Hot weekend in Central Texas

pawpaw · 08-12-2015, 03:36 AM

I thought I would let you know how our TT (2015 329BHU) did on our 5 days of camping on the San Marcos River in Central Texas with temps in the low 100s during the day. Our unit has both ducted air in the main living space (15KW unit) and a second non ducted 13.5KW unit in the front bedroom. We were at a campground that had 50 amp service so we were able to use both AC units. Our TT has the Artic package also. I was impressed and very thankful that we had a such a great TT. I set the thermostat in the main living area at 72 and the AC actually cycled on and off during the day. I had also previously mounted an oscillating fan on the wall in the main living area and it seemed to really help. My wife likes to sleep under a blanket so she cranked the AC in the bedroom down to almost as cold as it would go. There are no reference numbers on this unit so I have no idea where it was set. Well, we both had to pull the covers up to stay warm! It was really pretty cold in there. We were both very excited at how cool our TT stayed. We were in a spot that had a good amount of shade, so I'm sure it helped. After tube and kayak trips down the river, it was really nice to come home to such a refreshing place and relax with an adult beverage or two.

There were two other families with us in their own units, one was a 2016 Jayco 28BHBE with a single 15KW unit, and the other was a class C RV with a 13.5KW unit. They both complained about how their units never seemed to catch up with the heat. One of the other wives spent a time in our unit to cool off.

Needless to say, I am very happy with our trailer and would highly recommend it to anyone. By the way, we had no issues at all with our TT. I hope this helps anyone thinking about buying a new unit. If you're camping in Texas in the summer, you need that second AC unit!

Cheers!

Camper_bob · 08-12-2015, 12:38 PM

I went out to Lake Corpus Christi that weekend. It was indeed HOT. Luckily we had a spot that kept our rig shaded most of the day, and there was a bit of a breeze both days. Our 28 BHBE has the one 15K unit and it kept up all weekend.

How did you do the wall-mount oscillating fan in your living area? I want to put one in the bedroom, but I'm having trouble deciding on how I want to do it ... For now, I have a small table-top fan that I'm planning to come up with a mounting scheme to put it up on the wall ...

pawpaw · 08-13-2015, 06:08 AM

I'd take a picture of the mounting for you, but our trailer is back in storage. I'll try to explain what I did.
I purchased this fan from Amazon. It is detachable from the wall mounting bracket, so that makes mounting it where I did possible.

Amazon.com: Air King 9012 Commercial Grade Oscillating Wall Mount Fan, 12-Inch: Home & Kitchen

The main living area in your trailer is very similar to mine so this should work for you. The fan is mounted on the solid wall at the rear of the slide facing the main living area. When the fan is removed from the wall bracket, there is enough clearance for the slide to pass in front of it without rubbing. Of course, you have to remember to REMOVE the fan before closing the slide! I had a brain fart once and forgot, thank goodness I noticed it just as the slide was about to touch the fan.

I hope this helps

Camper_bob · 08-13-2015, 07:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pawpaw

I'd take a picture of the mounting for you, but our trailer is back in storage. I'll try to explain what I did.
I purchased this fan from Amazon. It is detachable from the wall mounting bracket, so that makes mounting it where I did possible.

Amazon.com: Air King 9012 Commercial Grade Oscillating Wall Mount Fan, 12-Inch: Home & Kitchen

The main living area in your trailer is very similar to mine so this should work for you. The fan is mounted on the solid wall at the rear of the slide facing the main living area. When the fan is removed from the wall bracket, there is enough clearance for the slide to pass in front of it without rubbing. Of course, you have to remember to REMOVE the fan before closing the slide! I had a brain fart once and forgot, thank goodness I noticed it just as the slide was about to touch the fan.

I hope this helps

Thanks for the info!

I saw those wall mount fans, and I thought about buying one. In the end, most of them are too big for what I want to do, and they sure are proud of them!! So I spent $20 and bought a smaller table-top oscillating fan that I could remove from the stand. Now I just have to come up with a mount for the wall. Shouldn't be too hard. In fact, I would have had it done by now if not for DW; she wants it to look "nice". I couldn't really care what it looks like, so long as it WORKS! LOL!

tslarson · 08-15-2015, 07:49 AM

We just got back from a trip out west with our 299BHU. It has an 15K air conditioner, and arctic package. I was a bit worried about the heat and if the air conditioner would keep us cool. My trailer has the black front cap, and would really heat the inside up, especially if in the direct sun. Our trip was 4500 miles from Wisconsin, to Denver CO, Moab UT, Grand Canyon, and Durango CO. I was really worried about the heat in Moab, as the campground had few trees. I cut pieces of the silver reflective bubble rap for all the windows. We covered the sunny side windows and all the roof vents and skylites. The worst day was in Moab at 114 degrees, the trailer only cooled down to 79 degrees, really not to bad and we were all fine with that. No other problems keeping us cool during the whole trip, I was quite pleased with the trailers ability to keep the cool in and the hot out.

pawpaw · 08-16-2015, 06:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tslarson

We just got back from a trip out west with our 299BHU. It has an 15K air conditioner, and arctic package. I was a bit worried about the heat and if the air conditioner would keep us cool. My trailer has the black front cap, and would really heat the inside up, especially if in the direct sun. Our trip was 4500 miles from Wisconsin, to Denver CO, Moab UT, Grand Canyon, and Durango CO. I was really worried about the heat in Moab, as the campground had few trees. I cut pieces of the silver reflective bubble rap for all the windows. We covered the sunny side windows and all the roof vents and skylites. The worst day was in Moab at 114 degrees, the trailer only cooled down to 79 degrees, really not to bad and we were all fine with that. No other problems keeping us cool during the whole trip, I was quite pleased with the trailers ability to keep the cool in and the hot out.

Looks like a great trip! We're going to do a similar trip in October, except we'll be coming up from Texas. We're going to NM, AZ, NV, CO, UT and ID, and will be gone for at least a month.
I had also cut window coverings for all our windows from the same reflective bubble wrap - it REALLY helps!

lindakeenan · 08-18-2015, 06:35 PM

Thanks so much for this information. We are looking at getting a 314bhds and have been debating whether to get the second a/c. We will be traveling to Louisiana to visit friends and also to Florida. We have 2 grandsons with serious congenital heart problems and heat is a big issue for them. Salesmen keep telling us that with the arctic package one a/c is fine. We weren't really convinced and your post has confirmed that we should get the second a/c. Exactly what I was looking for when I joined the forum. Thanks again!

pawpaw · 08-19-2015, 06:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lindakeenan

Thanks so much for this information. We are looking at getting a 314bhds and have been debating whether to get the second a/c. We will be traveling to Louisiana to visit friends and also to Florida. We have 2 grandsons with serious congenital heart problems and heat is a big issue for them. Salesmen keep telling us that with the arctic package one a/c is fine. We weren't really convinced and your post has confirmed that we should get the second a/c. Exactly what I was looking for when I joined the forum. Thanks again!

Your salesman has probably never spent a day in a TT when the outside temps are hovering around 100. He's probably trying to sell you a unit he already has in stock. Stick to your guns and get what you want even if it has to be ordered! A second AC unit is a must in large trailers in the south. Just ask my wife, lol.

maromeo · 08-19-2015, 07:08 AM

My niece in MN has a 32bhds with only a 13.5 a/c unit it does not keep up at all with the humidity that they get.

We live in AZ and we ordered ours with the 15.5 a/c unit and a second a/c which is not ducted. Have only used it a few times but sure glad we had it when needed. It is worth ordering the upgrades much less expensive than adding them on later.

Camper_bob · 08-19-2015, 08:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by maromeo

snip ... It is worth ordering the upgrades much less expensive than adding them on later.

That's what I was going to say. If you're ordering it, order it with the 2nd A/C. It's cheaper to order it that way than to install it later. I wish I had gotten mine that way, and now I'm looking to add the 2nd unit. My trailer came prepped for 2nd AC, so installation will be easier, but still more expensive than if I'd had it on when built.

We found our trailer on a dealer lot, and that's about the only thing I wish my trailer had. And when we bought it, I saw that it was "prepped" for 2nd AC and thought to myself, "no big deal, I'll add it later if I need to."

I go back and forth because DW has decided that we need to stow the trailer from about mid-July through August. It gets so hot here that camping isn't a lot of fun for her (she overheats easily) or the baby. So long as it's not consistently over 100, our 15K AC unit can keep up pretty well if we have some shade. But it still means we're stuck inside unless we're somewhere there is water for swimming. At this point, it hasn't breached the cost/benefit threshold for us ...

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