Mods to 377 RLBH?

[Surfcatmatt]

Originally Posted by twadd10

I thought they had to be connected because no matter which unit is on you get airflow from all vents.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G920A using Tapatalk

Like some of yall, I am also in Texas dealing with this heat and had low airflow issues. I was curious about how the ducting for the A/C was so I just asked Jayco. Attached is one of the prints they sent and it is definitely a connected system.
I've also gone about doing many of the mods noted on this great thread (stair mod, fan etc..) but most of my attention has been on the A/C system in this 100F plus heat. I did the vent mod (which helped a ton), Reflectix on the unused windows, and blocked the heating vents and intake (not being used anytime soon). I considered an inline fan for the bunkroom but haven't found one that quite fits what I am looking for.

Oh, another thing to check if you are having issues with the A/C is the front A/C. There is a foam board divider that is "pinned" between the bottom plate and the unit. This divides the intake and exhaust. Twice mine was sucked forward and was basically choking off the intake. I wish I had a picture to share, but I don't, sorry yall. I basically ended up using the aluminum tape and securing it in place.

[Redbird7]

Originally Posted by twadd10

I thought they had to be connected because no matter which unit is on you get airflow from all vents.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G920A using Tapatalk

Yes, connected front to rear, not side to side. If you notced, all the ducts on the left side of the coach are in line with each other. Same for the right side. Manufactures buy a premade rectangle duct and just fasten it up there. Then drill holes up to where the vents needs to be.

Sent from my SM-G920P using Tapatalk

[Redbird7]

Originally Posted by Surfcatmatt

Like some of yall, I am also in Texas dealing with this heat and had low airflow issues. I was curious about how the ducting for the A/C was so I just asked Jayco. Attached is one of the prints they sent and it is definitely a connected system.
I've also gone about doing many of the mods noted on this great thread (stair mod, fan etc..) but most of my attention has been on the A/C system in this 100F plus heat. I did the vent mod (which helped a ton), Reflectix on the unused windows, and blocked the heating vents and intake (not being used anytime soon). I considered an inline fan for the bunkroom but haven't found one that quite fits what I am looking for.

Oh, another thing to check if you are having issues with the A/C is the front A/C. There is a foam board divider that is "pinned" between the bottom plate and the unit. This divides the intake and exhaust. Twice mine was sucked forward and was basically choking off the intake. I wish I had a picture to share, but I don't, sorry yall. I basically ended up using the aluminum tape and securing it in place.

Great drawing! And yes, the A/C needs to be taped in the bedroom. Main one is a roof mount, not able to do much with it until you climb up there and take it apart.

Sent from my SM-G920P using Tapatalk

[Dskyward]

Originally Posted by Magnolia Tom

Darin

Looks good. I think you are correct...it helps if you're both left and right handed! [emoji3]
Sounds like you just about got that poison ivy beat.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thanks Tom. I'm left handed at some things, right handed most everything else. This loft mod certainly would strenghthen a left handed deficits. I didn't comment on the crazy wobbly slinky pic with my iPad compressing the tubing. I just wanted to show the rest of us some weird stuff, it's just how it was made. You really don't see this from the box stores.

I'm past the halfway mark on this poison ivy, with a rash from hell on my left leg. But praise be, i'm slowly recovering.

[Magnolia Tom]

If you look closely at the drawing, you can clearly see they are connected from driver side to door side. See item 1 on the legend. It's a 90 degree connection to join the two sides together


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Dskyward]

Originally Posted by estesbubba

I did this mod last year and my gap is bigger than what others have been posting and my black cylinders don't make it into the ducting. I used 2" tape which was barely wide enough.

Hi estesbubba, Wow, that's a large gap. Is your rig a 377RLBH? As sticky as that aluminum foil tape can be, it might not have the strength to adhere to the 3/16" edges only. My reflectix tape was only 1 7/8" wide and the loft duct was a good 1/4" wider gap than the others, so I had to cut individual 1 7/8" x 2.5" strips and run them vertically to ensure I got 1/2" overlap on top, side and bottom surfaces. Plus I daisy chained them first to ensure proper sealed seams. Also, if you didn't clean the inside duct lipping with alcohol first, the dust will weaken adherence. When it gets 115+ deg up there in summer when parked not lived in, it could loosen. Of course we been fulltiming for over a year and my ducts were terribly filthy as the amount of dirt from the alcohol was tremendous. Glad i remembered to have cleaned it first. It's just a habit before I tape any surface.

A nice smooth job!

[twadd10]

Originally Posted by Magnolia Tom

If you look closely at the drawing, you can clearly see they are connected from driver side to door side. See item 1 on the legend. It's a 90 degree connection to join the two sides together


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Exactly!

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G920A using Tapatalk

[vcbice]

Those two elbows connect to the forward A/C.

So, the A/C plenums are the cross connection of the duct system.

[jasum]

Originally Posted by Dskyward

This evening, I finally completed the ceiling vents mod in full. I removed all 8 vents, discarded the black (already cut) rings, taped up the vent holes with leftover reflectix 2" aluminum foil tape that I already had from the reflectix project back in May (made shields for all my windows).



Nobody mentioned cleaning the inside lip of the duct with alcohol before applying the tape. Boy, was it dirty up in there! Took about 2 hours total. The loft ring was the only one I didn't get to cut back in Feb, as I overlooked it. While up in the loft and a/c running on low, the breeze was very light. While taping it up, I could feel the increase in air flow to about double. Obviously, the uncut protruding ring was still the culprit of low flow. However, the flow still seems about the same in the other 7 vents. So, whatever flow may have been leaking into the attic, has made the loft flow increase to double. However, I've yet to do Tom's mod to the bunkhouse duct, which now has hardly any airflow on low.



Count my vote also to call this one the mod of the year!

So you feel the black rings you cut gives just about as much airflow??

How did you cut those so straight??


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[estesbubba]

Originally Posted by Dskyward

Hi estesbubba, Wow, that's a large gap. Is your rig a 377RLBH? As sticky as that aluminum foil tape can be, it might not have the strength to adhere to the 3/16" edges only. My reflectix tape was only 1 7/8" wide and the loft duct was a good 1/4" wider gap than the others, so I had to cut individual 1 7/8" x 2.5" strips and run them vertically to ensure I got 1/2" overlap on top, side and bottom surfaces. Plus I daisy chained them first to ensure proper sealed seams. Also, if you didn't clean the inside duct lipping with alcohol first, the dust will weaken adherence. When it gets 115+ deg up there in summer when parked not lived in, it could loosen. Of course we been fulltiming for over a year and my ducts were terribly filthy as the amount of dirt from the alcohol was tremendous. Glad i remembered to have cleaned it first. It's just a habit before I tape any surface.

A nice smooth job!

Mine is an Eagle 321RSTS and so far the tape has held for a year. This fall I might check them again and double them up to prepare for next summer.

[Dskyward]

Originally Posted by jasum

So you feel the black rings you cut gives just about as much airflow??

How did you cut those so straight??


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Hi Jasum, yes, even so pretty much. But after cutting 5/8" off the rings allowed air to exit more freely and certainly did increase the airflow a lot. But after sealing the cracks to the attic around all 8 vents, that's just the ace in the hole. You're guaranteed max airflow. I'd call it 90% gain with flush ducting, another 10% sealing the attic cracks.

After the non cut loft vent ring removal, and while taping the attic space off, I immediately could feel more airflow...on ac cool low. In a duct system, you want least amount of resistance for air to flow efficiently, but having 5/8" obstruction creates turbulence and air will want to find cracks around the obstruction more to get out. And 5/8" is about half the air channel. Imagine that?

I scribed the cut line with a pencil on a level surface, then used my Chicago oscilating tool with the saw blade attachment. Super precision. It does produce alot of heat and melts the plastic from friction when cutting. If you go fast, less melting. But MagniliaTom discarded the rings altogether after taping the attic gaps with 2" aluminum foil tape. My leftover reflectix tape was only 1 7/8" inch wide as opposed to the 2 inch wide tape you get at the box stores.

[Dskyward]

Originally Posted by estesbubba

Mine is an Eagle 321RSTS and so far the tape has held for a year. This fall I might check them again and double them up to prepare for next summer.

That sounds like a plan. If you get good overlap adhesion up inside the duct, then you pretty much made a good smooth funnel. The 3/16" wood ceiling panels when cut with a hole saw, leaves a very rough surface with less surface area for the tape to contact. If it starts to come loose here, then you propbably wont notice much air loss, since you already removed the protruding ring up inside the duct, which is what really blocks the air trying to get out.

This mod is definitely opening some eyes up in the forum.

[TCNashville]

I did this mod last Sunday. We left the next day for a 3 day trip and just got back. We have 5 AC vents in our Eagle and 2 of them had piss-poor air flow. After I pulled the vents I found that the 2 with bad air flow the plastic ring was greatly impeding the air. So I taped them up with the aluminum tape vertically as well. I left the plastic ring out and reinstalled the vents. When we got to our site and I turned on the AC I couldn't believe it. It cooled down from 89* to 74* very quickly with great flow from all vents. I also pulled the interior AC cover and found that there is some sort of air dam between where the air goes into the ducts and the other side[?]. There were gaps in the corners of the air dam so I taped them up too. Thanks MT for a great mod!

[Magnolia Tom]

That's awesome TCNashville! Isn't it so nice to have AC that actually cools?

Sidebar:
I have a buddy that we camp with all the time. He has a Roamer Open Range. In fact we are camping together now. I told him he should do this mod to help his AC. When he took his vents off, all of his ducts were taped from the factory! Plus, he didn't have any black rings impeding air flow. No wonder his AC always seemed to work better than mine. So, some manufacturers actually do some things correctly.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Dskyward]

Originally Posted by Surfcatmatt

Like some of yall, I am also in Texas dealing with this heat and had low airflow issues. I was curious about how the ducting for the A/C was so I just asked Jayco. Attached is one of the prints they sent and it is definitely a connected system.
I've also gone about doing many of the mods noted on this great thread (stair mod, fan etc..) but most of my attention has been on the A/C system in this 100F plus heat. I did the vent mod (which helped a ton), Reflectix on the unused windows, and blocked the heating vents and intake (not being used anytime soon). I considered an inline fan for the bunkroom but haven't found one that quite fits what I am looking for.

Oh, another thing to check if you are having issues with the A/C is the front A/C. There is a foam board divider that is "pinned" between the bottom plate and the unit. This divides the intake and exhaust. Twice mine was sucked forward and was basically choking off the intake. I wish I had a picture to share, but I don't, sorry yall. I basically ended up using the aluminum tape and securing it in place.

Thanks so much Surfcatmatt for suggesting looking into the master a/c. Was your dam found in the same tilt position as mine? Thanks, TCNashville, also commended, posted looking at this item. So, after doing all this a/c duct attic and loft/bunkhouse sealing, I just had to investigate the interior master a/c. After removing the 8 screws that brings down the two face plates, I too found the air dam leaning away from where it was supposed to be (pic 1). It is simply a pressure fitted foam sided fiberglass wedge, not attached by any means and it actually floats away due to the air pressure of the fan wheel.

So, I'm glad I bought a fresh roll of that 2" aluminum foil tape. I was about to take it back for a refund as my leftover 30' Reflectix tape was all spent on the ceiling vents. So, with an additional 30" of tape, I too taped the wedge in the vertical position, but only on 3 sides. For the lower yellow/black portion, I also had with me in my bag of tricks, some 3/4" foam sponge rubber automotive weatherstrip tape and cut a strip the length of the plastic molded track on the insert face plate (pic 4, and is oriented to pic 5). In pic 5, notice the correct alignment of the air dam, just right of the middle face plate screw hole.

...And the airflow afterward? I think it feels a little more now.

ps-hope everyone got a kick out of my grandma's colorful handsewn quilted blanket.

[jasum]

Originally Posted by Dskyward

Hi Jasum, yes, even so pretty much. But after cutting 5/8" off the rings allowed air to exit more freely and certainly did increase the airflow a lot. But after sealing the cracks to the attic around all 8 vents, that's just the ace in the hole. You're guaranteed max airflow. I'd call it 90% gain with flush ducting, another 10% sealing the attic cracks.

After the non cut loft vent ring removal, and while taping the attic space off, I immediately could feel more airflow...on ac cool low. In a duct system, you want least amount of resistance for air to flow efficiently, but having 5/8" obstruction creates turbulence and air will want to find cracks around the obstruction more to get out. And 5/8" is about half the air channel. Imagine that?

I scribed the cut line with a pencil on a level surface, then used my Chicago oscilating tool with the saw blade attachment. Super precision. It does produce alot of heat and melts the plastic from friction when cutting. If you go fast, less melting. But MagniliaTom discarded the rings altogether after taping the attic gaps with 2" aluminum foil tape. My leftover reflectix tape was only 1 7/8" inch wide as opposed to the 2 inch wide tape you get at the box stores.

Great job Dskyward.......
Wish you were closer, I'd steal the ones you already cut.

I'm afraid that the foil tape won't hold long term. I have seen it come loose in the past. That's why I'm thinking maybe cutting black pieces off 5/8" and caulking them where they fit in the AC vent.

[Surfcatmatt]

Dskyward, Looks great and yes the baffle in my A/C was tilted like that, but way more extreme. It had been pretty much sucked to the inlet choking off practically all flow.

One other thing I did (as a temporary fix) to try and combat some of the extreme temps here was to put some reflectix on top of the slides. We don't have slide toppers right now and I needed a quick fix. We'll be living in it full time while we are building a new place so I'm not going to be moving the slides in for a while. I figure I will most likely have to remove it before doing so but it's been amazing the difference it's made in the meantime.

[vcbice]

I like that idea. What did you do to keep the stuff in place?

[Surfcatmatt]

I cleaned the surface as much as I could and used the good ol' aluminum tape. I sealed the three visible edges to the slide with it and ran the other end of the reflectix under the seal. I was worried about potential rain issues but we had some rain over the last few days and no water intrusion.

[Dskyward]

Originally Posted by jasum

Great job Dskyward.......
Wish you were closer, I'd steal the ones you already cut.

I'm afraid that the foil tape won't hold long term. I have seen it come loose in the past. That's why I'm thinking maybe cutting black pieces off 5/8" and caulking them where they fit in the AC vent.

Hi Jasum, I dug the seven cut rings out of the trash and cleaned them off. Each is about 1" profile now. PM me your address and I'll ship them to you. I'm glad to see th m get used again rather to see them go in the landfill.