Summer season is now official! By the calendar and by the TEMPERATURE!!!! This article is going to cover Air Conditioning in depth. We touched on this last month, so some statements may seem redundant. Air Conditioners are expensive, and vital to your comfort so we felt some statements would bear the repetition.
A/C’s, on R.V.’s are not like our home A/C’s. Use and maintenance care is critical to provide the best service from this appliance. Filters should be cleaned weekly, more often if you have more than two people in your R.V., and if you are in and out of your R.V. several times a day. Air flow is vital to the operation of your A.C. unit. However, this does not mean it will work without a filter! A/C’s need filtered air as free of dust, lint, dirt as possible. Clean the top unit every 6 months. With A.C. turned off, use water hose to spray away salt, sand and debris. Check the fan, Polymer fan blades can become brittle and break, a drop of silicone lubricant at the fan shaft connection will keep the shaft turning freely and help prevent seizing up.
Temperature setting is very important in our high humidity, high heat coastal area. Optimal temperature setting is 77o. After sunset, you can reduce this to 75o for cooler sleeping. The A/C fan should be ON continuously, not on Auto. Keeping the fan on constantly moves the air through your R.V., which helps to prevent “hot spots” and provides a constant air flow across the compressor to evaporate condensation, even when the compressor is cycled off. Doing this keeps the compressor from freezing. When possible, if you leave your R.V. during the week, set your temperature to 85o-90o and have fan on high, manual mode. The A.C. will keep the humidity level down, the interior will be cool enough to prevent heat build up. When you return, the R.V. will cool down quicker with less load on the A.C. unit. Keep window coverings in place, sky lights covered, roof vents covered/closed, and doors closed to assist your A.C. in best possible service for you.
Using other electrical appliances in your R.V. should be limited to allow the A.C. to draw all the amps needed for efficient operation. Your A. C. requires 15 amps in normal conditions. (Double this if you have 2 A.C’s, Triple if you have 3) During days with temps above 90o and humidity levels of 75-85 % it will draw 20amps. Your R.V. refrigerator draws 9 amps, the water heater on Elec. draws 15 amps.(We suggest LP operation of water heaters) The microwave draws 13 amps, coffee makers draw 6 amps. Lights, phone chargers, video games, T.V. etc., draw 3 amps. One Rule of R.V. operation: Do not use an appliance in your R.V. that cautions you to not use it on an extension cord. This includes outlets on the exterior of your R.V. Why? Your R.V. is an extension cord! Your R.V. is powered by a shore power cord, which is drawing 30 amps or 50 amps. Now, you can see how quickly this power cord can be overloaded. It is extremely important your A.C. is able to draw full power. Low power will cause A.C. failure. We want you to enjoy your time with R.V. to the fullest!
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1660 Lane Road, Seadrift: Tues. through Sat.: 8 am to 5 pm
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