Need advice on 2nd Air

[nguyenbio]

I am having a second air conditioner put into the bedroom of our fifth wheel. Should we attempt to tie into ducts our just dump it into the bedroom.
Please give me pros and cons of each scenario from real world experiences.
All advice is appreciated

Thanks!
Joe

[nguyenbio]

Thanks for all the advice and opinions. For those of you that had it dump into the bedroom, did you notice an overall improvement in the entire interior of the coach versus having only one main one trying to cool the entire unit? Do you feel with the bedroom door open, the bedroom air actually help cool the coach better?

[dennis1949]

Had second ac added in bedroom. It dumps into the room. Was too much hassle and cost to much to tie it into duct work. After dark we turn it off and open vents for main ac. keeps bedroom cool at night

[Dayle1]

My unit was wired for a 2nd AC and the ducting was available as well. However, I opted for a non-ducted model. Reason, the factory ducting was really inadequate for dual ACs, there were just 5 outlets total and only 3 on the duct that was common to both units. So I was concerned that the two units running at the same time on the same duct would suffer with restricted air flow.

Instead, I have plenty of options. For rapid cool down, I can run both units at the same time with the main unit on Quick Cool. Later, I can switch the main unit back to ducted and let each unit cycle as needed. And at night, the bedroom unit can be switched off yet the main unit will still quietly keep the bedroom cool. Both units are still controlled from a single thermostat so it is ez to set up which unit provides majority of cooling when the rig is at a comfortable temp.

IMO you need to determine the factory ducting is actually adequate for dual units before deciding to add a 2nd ducted unit.

[Bumpyroad]

I added a smaller second AC in the bedroom of my bounder. not ducted.
bumpy

[Bamaman11]

My rear a/c has a remote controlled thermostat. I'm going to use the same a/c unit on the front bedroom, as ducting and wiring is often already installed.

A separate remote control will work up there on the thermostat.

[cdlaine]

As Jim indicates...too much hassle for us...added the 13.5 BTU
to the front. Will live with it... noise may be an issue for some.
But, when it is > 100 degrees outside , we will take the noise. We
did like the Fantastic Fan (that was is the slot..) so had it moved to the bathroom.

If I had a do-over , I would have purchased factory installed , wall controlled (the
control knobs are inconvienent over the bed) ,ducted, 2nd unit to the front bedroom.
Next time.

Us desert dwellers should be smarter then that... live and learn.

Charles

[wildtoad]

Are you sure the ducts aren't already in place? My mh is prewired for the second ac. Currently there is just a vent there. Took the vent off one day to clean stuff and the ducting was already there.

[Jim-Linda]

If your trailer does not currently have ducting plumbed to the front AC position, it will be a pain to do so. Removing ceiling panels, etc. I would contact factory with VIN# and ask about duct routing.

Jim

[Golden_HVAC]

PawPaw_n_Gram wrote:
I purposely purchased my rig with two ACs - both feed into the same duct work.

Some days we can run the bedroom AC to cool the whole trailer, and the sound level in the living room is minimal.

Some nights we run the living room AC to cool the whole trailer, and the sound level in the bedroom is minimal.

And when it hits over 100 degrees - both run based on the temps at their individual thermostats.

Tying into the duct work gives you options. Not doing so makes it impossible for either AC to cool the whole rig somewhat effectively. It reduces your options for various situations.

X2

I would never want a non-ducted air, my ducted air is so much quieter than my old A/C unit was.

You might not need a second 13,500 Btu air conditioner, you did not state your size, of if you camp on 100+ days. But there are not to many rooftop A/C units that are less than 13,500 Btu's.

Good luck!

Fred.

[PawPaw_n_Gram]

I purposely purchased my rig with two ACs - both feed into the same duct work.

Some days we can run the bedroom AC to cool the whole trailer, and the sound level in the living room is minimal.

Some nights we run the living room AC to cool the whole trailer, and the sound level in the bedroom is minimal.

And when it hits over 100 degrees - both run based on the temps at their individual thermostats.

Tying into the duct work gives you options. Not doing so makes it impossible for either AC to cool the whole rig somewhat effectively. It reduces your options for various situations.