13.5 to 15 AC upgrade?

[gkurts]

I have a 2018 ACE 30.3 with two 13.5k air conditioners on it. With both running, it cools the rig great. The back one alone cools the bedroom to meat locker temps and will keep the front "so-so" cool. The front alone just doesn't seem to be enough to cool things down like we want, though. We stay at a lot of 30 amp sites so there are times when we can't really crank up both.

Would there be any reason why I can't just swap the front unit out directly for a 15k unit? Everything I've read says it's as easy as a few bolts, a pigtail electrical harness, and some dicor when installing the new one. Anything else? The 50 amp service should be more than adequate to deal with it shouldn't it? Both units are on their own 20 amp breaker so the front circuit should be fine.

Thanks!!

[TurnerFam]

the easiest and cheapest route is to run both of them when you need to, even on 30a service, as long as you are not running much of anything else... the microwave and water heater(when in 'heating' mode) are two that come to mind. You can turn one a/c unit off, or to 'fan only' mode, while needing these other item - plus, you might find that running the second a/c on fan mode will actually help circulate the primary a/c unit's cooling for the whole coach.

[Laco]

The 1.5 BTU difference, I do not believe will make much of a difference. I am running two 13.5's in mine and they do fine. Set your rear AC fairly low, and the front higher, so it only comes on occasionally during the day, unless its very hot outside. Reverse that at night if you need them, while you are in the back of the coach. Both of mine are heat pumps, we do use them for heating too.

[thor293]

Originally Posted by gkurts

I have a 2018 ACE 30.3 with two 13.5k air conditioners on it. With both running, it cools the rig great. The back one alone cools the bedroom to meat locker temps and will keep the front "so-so" cool. The front alone just doesn't seem to be enough to cool things down like we want, though. We stay at a lot of 30 amp sites so there are times when we can't really crank up both.

Would there be any reason why I can't just swap the front unit out directly for a 15k unit? Everything I've read says it's as easy as a few bolts, a pigtail electrical harness, and some dicor when installing the new one. Anything else? The 50 amp service should be more than adequate to deal with it shouldn't it? Both units are on their own 20 amp breaker so the front circuit should be fine.

Thanks!!

It is easy to swap out, 4 bolts hold it down. I have a question though, is your unit already a 50 amp? Did it come with 2 AC's or you installed the second? Edit: I found that you're coach has that option now.
The 15K would run fine on a 20 amp circuit. I installed a second air on mine and put it on a 20 amp circuit no problems.

[gkurts]

It came with 50 amp and two 13.5k units. I've heard mixed reviews.. some people say that there isn't much difference between a 13.5 and 15 but then some say that the 15 works substantially better. I'll probably end up upgrading it just so we have a bit more volume up front. Like I said, you can hang meat in our bedroom (even with two vents closed) and the front is just so-so even with both units running. Then again, it's probably mostly just me because I keep comparing it with a household unit and that's not a good comparison.

[Laco]

The biggest problem cooling an RV, are the thin walls and lack of insulation. That combined with a substantial 'greenhouse effect' creates what is essentially an air conditioning nightmare!

[Bob Denman]

Originally Posted by Laco

The 1.5 BTU difference, I do not believe will make much of a difference.

I agree... The increase in maximum cooling capacity is just a bit over 10%
(11.11%).
Now if you could find some more efficient units that cooled better while using less power:

[Chance]

I would look into possibility of connecting one of the two A/Cs directly to 20-Amp at pedestal while remainder of motorhome is powered from 30-Amp. That way I wouldn't be limited to one A/C.

They may also make a 30+20 adaptor that accomplishes similar result. Something like this may work depending on load distribution in electrical panel.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Camco-RV-...&wl13=&veh=sem

[Oneilkeys]

Originally Posted by Laco

The biggest problem cooling an RV, are the thin walls and lack of insulation. That combined with a substantial 'greenhouse effect' creates what is essentially an air conditioning nightmare!

Right. I found the biggest benefit comes from installing reflective front widow shades, window tinting the side windows, installing inserts in the fan holes and building an insulated cover that fits inside the shower bubble. That and installing a circular vent in the A/C cover and my wife making a full curtain across the front of the Axis increased my cooling to heat input by a lot. I went from uncomfortable on a hot day to being able to comfortably cool the living area even in 90 + weather in South Florida. It was a lot cheaper than changing my 13.5k A/c for a 15 and I think I got a lot more comfort. Keeping the heat out is a lot cheaper, easier and better than just increasing your cooling capacity. The circular vent right under the A/C exhaust also allow you to direct the cool air flow directly onto the couch. Closing or redirecting the rest of the vents and closing the bathroom door to the kitchen helps reduce the cooling area. I don’t need to do all this except in really hot weather in the middle of the day. But when you need to - it’s nice to be able to.