difference between ducted & non-ducted A/C

I think it depends upon how well the ducting is done.

It has to be well insulated so you don't lose heat to the roof, and the ducts have to be big enough and well designed so you get good air flow through out the trailer.

From what I'm reading here, a cheap or poorly designed ducted system is worse than a unducted one.

Our current 24' trailer is unducted. It cools the whole trailer down well, but it's like living in a wind tunnel when it's on; noisy and windy. We're looking at larger trailers and a good ducted A/C is at the top of our list of essentials.

Visit a dealer that has the trailers plugged in on a hot day and try the A/C. We did that at LazyDays in Tampa Fl and were sold on the ducted A/C in a Laredo 240MK. Like many, it allowed you adjust the air flow to the ducts or directly into the main cabin.

Like a few folks, I also converted my AC duct TT to a non-duct system by removing its chamber plate. A few screws and the AC now only blows air into our TT's main open floor area. Much better than trying to push air through small air ducts in the attic. IMO, our TT gets cooler much faster. One of the best mods I've done to my TT.

I run one ducted and one non ducted (it had the option to be ducted as the ducts are in place) Both are 15k, the ducted runs the rear bedroom and moves forward into the bathroom and kitchen with two final vents by the living room. By the time the air hits the living area the air flow is paltry, the second unit is in the kitchen area and between the two they do well in 112 temps already encountered. After the sun goes down usually the louder unducted unit can be shut off and the much quieter ducted can handle the trailer (~40' with 5 slides)

jamnw wrote:
Mine has ducted and honestly they are not very good.
Now my unit also has vents at the bottom of the unit I can open which dumps all the air into the TT and not into the ducts.

My ducts are run thru the ceiling, and I believe they are probably smashed going to my bedroom, cause I get little to no air out of it. My back ones going to the bathroom and my bunks blow very well.

Don't get me wrong, my AC cools my 28ft TT well.

Same story here. It just doesn't work very well and I suspect a lot of "cool" is lost in the hot attic.
For a smaller trailer I would rather have non-ducted again.

Ours is ducted. It works great. You can close the doors to either bedroom and hang meat in them, or in the main living area for that matter. If the TT is open front to rear, I figure you could get by with the non-ducted AC, but if it has separate quarters, ducted is the way to go.

Yes, having a vent over your bed on a hot day is priceless.

Mine has ducted and honestly they are not very good.
Now my unit also has vents at the bottom of the unit I can open which dumps all the air into the TT and not into the ducts.

My ducts are run thru the ceiling, and I believe they are probably smashed going to my bedroom, cause I get little to no air out of it. My back ones going to the bathroom and my bunks blow very well.

Don't get me wrong, my AC cools my 28ft TT well.

Non-ducted only cools you if you are directly under the AC.

Ducted is an indicator of overall unit value.

Bill

depends on the trailer layout. If the trailer as a seperate living/sleeping quarters the ducted air will get air to the bedroom through the ducts. if it is un ducted, all the air will exit the AC into the area around the AC and may not cool the bedroom very well.

If there really aren't seperate living/sleeping quarters it may not make as much difference.

Also, ducted air will feel a little less "drafty" IMHO. Most ducted unit will also let you open the main exit just like unducted air to rapidly cool the area around the AC if desired.

More even air distribution with a ducted system and they also seem to produce a little less noise.