RV Air conditioning Notes

What I learned from an RV Air Conditioning Service call.

Over 100 degrees already in Austin Texas (May 2011). Even too early for most Texans.

First time we used the RV air conditioner and cared. We purchased the unit in the fall of 2010 so no real need to use the air conditioner, and not enough hot weather when we did "test" it to actually notice. [ Amazon link is a representative RV air conditioner ]

Our RV is a 2010 Open Range 399BHS. We love the RV and its been a great RV so far.

But when we turned on the main air conditioner (we have one in the front bedroom, and one in the living area which we would consider the "main" air conditioner) we found that PRACTICALLY speaking, the main air conditioner, while it does put out cold air, could not cool the RV down at any temperature. In other words, if you set the thermostat for 70 degrees, unless the outside air was darned close to 70, it was going to never shut off the main unit.

I called the local Austin RV repair person that we normally used and had him check it out. The main reason for this is that I have no capability to assess what is abnormal versus normal.

Here is what I learned.

* In the Open Range 399BHS, there seem to be two ducts that run lengthwise from the front of the unit to the back of the unit. There are several vents all along the camper.
* The "cutouts" (see the pictures below) which allow the air conditioning unit to pump air into  the ducts are VERY VERY small. Rick our repair person, did use some duct tape to try to open the cutout bigger, but was limited by the Open Range design.
* The ducts in the BACK of the unit put out more air than the ones closest to the unit. I thought this odd, but Rick said that the air flow will often go directly over the vents and won't put out air until a little pressure builds up.
* The way that many of these air conditioner guys measure if the units are functionally working properly is to measure the temperature at the vents. They did so on mine and said the temperature was 20 degrees below the room temperature which is considered to be normal/proper operation.
* By turning ON the front air conditioner in "fan only" we could build up enough pressure in the overall ductwork to push the cold air out of the bedroom into the rest of the unit.
* Rick said that with our current Open Range, there was little that could be done as it looked to him as if the design was the primary limitation.

It was very good to know that the systems were functioning properly and we'll learn much more about what some of these things mean on our energy bill this summer.

Looking UP into RV Air Conditioner - Intake on Right, Outlets on Left

Looking UP into RV Air Conditioner - Intake on Left, Outlets on Right

WE love our fireplace and we NEVER buy wood or carry ashes!

Why?

Because it is an electric fireplace. In fact, we own an RV and we have a fireplace. An electric RV fireplace - who'd'thunk? I think that is the funniest, coolest, and oddest thing - all at the same time.

When we were shopping for a new RV, Sheri wanted a fireplace and I thought it was very silly. But now that we have it I think I like it better than her. It puts out GREAT heat, isn't too expensive to operate ( see our article on the cost of heating our RV in the Texas winter using the rv fireplace ), and it looks really great.

Look, we know the fire isn't real. It looks FAIRLY real, and it creates a fantastic ambiance in the RV even if it isn't a real fireplace. Before you knock it, I really recommend you give it a try.

I went ahead and took some video of the rv fireplace, which by the way is made by Dimplex, so that you can see the rv fireplace in action. The Amazon links I've provided are not the exact unit, but they are fairly representative and can give you a great start to avoiding wood and ashes. The actual unit we have is called the Dimplex BF8000. Here is the Dimplex BF8000 Manual, which I've put online on Google Docs for all of you.

Disclosure : I added the crackling fire and crickets to the video. I'm so sorry. I just could not help myself.

Enjoy the video...

RV Video Walkthru : 2010 Open Range 399BHS

Sheri and I recently purchased a new Open Range 399BHS Fifth Wheel RV. We love it. I created a simple walk through review of the unit in the video below.

Before I talk about some of the features of the unit, I'll list some of the articles I've written that you may find helpful.

• Open Range 399BHS Documentation and Manuals. Much of this is generic so it would apply to many other Open Range units as well as many of the equipment suppliers.
• Open Range 399BHS Black and Gray Tank configurations. This really isn't written down anywhere so this will save you some time and is very nice to know.
• Open Range Leveling Instructions. This is typed and with their leveling control panel, but what if you lose it. I couldn't find it in their manuals and also it didn't have the JT Strong Arm instructions included as well. I include it here for your convenience.
• Open Range Users Manual. This is pretty generic, but pretty useful to have.
• For fun and reference : I made this video with a LESSER camera, but still pretty useful to see : Open Range 345RLS Review. I say review because you can see it for yourself, but I don't actually add any of my opinions.

Some of the features of our Open Range 399BHS that are noteworthy are listed below. I'm not going to try to be exhaustive, but really just list the ones that are really useful and different.

• Electronic leveling. Actually, you do the leveling, but the jacking is all electric. Does require some advance planning, but it is pretty neat.
• JT Strong Arm Stabilizers. 
• Black tank rinse. I'll always want one of these in our rigs. They are life changing. 
• DSI Hot water heater. I LOVE the ability to heat water multiple ways. 
• Electric fireplace. I love having an RV electric fireplace. They are awesome AND they are efficient.
• Check out our article on how much it cost to heat our RV for 45 days in 2010/2011.
• Here is a SHORT article on our actual RV fireplace in our Open Range 399BHS.
• Pot and Pan decorative hanger above the sink. That is really cool.
• Electric RV Awning. 

Here are some things that aren't so great. Not a big deal to us really, but you should know Open Range is not perfect. I think they try pretty hard though so this isn't bashing them, just listing some things that need improvement.

• The Carrier Air V is a pretty lame air conditioner. The electronic controls just don't seem to work correctly. Also it could use a regular wall thermostat. The thermostat is in the unit - directly above the fireplace.
• The sink needs a splash guard.
• I would love indoor gray tank controls.

Open Range 399BHS black and gray tank information

You can't find this information from Open Range so I'll put it here. I wrote Open Range AND I also have tested enough so that I know.

There are TWO black tanks and two gray tanks.


The FRONT gray tank connects to the shower and the bathroom sink.

The REAR gray tank connects to the rear sink and the kitchen sink.

The FRONT black tank connects to the front toilet. It also has a black tank rinse.

The REAR black tank connects to the rear toilet. It does NOT have a black tank rinse.

Hope this little tidbit answers your questions!

Open Range 399BHS Fifth Wheel RV Documentation List

RV documentation for components, assemblies, accessories, and appliances for the 2010 Open Range 399BHS fifth wheel. We'll add to the list when we get additional information or options.

I like having these things electronically as that saves space, which is very important an in RV! Send manuals (PDF) or extra info you'd like me to include.

• Open Range Service Manual
• Open Range 2010 399BHS specification sheet
• RV Refrigerator
• Norcold 81x Installation Manual , Usage Tips , Norcold Brochure 2010 , 
• RV Microwave
• Dometic CDMW12
• RV Awning
• Carefree of Colorado Travel'r Supplement
• Carefree of Colorado Installation Manual
• Carefree of Colorado Travel'r Parts List
• Carefree of Colorado Travel'r Owners Manual
• RV Furnace
• Atwood 8900 Series Installation Manual
• Atwood Furnace Lighting Instructions
• RV Hot Water Heater
• Atwood 10-E Hot Water Heater DSI
• TV / Television
• Sansui 42 inch HDLCD4212
• Sansui 19 inch HDLCD1912
• RV Cookstove / RV Oven / Range
• Atwood LP Gas Slide in Range Cooktop
• Cable Driven Slides
• Accuslide Technical Service Manual for Cable Driven RV Room Expansion
• LP Gas Switch
• Breakaway Switch
• Esco Breakaway Switch
• DC Power Convertor
• WFCO WF-9800 Power Convertor, WF Series specs ,
• Audio Visual Surround Sound
• AVR2500
• RV Central Vacuum System
• Dirt Devil CV 950 Manual
• Purchase a Dirt Devil Central VAC From this link
• Dirt Devil REPLACEMENT Central Vacuum Cleaner Bags
• RV Air Conditioning / Heat Pump
• Carrier Air V Heat Pump and Air Conditioner Owners Manual
• Carrier Air V Heat Pump and Air Conditioner Service Manual
• Carbon Monoxide Detector
• Atwood LPCO Detector
• RV Retractable Antenna
• Winegard Sensar IV
• RV Toilets
• Thetford Permanent 
• Water Pump
• Flojet 3426 
• RV Fireplace
• Dimplex BF8000

Enjoy.

rv basics : open range users manual for fifth wheels and travel trailers

This is PARTLY a test post, and partly a post for all Open Range owners. This is the PDF of the 2010 Open Range users manual. There is nothing super specific about any one particular unit, but there is a great deal of useful information in this users manual. Open Range does not make it downloadable, but I think it is a good idea to have online.

What do you think? Did you find this useful?