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

31' 2002 Bigfoot Class C w/ducted 13,500, Fulltime SC last 4 years, shade till 1pm and then afternoon sun thereafter

Last few years were ok, struggled some afternoons on the real hot days, but tolerable.

Original efforts to help AC:
1. leather-like windshield/front door windows bra
2. blanket for insulation draped between cab/coach
3. Installed window awnings for windows not shaded by the big awning
4. cut to fit bubble foil insulation for most windows wedged between windows and shades (the rolls Lowes sells that are 24" wide by 17 feet long--cut to fit).
5. cut the bubble foil to cover roof vents when not in use(install from the inside-on the outside roof already had installed the anti-rain covers): 2 fantastic fan vents and the bathroom vent--foil held in place by adhesive velcro (white to match vent housings) so can be easily removed to allow vents to function. yea, it does give that tin foil look on the housing when installed, but that bubble foil insulation is pretty helpful for both hot and cold conditions

This year an early heatwave made clear the AC was beginning to show its age. Still cooling, just couldn't keep up as well on those 90+ degree days even with insulation measures listed above.

couple weeks ago: Installed Frigidaire 8000 BTU window in slide-out LR window. Energy star rated, Weight 48lbs, amps 6.2. Made a small wood bracket for it to sit on to not damage window sill. No permanent fixtures, unit can be easily uninstalled in a few minutes. Unit has a very low profile and fits with the outside window awning extended--so unit is always shaded and practically invisible from the outside. Snaked a high amp contractor 50' extension cord through the slide-out so window unit does not draw on the 30 amp main power cable. Blocked the roof AC ducts to the LR so roof AC cools the bath/BR only. With a regular house-fan to push air back from LR to BR don't even need the roof AC on most days. On the hotter days 95^ + unbearably high SC humidity, window unit continuous with the roof AC cycling on/off 6-8 times/hour and inside temps easily held steady at 72. Very Happy.

Added benefit, haven't tried it yet but I imagine for summer boondocking a single Honda 2000 should have no trouble powering the 8000 AC given its low amperage draw.

Regards,
Jeremy

Neighbor has an older Class A, 1990 or so, and yes, both A/C units feed into the same ducting. It's a 30A coach, so one unit is always off unless the 5500 generator is running.

mlts22 wrote:
...and hopefully the A/C units are ducted in a way that either or both units can push air from all the ducts, so on a cooler day, just one would ne needed.

Now that's a brilliant and logical thing to expect!

I'm curious to find out if ANY RV manufacturer who offers dual air conditioners designs and installs their system that way. :h

One RV builder, Nexus RV, has the option for both a 5500 watt Onan, a 50 amp circuit, and two A/C units. If I went with them, I'd almost certainly go that route, and hopefully the A/C units are ducted in a way that either or both units can push air from all the ducts, so on a cooler day, just one would ne needed.

Our 32 ft. Greyhawk has the 15,000 BTU heat pump A/C. It does well on hot days but I can help it cool better with judicious site selection and shading. For example, I can pull down the window shades if the left side is the sunny side, extend the awning if the right side is in the direct sun, choose a well-shaded site to begin with, or pick a site oriented so neither of the long sides are facing west into the afternoon sun.

Ours is a little smaller, 3 weeks in Louisiana last summer
at my daughters' on the river, we stayed very comfortable.

Most of our camping is done in the south (NC, SC, GA and FL). Our Class is C is 32' 7" long. It's a 31' model. Before that, we had a 31' TT (35' bumper to hitch). We never have had any issues with the single A/C. A good bit of that camping has been done during the summer at the beach without shade.

Then again, we do not find ourself holed up in the RV all day long either. We get out and do things.

Once again I find myself on the same page as Phil (pnichols above). A 13,500 AC is fine in a smaller RV or in a mild climate but when you get over 30' or 90* it simply is not going to get the job done. Since RV's come with wheels there is a good chance you may encounter weather more severe than you find at home.

I have seen a number of 30'+ rigs (A's, C's, TT's and fivers), with a single 13,500 AC. If a builder went that cheap on such a critical system you have to ask "What else did he cheap out on?" The same holds true for heating systems. Lots of 30'+ rigs with far too small of a furnace (often 20,000 BTU or less), to do the job when temps fall. The 35,000 BTU furnace in our 24' C is a beast but it gets the job done. A quality coach should come with heated tanks (or at least be an option), certainly one worth having if you plan to use your coach more than 6 months of the year.

Fortunately as noted above, even inadequate AC's can have their performance enhanced by running the dash air, hanging curtains/window shades, using dehumidifiers,running the generator and coach AC while driving and finding shade where ever possible but.... life is so much simpler when you start out with the right equipment.

As always.... Opinions and YMMV

:C

Believe it or not, keeping warm and cool with the installed appliances in any U.S. conditions is one reason we purchased a small motorhome for just the two of us. Probably just about zero shoppers think of this when buying a new RV. We wanted a completely self-contained rig not limited (much) by outside heat or cold. Winnie supplied built-in block-off curtains for the back bedroom area, cabover bed area, and cab area. Also included were 12V tank heaters and an 18 gallon propane tank for cold weather camping without hookups. The furnace and air conditioning systems are ducted.

By blocking off areas, our 13.5K ducted A/C has so far been able to keep us cool. I just tested it again in the back yard recently ... no problem bringing the interior down to at least to 76 degrees before I stopped the test on a 95+ degree day. We once cooled the interior quickly for lunch by running both the coach and cab A/C in August in the scorching Texas panhandle. The coach A/C maintained it fine from there during the middle of the day.

Of course high humidity can kindof be a different ball game. IMHO, a dehumidifier MUST be part of an RV's equipment mix in the Southern U.S. during the summer, regardless of the size of the air conditioner.

One good thing is while the AC may not be ideal as the afternoon grinds on, it should be plenty at night for sleeping. One strategy could be to plan some outings mid to late afternoon when the AC is struggling the most. The tips posted above are most helpful.