Air conditioning vent updates. Blow more air!

[jnpj6279]

How does this work for ducted venting

[jnpj6279]

Are there better images

[GraftonGuns]

Yepper, I did mine back in 2016 on my brand new 2017 Eagle HT 27.5 RLTS. I posted back then about the difference a little bit of duct tape helped. We had the voids in the ceiling/plenum area and would not adequately cool. no more! ,,,,lol

[Rdubya44]

I love this forum! Just when I think I've done about everything to make trailer life better, I always learn something new and cool (pun intended) to.do!

One of our issues was how loud our a/c unit was. We always had to have the TV volume up so loud when the a/c ran. So, I stumbled across the video that Route 66Traveler posted the link for and did the complete re-seal of the plenum. Ours wasn't in bad shape, but there were some breeches and the divider was wobbly. There were loose pieces of aluminum and insulation sticking out and interfering with airflow, which resulted in excess noise. I cleaned it all up and sealed it with the aluminum tape and the unit is so much quieter and cooler now. Runs better, too! I highly recommend that you do this mod as well.

I never thought about the ducts (both heating and cooling) and that will be the next thing I do. Question for you Tee Bone...After you sealed the ducts with the aluminum tape, did you reinstall the black rings? Do they serve any practical purpose once you seal everything up?

[Jon]

After you tape up the ceiling to duct hole, do you still put the black ring back or leave it out?

[TxLoser]

Black rings go in the recycle bin.

Mine had the rings and believe it or not was taped from the factory. I just discarded the rings. On my previous trailer I had to tape.

[Moving Along]

So if I understand what I see in the pictures, if you take down one of the round ceiling vents, you might find a plastic ring that doesn't reach all the way to the bottom of the duct work, or simply find a gap where the ring should be. Either condition allows the cool air to blow into the ceiling and reducing air flow into the room.

I took the outside cover off to find larger than necessary holes punched in the duct work directly beneath the output side of the unit to allow the power cable to reach the control board. Aluminum tape to the rescue! Now it seems a visual inspection of the interior of all ceiling vents is warranted as well. Valuable info. Thanks forum.

[JFlightRisk]

We have 5 ceiling vents, and taped the gap to the duct up, removed 1 collar, trimmed 1/2" from a second, and ended up leaving 3 alone. Our vents have adjustable/closeable louvers, and the collars were a separate piece that were just snapped on. My BIL's TT has non adjustable vents, and the collars on his are a part of the vent, and don't come off. I'm not sure how many different brands of vents there actually are but there's at least two. I removed, trimmed, or left them alone based on how far into the duct they protruded.

When I was done, they all just reached the bottom of the ducting, so they didn't restrict air flow. The one I completely removed the collar from, was in the bathroom, and was 1/4" from the top surface of the duct. I'm not sure how any cold air even got past it.

[trento]

it is hard to believe the shoddiness of the worksmanship.Expandable foam dripping all over the system.open joints in the ducting,no tape on the seams.Its disheartening when you have paid more than a years wages for one of these TT or RV.I shudder to think what the repair shop would charge for doing this kind of work.If you own one of these holiday monsters you better have a heavy wallet or be good at DIY.

[norty1]

Originally Posted by trento

If you own one of these holiday monsters you better have a heavy wallet or be good at DIY.

I could not agree more. I addressed mine like JFlightRisk did, just made sure the seals were good and the ring did not stick up enough to restrict air flow.

It's a same that the little things are such a pain but it gives me a sense of making it better than it was. Now that's a poor excuse but it is what it is.

[Moving Along]

After reading this discussion I just checked 6 of my vents suspected of low flow using a snake inspection camera I got from Harbor Freight. Handy tool. I found the same conditions, partially collapsed duct work, holes where there should be any, vent rings protruding too far into the duct work or not completely reaching the duct work. I now think a flow meter may be warranted when thinking of purchasing an RV. Matching vents should have similar flow rates. If not, it would appear there may be hidden issues within the duct work.

[BanjoBob]

I did this about 2 months ago and it definitely made a difference. I also sealed up the return side from the supply side inside the unit. Worth the effort.

[Chris Wendt]

I did this on my first fifth wheel and hadn't had a chance to do it on my new one until this weekend "2019 RLOK Farm Style". Reading this thread motivated me, and I'm glad I did it.

First, there were a few vents that the factory collar didn't go in the duct work because the gap was to wide between the ceiling and duct work. So I was for sure losing air into the ceiling.

Second, I noticed last time we were camping that that the A/C above my bed was dripping during the night. So I opened it up this weekend too. Well I found that the divider that separates the the supply and return had fallen over, so the return was sucking in the cold air pretty quickly. I assume this was causing a condensation build up and causing the drip. It was only happening at night when we really cranked the AC down.

Now the AC in the main area is a whisper quite system so I don't know how to check the divider in that system as there is no access from below. Any recommendations?

Also I lose a lot air at the stairs that go up to the master as there are slates cut in to the wood kick plates that allow air and heat to the underbelly I assume. My question is would it hurt to seal these in the summer time? Im pretty sure they have to be open if you are running the heat.

[TxLoser]

I’ve never felt any heat rolling out from under my stairs in the hottest of temps. Probably ok to just leave them be. What I find odd with those slats in the stairs, is I get a slight breeze through there as I open the first slide when it’s been closed up. Maybe as the slide go’s out I’m creating a momentary vacuum effect. It’s weird.

[Chris Wendt]

Texas, I can say without a doubt that when I open the outside doors to the storage area I can feel cool air. That tells me it is coming from the stairs area. Next time you are out open up the storage area and see how cool yours is.

[Magnolia Tom]

Chris

Yes, you can seal that return/vent under the stairs during the summer. Open it back up during the winter

[AKRUEBBE]

Originally Posted by Chris Wendt

Texas, I can say without a doubt that when I open the outside doors to the storage area I can feel cool air. That tells me it is coming from the stairs area. Next time you are out open up the storage area and see how cool yours is.

x2! Tom do you take it off so you can seal it to where it can't be seen?

[Magnolia Tom]

Originally Posted by AKRUEBBE

x2! Tom do you take it off so you can seal it to where it can't be seen?

I actually accessed it from the outside kitchen. You need to remove the wall board to do so. That gives a lot easier access to tape up the reflectix. To help hide the reflectix, first staple or tape some black air filter material onto the back of the louver vent

[Chris Wendt]

Thanks Tom, I appreciate the help. Crazy that they let all this cold air go into there.

[Magnolia Tom]

Originally Posted by Chris Wendt

Thanks Tom, I appreciate the help. Crazy that they let all this cold air go into there.

That’s the “heated and cooled” underbelly option, lol!