Thor Forums

[Chance]

Originally Posted by Beau388

If it gets really hot in the sun, we pull the big slide in in the 31S. This really helps with one 15,000 btu A/C. The coach is quite usable with the big slide in. We have survived in Fort Worth in the full sun at 96 degrees with the interior at 77 degrees at 3pm.

Another option with the 30 amp coach is to replace the front A/C with a Coleman Mach 3PS. It only draws 11.2 amps. Add another Mach 3PS in the rear. The coach is already wired for a second fan in the roof vent and you can use those wires to pull the heavier 12 gauge wires down to the water heater. Use a junction box to join he water heater and A/C wires. Change the 15 amp circuit breaker to a slow-blow 15 amp circuit breaker. The 15 amp circuit breaker should be able to handle the 11 amp load. You just have to remember not to turn the rear A/C on and the electric portion of the water on at the same time. Total cost for parts would be about $1700 and less if you get a good price for your old A/C. This would also allow you to use both A/Cs off the generator. The separate 20 amp pedestal plug is a more elegant solution to the second A/C.

As mentioned previously, that's pretty much what Jayco has done on at least one model, except they use two 11,000-BTU/hr Power Saver air conditioners. And they run it on a 30-Amp service or 4,000-Watt generator. It does require managing loads wisely.

Upgrading from one 15,000 BTU/hr A/C to two 11,000 BTU/hr may not seem like enough, but a 47% increase is quite a bit in air conditioning. I'd personally go that route instead of two 13,500s because it frees up a little more power for other needs. Plus start-up current is a little lower. Additionally, over sizing A/Cs isn't necessarily a good thing because they'll cycle on and off too frequently.