So we bought a new TT in Dec....it only has one AC unit...when going through the buying process the sales person did not even mention adding a second one and honestly I didn't even think about it.I ran into someone on another forum that had the same model and they had two AC units. Oh well...next time I'll know.In the mean time I've noticed that during the day it will run constantly...even when set to 80 degrees....not surprising since I'm in Texas. So the question is can the constant running hurt the AC unit? In the day when we are not there I turn it up to even higher than 80 degrees or sometimes to off....at night is about the only time it will get a break otherwise.Also how much would it cost for a second AC unit to be installed....what all would go into that? I have 30amp service so honestly I'm not even sure I could run two.

In the heat of the day it will run all the time, unless you have plenty of shade, have all the windows covered, and keep the doors closed as much as possible. The units are designed to run. Much better that starting and stopping.My mh is wired for two units but we only have one. Even if we had two we could only run one at a time. Some 30 amp units have a power management system that will allow two units to run at the same time.

Covering all the windows, vents and skylights.Parking the RV in reference to the setting sun when it is the hottest. If at all possible nose into the setting sun so the sun is not beating on the 'whole side' of your RV for several hours at a time. Or if you can't then turn the RV around so the awning side is facing the afternoon sun and put awning out and lower to lowest position to block the sun.All these things DO reduce the temp inside your RV by sometimes 20 degrees.These are important things to consider when parking in hot and humid regions. Makes a BIG difference how hard your AC has to work.

No harm. It is a machine designed to run continuous. It does not get tired like people do.

let it runless trouble than starting stopping restarthead pressure on the compressor, is the big load grabber and problem makerlet it run is easier on the A/C compressor

It is made to run. I live in Austin, and until 9:00, that compressor will be buzzing away.My recommendation are similar to the above:1: Reflectix in the windows. There are insulated "pillows" which are made to be shoved into skylights and vents. You will have to take your pocketknife and make a slit for the crank.2: Turn the A/C on early in the morning, so it isn't trying to catch up all day.3: Run fans. Ducted A/C is good, but a couple "O2Cool" fans will even further distribute the air.4: Check your line voltage. If it isn't up to spec, consider an autoformer.

Almost constant running AC unit | Good Sam Community

30 Replies

CakeHenn
Explorer
Jul 17, 2013
Well my overall concern was the AC was constantly running so if that's not an issue I'm actually fine on it's performance.
wbwood
Explorer
Jul 17, 2013
Are you opening up the blast vents during the hot part of the day? We found that to help some.
CakeHenn
Explorer
Jul 17, 2013
It's a 15 BTU.
dodge_guy
Explorer II
Jul 17, 2013
You didn`t say, but do you have a 13.5k or 15k BTU A/C unit? most come with 13.5k BTU. you could have it upgraded to a 15k BTU and it will not work as hard trying to cool and be cooler on top of it.
wbwood
Explorer
Jul 17, 2013
The ac in the 31' tt we had would freeze us out and it was only one unit. I would say to get another ac if you are worried about it. But if you are in the sun, then yes it will run a lot. With the motorhome(also 31') it would continuously ran until night time while at the beach. During the day it would only get to about 87 degrees at the most, but we were in direct sun.

I'm against covering the windows with things like reflectix. I want light coming into the camper and don't like the look of it in windows on the outside. Sme have also reported issues with certain windows and reflectix.
CakeHenn
Explorer
Jul 16, 2013
JJBIRISH wrote:
the picture you want is when one of those tarps has about 400 pounds of water hanging above your PU or tent…

HAHA yeah that would be a sight to see. But then again you can angle a tarp so rain runs off or take it down.
JJBIRISH
Explorer
Jul 16, 2013
the picture you want is when one of those tarps has about 400 pounds of water hanging above your PU or tent…
CakeHenn
Explorer
Jul 16, 2013
Again thanks for the replies. One cool thing we saw last weekend was done by campers in a pop up. We were at a state park with a decent amount of trees. The pop up campers had a huge tarp tied at all four corners above their pop up...so they completely shaded their pop up. I did not really inspected it but they probably put in some work getting it high enough. But wow...it really worked for them well!

This is really not practical for most people on here since like me your RV is probably much larger than could be shaded by one tarp...but still...even one tarp could shade half or more of a larger RV. The other thing is you pretty much have to have places you could tie up to that are high enough....I know that's not possible at a lot of spots.

Now I wish I would have taken a picture. It's funny one of the things I enjoy when we are camping is just walking around and looking at other peoples RVs and the ways they are set up. There are some smart people out there....and then there are people like me that just steal their good ideas haha.
jcthorne
Explorer
Jul 16, 2013
Jack_Diane_Freedom wrote:
Also set it to run on continuous fan not on auto. It will be more efficient when it catches up and keep the cool air circulating. We do this in our sticks and bricks also.

While it may help circulate air when the AC is not needed, it is NOT more efficient. As in this uses more electricity for the same amount of cooling that using the auto fan. Its not just the additional fan motor run time either. When the compressor stops and the fan continues to run, the water that has condensed on the evap coil now evaporates into the moving air stream rather than draining out. This water is now back in the air in the motorhome and must be condensed out again. Humidity removal is a LARGE part of the ac load in southern climates.

Using the auto fan is more efficient way to cool.
John_S_
Explorer II
Jul 16, 2013
mlts22 wrote:
It is made to run. I live in Austin, and until 9:00, that compressor will be buzzing away.

My recommendation are similar to the above:

1: Reflectix in the windows. There are insulated "pillows" which are made to be shoved into skylights and vents. You will have to take your pocketknife and make a slit for the crank.

2: Turn the A/C on early in the morning, so it isn't trying to catch up all day.

3: Run fans. Ducted A/C is good, but a couple "O2Cool" fans will even further distribute the air.

4: Check your line voltage. If it isn't up to spec, consider an autoformer.

Well said.