New Rockwood 2910 TS AC not cooling enough

[bradg]

I just purchased a new Rockwood 2910 TS with the upgraded 15,000 BTU AC unit (standard was 13,500). On my first trip out it wasn't cooling well and the dealer checked it and replaced the unit.
On my second trip, I went to the coast and the daytime temps were a high of 87 (high humidity). The first day it never got that cold (probably the fact we arrived at 11:00 AM was a factor).
That night it got pretty cool in the trailer. But the next morning by noon, it was getting warm inside.
Put a thermometer on the ducts when opened below AC and the air was coming out about 65. When those were closed so its pushing through the ducts, those temps are just several degrees warmer.
But the temps in the trailer went up to about 80-82. The outside temps, was in the high 80's or close to 90.
I would expect the 29 foot trailer to cool down better that that with the upgraded AC. Can't imagine what will happen in 100 degree summer heat.
Has anyone else seen this with the Rockwoods?
Should it have 2 units for a 29 foot trailer?
It's wired for 30 amp, so a 2nd besides adding some weight to the front would require some rewiring.
Am I expecting too much?

[dadmomh]

The thought of the 8000 in the bedroom - or wherever you think is best - sounds interesting. Somewhere in the deep corner of my mind, I seem to remember seeing a small A/C that replaced a power vent with power already to the spot...just remove the vent and put in the A/C....might be worth checking into. I could be wrong - it's been known to happen.

The price quoted from the dealer seems awfully steep. Is this the dealer you purchased from? Believe I'd check other dealers in the area, even if they're not necessarily a Rockwood dealer. Did your dealer break down why the labor costs were so steep? Seems like a second opinion is needed here.

[bradg]

Oklahoma Green Country - I would be happy with upper 70's (77 or 78). My concern is that I was in the low 80's when the outside temp was < 90. Can't imagine what it will be like when it's 100.

[bradg]

The Rockwood 2910 TS has a 30 Amp circuit. To add a 2nd AC, you put if over the front BR and not hook it into the ducts. That would work fine. But, the dealer gave me a price of about $3,300 for a 13.5 BTU unit. The parts was about about $1700 (AC Unit about $625, the remaining parts were circuit box, wiring, etc. The labor was $1400. They would wire through the internal walls and make a 50 amp circuit.
I don't know why Rockwood didn't wire it initially to 50 amp.
My thought was whether you could put the unit in the same spot on the roof and run the electrical on the outside and just leave it as 2 30 amp circuits. Then you could come off the two 30 amp plugs into a "Y" adapter that had 2 30 amp females to a 50 amp mail. I think the cost would be cut to $750 for the AC and several $100 for labor.
Any thoughts?

[tatest]

In humid parts of Texas (Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, etc) in a RV that size, particularly a "lightweight" with thinner walls and single glass, one A/C unit, even a 15,000, will not keep the unit as cool in full sunlight as many people accustomed to climate control would like it to be. The loads, heat from sunlight and heat of evaporation of the water, are just too great for the available cooling power.

Same capacity works fine in those places where heat loads are less. A box parked in the woods in northern Minnesota or on the Northwest coast might get away with 6000 BTU/HR but take the same rig to San Antonio in August and you might need 40,000. Installing 13,500 to 15,000, or 30,000 in two units, is a compromise between cooling needed and practicality of powering the A/C from a campground post. Definitely also a matter of economics, you target an "average" climate rather than try to make everybody buying a RV pay for suitability to "worst case" conditions.

Second A/C, 13.5 or 15, maybe even 8K (which will power from a 15A circuit) might be enough to get you where you want to be, or maybe not. Depends on whether you are trying for low 80s, mid 70s, or mid 60s like inside a Texas shopping mall.

[dadmomh]

We also have a Rockwood, the 2604, and have the 15,000 A/C. Also in TN where "trees" are actually more than 8' tall. We always camp with at least partial shade and I'd bet that is making the difference. We set our thermostat about 78 give or take and it's plenty cool....sometimes TOO cool.

With our ROO 23SS with the 13,500, with the partial shade we never had a problem cooling even with the canvas bunkends. A trip to Vicksburg, MS left us able to SEE a tree, but that was it and we could not get it cooler than 85 in the daytime. Once the sun went down, the ROO cooled off pretty quickly.

If you haven't tried it, you might see if an oscillating fan would help. We tried that with the ROO on that Vicksburg trip and it did nothing, but maybe you'll be luckier.

Granted, your TT is larger than ours, but I would think the 15,000 should keep it comfortable. Betting your problem is the extreme heat and lack of shade. Any chance an extra A/C can be added after the fact??

[Caveman_Charlie]

Modern AC's suck.

[bradg]

Construction is Fiberglass laminated side walls, with Aluminum Frame. Vacuum-bonded laminated construction. Insulation factors are R-7 side walls, R-12 Floor and R-14 Ceiling. Roof is Vinyl/Rubber Composite Membrane.

[LakeN]

Just camped in high 80s with our single unit 15k btu, 31 ft. unit stayed cool. we have white roof + mocha exterior, 1 slide. we do have composite construction which is reputed to have good insulation. check your specs regarding insulation.

[WandaLust2]

We're in TN where summers are hot and humid. We only camp where we can find shady places which are in the COEs and SPs. The A/C in our 28' NT-BRS is adequate for the hottest days. I don't know if we could or should expect to be as comfy in our RVs as we are at home. My TT is white with a white roof.

[Sandia_Man]

Well that Texas heat and humidity can do that to most RVs, I know when we camped San Antonio and South Padre the AC had to run 24/7, arrival day it would finally catch up in the late evening, and as long as we never turned it off it kept our 32' rig comfortable over the rest of the stay. FR states your rig's length at nearly 34', plus all the slide-outs adds to the difficulty your AC encounters trying to cool down a large TT. I use a temp gun to monitor difference of incoming and outgoing air from our AC unit, usually see a 25 degree difference but it still takes some time for it to cool the entire interior of our rig.

[carringb]

I had a single 15k BTU unit on my Weekend warrior, which was 41' total (37' box) with a small slideout. It had no problem keeping the trailer cool even in hot humid summer in Charlotte, NC. The trailer seemed to be well insulated however, with the exception of the slideout and ramp door. I would have to pull the slide in during extreme lows in the winter, but never had to in the summer.

Does your unit have the tan exterior? If yes, that is no doubt a factor. Even though isn't very dark, it will still absorb a lot more heat than white. I also noticed that many new trailers have tan roof membrane now.

I almost bought a new Outback with the Mocha exterior, tan roof, and black front cap. I'm glad I didn't, even though the color scheme looks really sharp. So far I've been on two trips with my new Creekside, which is all white, and even when its 90F outside it stays cool enough inside I have not needed to run the A/C yet.

[ScottG]

Measure the temp of the air going in and coming out of the AC. A 16~21 degree drop is the best they can do. If it's doing that then you need more AC.

[OpenRangePullen]

With my experiences with a 2011 Thor Fourwinds 25c (sold), It had a 13.5k on it and in 100* heat with the AC blowing it was hard to get it below 80, But I was out in the open on a sunny day, shade plays a big factor. Now with my 5th wheel with just 2 units running (15k&13.5k) in my 40 footer which is also out in the open it can hold the at 78* and still cycle on and off. And if thats not enough I can always start up the 3rd 13.5k that I installed on my bunk house. But a 15k on a 29 footer, sounds like it should get under 80. Does it have a dark colored roof or walls.