How well does your Racetrack Ducting work?

[KamFlyer]

Our 2019 Solitude 374TH has 2 A/C units and the Racetrack Ducting. We are finding that if the rear A/C unit is running with all rear vents closed, we feel almost no air flow from the front vents. The opposite is also true. I can understand some airflow reduction from friction and turbulence but it is acting like the ducts are disconnected.
Those of you with similar rigs, what do you see as normal airflow from the opposite end A/C's or is this what I should expect?
Thanks -Rob-

[Tom in PGH]

Not familiar with your rig, but we have a 303, 2 a/c and racetrack. We have used it quite a bit by turning on the bedroom unit when sitting in the living room, and by turning on the living room when we go to bed. Seems to work quite well, as it cools things down and keeps the noise to the other end of the trailer from where we are.

[Cate&Rob]

KamFlyer
Hi Rob

Another comment from a 303 owner (likeTom in PGH) . . .
The ductwork is “designed” to move air from one end of the RV to the other. Ours works well as described by Tom. We have just the original rear AC, but this cools the front of the RV with airflow that we can feel out of the front vents. This is with all the other vents along the way open as well. From your description, there is something “not right” with your duct system. There have also been documented problems with the baffle between the intake and output sides of the AC unit being loose or out of place.

(another) Rob

[KamFlyer]

OK, that's the kind of feedback I was looking for.
We have a hit list for things to have attended to before the warranty runs out. This just got added to the list
Thanks

[ThePowells]

There is a video from Getaway Couple where he was installing some type of dome shaped piece in the ducting directly above the vent. It seems to disrupt the air flow and direct some more out of the vent.

[howson]

OK, that's the kind of feedback I was looking for.
We have a hit list for things to have attended to before the warranty runs out. This just got added to the list
Thanks

Chad shows a few things you can check in the his a/c maintenance video if you're tempted to take a peak at this yourself.

[Txfivver]

The racetrack ducting in my Solitude seems to work very well, the airflow out all vents is pretty strong especially if both units are running. The Solitude has the 15K Coleman Mach's and compared to the previous 2 trailers with Dometics the performance and noise level is night and day better.

[d2reid]

Like others we found the fallen buffer in our central A/C unit, easy fix. We are triple A/C units with electronic power management. We have found the whole system to work "pretty good". Older ladies tend to like their ice boxes... our system won't quite do that. But we can count on it being at least 10 degrees cooler in the RV. So we mostly seek out moderate temperatures.

When DW is feeling a little warmish she will open one vent on the end of an A/C unit. One blows directly on the couch, another blows directly on the bed.

[JCR GD]

Check all duct connections at AC unit and vents. You will probably find some partially blocked and some leaking to attic. When the system is sealed properly the race track works well.

[KamFlyer]

Check all duct connections at AC unit and vents. You will probably find some partially blocked and some leaking to attic. When the system is sealed properly the race track works well.

This morning I pulled all the A/C covers and vents off and checked the baffles and sealing foil. While not perfect, I didn't find any obvious gross problems. I don't have a boroscope so couldn't look very far into the ducting. Something I have wanted to add to my arsenal for a while!
If I had to guesstimate, I would say I am getting maybe 25% of the air volume and velocity at the far end vents when the local ends are all closed up. One thing I was surprised to notice was how much air leaked around the vents when closed. I may try to actually plug all the near end vents and see if that forces more air through to the far end and how much.
Something else for the fall maybe is a set of air directors for RV Airflow Systems. We saw them at the Quartzsite rally but it was beyond our budget at that time. https://rvairflow.com/

[Schiefswret]

I've read on more than a few occasions and seen a few videos that say, regarding the two what I will call 'slider' vents located on the AC cover itself, to the front and rear of the RV, that leaving them open all the time can result in the unit actually operating less efficiently than keeping them closed. I know this sounds counter intuitive but since I've closed them it seems to run more efficiently. The idea is that the supply vents are so close to the return in these little units that the potential exist for freezing of the condenser. I can't verify that as I'm not versed in AC operations but it's working better this way for me. Maybe others with much more knowledge of the HVAC field will chime in.

[KamFlyer]

I've read on more than a few occasions and seen a few videos that say, regarding the two what I will call 'slider' vents located on the AC cover itself, to the front and rear of the RV, that leaving them open all the time can result in the unit actually operating less efficiently than keeping them closed. I know this sounds counter intuitive but since I've closed them it seems to run more efficiently. The idea is that the supply vents are so close to the return in these little units that the potential exist for freezing of the condenser. I can't verify that as I'm not versed in AC operations but it's working better this way for me. Maybe others with much more knowledge of the HVAC field will chime in.

Yes, I have seen that as well. We keep them closed.

[Us on the Road]

Not familiar with your rig, but we have a 303, 2 a/c and racetrack. We have used it quite a bit by turning on the bedroom unit when sitting in the living room, and by turning on the living room when we go to bed. Seems to work quite well, as it cools things down and keeps the noise to the other end of the trailer from where we are.

We also have a 2020 303 RLS, and I'll totally agree with you. Further, when sitting in the living room area, and the bedroom AC kicks on, the vents blow like crazy cooling the place down fast.

[KamFlyer]

I have seen a few posts elsewhere where some have homebrewed a similar solution to the RV Airflow Systems baffles. I may give that a try as well.
I have an appointment for a bunch of warranty items in a few weeks. This issue is one higher up on the hit list.
I will update this with their findings.
-Rob-

[Cate&Rob]

We have an early 303RLS with a single rear Atwood AC. This AC is much quieter than any of the current units by other manufacturers and we get by with just the single unit. We can watch TV in the main area with the AC running overhead. This AC actually does a better job of cooling the RV (even up to the bedroom) with the fan speed set on medium (or low) rather than high. On high fan speed, the air passes over the cooling fins so quickly that it does not cool as much as it does at lower fan speeds. Sort of counter-intuitive . . . but, works for us.

Rob