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Old 09-08-2016, 04:47 PM   #21
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Originally Posted by Brian B-P View Post
I think the previously optional "A/C ready" package (reinforcement of the vent area to handle the weight, and wiring run to that location) is now standard, since the trailer structures have changed and the "ready" package is no longer listed as an option...
It was standard in 2009. #12 cable was run to the rear roof opening of my 19. Of course, that year they had to add a shroud to stiffen the roof to accept the A/C unit, something corrected in the moulds later..

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Old 09-08-2016, 05:16 PM   #22
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We had to use the air conditioning in Yellowstone a couple nights last month. It cooled down during the night but at 10:00 at night it was still hot.

It may not help your resale value much but would sure increase the market if you decided to sell. If I was shopping for a trailer I would pass if it did not have A/C. I hate running it but it's not a option in the south. That said there is a buyer for everything.

Also the new digital thermostat controls your furnace too and is much better than the standard thermostat.
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Old 09-08-2016, 05:30 PM   #23
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Even without air conditioning installation preparation, there will be the same hole in the roof, because it is a common 14" square vent opening. If the trailer comes from Escape without the air conditioner, it has a common opening vent instead.

I think the previously optional "A/C ready" package (reinforcement of the vent area to handle the weight, and wiring run to that location) is now standard, since the trailer structures have changed and the "ready" package is no longer listed as an option... but of course one would want to confirm that with Escape. Even if it is optional, I would want it if not getting the air conditioner.
I would definitely want the reinforcement and wiring but I am mixed about having a 14 inch hole there if it isn't filled with an A/C. Since there is already a MaxxFan in another location and the 5.0TA has a big escape hatch in the front roof, an additional vent seems like it would be repeatedly redundant over and over.

What I don't know is if there is a location in the mold which outlines the cut out for the openings, creating a thin spot, or if Escape uses a fixture to locate the hole locations and cuts them out after molding. I assume the latter.

I'll probably ask sometime but if it is possible to not have the cut out I would go for that. Maybe then have Escape install dual solar panels where the A/C would have been.
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Old 09-08-2016, 07:09 PM   #24
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Our ancestors may have been covered up in the sun for the same reason as those in the Middle East are today, namely, the sun hitting your skin makes you much hotter and/or seem hotter.
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Old 09-08-2016, 08:53 PM   #25
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We live full time in our Casita and plan to do the same in our 2027 21' Escape. We have traveled from South Texas to Whistler BC to Florida to New York. and have encountered a variety of weather conditions. AC is a must have and a gas furnace is a must have for us.
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Old 09-08-2016, 09:13 PM   #26
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As far as A/C increasing the resale value, I don't get the logic. If I spent $1,100.00 plus tax for an A/C box I won't often use and five years later decide to sell the trailer will I get $1,500.00 in increased resale value for the 5 year old box which is out of warranty?

Will the 9 or 10 people lining up to buy my Escape all decide to cut $1,500.00 from my selling price because I don't have a 5 year old A/C on the roof?
It's not so much that AC would increase the resale value. It's that it increases the saleability. If you ever sell it, you've eliminated quite a few potential buyers by not having it. You could however do the "AC ready", with wiring, etc ready to hook up. That way, a potential buyer could add it easily if you ever sell. Of course, saleability may not be a concern if you plan to keep the trailer long term.
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Old 09-08-2016, 09:28 PM   #27
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I agree with the A/C ready part, except for the hole in the roof. Not having A/C would certainly eliminate many southern buyers but what does that matter if these are selling within a few days of an ad being posted? Several months ago a 1997 Bigfoot was posted in Colorado, the seller immediately got a call from someone a 3 day drive away who really wanted it. During those days he still got many people, including me, who were trying to buy it. He just stopped answering the phone. He said he could have sold 10 of them.

In the US, Baby Boomers are reaching 65 at a rate of 10,000 per day and this will continue for another 15 or more years. Many of them will be in the RV market. Escape has a very good near term future. A bigger issue is getting the government to expand the number of campsites available in the next several years.
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Old 09-08-2016, 09:31 PM   #28
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I agree with the A/C ready part, except for the hole in the roof. Not having A/C would certainly eliminate many southern buyers but what does that matter if these are selling within a few days of an ad being posted? Several months ago a 1997 Bigfoot was posted in Colorado, the seller immediately got a call from someone a 3 day drive away who really wanted it. During those days he still got many people, including me, who were trying to buy it. He just stopped answering the phone. He said he could have sold 10 of them.
It's very true that you can sell an Escape quickly - even one that has no AC. As for the hole in the roof, you'll have two Maxx fans. I would love that setup. Plenty of ventilation and reduced condensation too.
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Old 09-08-2016, 09:38 PM   #29
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I would have to pay for another MaxxFan which is an interesting idea, especially if I HAVE to have the hole in the roof. Normally it would be another passive vent and there is a very large one in the front on the 5.0TA. With two MaxxFans maybe I could do wind tunnel experiments
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Old 09-08-2016, 10:06 PM   #30
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I agree with the A/C ready part, except for the hole in the roof. Not having A/C would certainly eliminate many southern buyers but what does that matter if these are selling within a few days of an ad being posted? Several months ago a 1997 Bigfoot was posted in Colorado, the seller immediately got a call from someone a 3 day drive away who really wanted it. During those days he still got many people, including me, who were trying to buy it. He just stopped answering the phone. He said he could have sold 10 of them.

In the US, Baby Boomers are reaching 65 at a rate of 10,000 per day and this will continue for another 15 or more years. Many of them will be in the RV market. Escape has a very good near term future. A bigger issue is getting the government to expand the number of campsites available in the next several years.
There have been those Escapes that did not sell for months with no A/C. One owner added it to finally sell.

The three big items people ask for who buy used Escapes are commonly the bathroom, insulation and thermal window package, and A/C. You only need one buyer and you might have one who does not care about such items, but there have been a few cases of it being a problem for some time. I would not expect that wiring is sufficient either. I think that many will want the A/C in place already and do not want to bother with adding it.

Keep in mind that Escapes are not just any fiberglass trailer. Escape owners IMHO are not generally ones who want to go out roughing it! A big percentage are retired and want long-term travel with amenities. They have often done the other.
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Old 09-08-2016, 10:15 PM   #31
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we travel cross country and when you need A/C it's pretty freakin' nice. sure we only use it occasionally BUT.... BTW, we purchased our Escape 19 w/o and added it soon after.

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Old 09-08-2016, 11:11 PM   #32
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We can snuggle in on cold nights with a nice comforter and sleep really well. Nothing worse for us than trying to sleep when it's hot.
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Old 09-08-2016, 11:15 PM   #33
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Living in Colorado we decided on 2 Maxx fans and the A/C ready option. Then we decided to volunteer in Big Bend NP where the early spring temperatures hit 105 F before April. We did suffer.

But I like the idea of a little computer fan near the bed per an earlier post. Potential for quiet and directed air flow across the bed. And of course a variable speed sensor to reduce the RPM as the temperature lowers. Computer controlled, naturally, to keep me entertained with another project during the winter.

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Old 09-09-2016, 02:06 AM   #34
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Living in Colorado we decided on 2 Maxx fans and the A/C ready option. Then we decided to volunteer in Big Bend NP where the early spring temperatures hit 105 F before April. We did suffer.
My hat's off to you Alan. Not only for volunteering, but for braving the west Texas "spring" with no AC. It can definitely get hot very early in Big Bend. We camped at Chisos Basin on the way home from Osoyoos this year, and it was much cooler than what you dealt with -- but still pretty warm.



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Old 09-09-2016, 02:29 PM   #35
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We didn't get an A/C primarily because I don't like roof mounted units. And most of the time we're boondocking without power. We've traveled from Alaska to Baja and only a very few times we've wanted A/C.

Our $88 unit mounts in minutes in the window and for the few times we used it it did the job. And, if a future owner wanted an roof mount unit the trailers wired for it. So it's not an all or nothing situation.

Ron
Ron, that is a very nice installation of a small unit. Did you post pictures of the installation process? Seems like with the split rear window of the new 2017 models it would be an interesting job to mount a temp. A/C support on the back using the spare tire bracket or bumper for support.
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Old 09-09-2016, 03:41 PM   #36
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Last summer in the South Dakota Badlands we were unable to get an electric site and it was really hot with no shade. It was too hot for us to do any hiking or sightseeing after about 11:00 in the morning and there was nothing else to do in the trailer but lie on the bed and sweat during the long afternoon. In the North Dakota Badlands it was pretty much the same situation but we just went into town to an air conditioned restaurant and library. This summer in the 1000 Islands it was 90 degrees every day and we were in the shade so the trailer didn't get too hot during the day, but the nights were just barely comfortable -- I think we were faced the wrong way and didn't get the advantage of some of the breezes -- that is something to consider when you set up camp without air conditioning. You have to decide what your own comfort level is in the heat.
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Old 09-09-2016, 04:03 PM   #37
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Much depends on how you deal with heat and the swings day to night. Here along Lake Ontario in upstate NY, it has been in the 85°F - 90's over the last couple of weeks. Most nights the lake cools things down to the 60°F at night, & I have no problems with the heat of the day knowing that the night will cool down for sleeping. No AC in the house.

A couple of weeks ago I was at a weekend concert in the Finger Lakes, and it didn't cool down below the mid 70's at night - I was miserable.

And while everyone makes fun of "Dry Heat", I have to admit I didn't feel too bad with 95° - 100° temperatures in the desert in Arizona & California, although I can't imagine the 120°F summer temperatures.

I have an air conditioner on the roof of the Escape, however I rarely use it. I can only think of 3 - 4 occasions where I moved out of a dry site to a commercial campground so I would have hookups to run the AC. I've never run it at night; only to cool down the trailer during the hottest part of the afternoon.
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Old 09-09-2016, 04:46 PM   #38
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As I read these threads, I can't help but wonder if ETI would install a customer supplied AC unit.

For me, a 7500 (?) would be awesome while no doubt some of you in the deep south would love the option of a 13000(?) btu or even the 15000 units I see driving by my campsite at this moment.
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Old 09-09-2016, 05:00 PM   #39
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Ron, that is a very nice installation of a small unit. Did you post pictures of the installation process? Seems like with the split rear window of the new 2017 models it would be an interesting job to mount a temp. A/C support on the back using the spare tire bracket or bumper for support.
I did do a full write-up in 2015 but with a limited connection I can't find it right now.

Mine worked well because the emergency escape window works well for putting a portable unit there. The window even becomes a rain cover.

Interesting idea about using the same idea with the new style rear window. I don't know if the window hinges up enough to do that.

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Old 09-09-2016, 06:13 PM   #40
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Mine worked well because the emergency escape window works well for putting a portable unit there. The window even becomes a rain cover.

Interesting idea about using the same idea with the new style rear window. I don't know if the window hinges up enough to do that.

Ron
Nope, the frameless windows don't open far enough to install that type of a/c on the rear windows.
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