Adding 2nd AC

[rickyz1]

Has anyone added a second ac on there quicksilver? Mine came with a 13.5 btu works great but not when there is no tree cover in florida when temps are in the 90's. I have researched this but cant find no talk about a livin lite owner adding a second one. I have 50 amp service so no problem there. What im wondering is if the other two vents will support the weight of another ac. I already removed the vent covers and converter to check if it was pre wired and do not see an extra cable. I will attach a pic of roof trust around vent. I have not yet removed the ac vent to compare the supports to the others. Im reaching out to see if anyone has experience in adding another ac with our models.

[Apollo]

I've never seen anyone add a second AC, the camper would probably have to be prepped for it.

Have you considered a mini split system? would probably be a good option on a toyhauler and then you could remove the existing roof AC and sell it to recoup some of cost.

[DavidM]

Mini split systems can be very efficient. A really good one will use 1/3 less power than the equivalent roof top unit for the same cooling capacity.

But it requires a separate outside compressor/condenser unit. The only practical place to mount one is on the tongue a-frame, maybe above the batteries. But it will look rather unwieldly.

David

[GlobeSailor56]

Very interesting how will it work out, because I know what you're talking about. Sometimes it gets impossibly hot even with and a/c on

[rickyz1]

I have seen the post on the mini split system but I cannot add anymore weight to the tongue, Im at 940lbs dry. There are some 26ft and larger quick silvers with the second a/c mounted on the forward vent. I would use the rear vent to keep weight at the rear. The hard part is running the wire from the front area where the breakers are up the wall and across the roof to the back. There is a lot of insulation up there. Another option I thought about is using a 8000 btu portable stand up a/c at the rear. Our toy haulers came with two side vents to vent fumes when transporting your toys and there is one vent at the rear bottom that I could vent that a/c out from. I may give that a try. I will report back on what I decide to do. I have not been out due to work but I plan on going to north Georgia in late December for some cold weather camping, looking into adding heating pads the holding tanks. Last year when I was there visiting family it got down to 18 degrees at night. This toy hauler has all the tanks exposed on the bottom. So far the few times I been out im very happy with it. Its built strong and will not fall apart like others. I do have the livin lite ford toy hauler 24ft and it has the warm feeling of the wood face cabinets.

[Diversteve]

What kind of toys are you hauling?
Remember it is likely that a good bit of the toys weight will take away from the tongue weight.
Weigh that tongue with the trailer loaded for a trip. You may find you need to move weight forward to make certain you maintain 10-15% of your loaded weight on the tongue.
That is a nice looking rig.
Happy camping.

[ADR]

. Another option I thought about is using a 8000 btu portable stand up a/c at the rear. Our toy haulers came with two side vents to vent fumes when transporting your toys and there is one vent at the rear bottom that I could vent that a/c out from.

If you get a portable A/C don't waste your money on the single hose type.
They suck.
Literally.
They suck your already chilled air out of the camper and suck in new hot humid air from wherever they can.
The dual hose is the only way to go. They do not suck air in from the camper- the condensor cooling air comes in one hose, through the condensor and back out the other hose.  The only efficient way to do it.

[rickyz1]

Thanks for bringing that up. I have a new one with single hose in storage that I was going to try but if that's the case then I don't want hoses running all over the place so I just may stick to the additional roof top. The one A/C 13.5 btu has worked great except that one time I was at a campground with no tree cover that it took very long to cool down. That's why I was considering the second one which would only be used when Im in direct sun with no shade.

[rickyz1]

Diversteve, My heaviest load would be my Harley's each weigh about 800lbs. I been using it more for kayaks and bicycles for now and maybe a gulf cart. It has a Load Capacity of 3,718 lbs. With a heavy load it should lighten up the tongue weight. I just haven't put a heavy load yet.

[PebblePrincess]

rickyz1, did you ever try the additional A/C?  I'm in the same boat as you with not having any prewiring done. I have the 8.5x28 FB with a 15k single ac. The Texas and Oklahoma summers are just too much with out shade. I'm trying to figure out if the roof panels come out or are glued. I may just run the plastic chord channels along the wall edge of the roof to the fridge for power.


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[DavidM]

A second A/C will be difficult to power unless you keep the second A/C small. Most campgrounds just have 30 amp service. A Coleman 15,000 btu unit draws almost 15 amps. Another one like it will trip the 30 amp breaker. The Coleman 9,200 btu Polar Cub draws 11 amps. That is just enough combined to make it on 30 amps.  Any momentary big loads like the microwave will trip the breaker though, so you have to manage the loads carefully. Also you need to keep your DC loads low so the converter doesn't draw too much power.

If you do the above then you can plug your second A/C into any outlet or wire it directly to the outlet.

The best scheme is a second 30A shore power circuit or a 240/120V 50 amp circuit that splits to provide two 30A circuits, but like I said many campgrounds don't have this available.

David

[PebblePrincess]

David,

Main use for the second ac is when camping in uncovered areas. I've discovered in this area there are surprisingly a lot of camp grounds that do offer 50 amp. I also have the 5kw generator built in so I can utilize that during the heat of the day if needed. My goal is to add a second 13.5 to compliment the 15k I already have. It's not often that I would need both but I tend to believe I would rather have and not need than not have and need.


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[Merlin]

David,

Main use for the second ac is when camping in uncovered areas. I've discovered in this area there are surprisingly a lot of camp grounds that do offer 50 amp. I also have the 5kw generator built in so I can utilize that during the heat of the day if needed. My goal is to add a second 13.5 to compliment the 15k I already have. It's not often that I would need both but I tend to believe I would rather have and not need than not have and need.


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Yup, a surprisingly number of campsites offer 50 amp power now; lots of big RV around! However, DavidM's point was mainly that your camper has to be set up to accept 50A. If you have just a 30A plug and circuitry in your camper now, it will be tough to manage the power to handle a second AC unit. Unless of course you can run the second AC just off your genset. A 5Kw generator is capable of a bit more than 30A continous, so that would work if it's just running the second AC. On the other hand, if your genset simply offers and alternative to 30A shorepower, it won't run both AC units.

[PebblePrincess]

Ahh.  Mine is set up for 50 amp service, which is why I was surprised that it was not prewired from the factory. I have checked the breaker panel and have the ability to place a breaker on the leg that does not have the current ac.


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[Merlin]

Ahh.  Mine is set up for 50 amp service, which is why I was surprised that it was not prewired from the factory. I have checked the breaker panel and have the ability to place a breaker on the leg that does not have the current ac.


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Excellent! You're good to go on power. Get out the reciprocating saw and go to work