Upgrade AirConditioner

beechjetpilot1 · 07-03-2017, 08:45 AM

We have a 2015 Jayflight 23mbh. Our 13.5 BTU a/c is working properly, and it produces about a 20 degree decrease in temp coming out of the unit, but really isn't keeping our unit cool. We need more throughput. We have decided to look into upgrading the a/c to a 15.0btu unit with the heat pump option. Has anyone else done this and had successful outcome with better cooling performance? Camping ceases to be super fun for the wife/kids if it is 85+ degrees in the trailer at bedtime.

FishAr · 07-03-2017, 09:14 AM

I can tell you that I have a sunset trail with a 15k air cond. and when it's 100 outside I'm lucky to get it down to 80. Outside of getting the heat option with the heat pump I think you're wasting your money.

bdreinv · 07-03-2017, 09:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by beechjetpilot1

We have a 2015 Jayflight 23mbh. Our 13.5 BTU a/c is working properly, and it produces about a 20 degree decrease in temp coming out of the unit, but really isn't keeping our unit cool. We need more throughput. We have decided to look into upgrading the a/c to a 15.0btu unit with the heat pump option. Has anyone else done this and had successful outcome with better cooling performance? Camping ceases to be super fun for the wife/kids if it is 85+ degrees in the trailer at bedtime.

We have 2 15s in our Eagle RSTS if its 100 no shade it not a place we like to camp.Maybe there are some less costly options.Ive noticed some people use a reflective bubble wrap on windows.I use card board on one large window in living area window.Makes quite an improvement.My friends had the heat pump option in their motor home.Never worked very well, our propane furnace works great.

AKGperson · 07-03-2017, 09:30 AM

We bought our TT off the lot and it came with the 13.5K unit. At first I was disappointed but now I'm glad because most of our camping is dry camping and the 13.5K unit runs off just one Honda 2000 generator. Plus everything in the TT (except the AC & microwave together) runs off a 20 amp circuit when parked at our home.

redsnapper · 07-03-2017, 09:39 AM

I pulled into a Yuma AZ campground a couple of weeks ago, headed for Mexico at San Luis Colorado..... when the Southwest was flaming hot.
Inside temp was 108 when I fired off the Coleman low profile 13.5 unit.

It took 4 hours on the high fan setting to get those inside temps to low 90ties.
At 9PM when I hit the sheets, it was still 86 degrees inside.

Never again.....I will park the thing and get a motel room.

beechjetpilot1 · 07-03-2017, 09:48 AM

That was our experience in Cedar City, UT last week...along with a few other times over the past couple of years. We live and often camp in the desert southwest. We kept the door closed, the shades down, no cooking/showers anything like that and most of the lights off. We pulled in at 3:30pm and the inside of the trailer was 92 with outside at just over 100. At 9pm, it was still 88 inside. We were not using the ducted part of the system, but opened the louvers for the quick cool. By the morning when we got up at 5am, it finally got down to 75. Outside it was about the same temp. I'm going to do some insulating around the trailer and baggage doors, but I don't think that will fix it all. I also would like the option of the heat pump for the slight chill of southern california beach camping durning the spring/fall/winter.

Jagiven · 07-03-2017, 10:48 AM

I can't help if a bigger unit will make a big difference. Hiwever, from my experience when it is hot (95+), I clean the air filter every day. It seams to really help. We have tent ends in our htt, and a 13.5k btu AC works fine for us. Max temperature we have experienced is 104.

FishAr · 07-03-2017, 11:10 AM

I was in St. Louis for work last year and it was 100+, I couldn't get the trailer below 84. I bought a fan and aimed it at me and was comfortable.

namusmc65 · 07-03-2017, 11:43 AM

We have the polar package for below freezing weather and our units do a good job. Keeps us around 72 in the daytime and 68 at night. My wife likes it cold and if I could not cool the unit down, we would not go camping. Believe me, it gets hot here in Georgia and Florida but we have not had a problem. Have a 15btu in the living room and 13.5 in the bedroom. On a really hot day, we may run both until we get cooled down, then only run the living room until bedtime, then run the bedroom unit for sleeping. Also have the dark windows with the day/night shades and keep the shades on the darker color to keep the sunlight out.

**norty1** · 07-03-2017, 12:15 PM

We live in the south and do not camp here in the hottest summer months. We can be in the cooler mountains in 4 hours.

Two 15k acs make it tolerable when we aren't there.

oldmanAZ · 07-03-2017, 01:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by beechjetpilot1

We have a 2015 Jayflight 23mbh. Our 13.5 BTU a/c is working properly, and it produces about a 20 degree decrease in temp coming out of the unit, but really isn't keeping our unit cool. We need more throughput. We have decided to look into upgrading the a/c to a 15.0btu unit with the heat pump option. Has anyone else done this and had successful outcome with better cooling performance? Camping ceases to be super fun for the wife/kids if it is 85+ degrees in the trailer at bedtime.

I hope some of this will help...
As others have said, the 15kbtu is only a small (10%) increase over the 13.5btu so we stuck with the 13.5 when we ordered our trailer and don't regret that decision.

I checked temps last season in our trailer with a digital spot infrared thermometer and found the slideout ceiling and the window glass (yes, tinted and the shades closed) radiated serious heat to the interior. We now have a slide topper and that tamed the slideout ceiling as a source of interior heat.

We've done two other things at various times to combat the window heat generated from direct sunlight: Towels (with Disney characters!) hung outside to shade windows and have used the shiny, windshield sun shades tight against the glass inside and in the ceiling skylights (we have two of them).

Late this spring in southern New Mexico and Arizona, we tried a few other tactics that helped: Starting the air cond EARLY in the day, snapping out the interior grill and air cond filters for max air flow through the air cond, and keeping interior doors and vents closed so that ALL the air cond output was in the main part of the trailer (after sunset, the air cond cooled the whole trailer adequately).

Our major problem cooling was on travel days when the entire trailer was already HOT when we stopped to set up for the night. It took all night with dropping outside temps and the air cond working to get the interior temp down.

In past trips we brought one or two box fans along and never needed them. This spring we regretted not having them. It's the old 'It's better to have them and not need them than to need them and not have them.'

beechjetpilot1 · 07-03-2017, 02:55 PM

You have it right, the travel days are the killers. On days when we are set up, I just leave it closed up with the a/c on and it usually does ok keeping up enough, as long as there is no cooking or showers indoors during the day. We've spent almost 2 cumulative months in the trailer since we purchased it 2 yrs ago. This continues to be the issue that frustrates us the most. We love everything else about our trailer.

oldmanAZ · 07-03-2017, 04:14 PM

Something the DW and I have discussed (and she is not on board with ) is taking our existing portable, roll-around, 9,500btu room air cond with us. It plugs into a standard residential outlet and cools our poorly-insulated bedroom to sleeping temp quickly here in AZ.

Our (well, my

) idea was to plug our HD extension cord into the 15amp outlet that most power poles have (in addition to their usual 30 or 50amp outlets) and run that cord inside to the portable unit.

Portable units need to vent air outside and I thought I could set the unit in the bathroom, next to the bedroom, and run the exhaust tube up and into the bathroom ceiling vent.

This is as far as I've gotten with the idea. There are lots of specifics related to 'where' and 'how' I haven't needed to pursue, because of the
DW's

Jagiven · 07-03-2017, 04:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by oldmanAZ

Something the DW and I have discussed (and she is not on board with ) is taking our existing portable, roll-around, 9,500btu room air cond with us. It plugs into a standard residential outlet and cools our poorly-insulated bedroom to sleeping temp quickly here in AZ.

Our (well, my

) idea was to plug our HD extension cord into the 15amp outlet that most power poles have (in addition to their usual 30 or 50amp outlets) and run that cord inside to the portable unit.

Portable units need to vent air outside and I thought I could set the unit in the bathroom, next to the bedroom, and run the exhaust tube up and into the bathroom ceiling vent.

This is as far as I've gotten with the idea. There are lots of specifics related to 'where' and 'how' I haven't needed to pursue, because of the
DW's

Someone posted this mod a couple years ago. They set it up to vent out a window. I think for a bunkhouse.

AKGperson · 07-03-2017, 06:07 PM

Jeez, all of you guys & gals must not be dry camping. My wife & I seldom camp with full hook-ups because the spaces are too close together. If we want to be in a subdivision we'll stay home. LOL.

PonyExpress · 07-04-2017, 07:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AKGperson

Jeez, all of you guys & gals must not be dry camping. My wife & I seldom camp with full hook-ups because the spaces are too close together. If we want to be in a subdivision we'll stay home. LOL.

come dry camp in central Texas in August. Then you will understand

AKGperson · 07-04-2017, 08:10 AM

Hi PonyExpress, I'm sure you're right. We've only camped in California and our climate is fairly mild compared to TX or AZ. Do the state & national parks there have hookups?

Ken

bluegill1 · 07-04-2017, 06:18 PM

In Ohio, 100 is very rare, 90's are few per year, high 80's is the summer norm, but its the high humidity thats the killer, hot is one thing but hot and sticky is worse. Our 2009 29BHS G2 with the 13.5 AC has always been a champ. It'll get the inside of the TT cold, I mean cold like needing a hoodie if we let it.

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