransas, TX and have to set the thermostat to 60 degrees to maintain mid 70's during the day. We've only had this trailer since last September and this is its first summer time at the Texas coast. The unit has been checked and is operating properly, but I think the problem is in the ducting design(one row of outlets and one row of returns), which doesn't move enough cool air into the room. Any feedback would be helpful.

[ficematt]

Originally Posted by tripleoakstx

Is anybody else having problems with their Big Country A/C keeping the living area cool? We currently have ours parked at Port Aransas, TX and have to set the thermostat to 60 degrees to maintain mid 70's during the day. We've only had this trailer since last September and this is its first summer time at the Texas coast. The unit has been checked and is operating properly, but I think the problem is in the ducting design(one row of outlets and one row of returns), which doesn't move enough cool air into the room. Any feedback would be helpful.

Sounds like a ducting issue to me. It's more common than people realize. If the ducting isn't taped correct where the AC connects to the ducts you will loose cool air into the attic and out doors.

MW

[tripleoakstx]

Thanks for the input. The Big Country ducts are built right into the roof foam insulation. The technician checked the temp differential and it was well within spec.

[paz]

Do you have 2 AC units, and are you running both of them?

RVs aren't very well insulated, even ones with a so-called "Arctic Package." When the outside temperature is above 80º and the sun is beating down, you usually have a hard time keeping the temperature down with only one AC running.

[Walt Bennett]

Originally Posted by tripleoakstx

Thanks for the input. The Big Country ducts are built right into the roof foam insulation. The technician checked the temp differential and it was well within spec.

"within spec" means you're experiencing from 15 to 18 degree drop in outside vs. inside temps. For one AC, that's not bad. If you've a newer 5er with dark paint, it's really good. If you've two ACs, you've got a problem.

There's just so much insulation mfrs can put in a 2" thick wall or a 3" thick ceiling. Have you put reflective bubble insulation on all your windows? Have you blocked any stair vents to your basement? Have you put insulated plugs in all your vents (they work for heat as well as cold)? Is your awning out during the day to provide some shade? Is there any other shade where you're parked?

The easy fix duct issues are to trim the ceiling vents as they stick further into the duct than they should. As someone else said, sometimes mfrs don't tape the ducts very well (if at all). All that tech did was measure the temperature drop at the output of your AC - unless he walked around and did it at all the vents, you don't know what's actually going on. Harbor Freight has an inexpensive temp guage - maybe you should get one and try troubleshooting where the heat is getting in.

[ficematt]

I personally had a block foam type​ RV roof and it leaked air into the outside. You could actually see sweating spots and feel the cold if you crawled around on the roof. You can't assume anything. In that RV with a 100deg outside​ temp I couldn't keep it under 90! That was with 3 ACs running and 2 of them were 15k units!

[tripleoakstx]

After an extended battle with Heartland over this issue, it has been fixed to our satisfaction. However, they refused to reimburse me for all of my costs incurred to help them do this. They would only give me back less than half of my documented expenditures, but I guess I'm lucky I even got that based on the unhelpful attitude their representatives had during their communications with me. They will get no more business from me.

[Texastbird]

Well, getting the manufacturer to help at all is a plus. I'd like to hear what you did to improve the cooling in your rig.

[chaps2018]

Thanks for posting. We have been looking real close at those. I have read about the sandpipers having the exact same problem.

[tripleoakstx]

The first problem we noticed was that no air flow was coming out of the middle vent in the living area, which was fixed by the dealer constructing a diverter plate to force some of the flow out of that vent. The second issue was that at the end of the duct run on both ends of the trailer there was 18 inches of useless dead air space, which was solved by filling it with spray foam. Next we discovered that cold air was leaking into the walls, both behind where the back thermostat is mounted(giving it a false reading) and into the bathroom wall behind the toilet. Explore USA had to remove the wall panels in those areas to seal the leaks. We still have to run the a/c units constantly on high fan during the middle of the afternoon, but that is normal according our experience with our previous RV's in the South Texas heat(95 -105). Temperature maintains in the mid 70's in the living area doing this. Thanks to Explore USA, Seguin, TX and no thanks to Heartland, we don't have to trade it and take a financial bath.

[Texastbird]

Yeah, running A/Cs wide open with the temp outside that hot is very normal. Glad you got your rig cooled off to your satisfaction.

[Springer45]

I also have a Big Country and living in Vegas know your pain. In addition to what you have done, try removing the inner shell of your skylight. I found that mine when installed cut into the foam for the bathroom duct. When they framed in the skylight there was a gap of about 1/8 inch between that 2x4 and the roof and at the corner of the joists that allowed a rather large amount of cold air into the skylight. had to use aluminum sealing tape to seal this area up. Much cooler air out that duct. Also we remove the vent covers on the outlet side and use fans to move the air throughout the trailer. leaving the exhaust covers in place allows the intake to grab a good amount of cold air back into the system before it gets to the floor. All in all a poor design. The intakes should be farther from the exhausts. We can keep 77 degrees or better in the trailer as ling as it does not exceed 105 outside. We also installed sun screens on the outside of the trailer to cut down on the sun load.

[tripleoakstx]

Originally Posted by Springer45

I also have a Big Country and living in Vegas know your pain. In addition to what you have done, try removing the inner shell of your skylight. I found that mine when installed cut into the foam for the bathroom duct. When they framed in the skylight there was a gap of about 1/8 inch between that 2x4 and the roof and at the corner of the joists that allowed a rather large amount of cold air into the skylight. had to use aluminum sealing tape to seal this area up. Much cooler air out that duct. Also we remove the vent covers on the outlet side and use fans to move the air throughout the trailer. leaving the exhaust covers in place allows the intake to grab a good amount of cold air back into the system before it gets to the floor. All in all a poor design. The intakes should be farther from the exhausts. We can keep 77 degrees or better in the trailer as ling as it does not exceed 105 outside. We also installed sun screens on the outside of the trailer to cut down on the sun load.

Thanks for the info about the skylight, I'll check that the next time I'm at the trailer. Another thing I noticed was that there is a lot of cold moving through the vent under the stair into the storage compartment. Do you think it's alright to seal the vent into the storage?

[Springer45]

I don't wee why not. That actually is a heater vent. It is on the same line as the heater vent to the basement so that is where the air is probably going. I 'll try closing mine off too since that is the warmest place in the trailer.