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Old 06-02-2018, 02:41 PM   #1
Swhoward1971
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3rd ac

We just bought a 2018 3731fl has been pressured for a 3rd ac what type do I need to install. I'm guessing I need a 13,500 btu unit.
Is it prewired to run off livingroom thermostat? do I need to get a ducted or non ducted.
 
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Old 06-02-2018, 07:32 PM   #2
DQDick
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My question would be who is pressuring you and why? Second question would be has someone who knows what they are doing made sure your ducts are not collapsed and the return and supply air are in their proper position under the units themselves? If all that has been done the third AC goes in the spot where the main (not in the bathroom) vent goes and the wiring should be there. We haven't done it yet because we are still investagating some things but here's what we know so far. The unit will not be ducted and because of where it sits on the roof will be a low profile one (don't want the rig any taller). The way it is wired from the factory you can never run all three at the same time. The ad-on unit is wired to a switch that will only let it run when the bedroom one is not running so one of the decisions we need to make is can I work the thermostats so that that arrangement works or do we need to wire the new AC so that it needs to be hooked by extension cord to another outlet in the pedestal and if so, do most pedestals 110 outlet allow enough amps to start the AC unit. We believe, but it's not confirmed yet, that we could have them pull a thermostat cord down the line that the vent control wires use otherwise the AC will have to have it's own controls which would be difficlult due to the height of the vent. Because of the way they keep all three units from running at once I want it to have it's own thermostat even if that's not how it's designed, but my belief is it won't work with the existing thermostat. We are talking with a dealer who has installed a number of third AC units, but none yet on a Montana even though they are a Montana dealer and they are checking some things with Keystone and others and will get back with us next week with more info and then we'll decide what exactly we are doing. We are strongly considering it because, even with all the ducts open we still can begin to loose temps in the late afternoon when the temperature is in the middle to high 90's or more and our place in NM where we will ritire from the road one day is frequently over 100 in the summer months. We won't have the humidity there we deal with here, but you also wouldn't want to have one fail out there and have to make do with only one.
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Old 06-02-2018, 07:38 PM   #3
Swhoward1971
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Originally Posted by DQDick View Post
My question would be who is pressuring you and why? Second question would be has someone who knows what they are doing made sure your ducts are not collapsed and the return and supply air are in their proper position under the units themselves? If all that has been done the third AC goes in the spot where the main (not in the bathroom) vent goes and the wiring should be there. We haven't done it yet because we are still investagating some things but here's what we know so far. The unit will not be ducted and because of where it sits on the roof will be a low profile one (don't want the rig any taller). The way it is wired from the factory you can never run all three at the same time. The ad-on unit is wired to a switch that will only let it run when the bedroom one is not running so one of the decisions we need to make is can I work the thermostats so that that arrangement works or do we need to wire the new AC so that it needs to be hooked by extension cord to another outlet in the pedestal and if so, do most pedestals 110 outlet allow enough amps to start the AC unit. We believe, but it's not confirmed yet, that we could have them pull a thermostat cord down the line that the vent control wires use otherwise the AC will have to have it's own controls which would be difficlult due to the height of the vent. Because of the way they keep all three units from running at once I want it to have it's own thermostat even if that's not how it's designed, but my belief is it won't work with the existing thermostat. We are talking with a dealer who has installed a number of third AC units, but none yet on a Montana even though they are a Montana dealer and they are checking some things with Keystone and others and will get back with us next week with more info and then we'll decide what exactly we are doing. We are strongly considering it because, even with all the ducts open we still can begin to loose temps in the late afternoon when the temperature is in the middle to high 90's or more and our place in NM where we will ritire from the road one day is frequently over 100 in the summer months. We won't have the humidity there we deal with here, but you also wouldn't want to have one fail out there and have to make do with only one.
We are in west Texas in middle of a field the daytime temps are uptown 115 no shade and wind blows constant. All voltage is correct and it gets to 88 in the camper. The 3rd ac is prewired at the vent in the kitchen
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Old 06-02-2018, 07:43 PM   #4
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We're currently north of you in Kansas so I can understand and you know why we are looking. We aren't the only ones interested in this, so keep us informed on what you do and I'll keep you informed as we learn more.
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Old 06-02-2018, 07:49 PM   #5
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Look at post #54 on this thread. I think it will help you all out.

http://www.montanaowners.com/forums/...t=70966&page=3
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Old 06-02-2018, 08:09 PM   #6
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Yes, that's the thread I started when I first began to investigate this. Lot of good info, but now that we are close to doing it, there is still more to learn. If I do something like this, I don't want any regrets later.
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Old 06-02-2018, 08:20 PM   #7
Mikendebbie
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3rd AC

We put the 3rd AC on the wish list last weekend. We were at the San Antonio KOA in one of the 6 sites in the place with no shade. It was 100* in the afternoon and it was 81* inside the Monte with both ACs running full blast.
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Old 06-02-2018, 08:53 PM   #8
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Just remember, the way Keystone currently has this set up, if both of them are running full blast the third on is just dead weight on the roof and will not run until the bedroom one shuts off. That's the reason we haven't done it yet. By next week I should have all of my work around options down and can make a decision.
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Old 06-03-2018, 01:47 AM   #9
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If I were adding a 3rd AC I would separate it out, Add a 20 amp circuit breaker to it and add a 30 amp plug. Most it not all 50 amp pedestals have both 30 and 50 amp plugs.

You can use 12 gauge wire vs 20 for the cord.

Doing it this way you get all 3 on at once.

The only question would be it if the pedestal can supply that much.
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Old 06-03-2018, 11:01 AM   #10
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Not sure how pedestals are wired everywhere, but l believe the 30 amp and 20 amp plugs are just subsets of one leg of the 50 amp with their own breakers. Know this is true in several of the Missouri State Parks.
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Old 06-03-2018, 04:27 PM   #11
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Originally Posted by jimcol View Post
Not sure how pedestals are wired everywhere, but l believe the 30 amp and 20 amp plugs are just subsets of one leg of the 50 amp with their own breakers. Know this is true in several of the Missouri State Parks.
I believe you are correct. At our home base, I wired our RV panel up with #4 stranded copper, so I could utilize the 20 amp 120V receptacle.
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Old 06-17-2018, 01:19 PM   #12
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I had the 3rd A/C installed and I added a separate 20 amp circuit so I could run all 3 at one time. It made a massive difference.
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Old 06-17-2018, 01:28 PM   #13
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Where are you getting the power from?
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Old 06-17-2018, 03:19 PM   #14
worleyjrtx5
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3D AC

I have a 2012 320RLQ and live in Central Texas. We found the original front 13k non duckted AC was not help much in cooling the rig in full sun 100+ degrees. It tends to make condensation on the plenum which dumps on the bed, usually about 0200, and. DW. Doesn’t play well with that.

When replacing the roof for the second time, the repair shop broke the 13k unit. Their insurance replaced it, but for an additional $250 I upgraded it to the new low profile 15 k unit.

Now with the help of a small table fan on the floor by the bathroom to force more cold air into the main room of the rig, we can keep the rig temp at 79 degrees when in full sun 103 degrees. Also, the new unit has a lower fan speed, read quieter and at night I have figured out the sweet spot to keep the beef room cool but no condensation on DW.
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