Forum Discussion

l_j_f_'s avatar
l_j_f_
Explorer
Jul 03, 2015

32 ft class c a/c in the southern temps.

I Was wondering if any class c owner with a 32FT RV, if the one A/C keep the rv COOL in the summer temps in the south with high humidity
  • j-d's avatar
    j-d
    Explorer II
    What klutch said. Covering the windshield and blanketing the cockpit off makes a huge difference. Didn't think to mention that. We close the cockpit off with an old Army blanket that's about bulletproof. Then another blanket over the opening up to the cabover. But for most use, we have a screen made of "privacy screen" that's patterned from our vinyl ADCO windshield cover. Just that darkness keeps some of the heat from reflecting off the dashboard. And we can still see out.

    I guess some of this borders on the theoretical/academic. It's possible that some Class C builders offer 50-Amp shore tie but I haven't seen one. Super C and Class A, 50A, sure. 30A won't run two A/C units unless you install a load shedder, to make sure only one is running at a time. That sort of defeats the purpose of two A/C's. Also, the biggest rooftop A/C is 15000. They run on a 20A circuit in the coach, but they max a 30A service out because there are always other electrical loads, like the Converter/Charger, running.

    My point in this is that a 32-ft, 30-Amp Class C, with 15000 A/C, is at the upper limit of every parameter. Some very hot days may not turn out ideal.
  • Bakersfield ca. for 4 days, daytime temps 109*. Covering the windshield is a must and a huge plus, also closed the bedroom off and kept all

    shades on the dark side, 30ft. Itasca Cambria with ducted air. Ended up turning off air as it would recover rather nicely.
  • One option might, if there is space, a portable A/C venting out a window. This won't happen on a 30A circuit... but with some rigs, you might be able to snake a high amperage 20A cord out to plug into the pedestal to keep the secondary A/C going.
  • Our rig is 31 ft with no slides. We drove until midnight and stopped at a Walmart. By 3AM we were cold (kids had turned the thermostat down to 65 earlier when the A/C was struggling. Good point regarding the heat loss while driving- I had thought about that, wondering if that played a factor.

    It also in the mid to high 90's from N Carolina to Florida.

    My ducted system has the option to close the ducts and force all the air out of the main unit, I find that it helped the middle kitchen area but offers no air in rear bedroom, bath, or front couch area. Both have advantages and disantavages.
  • j-d's avatar
    j-d
    Explorer II
    5Maine, is your 31-ft a Slide Coach? Our 31 is not. I can see where slides create more volume to cool as well as more surface to have heat loss let alone more air leaks. Also we're a party of two. I looked up how many BTU's our bodies put out. Seems to be about 350, but I think that's at rest. A youth program director I knew thought 750/teenager was more accurate. Were you driving till 0300, or set up on a site and A/C still couldn't catch up? A moving RV has tons of heat transfer. Very hard to beat the losses driving highway speed in beating sun.
    Although I often wish our A/C was ducted instead of just blowing out of both ends of one cabinet, I've come to believe it's more efficient/effective than ducted. Less resistance to the air flow and that flowing air isn't buried in that hot area between ceiling and roof.
    When we beach camp, there is no shade for a 14-hour day. We make it, shades down, sometimes awning up on one side. Can't microwave with A/C running. Usually can run toaster --OR-- coffee maker. Water heater has to be LPG during the day, but I can run it from bedtime till breakfast and the water's hot enough to do dishes all day.
  • Similar experiences with ours. A big key is covering cab windows especially if getting hit with sunlight. Being under a nice shade tree helps too.
  • I can speak from experience having just returned homered days ago from a 14 day trip down to FL and back up thru the Blue Ridge Highway: Our ducted 15K A/C in our 31 ft class C can keep up but once the heat sets in it could not catch up. We- being from Maine- have always been able to keep the living area of the coach comfortable while driving w/ the cab A/C. As we got down towards N. Carolina the the kids began commenting how hot it was getting in the living area of the coach- although we then turned on the generator and A/C the coach never completely cooled down until 3AM---- the A/C was then able to keep up. We had all the shades pulled down.
  • If you arrive with the "C" pre-cooled via the engine A/C and the house A/C you should be fine for a few days being diligent about keeping doors closed.
  • If 15000 and in shade yes. If smaller or in sun no.
  • j-d's avatar
    j-d
    Explorer II
    Our "31" is 32-ft bumper to bumper. Has a single 15000-BTU non-ducted Coleman Mach. It JUST does it. Also makes the coach an energy hog. It's about all we can run in the heat of the day when everybody else is running theirs full time and the campground voltage dips. We're satisfied with the upper 70's and always run on High Fan. On Low, it'll frost up in the FL beach humidity.
    But in direct answer, YES, if it's 15000. I don't think the 13500 units would handle that size coach.