A new RV52.com tool! The RV Air Conditioner Selection Guide

February 25, 2018 by Marlan at Rv52 Leave a Comment

One thing I (/about) like to do is to try to make SW or web tools that help make RVing simpler, more fun, or easier.

Before I tell you about the new tool and why I created it, I’ll review a few of the other tools I’ve made over the years:

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The NEW TOOL I’ve created is called the RV Air Conditioner Selection Guide.

I created it because simply understanding the manufacturers web pages to understand their offerings was nearly impossible.

So I spent some time going through their websites, their model numbers, and their specifications and put together a selection guide that helps you narrow down the the choices to just a few air conditioners that have the specifications you want.

I don’t try to tell you which ones are good and which ones are bad because I can’t possibly rate and rank them individually. The best ways to do this for yourself would be to read the Amazon ratings carefully.

(Editor side note: The way to examine Amazon ratings is the following. First, if there are less than 10 ratings you simply cannot use the Amazon rating at all. So a 5-star rating with only 4 entries is useless. Likewise a 1-star or 2-star rating with only 4 entries is useless too. If something on Amazon has 50 ratings and you look at the 1-star ratings try to ignore ignorant people who give 1-star for bad packaging and see what is going on.)

It takes 2-3 clicks to go through my air conditioner selection guide. You’ll get to a chart that lets you see maybe 5-10 air conditioners that are extremely similar. From there, you can go to Walmart, eBay, Amazon, or Camping World to determine pricing, ratings, rankings and see what you want to buy.

Please provide as much feedback as you want to me so that I can make these selection guides even better. All reasonable inputs will be considered!

Good luck!

Why does my RV Air Conditioner quit when I turn on the lights?

November 4, 2013 by Marlan at Rv52 18 Comments

A reader watched my (really good, if I do say so myself) video about changing out the RV Power Converter and wondered if the power converter could somehow be the culprit behind some VERY strange behavior. Before you read on, you can also check out my page chocked FULL of RV Power Converter how to videos.

Lets read the exchange between the reader and RV52 and see if it can help you out!

Reader question: Why does my RV Air Conditioner quit when I turn on the lights?

Watched your youtube video on converter install, very good i must say . I have a question not sure if my problem is the converter or some other problem and thought you maybe have some insight. First thing I am always plugged in shore power and have turned the battery to the off position(use stationary and as a second home 1/2 a week). , The problem is when I turn on any dome light (which I believe are 12v) or bath vanity the a/c kicks off. I don’t understand, from what I have read a/c runs 120v all outlets. microwave and ceiling fan and 75 watt nook light work fine.

Dazed and confused
John

RV52.com’s answer below has some extra information on RV Air Conditioning Systems and Thermostats!

John,

Thanks for the complement on the video. Its nice to receive and keeps me wanting to make more.

There is the A/C and there are the A/C controls – the thermostat. The thermostat is DC which means that its power comes from the converter. When you turn on any lights running on DC, the voltage level gets dropped low enough for the A/C thermostat to signal “off” to the A/C.

When you turn the lights off, does the A/C cycle back on after a couple of minutes?
I’m assuming you never threw a breaker on any of these scenarios.
When you turn on a light, do the others dim a great deal?

This certainly sounds like your converter. They aren’t expensive (only $100-200 bucks or so) and you can get from Amazon. If you get one, I would love it if you use any of my links to get to Amazon (I’ll get a small commission that does not affect your price at all).

/how-to-video/how-to-all-about-converters/

Your converter should have PLENTY of juice to keep all the lights going and run the thermostat if running well. I’ve also sent to my local RV repair guru’s to get a 2nd opinion.

Thanks!
Marlan

RV Control Panel

Last updated on February 23rd, 2019 at 03:16 pm

April 16, 2013 by Marlan at Rv52 9 Comments

(excerpted from the book – Your 5th Wheel RV – The Interior)

Almost every RV has an RV Control Panel. You might hear it called rv command center, rv control center or any one of 20 other names, but it is in ADDITION to the fusebox or RV electrical panel.

The RV Control Panel is a central location where all the RV-centric switches and buttons go that are unique to RVing and the RV.

Your RV control panel might be as simple as an on/off switch for the hot water heater OR it might be incredibly complex and sophisticated like the control panel on a Newell, Prevost, or high end Monaco.

If you have small children in/around your RV, I might HIGHLY RECOMMEND that you put a lock or other safety mechanism on the door. Otherwise, things could get pretty exciting.

Typical items you’ll find in the RV Control Panel are:

Hot Water Heater Controls (on/off for electric – on/off for gas)
Different lighting controls (porch, hall, other- such as accent lights)
Fresh Water Pump – provides pressure for water system when operating with self contained fresh water only
RV Slide out controls
Tank Fluid Level monitoring system – black tank, gray tank, and fresh water tank
Battery Monitoring and control system – can be simple monitoring or much more
Awning Controls
Super Fan or Fantastic Fan Controls
Air Conditioning Control – for example on/off for the circuits for the 2nd air conditioner so you don’t blow 30 amp circuits

There are so much more that can go in these control panels, I only listed what was in our 5th wheel’s control panel, but I think this gives you an idea of what to expect.

Inspecting this control panel actually gives you an idea of what kinds of systems you would have in your RV. One thing right off the top of my mind you might find extra is a generator controls in this panel. But I think you get the point.

RV Command Center showing controls for slideouts, lights, hot water heater, water pressure pump, super fans, and monitoring system.

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RV Air Conditioner Vent

Last updated on August 14th, 2018 at 08:42 pm

March 14, 2013 by Marlan at Rv52 Leave a Comment

Sheri and I found that by adjusting the RV Air Conditioner vents that we could help the RV get a little cooler and keep the cool air distributed better.

RV Air Conditioner Vent

The RV Air Conditioner Vent will only show up apart and separate from the RV air conditioner if your RV has air conditioning ducts built into the RV.

Jayco travel trailer air conditioner vent

If you look at the ceiling and see vents, then you have air conditioner ductwork in your RV. I can provide some really good RV buying tips to make sure the ductwork is what you want it to be.

One of the first things I can think of is to make sure that you have plenty of ducts, distributed approximately in the correct number for a given space. What I mean by that is that if you have TWO ducts in your bathroom, which is the smallest area in the RV, then only have TWO in your living space, then I would question that design. You should have 2 in the bathroom to at least 3 or more in the living space.

The next thing is that if the vents can be controlled to be closed and opened that is even better – now you can direct the cool air. However, that ONLY works if there are an abundance of vents. If there are not very many and you plug one to put more air in another room, it could actually spell trouble for the air conditioner – causing it to freeze up or work too hard. Air flow is important for the air conditioner.

Most importantly, if you will have your RV in 105 degree temperatures and are hoping for an internal 70 degree temperature, you’re going to have to make sure that the AC can maintain a 30-35 degree differential between the outside and the inside of the RV. I’m not sure the best way to do this other than to crank the AC on full blast and see what happens while you are in the dealer lot.

If the RV you are testing can maintain the differential, then chances are even if you order one it probably has properly functioning vents and AC design.

I know in our Open Range 399BHS, I think the BEST we can achieve is about a 25 degree differential. That isn’t too bad, except in the middle of the Texas summer.

Both our PUMA and our Tiny Texas Tumbleweed were non-ducted RV Air Conditioner systems.

We believe the ducts in the OR 399BHS are 1) too small in cross section area, 2) arranged in such a way that the air cannot cool the central room in the 399BHS. I think larger ductwork could have helped. I’m not criticizing, I’m just saying I think it could have been done better.

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RV Thermostat

Last updated on March 3rd, 2019 at 06:52 pm

February 8, 2013 by Marlan at Rv52

RV Thermostat

NOTE: ALL THERMOSTAT INFORMATION FROM THIS PAGE AND MORE HAS BEEN MOVED TO MY MASTER THERMOSTAT INFORMATION PAGE ON MY HOW-TO SECTION!!!

An RV Thermostat is not perfectly the same as a residential thermostat targeted for sticks and bricks houses.

The biggest differences are 1) the RV thermostat runs off of 12Volt DC power, the common power in RV’s versus 24V which is the common power for home thermostats and 2) the RV systems have a high and low fan setting – versus on/off only in the traditional home thermostats.

Other than that, the RV thermostats work pretty much just like the home thermostats!

NOTE: ALL THERMOSTAT INFORMATION FROM THIS PAGE AND MORE HAS BEEN MOVED TO MY MASTER THERMOSTAT INFORMATION PAGE ON MY HOW-TO SECTION!!!

So the first thing to think about if you want to buy a thermostat from Lowes or Home Depot is if the thermostat can run off of its own batteries that you would supply OR 24Volt. You can use the battery operated thermostat, but not the 24Volt operated thermostat.

The second thing to think about is what fan speed you hook up to the thermostat. It should be the high setting. If you want to control the high/low fan speed, then you’ll need an extra switch not normally on a regular home thermostat.

The thermostats in our Open Range were actually in our roof mounted air conditioner, which was a Carrier Air 5 System from Carrier. You can’t get those anymore and you really can’t get a decent replacement either. So we had our RV repair person replace our Air 5 air conditioner with a more normal air conditioner AND place the thermostat on the wall.

NOTE: ALL THERMOSTAT INFORMATION FROM THIS PAGE AND MORE HAS BEEN MOVED TO MY MASTER THERMOSTAT INFORMATION PAGE ON MY HOW-TO SECTION!!!

I would NOT locate a thermostat on an outside wall on an RV if I could help it due to radiated heat. But most don’t do this so you’ll probably always be OK.

NOTE: ALL THERMOSTAT INFORMATION FROM THIS PAGE AND MORE HAS BEEN MOVED TO MY MASTER THERMOSTAT INFORMATION PAGE ON MY HOW-TO SECTION!!!

Thermostat videos, listings, related articles, and more!

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Reader question: Why does my RV Air Conditioner quit when I turn on the lights?

RV52.com’s answer below has some extra information on RV Air Conditioning Systems and Thermostats!

CURRENT items related to rv control panels

RV Air Conditioner Vent

Amazon listings related to RV AC Vents:

RV Thermostat

Thermostat videos, listings, related articles, and more!

43 Search Results for RV Thermostat

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