Using portable air conditioners in a motorhome

[Sogr8ful]

I have a 39 foot class A motorhome. We will be traveling in 90° plus weather for about two weeks. Is there any one that has used a reliable portable air conditioner to keep the coach cool at night. The coach has two air-conditioning units but they are so loud it's very hard to sleep at night with them.
Thank you very much for your recommendation.

[Fogbelly]

People do it all the time.

Just cut a hole or punch out a window, add the a/c, a little cardboard and some duct tape and you're ready to go.

[TXiceman]

On your coach A/C units try setting the fans to continuously run at night and cycling on and off should not bother you. The compressor will still cycle as needed.

Ken

[scenic route]

At night you might try turning off the bedroom a/c unit while using the front unit's cooling air. With some of the forward vents closed up some, it forces the front air into the bedroom while calming most of the noise...that is if you have a 'vented' system.

[drewtk]

Another thing you could try is a portable dehumidifier. An electric one, not Damprid or a granular type that really doesn’t do much. Pulling water out of the air helps your AC work less and allows you to be comfortable at a higher temperature.

[TXiceman]

Originally Posted by drewtk

Another thing you could try is a portable dehumidifier. An electric one, not Damprid or a granular type that really doesn’t do much. Pulling water out of the air helps your AC work less and allows you to be comfortable at a higher temperature.

Yes, the dehumidifier will pull some moisture out of the air and reduce the latent load on the A/C unit but at the same time it adds sensible heat load to the space.


https://www.explainthatstuff.com/dehumidifier.html

Basically, a mechanical dehumidifier id just another air conditioner. You have a compressor, a condenser, and evaporator and an expansion device. The air is blown over an evaporator coil which cools the air and reduces the moisture content of the air. This cool and near saturated air is then blown over the warm condenser coil and into the room, warmer than it entered the unit.

You have to account for the net gain in heat in the room for the load on the room A/C unit.

If an A/C unit is oversized and cycles often, the compressor is not running and not removing moisture from the room. For humidity control, you are better off with a slightly undersized A/C unit that operates continuously so that it removes the moisture.

Ken

[johninsd]

I've found that adding a Softstart and leaving the fan "On" greatly reduces the sleep disturbance when the A/C compressor cycles on and off. The fan is a white noise generator of a sort and the Softstart prevents the "clunk" when the compressor kicks in.

[DRM901]

And get it cooled down (as cold as you can handle) before you go to bed so the AC isn't working so hard.

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