Weak air conditioner?

[Dustdevil]

Originally Posted by ccradeur

Sure wish I would have seen these post before last week. I purchased a new 2017 Grayhawk 29 MV. Before we left the dealership we voiced concerns about the AC not cooling. We were told it takes time to cool down the coach. Brought it home and plugged it in. Temp outside was 92. Temp inside was 88. I live in Louisiana and if I can't use my new motorhome when the temp is above 80 degrees then I will not be going camping very often.
Bringing it back to the dealership next week but from what I'm reading I think I may have made a BIG mistake. Why don't they tell us these things before we purchase something they know won't work in our climate?

29 ft is right about that point where two AC units might be necessary on a really hot and humid day. But not everybody is interested in paying for two AC units, nor trying to find a campsite with 50 amp electrical service to power them. The larger your unit, the longer it takes to cool down. My old 26 ft toy hauler wasn't insulated particularly well, and it was a very large open space due to the very high ceiling in the back half. Took 3-4 hours to cool it adequately, and that's with the reflectix window insulation installed. If you don't cover your windows, the sun can introduce more heat than your single AC can get rid of. It also helps to be starting your day after a night of AC running in the unit so it can catch up. Every little bit of help you can give a single AC unit, the better the results.

[tom463219]

We close off the ac vents in bedroom and bathroom and close the doors, open the AC vents on the air conditioner itself, and use Heatshield Window Shades on the cab windows. It always stays comfortable in the RV.

https://www.heatshieldstore.com/sun_...50_w_rvm_/2016

[Dustdevil]

Originally Posted by tom463219

We close off the ac vents in bedroom and bathroom and close the doors, open the AC vents on the air conditioner itself, and use Heatshield Window Shades on the cab windows. It always stays comfortable in the RV.

https://www.heatshieldstore.com/sun_...50_w_rvm_/2016

Yep. I can tell you that leaving the cab windows uncovered and/or uninsulated on a hot sunny day, will heat up the entire rig. It's amazing how much heat can radiate from in there.

[elcheapo]

On real hot days while driving with the cab AC on, I crank up my generator and turn on the roof air a couple of hours before camping for the night. Helps to lower inside temperature prior to setting up at a camp ground.

[ccradeur]

It's a shame when you buy a $125,000 vehicle and you have to do all of these things to try and enjoy it when it is less than a week old. Someone should be held accountable.
Jayco should insulate better or offer a 50 amp option with 2 air conditioners for hotter climates. Dealerships should warn customers and not cover up the inadequate air conditioning before we buy them. I'm just pissed that they didn't tell me about the problem when we were in the parking lot and voiced our concerns before we drove away. Now that I got that off my chest I'll get off my soap box and try to enjoy my new coach. We really do love it except for the air conditioning or lack there of. Thanks everyone for the ideas.

[wags999]

YOu need to be careful with adding too much A/C. If you have too large, or to many A/C the unit will cool down before it has a chance to remove humidity...you wind up with a cool clammy RV which is very uncomfortable. The A/C is sized for most applications, and yes, if your going to be camping in 100 degree temperature, it's going to be hot. Here in AZ on a day when it reached 105, the interior of my car after only being in the sun for about 15 minutes was 124 degrees. You have a metal box, with hot air on all 6 sides, with windows, doors, sky lights etc your not going to cool it to 72 degrees. I don't know about all units, but Jayco does offer upgrades to larger A/C or a second A/C on many units. Myself, if I knew how I was going to use my RV I would do my due diligence to check and make sure it would work in the climate I planed on using it. There is so much information (including here) on the Web it's very easy to find information on others actual experiences.. I hope you can find a remedy to your situation. Good Luck.

[tomahawk]

Hmmm. Brand new 2017 29 MV. Hot SoCal day of 106. AC on auto high cool; doors/windows closed and shades were drawn. We could never get more than a 9 degree difference between inside and outside temps. Boy! Was it ever hot. We were in partial shade but I can't believe the AC was so weak. It's on our warranty list.

Kathleen

[tomahawk]

Has anyone tried this? It gets pretty good reviews . . .

https://www.amazon.com/ADCO-2407-Win...2%3A2661618011

[abarkl]

Originally Posted by tomahawk

Has anyone tried this? It gets pretty good reviews . . .

https://www.amazon.com/ADCO-2407-Win...2%3A2661618011

Many owners here have that one or one that is very similar such as we do which also includes panels held up by hook and loop tabs for all windows to open it up during the day for the view. Ours also has screens on the side windows to prevent pests with the panels open and the windows down.

[Dustdevil]

Originally Posted by ccradeur

It's a shame when you buy a $125,000 vehicle and you have to do all of these things to try and enjoy it when it is less than a week old. Someone should be held accountable.
Jayco should insulate better or offer a 50 amp option with 2 air conditioners for hotter climates. Dealerships should warn customers and not cover up the inadequate air conditioning before we buy them. I'm just pissed that they didn't tell me about the problem when we were in the parking lot and voiced our concerns before we drove away. Now that I got that off my chest I'll get off my soap box and try to enjoy my new coach. We really do love it except for the air conditioning or lack there of. Thanks everyone for the ideas.

Jayco does offer both a second air conditioner and 50 amp option. They just don't offer it on units small enough that it's unnecessary. It's part of the lesson many RVers learn first time around. This website is chock full of lessons you can learn at someone else's expense, should you choose to research it. Jayco probably offers these options on your unit.

Originally Posted by tomahawk

Has anyone tried this? It gets pretty good reviews . . .

https://www.amazon.com/ADCO-2407-Win...2%3A2661618011

I have one of those. I still use the reflectix material on the inside of the cab windows in addition to the Adco cover on the outside. If necessary, I also have the inside curtain to string up around the cab windows. That is how much heat can be generated in that cab if you don't take steps.

[tomahawk]

Thanks for the suggestion. Is there any way to vent some of that heat from the cab? Would cracking a window open just a bit be a help?

After looking at the reviews for the HeatShield brand of sunshades, I think we are going to order those. Next up, I need to find a thread on what appears to be a weak fridge . . . . oh darn.

Kathleen

[Dustdevil]

Originally Posted by tomahawk

Thanks for the suggestion. Is there any way to vent some of that heat from the cab? Would cracking a window open just a bit be a help?

After looking at the reviews for the HeatShield brand of sunshades, I think we are going to order those. Next up, I need to find a thread on what appears to be a weak fridge . . . . oh darn.

Kathleen

As long as the cab is hotter than the outside air, you can vent for a short time. But it's best not to let it get hot in the first place. Much harder to bring down inside temps than to keep them down. When it's hot, the first thing I do is run the roof ac with the generator an hour before arriving to begin cooling down the box. First thing I do when arriving is shut down the AC, then the generator while plugging the unit in to shore power. Wait about 30-60 seconds and re-start the AC while it's still cool inside, and you don't have to vent.

When it's really hot, the windows are the highest point of heat transfer because the sun shines right through them. Your window shades do little or nothing to stop it. I put reflectix material in all windows upon arrival. You would be surprised how cool a single AC unit can keep a large RV when you do that.

I doubt you will find reflectix cut specifically for your windows. I would just buy a 25 ft roll of it at Home Depot or Lowes and cut to fit. That's what I have done with my last two RVs for our summer trips to the Colorado River, where it's routinely 110 degrees and humid. Don't forget any skylights and roof vents.

[Dustdevil]

PS: If you don't cover the windows with an insulation like reflectix, you may never see it get cool inside on a really hot day.

[Jopopsy]

I keep reading about this topic, there IS a solution that helps a great deal:

Window RV Blockers

Pick your size, do the install, done. It helps cut down on the heat transfer from the windows to the coach a great deal by blocking the UV from the sun.

As previously mentioned by blocking the UV heat transfer from the cab, imagine how much better off you'd be if you could do the same for your coach windows w/o the ugly reflectix making your rig look like a space-age cave?

Try them; you'll probably like them. I love mine - I won't camp in the sun w/o them.

[Dustdevil]

Originally Posted by Jopopsy

I keep reading about this topic, there IS a solution that helps a great deal:

Window RV Blockers

Pick your size, do the install, done. It helps cut down on the heat transfer from the windows to the coach a great deal by blocking the UV from the sun.

As previously mentioned by blocking the UV heat transfer from the cab, imagine how much better off you'd be if you could do the same for your coach windows w/o the ugly reflectix making your rig look like a space-age cave?

Try them; you'll probably like them. I love mine - I won't camp in the sun w/o them.

That's a good solution, albeit just a bit expensive. The trick is to keep the glass cool and keep the sun from heating up whatever is inside the window. On a 100 degree day, that glass can be 140 or 150 degrees, which radiates inside. The fabrics and surfaces inside the window can be almost that hot, and it all just radiates into the space you're trying to keep in the 70s.

I once tried putting the reflectix on the outside of my trailer windows with velcro. But it got so hot, it melted the adhesive on the velcro, the breeze blew the covers off, and left nothing but a big gooey mess around the window frame. These look more substantial.

[tomahawk]

Originally Posted by Dustdevil

I once tried putting the reflectix on the outside of my trailer windows with velcro. But it got so hot, it melted the adhesive on the velcro, the breeze blew the covers off, and left nothing but a big gooey mess around the window frame. These look more substantial.

LOL - That sounds so like something I would have tried. Ahhhh, the beauty of the forums. Lots of info and much of it might save us from ourselves.

Kathleen

[Dustdevil]

Some of us learn by reading books/blogs. Some of us learn from the experiences of others. But some of us gotta pee on that electrified fence for ourselves.

[Jopopsy]

The covers aren't cheap; that's true. Of course if they WERE cheaper I'd probably complain they were cheaply made and didn't work !

[Trippers]

Originally Posted by tomahawk

Thanks for the suggestion. Is there any way to vent some of that heat from the cab? Would cracking a window open just a bit be a help?

After looking at the reviews for the HeatShield brand of sunshades, I think we are going to order those. Next up, I need to find a thread on what appears to be a weak fridge . . . . oh darn.

Kathleen

What we have done with the hot cab area is cover the windshield and side windows with an Adco Polar white vinyl cover, reflective foil inside the windshield, factory curtain after that, then hang a curtain off the cab over to trap the heat in the cab...also have lifted the engine hood when first parked to allow the engine heat to vent outside.
Outside window awnings can keep windows shaded, but costly.

[tom463219]

Lifting the engine hood when first parked, what a brilliant idea! I will be doing that from now on.