Newbies from Corpus Christi, TX
Hi everyone, So glad we found this website! We just bought our first camper ever, a Jayco Baja 10y, and we are super stoked!!! We just bought the camper from Wisconsin and some family members of mi...
Forum Discussion
My experience with RV-type, roof-mount A/C units, although limited, has not been a good one, particularly in areas where there is considerable humidity. Our gently-used Viking came with an 11K BTU Dometic DuoTherm on it, and it was fine here in Arizona... fine, that is, until the temps topped 95°, and then it really struggled.
We took a trip over to the coast, up around Big Sur, and although the temps stayed in the mid-80s, the humidity was surprisingly high for the week we were there, and again, while there was a cool stream of air directly beneath the unti, the DuoTherm was hard-pressed to keep the entire interior comfortable, especially in our bunk area at night.
We did a little research and discovered that Dometic makes a heartier 15K model for about $900, but having just bought the PUP, we really didn't want to spend that much. Plus, the bigger model weighs more and takes up more space up there on the roof. We also discovered that a ±75 pound roof-mount unit, besides requiring a bit more elbow grease to crank-up the pop-up, interferes with the ability to use the center rear-view mirror, and extended side-views just seem to be a bit of over-kill for a pop-up.
Anyway, we removed the roof-mount unit and filled the hole with an awesome, light-weight, low-profile, 2-way, 3-speed fan / skylight that runs on 12V, and bought a 5K BTU portable window A/C unit that's smaller and lighter than a mid-size microwave that we can mount on foldable sawhorses right outside the screened window in our bunk area - it's just us and a Chihuahua... no kids. It's quiet, cools us off when and where we need it, and it runs perfectly off our little 1KW generator. Bottom line... we're kinda lovin' it.
I'll follow this thread with interest to see what you decide, and how "extreme" your husband gets with the solution... because I know one thing you'll have to deal with anywhere along that gorgeous Gulf Coast is humidity!
We took a trip over to the coast, up around Big Sur, and although the temps stayed in the mid-80s, the humidity was surprisingly high for the week we were there, and again, while there was a cool stream of air directly beneath the unti, the DuoTherm was hard-pressed to keep the entire interior comfortable, especially in our bunk area at night.
We did a little research and discovered that Dometic makes a heartier 15K model for about $900, but having just bought the PUP, we really didn't want to spend that much. Plus, the bigger model weighs more and takes up more space up there on the roof. We also discovered that a ±75 pound roof-mount unit, besides requiring a bit more elbow grease to crank-up the pop-up, interferes with the ability to use the center rear-view mirror, and extended side-views just seem to be a bit of over-kill for a pop-up.
Anyway, we removed the roof-mount unit and filled the hole with an awesome, light-weight, low-profile, 2-way, 3-speed fan / skylight that runs on 12V, and bought a 5K BTU portable window A/C unit that's smaller and lighter than a mid-size microwave that we can mount on foldable sawhorses right outside the screened window in our bunk area - it's just us and a Chihuahua... no kids. It's quiet, cools us off when and where we need it, and it runs perfectly off our little 1KW generator. Bottom line... we're kinda lovin' it.
I'll follow this thread with interest to see what you decide, and how "extreme" your husband gets with the solution... because I know one thing you'll have to deal with anywhere along that gorgeous Gulf Coast is humidity!
