Lake Havasu Heat + RV Airflow = ?

[OffToHavasu]

Here is my review for the RV Airflow:

My wife's biggest concern with the trailer and going to Lake Havasu in the summer was inside comfort. She's fine during the day because we're on the beach, under an EZUP, sitting in the water, but it's bed time she was worried about. So to make the system as efficient as possible, I added RV Airflow to all three units.

Here are the results:




You can see what the outside temp is on the top. And you're probably thinking, "Curtis, the garage seems a tad warm." Well, sorta. The kids were complaining that it was TOO cold in "their room". The system cycled all throughout the day. 114 was the highest we saw on the first day. I wanted to see what the system would do, and it maintained 74 all day, with the garage dipping to 73 at times.

So my final thought: I'm beyond pleased with how the system ran. The wife was shocked how well the system held the temps. We even had to make it warmer in the evening (90 was the outside low) because it was too chilly.

[TucsonJim]

Great review Curtis. We're finishing up a 30 day trip tomorrow, and you results closely track what I'm seeing in our travel trailer.

Jim

[OffToHavasu]

Great review Curtis. We're finishing up a 30 day trip tomorrow, and you results closely track what I'm seeing in our travel trailer.

Jim

Good to hear Jim (that it's working well and you're on a 30 day trip).

[Canyonlight]

Yes, thanks, Curtis for sharing. A number of folks over the years on the other forum have shared that AC will only cool the air by 20 or 25 degrees. I never quite understood this as your test has confirmed my findings as well where the AC air can be much colder than this difference. Maybe they are not factoring in (or I misunderstood) that the AC is cooling already (and getting colder) AC air. So its the intake (inside the RV) temperature (and getting cooler) air for factoring the difference......not the outside hot air. This makes sense.

Does the SW very dry air help AC performance to cool more and more quickly vs the very humid air in our part of the country which would take longer and yield less of a an ultimate temperature spread ?

Dan

[OffToHavasu]

Dan,

To touch on a couple of things.

My cousin is in HVAC and I do side work with him, so I'm around it quite a bit. The rule of thumb is you should see a 20 degree drop between return air at the intake point and at the discharge. So if the air in the room is 80, you should see close to 60 directly out of the vent. Now of course, the trailer doesn't get that cold because there are other variables; insulation, windows, lights on, etc. But from point-to-point, that's what you SHOULD see. Another caveat to that is the ductwork in the trailer is almost right up against the roof, and the insulation on the ductwork is not as good as you see in a home, so on a real hot day, you may not see the 20 degree swing.

Yes, drier air performs better. However, here is a pic of the weather we experienced one day on this trip, and the system performed just fine.

[Canyonlight]

Dan,

To touch on a couple of things.

My cousin is in HVAC and I do side work with him, so I'm around it quite a bit. The rule of thumb is you should see a 20 degree drop between return air at the intake point and at the discharge. So if the air in the room is 80, you should see close to 60 directly out of the vent. Now of course, the trailer doesn't get that cold because there are other variables; insulation, windows, lights on, etc. But from point-to-point, that's what you SHOULD see. Another caveat to that is the ductwork in the trailer is almost right up against the roof, and the insulation on the ductwork is not as good as you see in a home, so on a real hot day, you may not see the 20 degree swing.

Yes, drier air performs better. However, here is a pic of the weather we experienced one day on this trip, and the system performed just fine.

Thanks, Curtis - appreciate the feedback. I recall you and your brothers HVAC work so I knew you would be a good source of factual information. I used to install AC units in vehicles in my days working at Sears Auto shop here in the mid to late 70s while going to college. I had to complete training in AC basics and more advanced AC education, trouble shooting, repair, installation, etc. During the summer when all the shop guys were sweating big time in the high heat and humidity doing tires/wheels installation, brakes, alignments, exhaust work, shocks, and on and on - I was nice in cool sitting in the vehicles "monitoring the performance" of my installations.

We still need to meet up in the Hills or maybe Carol and I need to come to Havasu for beverages !

Dan

[OffToHavasu]

Thanks, Curtis - appreciate the feedback. I recall you and your brothers HVAC work so I knew you would be a good source of factual information. I used to install AC units in vehicles in my days working at Sears Auto shop here in the mid to late 70s while going to college. I had to complete training in AC basics and more advanced AC education, trouble shooting, repair, installation, etc. During the summer when all the shop guys were sweating big time in the high heat and humidity doing tires/wheels installation, brakes, alignments, exhaust work, shocks, and on and on - I was nice in cool sitting in the vehicles "monitoring the performance" of my installations.

We still need to meet up in the Hills or maybe Carol and I need to come to Havasu for beverages !

Dan

Forgot to get back to you on this Dan. We were supposed to head to the Hills in 2020 for the 5 year reunion, but covid cancelled all of that. So maybe 2025? But if you guys come out to Havasu, I'll give you the grand tour.

[OffToHavasu]

One thing I forgot to note after doing this mod. Man those filters clog up fast now!

[DarnDave]

OffToHavasu , Question for you. We have the RVairflow device installed on our main unit from the factory. (at least I think that's what that is--styrofoam wedge) The other two units do not. After all the glowing reviews on here, I was surprised to find that there is hardly any air flow available in the bedroom, and just a little in the bathroom when only the main unit is running. BTW, there are only two registers (plus the quick cool dump outlets). We keep the air dumps closed. It was my experience with our previous 5er that airflow was available in a distant location from the operating unit, if you wished. Not so in here. The system works great with all 3 running, and will recover (drop) the temp from upper 80s to low 70s in about 30 minutes. enough rambling, back to the question: How much of a difference in air volume did you notice, say with your hand, after the upgrade?

[Jlawles2]

DarnDave Dave, there have been reports of the RVAirflow being installed incorrectly. Have you checked the install? Have you tried removing it and checking airflow?

[OffToHavasu]

OffToHavasu , Question for you. We have the RVairflow device installed on our main unit from the factory. (at least I think that's what that is--styrofoam wedge) The other two units do not. After all the glowing reviews on here, I was surprised to find that there is hardly any air flow available in the bedroom, and just a little in the bathroom when only the main unit is running. BTW, there are only two registers (plus the quick cool dump outlets). We keep the air dumps closed. It was my experience with our previous 5er that airflow was available in a distant location from the operating unit, if you wished. Not so in here. The system works great with all 3 running, and will recover (drop) the temp from upper 80s to low 70s in about 30 minutes. enough rambling, back to the question: How much of a difference in air volume did you notice, say with your hand, after the upgrade?

Dave,

So I saw significant increases at the vents closest to the unit and then it would tail off as you moved away. If you're getting air out of vents from the main unit, the RVAirflow is installed properly. Check the vents closest to that unit. They should be pretty high. I did see increases at the vents far away, but it wasn't "Holy cow" significant. The way the track system works in the Momentums, and I believe the Solitudes, when all three have the RVAirflow is when you will see the biggest increase.

So, to clean that up a little:

• Only turn on the unit that has the RVAirflow. If air is coming out the vents, it's installed properly. Based on what you said above, it appears that way. If not, then you'll need to look at the install.
• If the above is confirmed, but the airflow is not significant from the vents closest to the unit, there has to be a duct issue somewhere or a misalignment of the RVAirflow. You'll need to drop the grill to check. It's not hard at all. Only a few scews.

Keep us posted.

[DarnDave]

Jlawles2 , I have had the cover off; hadn't thought about a misinstallation, thank you. Unit is going to dealer in a couple weeks for some other issues, and I added this one to the list. We installed the Wacko noise reduction cover; it made no difference in airflow but did quiet the unit down somewhat. These colemans have a very quiet compressor but a loud blower, even on Lo. Only the main unit has the rv airflow device installed.

[Jlawles2]

DarnDave Dave you might want to check the inlets to the ducts and if possible the ducts. Something could have gotten in there during construction.

I also read and did my previous unit, putting blockers by the ducts on the downstream side from airflow helps divert flow into the vent.