R values for camping in the heat and second A/C

[johndeerefarmer]

I am looking at a 35-36' fiver and live in Texas. Summers can be upper 90's to 100.
Will a single 15k AC be big enough? If so what R values do I need to be looking for?
Do I need to go with the 13.5K low profile A/C for the bedroom?

If you camp in the heat and have the second A/C how often do you have to use it?- in your personal camping experience?

I like to sleep at around 76 degrees

Thanks

[teamfamily5]

Two for sure we have a nice FW KZ Esclade with two roof airs and they run pretty much non stop on hot days also on mild days you can run the bedroom unit to cool the whole FW keeps it quieter in the living area as the ac Down there is not running

[SailingOn]

Shade helps. Gila window film helps more than I expected. Reflectix helps more still, but blocks all vision. Small fans help. Search out and seal all the gaps - corners of slides, around entry ports for water, power, propane, outside shower; basement. One AC running continuously reduces humidity so low 80's can be tolerable.
Sure, two air conditioners if you can.

[Coach-man]

B.O. Plenty wrote:
There is a big difference in R-values from low end to higher end trailers. The values will be more than double on the roof and floor. Forget the smaller A/c unit for the bedroom. Get the biggest one they can install. You can always turn it down and yes, when it's a hundred outside you will be glad you have it.

B.O.

X2, your money will be well spent with two AC units. In Fla it is more about the humidity, but I would not have a FW with only one AC! As stated in a rig the size you are contemplating there will be next to no air flow at the front from the rear unit. Second unit will help keep the whole trailer comfortable without having to run them at max 12 hours a day!

[Allworth]

By the way: 9,000 BUT IS available in low profile.

Coleman Polar Cub

Avail for about $600 from AdventureRV or PPL Motorhomes.


If you are in Texas, PPL is in Houston and a couple of other places.

[GrumpyandGrandm]

Also a big factor what color is the FW?

[NJRVer]

Better to have two A/C's and maybe use them, than to have one A/C and wish you had another.

[sdianel_-acct_c]

yes you need 2 AC's.I would also look for a better insulated unit since it will also help in the winter. We have a 33' well insulated class A and lost our front AC while in the southwest. We finally caved and got a new one in Las Vegas.

[Golden_HVAC]

Two air conditioners will allow the compressors to shut off for a few minutes each hour. and you will be able to set the temperature at 75 inside if you like, but with only 1, you might set it at 75, but if it happens to be 85, you might not reach 75 until after midnight.

Fred.

[milkman41]

If you are anywhere near Houston in the summer you'll need two.

[TXiceman]

Pretty much any RV that is 30' or longer in Texas summers should have TWO A/C units. When you are up to the 34' and up range, it needs two 15,000 BTUH.

Unless you can get a spot in the shade from about Noon on, you will want to keep shades over the windows and cover them with the Reflectix material.

Summers in Texas can be brutal unless you have a well insulated RV and plenty of A/C.

Ken

[sayoung]

It depends on what part of Tx you plan to camp the most.here in east Tx piney woods with humidity soaring along with the heat,2 ac's a must.we don't run the bedroom when sleeping for the noise.

[Dayle1]

Forget R values, they mean nothing. More on that later. I've spent plenty of time camped in 100+ temps and got by with a single 15k btu A/C. But by getting by, I mean mid day temps inside the RV around 80 degrees and the A/C running non-stop til around 9 or 10 pm. And that was in smaller fivers than you are talking about. So, definitely get the 2nd A/C and if you want low profile, you can't get anything less than 13.5k btu anyway. I recently added the 2nd A/C and it has made a difference, ez to keep inside temps in the low 70's.

The second most important item for comfort is dual pane windows, not some claimed R value. As already stated, with very few exceptions, wall thickness is 2 inches, which flat out limits R value to around 7 for the walls. And RVs have a higher percentage of wall area devoted to windows compared to a S&B house, so dual pane windows will have a greater benefit in an RV than they do in a house.

RVs also have a higher percentage of door/window seal area compared to a house and seals have almost zero R value. The slide seals are a big insulation weakness in an RV as the gap between slide out and main wall are huge compared to anything on a S&B.

But the biggest confusion are the manufacturer's claimed R values. Most use theoretical values and/or best case values, not actual or average values. Almost everyone uses some type of Reflectix foil, but they rarely provide the dead air space required to achieve the claimed R value. Foil insulation works by reflecting IR rays from the sun or other reflecting surfaces, not a big benefit in floors or slide out floors. Also, the huge R values claimed for the floors are for the floor area between the main frame rails, but about 25% of the floor is outside the frame rails and has much less insulation. Finally, some of that claimed floor insulation is along the bottom of the frame rails, yet the frame rails are steel and uninsulated.

[lillyputz]

I was in Las Vegas this last summer. The high temps for the week were 104 to 117. No shade trees or grass, just gravel and asphalt. With both A/Cs going and ceiling fan. The warmest the living area got was 78. the bedroom was 76. this was on the 117 degree day. had to shut the A/Cs off at night as it got to cold in the bedroom. I was impressed.

Lillyputz

[johndeerefarmer]

Thanks for the replies