2nd AC?

[NoodlesWIU]

Hi guys, looking for some advice. After a year and a half of researching, and going back and forth on floor plans, we have finally decided on the ST26BB. My question is, being only a 30' overall bumper to pin trailer, would a second AC be absolute overkill? We are thinking of pre-wiring when we order for 50 amp service, and having a Fantastic Vent fan in the bedroom to start. Would the 15000 BTU main be more than enough to keep us cool, say 70 during the day, and maybe 65-68 at night? We like it cold when we sleep. =)

Or would the additional 13500 unit be absolute overkill if we decided to add it later?

[woodwalker]

I had a 30' thor summit with 1 1500 btu ac and it worked fine except when you closed the bedroom door. in order to keep the bedroom cool you would freeze out the person in the living area. if I had kept it I would have installed one in the bedroom so you could regulate each room separately

[sleepyT]

Tim
I own a CF305SKP Cruiser with a 15,000 BTU ducted A/C unit for the last three years...It has done the job for us so far...

I would say it really would depend on how far South you plan on camping and if you plan to do so mid summer...I am sure that some of our members that live and camp in the South will give you a much better idea...

[campingcpl]

We had a previous trailer that was a 30' and only had one A/C and it seem to work fine. We have dual A/C on our current 5th wheel and hardly ever use the 2nd A/C. The only time we might use it is if we are looking to cool the trailer down faster but if we start the main A/C up early enough we usually don't need the second one.

[travelin texans]

I think your plan to pre-wire it & add the vent is your best plan, that way if you don't need the 2nd a.c. you at least have the fan & adding the the a.c. later would be a snap.

[SeanRN]

I live and camp in New Hampshire. 90% of the time having a 15K A/C is fine. It works hard during the day when it's hot. If we know it is going to be a hot day, we start it early. It's easy to maintain cool than bring down the heat.

We rarely run the A/C at night. We have a saying up here, you know you are camping in NH if you use your heat in the morning and A/C in the afternoon. We do that frequently.

My previous unit is a 40 foot park model with a lot of windows and one 15K BTU a/c unit. It struggles on really hot days, but it isn't tolerable. If I were to add another one it would be to decrease the work of the first one. My new Cruiser has less glass and is probably better insulated which I think will make a difference.

If I were ordering from the factory, I would get it. If I were buying off the lot, I wouldn't bother.

[coastn]

Did exactly what you're contemplating with our 35' 7" Canyon Trail 5er. Spent the month of May in Louisiana last year and am presently in AZ where the temps hit 96 last week. No problems in either case. Don't go to the expense of the 2nd A/C out of the chute.

[TxCowboy]

As you can see, lots of variables about having the second AC.

But here's the bottom line -- get your RV with 50 amps. That means your bedroom will be pre-wired for the second AC is you want it installed later.

Plus, it's good to have the extra amps available for running everything else you'd want to run -- single AC, microwave, fans and vents, televisions, keg beer cooler (), etc.

[Dayle1]

Originally Posted by SeanRN

We rarely run the A/C at night. We have a saying up here, you know you are camping in NH if you use your heat in the morning and A/C in the afternoon.

.

Same thing happens in Tx but during the 6 months from Nov thru April. After that it is AC only.

[OhioMark]

Originally Posted by TxCowboy

As you can see, lots of variables about having the second AC.

But here's the bottom line -- get your RV with 50 amps. That means your bedroom will be pre-wired for the second AC is you want it installed later.

Plus, it's good to have the extra amps available for running everything else you'd want to run -- single AC, microwave, fans and vents, televisions, keg beer cooler (), etc.

X2 on the comment,


Back in 2013, we had our pick of either a 30 or 50 amp service 300BH. We go the 50 amp service knowing we'd never upgrade to a 2nd AC unit, but enjoy running our AC and Micro at the same time in the summer heat.

Also, when we had our previous trailer, we noticed power issues during peak times (brown-outs) on the 30 amp systems when the campgrounds were full. Those power drops really beat up the AC unit. Not really seen that running off the 50 post at the same campground.

[NoodlesWIU]

I was informed by Crossroads that if I opted for the 50 Amp service for 2nd AC prep, that the additional 20 amps would be on a separate circuit completely dedicated to the 2nd AC unit. So even if I have 50 Amp service, all my interior stuff is still running off the 30 Amp circuit. Is that inaccurate?

[OhioMark]

Originally Posted by NoodlesWIU

I was informed by Crossroads that if I opted for the 50 Amp service for 2nd AC prep, that the additional 20 amps would be on a separate circuit completely dedicated to the 2nd AC unit. So even if I have 50 Amp service, all my interior stuff is still running off the 30 Amp circuit. Is that inaccurate?

Sure. The 50 amps at the post is what will prevent you from tripping your power when running a heavy load

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[Hoov7]

Tim that is only partially correct, I think what they were trying to tell you is that the second A/C is on a dedicated 20 AMP circuit. That doesn't mean you only have 30 Amps for everything else. Without getting into a lot of electrical theory basically a 30A trailer has one 110V leg where a 50A has two 110V legs. If you notice a 30 amp plug only has 3 contacts, and a 50 amp has 4. I have attached a picture of our ST32BH breaker panel, you notice that the A/Cs are each on there own dedicated 20A breaker, but when the second A/C is running its only competing with the Converter, water heater, and fire place. Hopes this helps, with all the electronic devices and power draw I believe every trailer should come with 50 Amps.
Feel free to ask any questions.
Marty

[Dayle1]

Here is a simple way to understand the difference. 30 amp service is limited to 30 amps max., but 50 amp service is really two hot wires of 50 amps each or a total of 100 amps. So, it offers more than 3 times the power of a 30 amp setup. The leg with the 2nd A/C will still have an extra 30 amps for other circuits and the other leg will have 50 amps for other circuits. So, ignoring the 2nd A/C, there is still 80 amps available for everything else instead of just 30 amps.

My 50 amp setup even had an unused 20 amp breaker available so I recently added an extra outlet separate from the other outlets.

[NoodlesWIU]

Thanks for the info! I wrongly assumed it was 30 amps on one side and 20 on the other. but it's 50 on each phase, now that's awesome. So, if you wanted to wire a 50 amp outlet at home, would it be two 120V phases requiring 6 AWG wiring?

[cw3jason]

Originally Posted by NoodlesWIU

Thanks for the info! I wrongly assumed it was 30 amps on one side and 20 on the other. but it's 50 on each phase, now that's awesome. So, if you wanted to wire a 50 amp outlet at home, would it be two 120V phases requiring 6 AWG wiring?

Yes a 50amp dual pole breaker. Providing 2 legs of 120v power a neutral and a ground.

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[Papa-T]

Originally Posted by travelin texans

I think your plan to pre-wire it & add the vent is your best plan, that way if you don't need the 2nd a.c. you at least have the fan & adding the the a.c. later would be a snap.

X2 good advice