One A/C Sufficient for the South

[kalee67]

Hello. I am considering purchasing a 2025 Outdoors RV. I am looking at the 25DVS or the 250RDS. We will probably chose the 25DVS. We are boon dockers and the generator is the main reason for the choice. However, I have a question for the owners who may live in the South or a hot/humid climate. We live in Georgia and will be living in the RV fulltime. With the advertised 4 season insulation. Is one A/C sufficient to cool the unit during Georgia summers? I know I can order a unit with the upgrade. Have you used your unit in the South or a hot/humid climate? Thank you for your help with my first post. I look forward to participating in the forum.

[Lt Dan]

Welcome to iRV2!

If I were you I would get the upgrade with the second A/C, escpecially if you are living in it full time. You will be guaranteed to be more comfortable and in case one A/C goes out you won't be stuck with nothing.

[Tony Ramirez]

My friends have a 30' trailer w only one AC, they regret it. If you're still in the process, & it won't break the bank, I would go for 2.

[litzdog911]

At its best, one AC can only cool about 20º below the outside temperature. And even less if it's very humid. Get a second AC.

[d23haynes57]

Does the upgrade include or require a larger generator? What is the generator using for fuel and does the trailer have enough supply to cover a normal length of stay? If propane you will also be using it for hot water and in winter heat.

[workingonit]

No. One AC is not enough. Not even close. Get 2 or you WILL be adding it later. Mine had 2 when I bought it and I had to add a 3rd.

[Eadrian1]

I have the ORV 5th wheel and live in Northern California. Tried to go without the bedroom a/c, but had to add it. I use both a/c's to cool the trailer down, but then at night, just use the main ducted a/c as it's then enough to cool the bedroom without the solar load from the daytime. I find the bedroom a/c is loud and blows directly down on you which isn't ideal for sleeping, but the main unit does fine at night. I also added the "KoolRV" duct in the main a/c unit and that helped increase airflow through the ducts and reduce some of the noise of the unit.

[fisher99]

You're getting great advice! Get the 2nd AC unit!! My single unit will keep up with temps in the 80's but when it gets into the 90's all bets are off. Installing the KoolRV system helped, but in the environment you have stated, get the 2nd unit! And I would still consider the KoolRV system. It's only $90, easy to install, and cuts the noise of the AC dramatically. The difference between having to almost shout when standing beneath (or close to) the AC unit and talking in a normal voice.

[followingsea]

Originally Posted by kalee67

...... We live in Georgia and will be living in the RV fulltime. ....

Welcome to the forum.

Prepare to be miserable. Here is my dissenting view. Why do you want to live off grid in an RV?

First it does not get hot in Georgia. For hundreds of years people lived there without A/C because there was no grid.

I am full time and like to boondock. I do not go off grid when I need A/C. Running a generator for more than short periods is miserable. Running A/C in a RV all night is not pleasant.

I spend a week in the central valley of CA visiting family every July. I stay in a county park that only has 30 amp so I can only run one A/C. I do not come back to the MH in the evening until it is in the shade. My fresh water tank gets to 105 so I can take a hot shower with only 'cold' water.

So one A/C will be fine if you are using an RV for recreation. That is spending most of days outside and sleeping in a nice bed because sleeping on the ground stopped being an adventure after you had children.

[d23haynes57]

Running a generator for AC also gets expensive, especially for Propane. Propane also usually means the generator is air cooled. If not sized, oversized correctly it will let you down when you want it most.

[BobinPA]

We have a 250RDS with one AC. We did have trouble cooling the rig until we modified the ducts with Koolair. Once modified, we could stay comfortable in temps of the high 90's outside. Before that, the unit struggled to keep up.
That being said, we do wish we had ordered the unit with the 50 amp service so another unit could be added if we so desired.
A factory generator isn't an option with a 25 or 250 RDS but is with the 25DVS backcountry model.

[kubotamiketx]

If you want the option of a second A/C be sure and get one with the optional 50 service. We purchased a used 2022 280RKS and had to look for a long time to find one with the 50 amp service. When you get the factory 50 amp service, the vent over the bedroom is typically pre-wired. Makes installing a second unit super easy.

I just had a Gree unit delivered, will be installing it next week sometime. We are in Texas and with the new normal being much warmer in the summer than it used to be two units are mandatory.

[SafariBen]

I agree with Followingsea, what is the goal of all of this? You mention boondocking, full time and generator. My guess is that running a generator full time for one A/C is not going to last long, so putting two A/C's on is not making things better.



Four season insulation is a stretch, that usually means it will be slightly easier to heat and keep water running in winter as long as you're in the south, and you'll still be running A/C in the summer.


You're obviously not doing this on a bare budget if you're buying new, but will you have shore power available? solar? What's the plan?

[JMonroe]

No. Our current rig is a 32' TT and on hot days the AC will run constantly in the living/kitchen area, unable to keep up. Thankfully I anticipated this when I ordered the rig and I did opt for 50amp service and two AC units. On hot days I'll have both cranked up and the door between the front living area and the bedroom open so I can circulate air between them. The bedroom area is about 1/2 the square footage of the front but the AC unit is the same size. Plenty of excess capacity. Oh, and yes, ours supposedly has the "climate package" too but with walls half the thickness of a house and a lot of window area (and unfortunately in our rig that's all single pane glass), well, you get the idea. We have had higher end rigs with twice the exterior wall thickness and double pane windows that certainly helped but I was still happy to have two AC units (or three on our big rig motorhomes). Much easier to add up front than add later.