I love your idea of the cooler. We need something like that for the back of the 5ver. We have a full den in the back but it never gets very cool as I think most of the ducks are directed to the center and front of the rv. I am going to beg my hubby for one. We can use it in one of our back bedrooms at home that has the same problem as the 5ver.
Now I can prove to hubby these coolers really work.
I have the exact same plan to use the portable cooler both at home and in the fiver. Mine just arrived today and it is already running in the bedroom. I got a similiar Amcor unit with the same 7.9A load, except 12k BTU with a 7k BTU heater as well. In a few minutes it dropped the bedroom temp from 81 to 78, so it should work fine.
Larry Day
Texas Baptist Men-Retiree Builders since '01
'03 GMC 2500HD D/A EC SB, Jordan controller, custom RKI bed/hitch, Putco boards, TF 45gal tank, grey Speedliner
'04 CrossRoads Cruiser CF29RK, Mor/ryde IS, Carefree Eclipse 12V awning Rig Photos
I did basically what Bedias Cougar did- I installed a 13.5K Carrier in the vent in the bedroom up front, ran 12 gauge Romex wire down through the wall to a dedicated 20 Amp Marinco sealed plug on the exterior wall and use a 12 gauge extension cord hooked to the auxiliary 20 Amp plug at the electrical stand and have two A/C's running at any standard 30 Amp campsite. I love it, now I can keep the temps at or below 70 on a 95 plus day in the sun. Best grand I ever spent on the trailer (that was after paying the RV dealer to do the actual install, it just seemed easier that way and I bought the unit off of Ebay- brand new in plastic wrap still).
Mat
'05 Dodge 3500 SRW 4x4 QC LB SLT- CTD 325HP/610TQ w/ 6 speed manual
'06 Coachmen SOA526RLS 28' 5th wheel Loaded PLUS
Bearing Buddies, Kingpin Stab., Slide Out Stab., Roof Vent & Tire Covers, 15K BTU ducted A/C+ 13.5K in BR, 100W Halogen back up lights
Our 33ft Everest was only marginally cool in South Texas 100 degree heat but did fine at night. It has a factory installed ducted 15000 BTU. We replaced the power vent in the bedroom with a non-ducted 13000 BTU high effeciency unit which draws less amps. That is a perfect solution for us. We run them both on real hot days but often get by with only the bedroom ac. That also keeps the noise away from the living room. At night we just reverse the process and run the living room ducted unit. It cools fine without the noise in the bedroom. Sometimes I miss the vent fan but life is full of compromises right? I don't mind running both units since the electricity is included with the rent. One thing you should keep in mind if you run them both at the same time you need to be using 50amp service. Good luck and stay cool.
When we ordered our 5er, it was an option that we decided we wanted with out a doubt.. It was only a $700.00 option for a 13,000 BTU air in the bedroom. With the 15,000 in the living area, it stays nice and cool.
Our issue turned out to be lousy power at the campground in Merced. We've stayed at two newer parks since then and have had no problem with the AC keeping up with 100+ degree heat. Also the AC is running much quieter! :-)
Thanks for the input though! Happy camping! - Eric-
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1999 Ford F-250 CC 7.3 PSD W/Superchips in tow safe mode
2006 Cougar 295EFS
Reese 16K Sliding 5th
2 Kipor 2000P generators
Magellan Explorist 210
A buddy of mine installed one in the existing opening on his 5er. He already had 50 amp service but some camp grounds only offer 30 amp service so since his AC box was inside the very front compartment under the bedroom, I made a short pig tail about twevle inches long coming out of his breaker box. The pig tail has a female plug on it and the wiring for the AC comes down to that box and we put a male end on that. When he's plugged into a 50 amp service, he simply plugs the male and female ends together and the AC is powered for the 5ers breaker box. If he's at a park that has only a 30 amp service, he unplugs
the AC from the breaker box and using a heavy duty extension cord, runs the cord straight to the camp ground service pole where there is a 30 amp and 20 amp plug. He plugs into the 20 amp plug and can run both AC's.
If your trailer is only set up for 30 amp service, that is one way to wire it without having to upgrade your trailer service.
Another thing to keep in mind and you can research this on Coleman's web site but they make several 13,500 BTU AC's. Some draw more amps than others and you pay different amounts for them. The more you spend, the less power they draw is basically what it boils down to. I can't remember off the top of my head but seems like the power hog model draws 15 amps or so while the energy efficient model is around 10 amps.
If you have a 30 amp service, you could install two of these energy efficient models and probably work out ok. If not the first idea I had will work and save you some money.
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