roof mounted ac vs side mounted ac unit

I picked up a small Jayco camper and wish it had come with the 8,000 btu side mount. I am pretty sure it would have run with my 2,000 watt generator and my 13,500 unit will not. Cost me a bigger generator for a little more cooling.

MartinaB wrote:
We are new to TT and looking to buy our first.

Will 5000 btu be enough to cool the space?

Is there a noise issue with the one in the cabinet?

Any 5000 BTU A/C will be inadequate in pretty well any size camper. :( As for noise, get used to it - they're ALL very noisy. :E Some find ducted systems a little less offensive but there aren't many small trailers running ducted systems, they're almost always direct blow. We only use ours if outside temps and humidity are extreme, otherwise we prefer the quiet. :D

I was at the Hershey show this past fall and looking into the smaller trailers and several dealers said to me that the 13,500 roof unit will keep you cool in the summer but the window unit at 5000 btu will not keep up in the high heat. Also there have been a lot of complaints with the window units leaking (including the condensate finding its way in)and in smaller units it sometimes takes up valuable space(like above a frig. I ended up getting a coachmen clipper with the roof unit and am glad I did without worrying to stay cool. Also with the roof units they are placed in the center where you can direct the airflow front to back, how do you direct the airflow from a window unit when its at the front of the trailer?

OP, get the roof mounted AC, without question. Our current camper has a 19ft box with an 8,000 btu side mount AC, and it isn't enough to keep the camper cool; even my wife thinks the camper gets too hot. It's one of the main reasons why I wanted to upgrade campers ASAP.

We have a Grand Design 315RLTS on order with two roof mounted 15k btu ACs. Overkill? Perhaps, but I'll always remember what it felt like to be trapped in a tin sauna with no recourse.

Go for the roof mounted A/C unit. You'll be glad you did if you venture down south.

I think the 5K side mount units are just too weak so if those are your only two choices I'd lean towards the 13K roof mount. The roof mounts are quieter as well. We have an 8K side mount in our small 85" wide Jayco and spend a bit of time in the south west (Southern Utah/Arizona). It does the job but it tends to work pretty hard when it hits 90 and above. I can see why there were a lot of complaints about the 5K units. Starting with the 2014 model year Jayco changed to 8K as the standard side mount on those units.

5k BTU is probably too low but they make 8,10,12k BTU window units that run on 110v so if you measure the space it's likely that you can find a higher capacity replacement if you find you need it. I know that was my plan for the other trailer I was looking at (Amerilite 19DS) that came with an 8k which I had read would be insufficient, I had found a 12k that would fit the factory opening and was just a bit deeper so would only protrude a few inches more.

Unless I lived in Montana or North Dakota, no way I'd depend on a 5,000 BTU to cool anything. My first 5r I added a second a/c in the bedroom and it barely cooled things. Now I have 3 a/c and life is comfortable. I once had a tent trailer that we towed behind our motorcycle. We had a 5,000 BTU and it was useless until the sun went down.

I would choose the roof mount due to more BTUs but the side mount can be run with small generators easily and the replacement should you need it is easy. Under 90 degrees, the side mount should do you fine. Above that, I would want the roof mount.

I would love a wall mounted unit again. If it goes bad you run to walmart and spend $80 on a new one. I hade one a few years back and the noise was not much different the my roof a/c