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06-30-2013, 09:13 PM
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#1
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: La Porte, Texas
Posts: 192
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Air Conditioning
We just bought a used 2011 Thor 31 ft. Class C. Love it so far except that in the heat of the day, the AC has a hard time cooling the coach. Have window and vent covers. Gets very cold at night. Was wondering do you need to get the Freon checked on these things or would Thor have put in a unit not large enough to service the unit and if you were to replace the AC unit for a larger one, what would the approximate cost be? Just wondering if it would be worth the while / cost to look into.
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06-30-2013, 09:18 PM
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#2
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Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: St. Augustine, FL
Posts: 3,595
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When in hot weather start the A/C early in the day so as to get a "head start"
To check for proper functionality measure temp coming out of duct and temp of return air. You should expect about a 20 degree difference.
__________________
KIX
'02 Ultimate Advantage 40J Spartan MM - Cummins ISC
2013 Jeep Rubicon JK Unlimited
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06-30-2013, 09:41 PM
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#3
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Member
Join Date: Feb 2010
Posts: 44
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I assume you are talking about your roof mounted ac and not the dash ac. Start by cleaning the filter. Next, clean the inside of unit. Look on line, you-tube has some good videos for do it yourself. It's easy but be carefull not to damage the fins. A dirty unit can really degrade your cooling. I just finished servicing mine and they are running great, 11 years old, get cleaned every year and filter cleaning everytime we go out. Takes very little time.
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06-30-2013, 11:08 PM
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#4
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Junior Member
Join Date: Jun 2013
Posts: 26
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Your A/C unit is fairly new at two years old. It should be rated at no less than 13,500. Unless the filter is extremely dirty, the problem is probably not the A/C unit but the fact that at 31 feet you coach is at the very limit for having only one A/C unit. Coaches that are 32 feet long always have two A/C units. I suspect that you really are expecting too much from one unit in very hot weather.
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07-01-2013, 07:09 AM
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#5
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Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2011
Posts: 1,910
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What is the temp of the air you're trying to cool? Is there a heatwave where you are? Aside from the advice you already recieved, all I can add is keep the roof vents closed and insulated with foam or those from CampingWorld. Keep the accordion shades down and the curtains if any, closed. Don't be letting the kids run in and out every 5 minutes. Cook outside. Take brief cool showers. A long hot shower can generate considerable heat. Park in the shade whenever possible.
If you're going to constantly camp where it's in the 90s or have children running in and out constantly, you may want to consider adding another A/C. No one can tell you what the places where you live will charge for this. There are too many variables. You have to ask around where you live.
__________________
Retired. RVing with one husband and five cats.
1999 32' Fleetwood Southwind Class-A. Ford V10.
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07-01-2013, 09:10 AM
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#6
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Senior Member
Monaco Owners Club
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: Angola State Prison - Murder
Posts: 4,230
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ebksafari
Your A/C unit is fairly new at two years old. It should be rated at no less than 13,500. Unless the filter is extremely dirty, the problem is probably not the A/C unit but the fact that at 31 feet you coach is at the very limit for having only one A/C unit. Coaches that are 32 feet long always have two A/C units. I suspect that you really are expecting too much from one unit in very hot weather.
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I agree with this. Same problem we had with a 30' Class C years ago. 1 AC in a 30' coach in hot weather is just not enough. It helped to start early before it got hot outside. Bad news if we waited too long.
__________________
John & Clare Lyon
2007 43.5' Monaco Dynasty Palace III (All Electric)
Towd: 2011 Chevy Equinox
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07-01-2013, 11:00 AM
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#7
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Senior Member
Ford Super Duty Owner
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Austin, TX
Posts: 1,886
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1) The freon is typically sealed in and has no check valves. It's unusual to refill these units as their cost is typically around $600. They're kinda disposable, but also they typically last over 10 years.
2) If you have a 13.5K BTU unit, you can upgrade to a 15K BTU unit. It's about 10% more air conditioning. I did this myself once and the cost was about $600, minus what I got for the old working unit.
3) If you have a ducted system, the AC is less efficient than the non-ducted models.
4) You need to clean the filter and both evaporator and condenser coils.. Filter every month at least and coils I do every year. Cleaning the coils requires some disassembly.
5) On the duo-therm units, I've noted that people have good results insulating the metal that is over the evaporator coils.
6) Check the condition of your ducts.
7) On the road, we block the rear ducts, shut the bedroom door. We run both dash and interior AC on a 31' coach. So far it's enough.. We're in Texas.
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07-01-2013, 10:46 PM
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#8
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Registered User
Fleetwood Owners Club
Join Date: Apr 2012
Posts: 905
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Sealed unit, if freon is low, then you have a leak. Must fix leak before adding freon. Another sign of a leak would be freezing up of the intake line. Probably just struggling with the extreme hot weather is all.
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07-02-2013, 06:57 PM
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#9
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Moderator Emeritus
Ford Super Duty Owner
Join Date: Aug 2000
Location: Bryan, TX when not traveling.
Posts: 22,970
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A lot of the newer units have very poor quality control. Check that the intake and outlet side of the unit are well sealed and not allowing bypass within the unit or where it connects to the duct work.
Check the air temps at the inlet and outlets as close to the unit as possible. The outlet should be 18 to 20 degF colder than the inlet. Any more of less could be a problem.
ken
__________________
Amateur Radio Operator (KE5DFR)|No Longer Full-Time! - 2023 Cougar 22MLS toted by 2022 F150, 3.5L EcoBoost Tow Max FX4 Lariat Travel with one Standard Schnauzer and one small Timneh African Gray Parrot, retired mechanical engineer
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07-04-2013, 10:40 AM
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#10
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: Gilbert, AZ
Posts: 277
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Is there a website I can look at or does someone have a diagram/instructions on cleaning and maintaining the roof AC? I too have a 31 foot class c that is struggling to keep my rv cool. I am in Phoenix, AZ and it is in the 105-115 degree range right now. We have ducted AC. I have an IR thermometer and the walls of the rv are pretty warm inside. I am looking for options on keeping the rv cooler.
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07-04-2013, 10:56 AM
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#11
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Senior Member
Monaco Owners Club
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: Angola State Prison - Murder
Posts: 4,230
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__________________
John & Clare Lyon
2007 43.5' Monaco Dynasty Palace III (All Electric)
Towd: 2011 Chevy Equinox
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07-04-2013, 01:07 PM
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#12
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Moderator Emeritus
Ford Super Duty Owner
Join Date: Aug 2000
Location: Bryan, TX when not traveling.
Posts: 22,970
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Quiet frankly, a single 15k A/C unit is marginal in a 31' unit. Class C's are not well insulated in the front overhead area, windshield and rear wall. Is there any way you can make a insulated windshield cover? Get the unit in the shade.
__________________
Amateur Radio Operator (KE5DFR)|No Longer Full-Time! - 2023 Cougar 22MLS toted by 2022 F150, 3.5L EcoBoost Tow Max FX4 Lariat Travel with one Standard Schnauzer and one small Timneh African Gray Parrot, retired mechanical engineer
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07-04-2013, 09:23 PM
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#13
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Senior Member
Winnebago Owners Club Ford Super Duty Owner
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Chicagoland
Posts: 2,820
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Those reflective windshield panels work really well in our rig. They cut the heat down considerably in the cab area.
__________________
Burns & Diane
2005 Winnebago Aspect 26A/2012 Subaru Impreza toad
Illinois! - Where the politicians make the license plates......
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07-07-2013, 08:49 PM
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#14
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Member
Forest River Owners Club
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: New Jersey
Posts: 95
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My air ran non-stop over the last trip. I had it set at 70 and outside was upper 80's. is it normal to run all day non-stop? And will it freeze up? I was concerned that I was over using it. Any info on this?
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