2020 grey wolf TH poor AC

[Hondo99]

AC unit won’t keep trailer cooler than 83 at night !
Any ideas ? I checked top unit every thing looks good!
It can’t cool when full sun and 95 in FL , lol ??

[SoonDockin]

Or maybe look at adding a minisplit. Outdoor unit on the back bumper.

[Hondo99]

Thanks for all info! I may look @ Alliance they are one company now builds full time RVing units , whatever that means, I’ll stick it out but I planned on trading anyways , either end of year or spring ????

[Hondo99]

Thanks for all info! I may look @ Alliance they are one company now builds full time RVing units , whatever that means, I’ll stick it out but I planned on trading anyways , either end of year or spring ????

[Grit_dog]

^Sorry, maybe you missed that I was incorrect and corrected that your AC IS operating properly.
Guess it makes sense to find ya a 50amp camper with dual ACs and possibly one with better insulation if you’re going to continue living in it in extreme conditions.

I did look at a Grey Wolf a couple years ago when we were lookin for a toyhauler. And my opinion was that they were fine, but on the low end for bike quality and amenities.
But that’s a common challenge when using something meant for occasional use (camping) and not all weather, all conditions, all the time.
Good luck in your search.
I’m no expert which are the best or aren’t, in toyhaulers but we got us a 2017 Heartland Torque (in 2021) and it was pretty good quality. Only issues was a slow draining gray tank which I never diagnosed and the “levels” panel pooped out. The water levels quit working.

One thing to consider, maybe. One of the things that made toyhaulers preferable to us was the high ceilings and big open space.
Also a detriment to cooling (yes cool air sinks, but there’s a bigger volume of hot air up top compared to shorter campers. Maybe consider closing off the garage area with something temporary like a floor to ceiling canvas tarp or something. You’ll reduce the effective volume of space to cool? Just an idea.

[Hondo99]

Grit dog wrote:
I realize comprehension is low sometimes on this forum, as I’m the only one who apparently picked up on you saying your AC blowing 70deg air out of it.

So you’re trading in a trailer with a bad air conditioner for one with basically the same unless you go 50A dual AC but with a working AC?
Even if you don’t want to diagnose why your AC is putting out room temp air, if you can use basic hand tools and reconnect 3 wire nuts back to the same wires, you can fix your problem in about an hour just by buying a new AC.
And you can weather proof the stuff a bit for a bit more efficiency just like you’d want to with any RV. Especially if you’re trying to live in a gray sardine can in some of the hottest weather in the country.

This be like the guy who’s gonna spend $2700 for 70ah more battery capacity….why?

30 foot I know the insulation is little, the walls are hot ??

[Grit_dog]

@doug, yup 10-4. Makes sense.
Good to know there’s nothing wrong with the OPs AC other than his whole setup isn’t sufficient in extreme temperatures.

[ktmrfs]

heat gain (or loss) is dominated by wall area, not interior volume. And the greater the interior volume is the smaller the ratio of surface area to volume is.

Trailer has lots of surface area not much volume
Compared to a house, also add in the heat gain through the trailer floor. In a house ground temps is usually pretty constant around 50F no matter where in the country you are. In a trailer temp under the floor is close to outside ambient

Then factor in the window area vs. total area compared to a house.

Then add in the low R factor of trailer walls and windows.

All this adds up to lots of BTU needed to cool a small volume.

But then if you go buy a room AC unit for a house a 13K BTU AC unit is usually only claimed to cool a pretty small room, something similar to a TT but in a place with much higher expected insulating value and fewer windows.

So in a TT you need to be able to move lots of BTU to keep it cool even though the interior volume is small. All driven by physics and construction limitations

Same problem occurs trying to heat a trailer in cold weather. A 30K BTU furnace in my trailer will often barely keep the trailer warm near freezing while and 80K BTU home furnace keeps by 2600 sq ft house nice and toasty at 15F and cycles less than 50%.

[dougrainer]

Grit dog wrote:
^I’ll defer to you as the expert here. I’m certainly not. Nor have I ever put a thermometer to one. And it always feels like the air coming out is far more than 20 deg cooler than ambient (in the camper of course)
Although apparently it is not. Must just feel that way when it’s 95deg out, camper is sitting in full sun, obviously isn’t keeping up with a thermostat setting in the low 70s but feels ice cold if you’re standing right underneath it.
I would have guessed more like 30-40 deg.

So basically there’s nothing wrong except for the OP having a normal (albeit marginal) setup for the extreme Summer heat and humidity in the Deep South.
Well then I agree, if that’s the plan, to cool the inside of a tuna fan in a sauna, go 50amp, dual AC and don’t look back.
Or try to find some shade for less money than the large amount of $ you’ll spend trading a Covid era purchased newer camper on a brand new more expensive one.

I spent years, sometimes working away from home for months at a time, but in the same location generally long enough to rent an apartment or old house with a couple guys on the job. As much as I thought a RV would be the ticket, it never penciled out.
The only way it would pencil out was if I would have had to hotel it. Then a RV would be a little cheaper.
Just something to think about.

Unlike a DASH AC system, the best you can get off a Roof AC system is around 52 to 58 degrees output. But not in very hot weather. Doug

[StirCrazy]

sounds like the AC is working not too bad to me. over 95 out and the air coming out is 70, which means it's colder than that and warming up a bit in the roof system before it gets to the vent.

People expect house ac like performance from these little units, but the plain truth is the rv's are not insulated good enough to let them work well. sure, a lot of the walls are all block foam now which is decent, but the floors, ceilings, and windows are not and while they advertise them as R13 or whatever they probably actually perform as r2 or 3 at best. slides are even worse as there is a gap that is kept closed by two 1/8" chunks of rubber.

I have a large AC on a 39 foot 5th wheel and it won't keep the whole rv cool I have to sacrifice cooling to the front and rear bedrooms by opening the dump on the main unit, so all the cooling goes to the living area, then at night I close that and divert the cooling back to the sleeping areas. does it work that way barely... The better option would be if you are prewired for it is to add a second unit, this would mean you would need a 50-amp power setup if you want to run both at once though. still cheaper than trading in and buying the same issue.

[Grit_dog]

^I’ll defer to you as the expert here. I’m certainly not. Nor have I ever put a thermometer to one. And it always feels like the air coming out is far more than 20 deg cooler than ambient (in the camper of course)
Although apparently it is not. Must just feel that way when it’s 95deg out, camper is sitting in full sun, obviously isn’t keeping up with a thermostat setting in the low 70s but feels ice cold if you’re standing right underneath it.
I would have guessed more like 30-40 deg.

So basically there’s nothing wrong except for the OP having a normal (albeit marginal) setup for the extreme Summer heat and humidity in the Deep South.
Well then I agree, if that’s the plan, to cool the inside of a tuna fan in a sauna, go 50amp, dual AC and don’t look back.
Or try to find some shade for less money than the large amount of $ you’ll spend trading a Covid era purchased newer camper on a brand new more expensive one.

I spent years, sometimes working away from home for months at a time, but in the same location generally long enough to rent an apartment or old house with a couple guys on the job. As much as I thought a RV would be the ticket, it never penciled out.
The only way it would pencil out was if I would have had to hotel it. Then a RV would be a little cheaper.
Just something to think about.

[dougrainer]

Grit dog wrote:
I realize comprehension is low sometimes on this forum, as I’m the only one who apparently picked up on you saying your AC blowing 70deg air out of it.

So you’re trading in a trailer with a bad air conditioner for one with basically the same unless you go 50A dual AC but with a working AC?
Even if you don’t want to diagnose why your AC is putting out room temp air, if you can use basic hand tools and reconnect 3 wire nuts back to the same wires, you can fix your problem in about an hour just by buying a new AC.
And you can weather proof the stuff a bit for a bit more efficiency just like you’d want to with any RV. Especially if you’re trying to live in a gray sardine can in some of the hottest weather in the country.

This be like the guy who’s gonna spend $2700 for 70ah more battery capacity….why?

I saw his post about 70 degrees. He is in 95 plus temps. 1 AC on a large trailer. How cold do you think his output should be? 70 degrees with 83 to 88 input is just about right. RV AC units the temp differential is 18 to 21. So, if you have warm/hot input, then 68 to 70 shows the unit is working as best it can. Yes, he needs an amp draw
on the compressor to verify his units charge. Doug

[Grit_dog]

I realize comprehension is low sometimes on this forum, as I’m the only one who apparently picked up on you saying your AC blowing 70deg air out of it.

So you’re trading in a trailer with a bad air conditioner for one with basically the same unless you go 50A dual AC but with a working AC?
Even if you don’t want to diagnose why your AC is putting out room temp air, if you can use basic hand tools and reconnect 3 wire nuts back to the same wires, you can fix your problem in about an hour just by buying a new AC.
And you can weather proof the stuff a bit for a bit more efficiency just like you’d want to with any RV. Especially if you’re trying to live in a gray sardine can in some of the hottest weather in the country.

This be like the guy who’s gonna spend $2700 for 70ah more battery capacity….why?

[jimh406]

I agree it’s a good idea to pop the cover off and make sure the AC doesn’t have any gaps. There are some options for you to help make the AC run cooler. Those include adding some sun deflection/insulation. Even changing the direction pointed can make a difference. Consider adding tinting to the windows if you don’t have it. Just simple to install film from Home Depot or similar can keep more sun out.

Things we've found to work include sunshade awnings, reflectix in the windows/skylights or covering the skylights. You don't have to leave them in place all day, but they can do a lot to reduce the heat in the hottest part of the day.

Assuming you are an early riser, make sure you cool off the inside as much as possible.

What size TH are we talking about and what size BTU unit? I'd be surprised if one is enough unless it's the short model.

[opnspaces]

Hondo99 wrote:

wa8yxm wrote:
Many RVs simply do not have enough A/C.. But when you say you checked topside. Did you remove the covers and look at the FAN side of the evaporator coils.

Most A/Cs blow air through the condenser so any "Crud" that builds up on the condenser is hidden where you can't see it.

Colemans Suck. so you can easily see that they need cleaning. and it's easier to do.

I’ve already tried! Believe me ! It’s getting traded in over Labor Day weekend, if sales are good ??

I think you're going to find that all the trailers are pretty much the same. They all use the same insulation on 2 inch thick wall. And they all use the same 13,500 or 15,000 BTU AC units. So if you are going to go trailer shopping be aware that a different trailer will probably have the same outcome and you will again be hot and disappointed and out a bunch of money..

If you look at something with more insulation you might like the Northwood Mfg Desert Fox. It may be better insulated but still has only one AC unit so it's going to struggle in the heat. And being a toy hauler it's going to dump all the cold air out if you open that rear door for any reason.

You would probably be better off financially and cooling wise looking into adding a second AC unit to your current trailer.