Community Forums

tankcj · 10-20-2021, 03:36 PM

I have (2) 15k A/Cs in my 40 foot Beaver and in hot weather the front A/C is workin’ pretty hard. Are 2 enough on a Dutch Star?

**pasdad1** · 10-20-2021, 03:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tankcj

I have (2) 15k A/Cs in my 40 foot Beaver and in hot weather the front A/C is workin’ pretty hard. Are 2 enough on a Dutch Star?

We have 3, however I have never needed to run more than 2. I consider the third one my “spare”.

That being said, if the windshield is pointed so the sun hits it directly, you WILL have an issue. Either put the silver stuff (reflectix) on the inside of the glass, OR put a magneshade on the outside of the windshield.

Scnookiie · 10-20-2021, 04:00 PM

If you travel in Florida you definitely need to air conditioners specially July and August.

tankcj · 10-20-2021, 04:04 PM

I should have been more clear. Are 2 A/Cs enough in a 40 foot DS or are 3 A/Cs necessary in the southwest?

twogypsies · 10-20-2021, 04:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tankcj

I should have been more clear. Are 2 A/Cs enough in a 40 foot DS or are 3 A/Cs necessary in the southwest?

In the Southwest all in the summer? Probably 3 unless you're in the mountains of AZ in the summer. Deserts this summer were 115 deg.

We only had 2 on our 40' DS but didn't spend the summers in the S/W. Otherwise, we had absolutely no issues keeping cool.

GWBGE · 10-20-2021, 04:17 PM

You can never have too much A/C in the south in the Summer.

Two ACs will be losing ground on a hot Summer day in the Southern US.

jerry davis · 10-20-2021, 04:32 PM

Been all over the country in our 40’ DS with two a/c’s and never had a problem. However, we don’t travel much in the southwest or east in the summer. Isn’t that one reason to own a home on wheels so that you don’t have to stay in nasty hot weather in the summer?

Dutch Star Don · 10-20-2021, 04:39 PM

We live out west and hit some pretty hot temps. I tried to order a third A/C on my current 40' DS, but Newmar denied it, even though they put three on a 40' Mountain Aire. The reason I requested the upgrade, was I found our 2014 4018 DS was hard to cool down after a long driving day in hot weather. It should be noted that the coach had a LOT of black paint and was harder to cool.

With that said, it wasn't so important that it prevented us from ordering our current coach, but you can see we selected all light colors. I changed the A/C round foam rings in the ceiling, that forces air through a small slot in the wood grates. I removed the rings and added longer foam blocks, allowing the cold air to disperse through more of the grates.

I also start my A/C early, set it about 68 degrees and run the fans on high. This will keep the coach in the mid to low 70's on a 100 degree day. For long stays in the heat, we have a Magne Shade which blocks the cause of the high heat issue, the windshield.

On hot driving days, we run the dash air until 1:00 pm when we can feel that the coach is getting too warm. I start the generator and run both roof A/C units. I leave them on during check-in and right up until I plug the coach in at the campsite. This had worked pretty well.

Again, unless I intended to stay in Arizona in 110 weather for three or four months, the A/C is fine. There is another poster on here "Dutchstar411" that added a third A/C unit where the kitchen Fantastic Fan is located and made the install look very clean.

CWSWine · 10-20-2021, 04:58 PM

I have a Ventana LE with three AC and was one of the major selling points of the coach. We were in direct sunlight with no shade in Houston TX in July and with two AC we could get the temps down to the upper 70s but with the third AC we could get down to 68 in the hottest part of the day.

We turn on the back two during the day and the front two when we go to bed when temps are not over 100 degrees. That keeps the noise down while watching TV or sleeping. Yes, it nice having a spare also.

lrwinddancer · 10-20-2021, 05:14 PM

So many post on this issue. Yes it is enough in the right conditions. No not enough if in the desert. Sorry for the crazy response, but please do your homework. It is all about where you plan to travel/spend you your time.

tankcj · 10-20-2021, 05:14 PM

Thanks everyone. While, I rarely camp in temps over about 102-105, sometimes we are repositioning or leaving our home in AZ when the temps are higher. Even though I have the Magne shades and use my window and patio awnings to keep the sun off the side of coach and windows, the A/Cs do sometimes struggle. While looking at DSs, I was just wondering how well the 2 A/Cs performed.

Dutchstar411 · 10-20-2021, 06:40 PM

If the outside temps are in the low to mid 90's two Ac's set at 68 will keep the coach down to 70/71. Do the mod on the ceiling AC's with the foam, Day shades down, night shades up and nothing on the windshield. I did use the third AC I installed on and off at times for the two weeks while we were at Ft Myers Beach and the temps did reach 100 a couple of times. So in direct sunlight with temps in the high 90's or higher, three would be nice. Also, my wife wants the coach at 70/71 day and night. If you can be happy with temps in the mid 70's then two would be fine as well. I have been in my previous coach when the front AC went out in the beginning of our vacation, NOT FUN IN the hot months. Adding a third AC could always be an option for you so I wouldn't worry about a 40 footer DSDP.

Bylandorsea · 10-20-2021, 07:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dutch Star Don

We live out west and hit some pretty hot temps. I tried to order a third A/C on my current 40' DS, but Newmar denied it, even though they put three on a 40' Mountain Aire. The reason I requested the upgrade, was I found our 2014 4018 DS was hard to cool down after a long driving day in hot weather. It should be noted that the coach had a LOT of black paint and was harder to cool.

With that said, it wasn't so important that it prevented us from ordering our current coach, but you can see we selected all light colors. I changed the A/C round foam rings in the ceiling, that forces air through a small slot in the wood grates. I removed the rings and added longer foam blocks, allowing the cold air to disperse through more of the grates.

I also start my A/C early, set it about 68 degrees and run the fans on high. This will keep the coach in the mid to low 70's on a 100 degree day. For long stays in the heat, we have a Magne Shade which blocks the cause of the high heat issue, the windshield.

On hot driving days, we run the dash air until 1:00 pm when we can feel that the coach is getting too warm. I start the generator and run both roof A/C units. I leave them on during check-in and right up until I plug the coach in at the campsite. This had worked pretty well.

Again, unless I intended to stay in Arizona in 110 weather for three or four months, the A/C is fine. There is another poster on here "Dutchstar411" that added a third A/C unit where the kitchen Fantastic Fan is located and made the install look very clean.

Great post

I too will start the gen/AC's on hot days about one hour before check in and run it until I hook up shore power. It is easier to keep cool than to cool down a hot RV.

ChrisFSB · 10-20-2021, 08:11 PM

Here’s my write up about adding a 3rd Ac to a 40’ DS https://www.irv2.com/forums/f103/added-3rd-a-c-to-2020-4081-a-545008.html.

I live on the West Coast so don’t have the humidity concerns others do.

Having the 3rd unit allows you to refrigerate the coach - which keeps my wife and dogs happy.