No AC - Two MaxxFans

[matt]

We have had our current trailer for 5 years. We have almost never used our roof mounted AC. Even the few times we have used it I'm not sure we actually needed it. For that reason we are seriously considering not adding the AC to our build sheet. We would ask ETI to pre-wire for a roof mounted AC in case we ever change our mind. Our current trailer does not have a MaxxFan so I don't have any experience with one. What I am wondering is if we don't have an AC is there any benefit to have ETI put in two MaxxFans, or is that overkill? If one MaxxFan is plenty, should I use the front or back location for the Maxxfan? This is for a Escape 21.

[Rossue]

We didn't get AC and have no regrets. Ours came pre-wired as all do for some time now. Kicked around the idea of two Maxx fans and didn't do that either. With the standard vent you get some natural light coming in which we hadn't thought of and is nice to have.

[Steve Clark]

Matt, We live in Northern CA. and do not intentionally camp in areas that require A/C. However, when traveling, especially north through the Upper Sacramento Valley (Red Bluff, Redding) or south through the Central Valley (Bakersfield) we often find ourselves overnighting in areas with highs in the 100+ and no shade. On these occasions, we are glad for our little oasis. East and west is good; north and south, not so much......

[Patandlinda]

Originally Posted by Steve Clark

Matt, We live in Northern CA. and do not intentionally camp in areas that require A/C. However, when traveling, especially north through the Upper Sacramento Valley (Red Bluff, Redding) or south through the Central Valley (Bakersfield) we often find ourselves overnighting in areas with highs in the 100+ and no shade. On these occasions, we are glad for our little oasis. East and west is good; north and south, not so much......

The AC for whatever reason is very noisy but it's better then not having if you need . Pat

[Ron in BC]

Originally Posted by matt

For that reason we are seriously considering not adding the AC to our build sheet.

What I am wondering is if we don't have an AC is there any benefit to have ETI put in two MaxxFans, or is that overkill? If
.

I dislike roof mounted A/Cs for several reasons. I didn't order one. I have a portable unit that's easy to put in place but in reality we really haven't needed it. On this years cross-country trip we didn't even bother taking it. We did have 100+ degree temperatures in the mid-West but we've found that the most effective low key cooling for us is a tiny computer fan suspended in front of the window. A small very directed breeze seems to be more effective than even the MaxxFan.

I know, if we spent a lot of time in Florida we might use the A/C more but we get along just fine without it. And when we're boondocking in places like Quartzsite it's no big deal to use the little fan for hours if need be.

Ron

[Patandlinda]

Originally Posted by Ron in BC

I dislike roof mounted A/Cs for several reasons. I didn't order one. I have a portable unit that's easy to put in place but in reality we really haven't needed it. On this years cross-country trip we didn't even bother taking it. We did have 100+ degree temperatures in the mid-West but we've found that the most effective low key cooling for us is a tiny computer fan suspended in front of the window. A small very directed breeze seems to be more effective than even the MaxxFan.

I know, if we spent a lot of time in Florida we might use the A/C more but we get along just fine without it. And when we're boondocking in places like Quartzsite it's no big deal to use the little fan for hours if need be.

Ron

Hey Ron have the same exact AC in bedroom window . Have also done the same for our Class C , putting in window , worked great . Just recently bought and installed a 12 volt Bora fan in bed area . Haven't got to try it out yet . But our 3 ,all 30 lbs Shih-tzu dogs cannot tolerate heat very well so we have to have the AC when stopped for them especially . In the truck traveling they are good as gold with the AC . Also if you are in any humid weather you kind of need AC I would think . Pat

[alanmalk]

Originally Posted by matt

...
What I am wondering is if we don't have an AC is there any benefit to have ETI put in two MaxxFans, or is that overkill? If one MaxxFan is plenty, should I use the front or back location for the Maxxfan? This is for a Escape 21.

We live and camp a lot in Colorado and ordered our Escape with pre-wiring and two MaxxFans. Then we changed our minds and camped a lot in Texas and New Mexico last year. I am here to tell you that a MaxxFan does not provide relief from 110 degrees F in Albuquerque in the summer. Going to seriously consider using that pre-wiring!

--
Alan

[SFDavis50]

II also live in Colorado and got two Maxx Fans in my 2017 5.0 TA. I have the upgraded 7500 model with smoke lid and remote above the stairs and the standard manual 5100 in the A/C slot above the kitchen area. The white lid provides translucent light and increases the brightness in the trailer during the day. I often run both fans on lower speeds (3 or 4) and manually open the lid on the 5100 just a crack while the trailer is in storage.

If I ever need an A/C I will buy one as a window mount. Currently looking at the Noria when/if it gets built but I really don't think I'll need one until 2019. I would want a generator and A/C because I boondock a lot.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects...cool-redefined

[snowmtn]

We sure thought about not getting the a/c, but ended up putting it on the order sheet, partially for resale value on the trailer. We had our Casita for five years and rarely used the a/c, used the heat strip more. However, it was nice to have when it was really hot.

Nancy

[Great Eggstrications]

Originally Posted by matt

is there any benefit to have ETI put in two MaxxFans, or is that overkill?

We ordered our 2015 19' with 2 of the Maxxfan 7500K fans - no A/C. We didn't really want the extra 100 lbs (or whatever) of A/C weight flogging around up on the roof, figured that if it got too hot then we would just hitch up and head for somewhere cooler (we generally don't lock into a particular itinerary), wanted to keep things simple, and couldn't use A/C anyhow when boondocking (no generators please). As I understand it, Escape always pre-wires for A/C on all their trailers - I know we have a circuit breaker labeled "A/C" on the main panel.

Our main motivation for having 2 fans was that when returning to the trailer after a long hot day of hiking in Utah / Arizona, we could use one fan to suck cool air into the trailer and the other to blow warm air out, thereby quickly changing the hot air in the trailer for cooler outside air. Turns out that we have generally only needed one fan since even at low speeds it very effectively exchanges the air, having it blow the warmer ceiling air out and suck in cooler outside air through the windows. At higher fan speeds it's like a wind tunnel inside.

In retrospect, yep, it's overkill. We should have opted for just the single 7500K fan upgrade, especially given the outright cost of the 2nd fan ($475!), as opposed to the 7500K single standard fan upgrade cost ($125).

[steve dunham]

From my perspective fans no matter how quiet , no matter how efficient and no matter how fancy the controls are still fans
When it's 50 deg F they move 50 deg air and when it's 90 deg they move 90 deg air . They are not a substitute for A/C
We only had 3 days above 90 degs this Summer which was 3 days more than I wanted . I would not buy a trailer without A/C.
At night when it's 80 or 90 degs F fans just don't cut it.
I would rather have a good night's sleep then try and save $1000 on a $40,000 trailer . Seems rather silly

[wrandyholman]

Agreed...


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[Losangeles]

Originally Posted by steve dunham

From my perspective fans no matter how quiet , no matter how efficient and no matter how fancy the controls are still fans
When it's 50 deg F they move 50 deg air and when it's 90 deg they move 90 deg air . They are not a substitute for A/C
We only had 3 days above 90 degs this Summer which was 3 days more than I wanted . I would not buy a trailer without A/C.
At night when it's 80 or 90 degs F fans just don't cut it.
I would rather have a good night's sleep then try and save $1000 on a $40,000 trailer . Seems rather silly

agreed.

plus resale.

[float5]

We added about $10,000CAD in options to our 21' (some of which we sent up or got them) and still paid $32,000-$33,000US and the exchange rate was not as good as it is now. Don't know what people are paying now.

Even so, I would point out that the two biggest options wanted on resale are A/C and insulation.

[Ruthe]

I have this theory that we are meant to slow down and take siestas when it is hot and that is what we did when we were in the Badlands a couple years ago when we didn't have air conditioning. It was so hot that all we could do was lie perfectly still all afternoon. Nevertheless, when we returned to the Badlands this past summer we made sure we had electric and we used our air conditioner happily. As long as you're air conditioner ready you can always add it later.

[Iowa Dave]

Originally Posted by Ruthe

I have this theory that we are meant to slow down and take siestas when it is hot and that is what we did when we were in the Badlands a couple years ago when we didn't have air conditioning. It was so hot that all we could do was lie perfectly still all afternoon. Nevertheless, when we returned to the Badlands this past summer we made sure we had electric and we used our air conditioner happily. As long as you're air conditioner ready you can always add it later.

Ruthe:
I’ve camped in the Badlands at 108 degrees and at 68 degrees. 68 is better. It was about 80 degrees when we stayed there in August this year with a nice breeze. Stayed in the dispersed camping outside of the park “on the wall”. No services at all. One of the best nights of the season, cools off nice at night. Coyote serenade.
Iowa Dave

[rbryan4]

I grew up in northern Utah in the 60s and 70s. We had no AC, despite the fact that in the summer it could reach over 100 degrees on a summer day. Most folks in our town didn't have AC either. We did have a swamp cooler on the roof, but I recall it wasn't used much. The thing was, it was high altitude and semi arid. That meant when the sun went down, the temperatures dropped dramatically, making sleeping very pleasant with nothing more than a fan or an open window.

Fast forward 40 years, now living in South Texas. The temperature doesn't go down appreciably when the sun goes down, and in fact it can get more humid and uncomfortable than in the daytime. AC is not an option in Texas. When I bought our trailer, it was an impossibility to think of not having AC.

Everyone who says you can get by without it needs to consider that their argument means nothing depending on where you live. This isn't likes and dislikes, or even a weight or cost issue. It's a geography issue. If I lived up north, and planned to never ever travel south to camp (a silly notion to exclude vast parts of the country imho but that's another story), then I might forego AC, but I would be concerned about resale.

Before you chime in that it's noisy, heavy, expensive and unnecessary, remember that it's largely based on location. I would like to cordially invite you down to these parts for some good old Texas hospitality, and some good old hot Texas nights. You might just be persuaded to another point of view.

[Patandlinda]

Originally Posted by steve dunham

From my perspective fans no matter how quiet , no matter how efficient and no matter how fancy the controls are still fans
When it's 50 deg F they move 50 deg air and when it's 90 deg they move 90 deg air . They are not a substitute for A/C
We only had 3 days above 90 degs this Summer which was 3 days more than I wanted . I would not buy a trailer without A/C.
At night when it's 80 or 90 degs F fans just don't cut it.
I would rather have a good night's sleep then try and save $1000 on a $40,000 trailer . Seems rather silly

Steve you are right about the fans and AC . I just put the fan in the bed area to use with open windows but not when it is hot . Even though the AC is noisy if it's hot the AC is on . Pat

[matt]

Originally Posted by steve dunham

From my perspective fans no matter how quiet , no matter how efficient and no matter how fancy the controls are still fans
When it's 50 deg F they move 50 deg air and when it's 90 deg they move 90 deg air . They are not a substitute for A/C
We only had 3 days above 90 degs this Summer which was 3 days more than I wanted . I would not buy a trailer without A/C.
At night when it's 80 or 90 degs F fans just don't cut it.
I would rather have a good night's sleep then try and save $1000 on a $40,000 trailer . Seems rather silly

Oh I'm sorry Steve. I didn't realize I had said the reason I wasn't opting for the AC was to save $1000 on a $40,000 trailer. I could have sworn I said that I was opting not to get it because we have been camping in our current trailer for 5 years an almost never used our AC. I think what would be "silly" would be for me to get the AC just because someone else that camps in different places than we do said they needed AC 3 times last summer. One of the things that made us choose an Escape was that we could customize it to fit the places and way we camp.

[steve dunham]

Originally Posted by matt

Oh I'm sorry Steve. I didn't realize I had said the reason I wasn't opting for the AC was to save $1000 on a $40,000 trailer. I could have sworn I said that I was opting not to get it because we have been camping in our current trailer for 5 years an almost never used our AC. I think what would be "silly" would be for me to get the AC just because someone else that camps in different places than we do said they needed AC 3 times last summer. One of the things that made us choose an Escape was that we could customize it to fit the places and way we camp.

Apology accepted , Someday you may have the opportunity to visit other parts of the continent --Southern Florida and Southern Texas are extremely nice in July and August.
We didn't have indoor plumbing in our first lake cabin (1988) so when we decided to built our lake home (1992) we debated whether we really needed indoor plumbing and running water after all our outhouse had functioned admirably for over 4 years. In the end we decided to spend the money and put in a well and modern plumbing. I guess we were kind of stuck in the past .

We don't have central A/C in our lake home cause we don't need it 99% of the time but again our home never hits the road , our trailer does !! Maybe someday

Good Luck with your decision.
Steve D

PS : It was 3 below the other morning and having indoor plumbing was kind of nice , there's nothing like a warm toilet seat .