30 Best RV Destinations On The East Coast

May 1, 2019 by Marlan at Rv52 Leave a Comment

I was doing some research for a friend and decided to compile it all in this post on the best RV destinations on the east coast. I made a shortlist of 2-3 of the best RV parks that you can find in every state on the east coast.

That’s right, I made a list of best RV destinations for EVERY STATE in the east coast.

Let’s buckle in and get started, shall we?

Maine

#1 Paradise Park Resort Campground

Located just walking distance from Old Orchard beach, Paradise Park Resort has been a long time favorite for RV owners in Maine.

According to the website:

Paradise Park Resort is a family campground located on forty wooded acres which features our very own 5-acre bass pond. In addition to 239 campsites, we also have a 1600 sq. ft. recreation tent where campers can enjoy nightly movies
The Halle Family(Resort Owners)

Usually open from May until Columbus Day, they’ve got over 239 camp sites and 110 RV sites and they offer full hookups- which means electrical, water, sewer lines and cable TV right at your camping spot.

Talking about electrical hookups, you get both 30 Amp and 50 Amp electricity, which means both campers/travel trailers and larger motorhomes can be easily powered up.

There’s a propane gas station nearby as well and there are both ‘back in’ as well as ‘pull through’ RV sites.

For the uninitiated- back in sites are those that have only one entry/exit and you have to ‘back in’ to the campground. Pull through sites have both an entry and exit gate so it’s easier to maneuver. Generally back in sites are smaller and cheaper than pull through sites.

Expect to Pay:45-75$ per night, for 2 Adults, depending on the season

Location: 50 Adelaide Rd, Old Orchard Beach, Maine 04064

Contact: (207) 934-4633

#2 Searsport Shores Ocean Campground

Over 40 acres of ocean gardens, quarter of a mile long private beach, and lobster baking sessions in the evening… really sounds like the perfect place to be, doesn’t it?

There’s a lot more activities to do here, such as kayaking, weaving- so whether you’re the kind to sit by the beach or do something more strenuous, Seasport has something for everyone.

The site fee for RV includes 2 Adults and 3 children, which is a bit more generous that most sites. They have water and electrical hookups(30/50 Amps).

Expect to Pay: 90-200$ per night.

Location: 216 West Main St, Searsport, Maine 04974

Contact: 1-207-548-6059

#3 Birch Haven Campground

A nice little family operated campground with over 80 RV sites, Birch Haven is the perfect spot to relax by the water shore on the Eagle Lake.

They have a full hookup available and lots and LOTS of water sports options to keep yourself occupied.

Expect to Pay: $40-45 daily/$240-270/$700-800 monthly, plus tax- depending on whether you opt for a 30 Amp hookup or 50 Amp

Address: 1165 SlyBrook Rd, Eagle Lake ME 04739 US

Contact: (207) 444-5102

New Hampshire

#4 Danforth Bay Camping & RV Resort

This is a niche RV park for 50+ ages- people who don’t have dependent children at home anymore.

Nestled in the lakes and mountains of New England, The Danaforth is the best spot to just relax. Go golfing, boating or just crack a cold one by the lakeside, if low key is your thing, this is definitely the place for you.

The unique thing about this resort is that they have a special salt water pool that produces natural chlorine and doesn’t feel harsh on the skin.

The typical season here lasts from Mid April to November, and it’s suggested that you book in advance.

Expect To Pay: $66 per day

Location: 196 Shawtown Road, Freedom, NH 03836

Contact: (603) 539-2069

#5 Ashuelot River Campground

If you’re the outdoorsy family, you guys are going to love this place!

This spot has got over 5 hiking trails in it’s vicinity, two of which are in state parks. The one at Mt. Monadnock is especially recommended and the hike can be easily achieved in a day trip.

Expect To Pay: $50/$300/$1150 for Full Hookup(30 Amp or 50 Amp)

Location: 152 Pine St Swanzey, New Hampshire 03446

Contact: (603) 357-5777

#6 Fransted Family Campground

A lovely little cozy campground in the woods, you’ll get all the amenities you need here anyway. They have a full hookup service and pull through/back in sites as well.

Gregg and Karen, the owners of the site run a lot of activities throughout the season for campers that are sure to keep the fun quotient up for your family.

Expect To Pay: 50$ per day for 2 adults and upto 4 kids

Location: 974 Profile Rd, Franconia, NH 03580

Contact: (603) 823-5675

Massachussetts

#7 Mount Greylock Campground

Located at the foot of Mt. Greylock, this campground is a tranquil spot with some amazing scenic beauty. Expect to have plenty of privacy between each camping spot owing to the naturally thick foliage.

As for entertainment- local music performances, horseback riding, kids’ activities and water sports- all these are just scratching the surface of all the things you can do here.

However, they don’t have a full hookup available here- just electricity and water, so keep that in mind.

Expect To Pay: $35 per day

Location: 15 Scott Rd Lanesborough, Massachusetts 01237

Contact: (413) 447-9419

#8 Wompatuck State Park

Wompatuck State Park is located just about a half hour away from Boston and makes it the perfect weekend getaway from the city!

Named after an Indian Chief called Josiah Wompatuck, this state park is extremely beautiful and usually is open from May to October every year. One of the major attractions is the Mt. Blue Spring that offers fresh drinking water.

I can’t even remember the last time I did that. Massachussets residents-you guys should grab the chance ASAP because you guys get a special discount here!

Expect To Pay- $17 per night if you’re from Massachussets. $27 per night if you’re not.

Location: 204 Union St Hingham, Massachusetts 02043

Contact: (781) 749-7160

Note: They only offer 20 Amp electrical hookups and no water or sewer hookups- so you’ll have to rough it out a little bit here.

#9 Salisbury Beach State Park

This is one of the better maintained State Parks with more modern amenities- such as electrical hookups-30 and 50 Amps as well as water hookups.

Plus it’s a state park so it’s cheaper. AND it’s located on the beach.

What’s not to like?

Expect to Pay: $22 per day

Location: Salisbury Beach State Res. Beach Road, Route 1A, Salisbury MA 01952

Contact: (978) 462-4481

Rhode Island

#10 Bowdish Lake Camping Area

This one’s a family friendly little camp ground with lot of fun water-side activities to do. Keep in mind that these sort of RV parks usually charge more for lake side camping spots than others, and Bowdish is no different.

Another thing to note is that they don’t accept trailers more than 35 ft long, so if you own a larger motorhome, sorry!

They have water, electricity(only 30 Amp) and cable hookups and 5 dumping stations on the property. And if you don’t insist on a waterfront spot, the fees is pretty CHEAP!

Expect to Pay: $20 per day for a camping spot in the woods, $70 per day for a lakefront spot

Location: 40 Safari Rd, Chepachet, Rhode Island 02814

Contact: 401-568-8890

#11 Burlingame State Park

State parks are so much more expansive than private campgrounds and offer that much more natural beauty to explore, however, they usually don’t have all the amenities.

There’s no water, no sewer lines, no electric hookups. Only the beauty of Burlingame State Park to take in.

Go for this one if you’d like to try off grid living- and, really- what’s an RV owner who hasn’t even tried doing that once?

Location: 1 Burlingame State Park Rd, Charlestown, Rhode Island 02813

Contact: (401) 322-8910

Connecticut

#12 Salem Farms Campground

If you’re travelling with kids, going here would be a nice idea- you get to visit a camp AND a farm!

They’re a great family run camp that have a reputation for being really helpful, and just overall nice people. They have a big property than can accomodate most RV’s and trailers.

They offer full hookups and are generally quite cost effective.

Expect To Pay: $31-40 per night for a primitive campsite or about $45-50 per night for a full hookup campsite- prices vary for weekdays and weekends

Location: 39 Alexander Rd, Salem, CT 06420

Contact: (860) 859-2320

#13 Riverdale Farm Campsite

This one as well is a campground that’s part of a farm- and a 100 acre one at that! They’ve got plenty of things to keep you occupied, like a video arcade, sports like tennis, volleyball and much more.

The Hammonasset Beach State Park is also close by and can be a nice day trip with your family.

Expect To Pay: $100 per night

Location: 111 River Rd, Clinton, CT 06413

Contact: (860) 669-5388

New York

#14 Brennan Beach RV Resort

Situated extremely close to the Salmon river, Brennan beach resort is the perfect getaway for the weekend when you just want to get away from the stresses of your day to day life.

Life back on the beach and just relax… and it’s a private beach too so you know that it’ll actually be a peaceful experience.

They offer discounts to military veterans, AARP and Senior Citizens and offer all modern amenities-full hookups, wifi, the whole shebang.

Expect to Pay: $50 per night

Location: 80 Brennan Beach, Pulaski, New York 13142

Contact: Reservations: 1-888-891-5979 / Local: (315) 298-2242

#15 Branches of Niagara Campground & Resort

If you’re planning on covering the Niagra Falls then it makes sense to stay here. This campsite is situated on Grand island and is more luxury resort than campground really.

Goes without saying- full hookups, wifi, 50 Amp plug ins, etc- you’ll get it all here.

Expect To Pay- $90-130 for a full hookup service, depending on the season you come in

Location: 2659 Whitehaven Rd, Grand Island, New York 14072

Contact: 1-877-321-CAMP

#16 Interlake RV Park

Interlake RV Park falls near the city of Kingston and is a great choice for romantic getaways with your partner- seeing as how they have a big outdoor theatre screen that showcases movies on the weekend.

Of course there’s the usual sporting activities, and full hookup facilities but I’m personally sold on the outdoor theatre the most!

Expect To Pay: $50 per night

Location: 428 Lake Dr, Rhinebeck, NY 12572-3213

Contact: 845-266-5387

New Jersey

#17 Pleasant Acres Farm Campground

If you’re a fan of The Office- imagine if Dwight opened up a camper resort at his farm, and that’s what Pleasant Acres Farm looks like to me- less Dwight and his brother Moose, of course!

You can give your kids an authentic farm experience here- milking cows to petting animals, you name it the farm has it. They provide full hookups and all the comforts you’ll need to enjoy your stay, really.

This farm is over 50 years old now and extremely popular in New Jersey, so they do charge a tad on the higher site, mind you.

Expect To Pay: $80 per night

Location: 61 Dewitt Rd, Sussex, NJ 07461

Contact: (973) 875-4166

#18 Liberty Harbor RV Park

If you plan on visiting New York City, then the Liberty Harbor might make sense for you- it’s the nearest RV Park to the city.

You’re just a bus or subway ride away from being in Time’s Square which will be ultimately more convenient than riding your RV through those congested New York streets.

They only have about 50 sites with water and electric(30/50 amp) hookups, and they have dump stations as well.

Expect To Pay: $65 per night

Location: 11 Marin Blvd, Jersey City, NJ 07302

Contact: (201) 516-7500

Delaware

#19 Big Oaks Family Campground

This campground has it’s own steady fanbase that goes back generations. Lots of online reviews mentioning how they’ve been going here since their childhood days and are now taking their own kids along.

Located 2.5 miles from the beach, you’ll have plenty to do even if you decide to stay at the camp- it’s got a nice, warm atmosphere for families and activities for young and old alike.

There’s a state maintained hiking and biking trail nearby, chance to go deep sea fishing, clamming and a lot more here.

Expect To Pay: 50 amp Full Hookup(WES and cable) is $72 per night/$494 per week. Slightly lesser for 30 Amp Full Hookup

Location: 35567 Big Oaks LN, Rehoboth, DE 19971

Contact: (302) 645-6838

#20 Cape Henlopen State Park

One of those state parks that offers modern amenities, you’ll get full hookups, showers, pull through/back in camping spots and much more.

Plus- the scenery is AMAZING here. If you’re a history enthusiast, this place is a must visit because it has old World War 2 bunkers and a tower nearby. You can go up to the tower and get a view of the entire surrounding landscape. How cool is that?

You can take a ferry up to Cape May easily, which is a popular birding destination. They’ve got great bike trails and a lovely little picnic pavilion for families, as well.

Expect To Pay: $30 per night

Location: 15099 Cape Henlopen DR, Lewes, DE 19958

Contact: (302) 645-8983

Maryland

#21 Cherry Hill RV Park

Cherry Hill RV Park is a resort cum campground- you’ll certainly get the best of both worlds. One of the big reasons why SO many people frequent this place is because it’s only 30 minutes away from Washington DC.

Think about all the historical sites like Lincoln Memorial that you could cover with your family!

And of course, they offer full amenities- they’ve even got an outdoor theatre and a cafeteria- what else do you need?

According to their site, they’ve got quite a bit of history, as the property has been in the same family for 5 generations:

Our story begins back in 1921, when Jacob and Rose Gurevich allowed customers to set up camp behind the small general store on the edge of Cherry Hill Poultry Farm.
In the 1980s, Rose and Jacob’s grandson Norman Gurevich had a vision for a new kind of campground: a top-tier destination park that offered premium amenities, extensive services, full hook-ups, and room for even the biggest RVs. We built Cherry Hill Park from scratch, moving one mile down the road from our original location.
Cherry Hill Website

Expect To Pay: $70 per night

Location: 9800 Cherry Hill Road, College Park, MD 20740

Contact: 800-801-6449

#22 Greenbrier State Park

Located in the Appalachain mountains- you’ve got stunning views to look forward to on your trip here.

Then there’s a man made freshwater lake to enjoy as well as a trail that leads to the Appalachian trail inside the state park itself.

They have Full Hookups as well- but only 30 Amp electric ones.

Expect To Pay: $30 per night

Location: 21843 National Pike, Boonsboro, Maryland 21713

Contact: (301) 791-4767

Virginia

#23 Americamps RV Resort

Located in Central Virginia, Americamps is the perfect halfway – stop between New England & Florida. Travel less than one hour to Williamsburg and Charlottesville or less than 2 hours to Virginia Beach or the Mountains.
Americamps Website

Talking of amenities, they have 198 full hook up sites, 105 of which are pull through while 93 are back in.

Expect To Pay: $40 per night

Location: 11322 Air Park Rd, Ashland, VA 23005

Contact: (804) 798-5298

#24 Aquia Pines Camp Resort

I liked this one because, unlike a lot of RV parks on this list, Aquia Pines offers the full gamut of RV experiences.

They have consciously kept a few minimalist RV sites, along with a few that have moderate amenities and then few that provide full hookup service.

Expect To Pay: $40 per night-$68 per night depending on how minimalist or luxurious you want your stay to be

Location:3071 Jefferson Davis Hwy, Stafford, VA 22554

Contact: (540) 659-3447

North Carolina

#25 Creekwood Farm RV Park

At Creekwood Farm RV Park you will see all our well maintained spacious sites, our 100+ year old barn & silo and Jonathan Creek flowing by. You’ll find level and spacious campsites, a large recreation hall, private & clean bathrooms and a covered picnic pavilion, perfect for family outings and campfire stories!
Creekwood Farm Website

All the sites here are full hookup with 30/50 Amo optionality available. The great thing about this park is that it’s close to Nantahala National Forest, Harmon Den Wildlife Management Area, and Great Smoky Mountains National Park. You can cover all 3 of these as well on your trip.

Expect To Pay: $47-75 per night, based on whether you choose an off-creek or premium creek spot

Location: 4696 Jonathan Creek Rd, Waynesville, North Carolina 28785

Contact: (828) 926-7977

#26 Indian Creek Campground

If you’ve got a large motorhome, then sorry, you’ll probably have to miss out on this beautiful spot, because they only offer 30 Amp hookups.

For the rest of you, this heavily wooded camp will be a lovely treat. It’s located at the south edge of Smoky National Park, on the Cherokee Reservation and sits among 3 mountain tops…I have a feeling of calm and peace flowing through my body just writing these words.

Mind you, this isn’t a luxury RV resort. There are no pools, instead there’s a stream to go take a refreshing dip in. There are no full hookup options, and the campground is small.

Expect to Pay: $27-39 per night, based on your choice of amenities

Location: 1367 Bunches Creek Road, Cherokee, NC 28719

Contact: 828-497-4361#33 B

Georgia

#27 River’s End Campground & RV Park

River’s End camp is situated on the beautiful Tybee Island and is a short walk away from the beaches. It’s also close to downtown Savannah and has got a couple of nice historical sites in it’s vicinity.

Amenities wise, you may be left slightly wanting though since they don’t offer full hookups and only have 30 Amp electric hookups.

Expect To Pay: $49-70, depending on the season you’re arriving in

Location: 5 Fort Ave, Tybee Island, GA 31328

Contact: (800) 786-1016

#28 Yonah Mountain Campground

Located in the North Georgia Mountains, 2 hours from Atlanta, you may just want to plan your trip around October because Yonah Campground is located near Helen,GA- a small German town.

Still didn’t get the reason? Okay- one word: Oktoberfest

Plus there’s a lot of authentic German food to be had and shopping to be done here. Amenities wise, you won’t be left wanting.

It can serve as your home base for daily adventures including beautiful mountain drives, hiking to picturesque waterfalls, fishing in sparkling rivers, exploring charming nature trails, panning for gold and gems, discovering local wineries, horseback riding, tubing and kayaking in the Chattahoochee River, and much more.
Yonah Mountain Campground Website

Expect To Pay: $40-60 depending on whether you choose 30 Amp/50 Amp hookups and if you’re staying over the weekends

Location: 3678 Helen Hwy, Cleveland, GA 30528

Contact: (706) 865-6546

Florida

#29 Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground

This one’s a no brainer really- if you’re heading to Disney Land in Florida, you should definitely stay in their Wilderness Resort.

You’ll be a short bus ride away from the Disney Theme Parks and get to enjoy them at your own pace. Archery, horseback riding, canoeing are just a few of the activities you can do here. If you’ve got kids, this would be a fun couple of days for them, that’s for sure.

They have got a mammoth 788 RV sites that offer all the amenities you’ll ever need. I mean, it’s Disney, what else do you expect?

Expect To Pay: $80 per night

Location: 4510 N Fort Wilderness Trail, Orlando, FL 32830

Contact: (407) 824-2900

#30 St. George Island State Park

If you like your privacy without having to go amenities free, then this is the spot for you. St. George Island State Park is situated a little ways off the Floridian panhandle and so, gives you access to some amazingly beautiful and pristine beaches.

They are a State Park, so not really that expensive and at the same time- they offer full hookups. The number of sites here are limited, only 70, so be sure to make your reservation in advance.

Expect To Pay: $24 per night

Location: 1900 E Gulf Beach Dr, St George Island, FL 32328

Contact: (850) 927-2111

FAQ

1. Are pets allowed at RV Parks?

Generally, most RV parks allow pets with the condition that they’re not left unattended inside your RV, and that you pick up after them.

Basically, as long as they don’t annoy the other visitors, you’re fine. Still, you should check beforehand by calling the camp owners up or visiting their website to check their specific rules.

2. Do you get full hookup service everywhere?

No, you don’t. For instance, a lot of State Parks offer very few amenities compared to privately owned parks- so this is something you should check.

Another thing to check is if they provide 50 Amp electrical hookups, if you need it.

On this list though, unless specifically mentioned otherwise, you’ll find that the campsites provide full hookup service.

3. How do RV campgrounds’ rates vary?

They vary according to whether you’re:

Coming during peak season- Memorial Day Weekend, say
Coming during weekdays or weekends- weekends generally attract a $10 surcharge per night.

Conclusion

Well, that just about completes the round up of the best RV campgrounds on the east coast. Do you think I missed out on any campground that YOU think should be on this list?

Let me know in the comments and I’ll be sure to include them in the roundup!

14 Tips For Camper Air Conditioner Troubleshooting

Last updated on June 5th, 2019 at 08:38 pm

April 14, 2019 by Marlan at Rv52 1 Comment

The best part of owning a RV is planning an impromptu trip wherever you feel like. For families, the summer months are very important because that’s practically the only time of the year when you can just bundle the kids up and drive off on a trip.

Of course, because it’s the summers, the RV needs to be a comfortable temperature with the air conditioning working perfectly.

Things don’t always tend to go according to plan on family trips though, and it is very well possible that your air conditioner may start acting up. Rather than spending time waiting for the repair guy to show up, how about you spend some time going through this post and leave home with a few tricks up your sleeve?

I pored over the internet and came up with the most exhaustive list of things that can go wrong with your RV air conditioner and how to troubleshoot.

Let’s get started:

#1 Your RV Air Conditioning Frequently Turns On and Off

The 3 top reasons why this could be happening:

Dirt clogging up the AC system
Faulty thermostat positioning
Low freon levels

Firstly, the on/off cycle of your RV AC could be because of dirt clogging up the insides which makes the compressor coils to freeze up and periodically cycle between functioning and non functioning.

The solution is simple- clean your AC periodically guys, I think that’s the most important thing that comes out of this post by now.

Do also check how the thermostat is placed. Is it too close to the windows? If so, the sunlight streaming in could make it sense a higher ambient temperature and hence, cool more than what’s required.

Similarly, if the thermostat is too close to the supply vent, it’ll make the temperatures rise thinking the ambient temperature is too cold.

If this is the case, you simply need to relocate the thermostat to a more suitable spot.

Thirdly, it could be caused because of low freon levels inside the air conditioner.

When the freon levels decrease, it causes low pressure in the system which makes the compressor to switch off. When it switches off, the pressure slowly builds up again which causes the compressor to start functioning all of a sudden.

You’re going to need to get a professional to take a look, but if it’s freon, you should probably start saving up for a new AC.

#2 Your Generator Can’t Support Your Power Needs

Most RV air conditioners require roughly 3000 W to start and then about 2400-2600 W to keep running.

So, if your generator is only rated at say, 2500 starting Watts and 2000 W for long term use, you are bound to fry it.

It’s generally recommended that you at least purchase a 3000 W generator to power your air conditioning. Mind you, that is just about enough to cover for your air conditioning, and you’ll need extra wattage to power your lights, TV, refrigerator, and other appliances.

The best way to plan is to check the wattage of each appliance and add them up so you know the minimum wattage you need your generator to provide.

#2 Don’t Test Your Thermostat This Way

Some folks tend to set their thermostat at below 60 F and even at around 50 F to test if the thermostat functions at those temperatures. You’ll notice that it does…until it doesn’t, and there’s no cooling.

RV air conditioners are not supposed to be brought to temperatures so low and generators as well, may stop functioning at temperatures below 60 F.

So please please please just don’t set your RV air conditioner to an abnormally low temperature.

#3 Your RV Air Conditioner Stinks

Again- this is mostly a maintenance issue. You need to keep your condenser, evaporator coils clean. Smells can often originate from the radiator so you should clean that out too.

Also, vent filters tend to keep the smells they accumulate so if cleaning them out doesn’t work, just replace them, and that should do the trick.

#4 Your RV AC Keeps Freezing Up

Believe it or not, this is a pretty common thing.

It could be happening because of a few reasons:

Your air conditioner is low on Freon
The air conditioner is getting clogged up with dirt or debris
The thermostat is faulty

I wrote a whole post about this topic where I went into greater detail about what to do if your AC starts to freeze up. You can check it out here

#5 The RV AC Is Leaky

It could be freon leakage or just plain ol’ moisture.

An easy way to find out is to check your condenser coils. If they are dirty, clean them with a brush.(In fact, using a portable vaccum cleaner alongwith is even more convenient). If you still see the leakage after this, it probably is a freon leak.

At this point, you should get a professional to come take a look and see if the leak can be dealt with. In most cases though, the recommendation is going to be clear: Get a new AC unit. The reason being that RV air conditioners are sealed units and cannot be recharged with freon.

#6 There’s a LOT of water surrounding the AC

This could be happening because of a leak OUTSIDE the Air conditioner. A lot of times, it’s because of the AC roof gasket not being tight enough.

A simple check is to examine the unit near the air conditioner’s roof. Tighten any loose nuts and bolts that you see on the gasket.

If you still see a leakage, it could be that the gasket needs to be replaced OR something else entirely. If it’s the latter, you’ll need a professional to take a look.

#7 Your RV AC tends to be overheating

This only usually happens because of dirty coils and filters. You should check all vents filters, as well as condenser and evaporator coils, and give them a good cleaning with a brush to remove any dirt, debris that may have accumulated over time.

#8 The RV AC Is Too Noisy

Noisy air conditioners are all too common and really, if you end up getting a headache everytime you turn the AC on then what’s the point?

Here are a two common reasons why your RV AC could be too loud:

Rubber shock absorbers need replacement
Motor fan might be hitting some loose part inside the AC

As this guy found out, a simple rubber clamp fix was all that was needed to quiet his RV Air Conditioner.

#9 The AC Compressor Is ALWAYS On

A lot of people, such as on this thread, describe the problem in the following manner:

“I switch off the AC and the fan keeps shut, but the compressor keeps humming until I flip the circuit breaker”

Now, this is usually either a thermostat issue or a circuit board issue.

The thermostat has a compressor control wire, which is usually yellow in color(A quick look through your RV AC user manual should confirm this).

If the compressor stops humming after you remove the compressor control wire, it means the thermostat was faulty and needs replacement.

If not, then it’s a circuit breaker issue and you’ll need a HVAC professional to take a look

#10 The AC Doesn’t Blow Any Air Out

This could happen because of faulty capacitors- you need to check the motor fan capacitors first to see if they’re working.

Grab a pair of multimeters and touch it’s probes to either side of the capacitor. If the LCD display shows a random value that keeps decreasing, it means the capacitor is okay- if not, then you need to replace the capacitor.

What a capacitor does is, it stores energy to provide boosts to the motor fan or compressor to work. If it stops working, then the fan won’t get the kick it needs to jump start.

#11 The RV AC blows out warm air

Check if the compressor is getting proper voltage. You’ll need a multimeter for this.

If it turns out that the compressor isn’t recieving the desired voltage, then you’ll need to pinpoint where exactly is the flow of current getting diverted.

I’d recommend getting a professional to take a look for this one.

#12 The AC Doesn’t Cool Much

This could be because you’re simply in a very hot environment. Remember that if you’re on the road during particularly hot days, no AC is going to be 100% effective.

Being smart about your travel on hot days helps. Take adequate breaks, park your RV under the shade while doing so can bring down the temperature of the interiors down drastically and them make the AC that much more effective.

The other, technical reason this could be happening is usually because the compressor capacitors are faulty(See Point #11)

Another reason why is if the thermostat is faulty, it could be making the cooling go haywire.

You can check the thermostat using a multimeter and seeing if the thermostat terminals are receiving proper voltage(12V). If not, you can simply replace the thermostat yourself and your AC problems should go away.

#13 You Switch The AC On And Nothing Really Happens

Another variant of this issue is that the AC just keeps humming for a bit when you switch it on and then.. nothing.

Check if the AC is getting power in the first place. If it’s drawing too much power then it probably tripped the circuit breaker.

Most modern RVs have 2 AC units- it’s more a necessity nowadays but the problem is that the usual 15 Amp power sources aren’t always equipped to provide the required wattage.

Some Really Important RV Air Conditioner Maintenance Tips

#1 Oil the AC fans

According to RV Living Now:

“In case the RV fan motor has oil tubes for lubricating the fan, simply put a few drops of the machine oil into the tubes located on either end of the motor. If instead of having ball bearings, the motor has sleeves, dribble just a little amount of oil where the sleeves come into contact with the fan motor shafts. For these types of motor fans, a small amount of oil can work wonders”
RV Living Now

#2 Cover up the RV during off season

Birds and small animals tend to gather round places such as condenser coils for warmth, which can lead to ventilation problems later on. Plus all the dust that tends to accumulate.

During off season, you should seriously just cover up your RV. I really like one on Amazon.

Sure, it’s a bit of an investment, but one that will save you much much more money in the future.

#3 Clean the grills, vents and coils regularly

Just in case I haven’t emphasised about this in the post enough already, I’m just putting it out there again- clean your AC regularly.

I recommend you get a nice little radiator fin comb, like one on Amazon along with a to make things easier for yourself.

Conclusion

So there you have it. I spent multiple hours compiling this list together and I hope it was as exhaustive and helpful as I planned it to be.

Did you find the post useful? Any other common troubleshooting tip that I may have missed and you’d like to offer?

Jump into the comments below- I’m always on the lookout!

Want to know more? Check out the RV Air Conditioner How-To Page for more in-depth information, great videos, and articles.

How Much Does A RV Refrigerator Cost?

Last updated on June 5th, 2019 at 08:38 pm

April 9, 2019 by Marlan at Rv52 7 Comments

A refrigerator is SO important in a RV that taking some time to look around for the best model really makes sense. Lot of considerations to be had, but price is really the most important thing for almost everyone. So, how much does a RV Refrigerator cost?

RV refrigerators are priced around 1000$ as the starting point and can go up to 3000$ for the top line models. The recurring costs, that is electricity, propane and maintenance costs will be approximately 350-400$ a year.

Why Are RV Refrigerators So Expensive?

This is because RV refrigerators are made up of stainless steel and don’t have any plastic moving parts, unlike residential refrigerators. They have to be built this way to cope with the constant rumbling vibrations of being on the road.

What Are The Types Of RV Refrigerators?

There are generally 5 different types of refrigerators you’ll find on board a RV:

2 way fridges- Run on AC/DC electricity or AC and propane or DC and propane.
3 way fridges- Run on AC/DC/Propane
Propane refrigerators-Like in the ol’ days!
Standard home refrigerator- Some people just prefer to use a residential refrigerator as these have bigger capacities and freezers which RV refrigerators tend to not have
Thermoelectric refrigerators- These are tiny chillers rather than full blown refrigerators, and are usually used as a second refrigerator rather than the only one. At most, they’ll keep the drinks cool for you, but don’t expect much more.

To know more in detail about these types, check out this post I wrote on the different types of RV refrigerators.

The Best Bang-For-Buck RV Refrigerators Online

The following are really good representatives of what you’ll find no matter how hard you search. The market is DOMINATED by Dometic and Norcold, which is something to keep in mind.

I really like this refrigerator by Dometic. It’s a nice 2 way fridge, has a fair 6 cu. Ft volume and isn’t too expensive either. It also has a freezer and door lock handles, which are always needed on the road to keep the doors from flying open.

I also like this fridge by Norcold . It has a dedicated freezer with 1.3 cu ft space, which is quite big by RV standards. It’s on the expensive end of the spectrum of RV refrigerators though.

If you’re still looking for a bigger RV fridge then this 8 cu. ft fridge by Dometic may be the one for you. It’s quite fairly priced as well and has a 2 way operation.

Like I said earlier, expect to shell out about 1500$ for a entry level RV refrigerator and upto 3000$ for the more premium ones.

Running Expenditures For RV Refrigerator

Assuming you have a standard 2 way RV fridge that runs on both electricity and propane, let’s take into account the cost of running the fridge on propane for a day and running on electricity for a day.

According to Enjoy The Wild:

A 4 cu. ft RV fridge will consume less than a pound of propane daily
A 6 cu.ft RV fridge will consume approximately a pound of propane daily
A 12 cu.ft RV fridge will consume approximately 1.5 pounds of propane daily

These roughly cover the spectrum of RV fridge sizes that you’ll see on the market.

A gallon of propane in the US has an average price of 0.7$, over the last 6 months. 1 gallon=8.3 pounds, so let’s say that 70 cents buys you 8 days of refrigerator usage on propane for a 6 cu.ft fridge.

That comes to a roughly 3$ per month cost or 36$ a year running cost for buying propane. If you have a bigger fridge, that figure will be closer to 50$.

Running your fridge on electricity is costlier than propane though. According to Gone With The Wynns, their residential fridge which they installed in their RV draws abou 1.53 kWh per 11 hours. That’s approximately 3.4 kWh daily.

On average, a single kWh costs 12 cents in the US. So, to run a residential fridge inside your RV, you need to spend approximately 42 cents daily. That comes to about 154$ in a year. Keep in mind that this figure is based on a residential fridge which has a higher capacity than a RV fridge and thus, draws more power.

This is why the total costs of electricity and propane come to about 200$ a year.

Maintenance Costs Of A RV Refrigerator

Maintenance of a RV fridge may put you back by about 600$ on average, taking into account the visitation fees of the serviceman and cost of replacement parts, if needed. You can generally expect to shell out this amount once every 3 years. The cost of maintenance, when spread out over this period, comes to 200$ a year.

So, it’s safe to say, you should put about 400$ aside in your yearly budget to take care of all running and maintenance expenses of your RV refrigerator. If you have a residential refrigerator, it’s even better to set aside a 100$ extra since they are more prone to needing repairs on a RV.

Few Things To Keep In Mind About RV Refrigerators

#1 You shouldn’t use a propane fridge while driving.

Think about it. If you crashed with the propane turned on WITH the flame in the fridge ON… BOOM!

That’s because it’s a major fire hazard. What you should do is switch to electric if your fridge has the ability to run the cooling process on DC.

If you don’t have a 2 way or 3 way fridge with DC power, well then, the only safe option is to switch off your fridge and only open it extremely sparingly to maintain the temperature. If you follow this, you can generally expect the temperature to not drop more than 2 degrees in 6 hours.

#2 RV fridges just can’t cool as well as a residential fridge.

If you haven’t been living in a RV for long, chances are that you would take a lot of features in the refrigerator for granted. Small things, such as the fact that most RV refrigerators don’t have a proper freezer will seem irritating to start with. But over time, you’ll get used to having your ice cream slightly soft rather than frozen hard.

#3 Propane-only (1 way) fridges require frequent maintenance.

That’s probably why more and more people are now using 2 way and 3 way fridges

#4 You’ll have lower storing space

Residential fridges are much bigger and getting used to a RV fridge will take you some time. You’ll need a bit of ingenuity and being smart about the kind of foods you bring on board to get by, but trust me, it’s not that hard.

#5 Residential fridges will need frequent repairs

If you just miss your home fridge too much, just remember that they are made of soft metals and have moving parts- neither of which are too durable to the constant vibrations from being on the road.

FAQ

Q1. How long do RV refrigerators last?

You can expect a RV fridge to last you upto 8-10 years, although there are people online I came across on forums that claimed 20 and even 30 year lifespans!

Q2. Should you leave your RV fridge on all the time?

If you’re not going to be on board for a few days it’s best to switch the refrigerator off. A handy hack is that 12 hours before you’re going to board, you switch on the refrigerator. This ensures that it is cool enough for the rest of the day.

Q3. What are some key factors for picking a RV refrigerator?

How much room do you have on board the RV?
How many people will you usually accomodate?
What type of food do you usually eat? If there are a lot of meats in your diet, you’ll need to maintain lower temperatures consistently, if it’s only veggies, they can withstand slightly higher temperatures as well
Do you want a freezer or not? If you’re okay without a freezer, you’ll probably end up getting much cheaper deals. However, be warned that RV fridges don’t have very efficient freezers
How much energy consumption can you deal with?You’ll need to think about how quickly your batteries will get consumed and plan, not just according to the refrigerator’s power draw, but all your appliances. I wrote a handy post on this exact topic that you might want to check out.

Indiana to Alaska Itinerary

April 4, 2019 by Marlan at Rv52 Leave a Comment

A friend planned out an itinerary for a summer RV rental trip from Indiana to Alaska.

Feel free to send itineraries to RV52. It seems like a fun thing to post and share. Or put them in the comments.

An experienced cross-country RVer did tell him to thow his itinerary out! ;-)

Here was his itinerary broke down into a little more detail.

La Crosse, WI
Badlands National Park
Wall Drug in Wall South Dakota
MINUTEMAN MISSILE NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE
Deadwood SD
Devils Tower WY Devils Tower National Monument in Wyoming
Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument
Lewistown MT
Watertown Lakes NP AB
Banff / Lake Louise AB
Jasper NP AB
Fraser Lake BC
Kitwanga BC
Meziadin Junction BC
Tatogga BC
Good Hope Lake BC
Teslin Lake YT
Whitehorse YT
Takhini Hot Springs or Takhini Hot Pools
Kluane NP / Haines Junction
Destruction Bay YT
COTTONWOOD RV PARK AND CAMPGROUND
Northway Junction, AK
Denali National Park and Preserve
Anchorage

Why Does My RV AC Freeze Up: 6 Main Causes And Solutions

Last updated on August 10th, 2019 at 06:38 pm

April 2, 2019 by Marlan at Rv52 2 Comments

Sitting in a RV for more than 30 minutes becomes extremely tough with poor ventilation. Which is why having a well functioning air conditioning system is just plain necessary. One of the common issues usually seen is RV ACs freezing up. So why does that happen?

There are 6 main causes for your RV AC freezing up:

Evaporator coils are dirty
Excess humidity
Faulty thermostat
Low freon levels
Short circuiting of supply and return air
Dirty condenser coils

Given my research into the common causes shared by people with a frozen RV AC, this list seems to cover 99% cases. If your RV AC doesn’t exhibit any of the above issues and still is frozen up, yours may just be a faulty piece that needs replacement. Basically, you’ll need a professional to take a look.

Keeping the 1% aside, let’s look into the 5 main causes why your RV AC may freeze up:

#1 Dirty Evaporator Coils

If you remove the AC vent inside your RV, the coils you’ll see are called evaporator coils. The evaporator is responsible for cooling the hot air from inside the RV. However, over time, dirt, lint and dust tends to accumulate on the coils which makes them work harder and may even lead to freezing.

The best way to take care of this is to clean the evaporator coils with a brush to remove any dirt and then run the AC fan on high. On doing so, you’ll notice that the ice starts to melt and water will start to drip down from the vent. Be sure to place an empty bowl underneath!

Also- in case you’re not sure how an evaporator coil looks, take a look at this YouTube video demonstration of cleaning the evaporator coils

#2 Excess Humidity

If you’re in an excessively humid area, your RV Air Conditioner is probably freezing up because of that.

As the hot, humid air is sucked into the vents and cooled by the evaporator coils, the moisture condenses and gets frozen, which blocks the functioning of the Air Conditioner.

A really common sense hack that I came across in this YouTube video was to buy and install a dehumidifier inside your RV. Most dehumidifiers are sized appropriately for the average indoor home, such that if you’ve placed one in the living area, it’ll be effective for the entire area.

I liked this portable dehumidifier on Amazon. It’s got over 2700 reviews at the time of writing this article, 81% of which are positive. It’s quite affordably priced as well. If you go to the review section, you’ll even find a couple of RV owners talking about how it worked for them.

#3 Faulty Thermostat

The thermostat is the electronic circuit that continuously keeps checking the temperature output of the air conditioner and regulating it. However, if your RV Air Conditioner has a faulty thermostat then things could very well go haywire.

(NOTE: RV52 has a really nice RV Thermostat database)

Now, the Air Conditioner compressor won’t know when to stop. Hence, the cooling will continuously be on, leading to excessively low temperatures, and ultimately a frozen RV Air Conditioner.

If this is the case, you’ll need to remove the thermostat and replace it. Professional help may or may not be required depending on how savvy you are with appliances on board the RV.

#4 Low on Freon

If your AC is low on freon, that is the refrigerant liquid responsible for cooling down the hot air, that may be another reason why your RV air conditioner is freezing up. You’ll have to get someone to add freon to the air conditioner again.

However, in most cases being low on freon means there is a leak, which in turn means that you’ll need to replace the AC unit altogether.

#5 Short circuiting of supply and return air

The supply vent of the air conditioning system supplies cool air while the return vent sucks in hot air. If these two get short circuited somehow, it could be causing the air conditioner to freeze up.

This happens in RV refrigerators as well. If you leave the gasket on the RV fridge door isn’t sealing the door correctly, it provides a inlet for the hot, outside air to flow into the refrigerator and mix with the cold inside air- leading to certain spots inside the fridge that get frozen.

The exact same principle applies here. You should check the partition between inlet and outlet air sections in the ceiling. A short circuit could be easily repaired by some caulk or weatherproof tape, like this one on Amazon. Won’t set you back by more than a couple of bucks

#6 Condenser coils are dirty

The condenser unit is mostly placed on the top of the RV, and you’ll have to climb on the roof to access it. It is responsible for throwing off heat from the inside of the RV to the outside environment and cooling the refrigerant vapor down back into a liquid.

Since it is exposed outside, the conditioner coils tend to get dirty which affects the refrigeration process. As we saw earlier with dirty evaporator coils, this may lead to the Air Conditioner freezing up as it has to work harder. This also means increased electricity usage, which already is a very precious resource for RV owners while they’re on the road.

Here’s what you do:

Use an air conditioner fin comb or a plain old screwdriver for scraping away any dirt that may have accumulated. You can also use a vaccum alongside to speed up the process. Sometimes, the fins of the condenser coil also get bent a bit here and there over time, so you can use the fin comb or screwdriver to straighten them as well.

#7 This Happens Sometimes Too

Bird nest or animals finding a home in/around the condenser fins can cause a ventilation issue leading to your air conditioner freezing up. It may seem like a silly inclusion on this list, but a quick look by climbing on the roof of your RV may just save you a lot of time!

How does the RV AC Work?

In case you don’t already know, here’s a quick and concise everything-you-need-to-know:

Hot air from inside the RV is sucked into the return vent and passes through the evaporator coil. The evaporator cools the air down and further lets the cold air pass into the supply vent. This cooling occurs by transferring the heat from the air to the refrigerant liquid, which gets converted to vapor form.

The heated refrigerant gas goes to the condenser coil, usually placed at the top of the RV. Here, the refrigerant gas cools down it’s heat is expelled to the outside environment. The liquid refrigerant is then routed back towards the evaporator through tubes, and the cooling cycle continues

Few Parting Tips On How To Maintain RV ACs

#1 Always ensure you clean your return air vent filters. As they suck in the hot air from inside the RV, they also tend to suck in dirt, dust, dog hair… you get the picture. Dirt is the enemy of proper air conditioner functioning, as I’m sure I have repeated enough times in this article- so do clean your return vent filter out every month or so.

#2 Install LED lights. LED lights run cooler than traditional lights and hence you get a small but significant decrease in RV inside temperature.

#3 Keep your RV parked in the shade as much as possible. The difference in temperatures is obviously significant and your air conditioning will work SO much better.

Conclusion

Think I missed anything in this post? I want your opinions in the comment section below! We read all comments at RV52 and would be happy to include your suggestions into the post for future readers.

Until then, stay cool!

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