Forum Discussion

KD4UPL's avatar
KD4UPL
Explorer
Sep 05, 2013

Does a front bath TC block the AC?

I looked at a new Arctic Fox 992 over the weekend. It has the front bath that almost completely blocks off the cabover bedroom. I really like that type of floor plan. The Okanagan DB96 was similar and the Eagle cap 995.
My wife noticed that the AC unit wouldn't really blow any air into the cabover because the bathroom is in the way. We really like having the nice cool air blowing directly on us.
For anyone with a TC floor plan like this, how well does the AC cool the bedroom? Does the air circulate around good enough or does the bed area get hot?
The AF didn't have ducts. Maybe the EC or Okanagan have them.
  • Our Adventurer 910FBS has a front bath and it doesn't block the AC at all. We get plenty of cool air to the cabover, even on low. If anything, it gets too cool. Ours is not thermostat controlled though. It's manually operated.

    We're going to try and get a thermostat that will control both the heat and AC if it's possible.

    You might like the 910FBS floor plan. It's a very nice unit with TONS of storage. Adventurer has lots of nice features that the AF has.
  • I have a Host Everest and the bathroom does block a direct shot at the bedroom. It does have a duct but due to the small thickness of the roof the duct is squished and only conducts a whisper of air. However, I have found adjusting the vent on the front side of the ac (there is one on the rear as well) to direct the air at the bedroom opening, a sufficient volume of air comes into the bedroom and flows in a circular pattern around it. I bought a 12V clip on fan but have never used it. As mentioned, the sound level of the fan on high and the compressor running is very objectionable but it is what it is and life without it in the Kansas heat and humidity would be worse.
  • I have an Okanagan with a forward bath and the AC is ducted. It also has a low and high fan speed on the thermostat.

    Looks like I need to update my sig.

    Bill D
  • Had a Okanagan db 96 ,no prob wih ac direction in it , but it is more center bed acsess than the 992 of eagle cap or the artic fox or there is a reverse layout lance thats simalar, seems like they are all more one side bed acsess , arent they?
    After I bought the Okan I kind of wished I had gone for the Okan 106 model ,similar to the 96db but had a round booth dinette
    When Epps bought eagle cap I was told they would return that model ,but I guess camper sales never improved enough
  • I had 2 Arctic Fox's, 1150 and an 1140. So as to not tick off AF owners, first, I'll say great campers.

    But I hated the AC. Too fast, too loud. You couldn't slow it down, the difference between hi speed and low speed was barely noticeable, and with the AC on, if felt like a mini hurricane, even with the deflector closed. So, that being said, I have a Eagle Cap with the bath in the way, AC works great.

    Not to derail the topic, but before I got my 1150, I also looked at the 992. HUGE bathroom, plenty of room to sit and, umm, read a magazine. The only thing I didn't like about the 992 was the lack of storage.

    Consider outside storage on a 992 when you look at it, and where plan to pack even the bare essentials--
    small bbq
    lawn chairs
    tools
    leveling blocks/lego's
    extension cord
    water hoses
    etc, etc...
  • I have the alpenlite 1150 which has the front bath and the a/c will freeze you out.We run it mostly on low and sometimes have to close the curtain at night.We stayed at a state park in south georgia the first of august with the a/c on low we woke to 60 degree temps.I also like the layout as I feel it divides the space up.The only thing which blocks my a/c is having the bathroom door open.
  • Relating experiences with our 2013 AF996, although it doesn't have the direct air output blocked like the 992 does, we can turn the camper into a meat locker in short order! We've gone from a heat soaked 90+ degrees interior temp (after traveling through the AZ desert at 118 degrees OAT) to a comfortable 75-80 degrees in about 30 minutes. That is an extreme test of the unit as normally when we stop for the night and turn on the A/C we'll be setting it on low or on fan only within about 15-20 minutes. The A/C works very well so I wouldn't be concerned about cooling the cabover. The suggestion regarding a fan is a good one as we often turn off the A/C and use a small oscillating fan to keep the cooled air moving. Hope this helps.
  • use a small fan in the living area, blowing AC into the bedroom.
  • Chalets really the only camper that has ducts for A/C. I've found with cabovers that are kind of covered from A/C blow still get cold, but takes a little longer to get comfortably cold. If you close all blinds that also helps a lot.