Hello from Arizona

[KSColby]

My wife and I just purchased a barely used 2020 Montana 3931FB and completed our maiden voyage to a nearby KOA, all of 60 miles from home. All went well but thought the rig could have gotten a little colder. The temps in Arizona are now in the low 100's. We set our thermostats at 78 but were only able to reach that in the bedroom, the living area hovered around 80 until the sun started going down. I guess the difference is due to the Heat Pump versus AC unit. Anyways, my wife is still working 3 days a week and plans to retire at the end of this school year. We bought this rig to see the rest of the country and plan to starting next summer. Until then, we'll probably stick to the states near us and go out for a week or two at a time. We've been RV'ing for a couple of years now and are in the process of selling our 2014 Keystone Laredo 312RE.

[1retired06]

Welcome and safe travels

[DQDick]

Welcome to the forum! There are many things some of us have done so we get cooler. For instance in our 2017 we have cut every other fin off the supply vents, inserted PVC pipe in the return air vents (probably something you won't have to do because they were supposed to have fixed that now), replaced filter material and clean them every two weeks, added exterior window shade material, and added a third AC unit.

[Montana Man]

Welcome and nice rig you got there. We are five feet shorter than you and our AC can't keep ahead of that Arizona heat either. They just don't put enough cooling horsepower in them. If you have vents under the steps in the hallway, I would block them if heat is coming in from there. Otherwise the best thing for us is to shade the sunny side the best you can. It is the direct sunlight that gets us. The walls, windows, and window frames pass a lot of heat. Although the inside shades help some, the heat is already inside by then.

[Dam Worker]

Welcome to the Forum and enjoy your new Montana. Cooling your unit can be hard to do. As stated before the dark colored exterior walls don’t help us. I will say having the double Paine windows help out a little bit and being in any shade makes a big difference. It is much harder to bring the temperature down compared to maintaining it. I will sometimes also bring the temperature down lower at nighttime or early morning as I know my inside temperature will go up with the heat gain of the day. I really wish that they could make a better insulated unit even if the weight increased marginally.

Tom Marty

[h2ojocky]

I put this in all the windows and it helps alot. I cut them to size and put them in the windows on real hot or cold days.

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Reflectix-R...0-ft-L/3775463

[R.S.O'Donnell]

We painted the outside of the clear bathroom skylight white with plastic safe paint. Made a world of difference in there. Adding Rain covers to the MaxxAir fans also made a big difference. When possible we point the rig east and run the awnings out just far enough to shade the windows from direct sun.

[KSColby]

I appreciate all the advice. The previous owner was a little OCD and had insulated everything that you could think of, skylight in the bathroom, vents under the stairs, all the windows with reflective insulation, etc. Since we had our worst heat in Arizona this year with 50+ days over 110 I think I'll start saving for a 3rd AC unit. The brochure I have says that I'm wired and framed for a 3rd unit. I called the closest Keystone service center and got a quote of no more than $3,500. I guess my next question will surround what unit to buy and who should I have install, since I'm not good with heights... :-)