Air Conditioning Ducted Vents

[piper guy]

Hey Steve - not to hijack thread, but a quick question - We will be at Pirateland for the winter from Dec 31 - till Mar 31. Are you and Char coming down ?

[Char & Steve]

Originally Posted by piper guy

Hey Steve - not to hijack thread, but a quick question - We will be at Pirateland for the winter from Dec 31 - till Mar 31. Are you and Char coming down ?

We will be there later September into October but may be back as it was our most expensive two week vacation at our RV lot in Cherry Grove. Wile there we signed a contract to have 2800 sq.ft. house built in Longs just 6 miles from our lot so I will be going back a few times to check on progress through the build. Should close in February.

Steve

[Shane Wood]

Steve do have room to park the trailer at the new homestaed

[Char & Steve]

Originally Posted by Shane Wood

Steve do have room to park the trailer at the new homestaed

Sent ya a private message so we don't take over the original thread.

Steve

[camper94]

Originally Posted by TomNGina06

I had the same problem so I pulled every vent down and cut off the excess vent tube that stuck up into the supply duct. The result was 5-10 degrees cooler and probably the reason the original owner traded it in. Which also explained why it still smelled new inside.

Improved A/C efficiency! I pulled all my ducts apart, Front to Back and Removed the Black Tube under the Louvers. Took Aluminum Duct Tape and closed the opening between the Ceiling and Duct Work in the ceiling. The Aluminum Duct Tape is very pliable and very sticky so it adheres to anything.


Replaced the Vent Covers and after testing the efficiency increase was quite amazing. It is 92 degrees outside and the A/C's are keeping the RV at 68 degrees.


Before this MODIFICATION, I was lucky to get the RV down to 74. So, this was a HUUUGE improvement!

[Colorado]

Do the vents just pull down or do they turn and come down?

[camper94]

Originally Posted by Colorado

Do the vents just pull down or do they turn and come down?

They Pull Down, you may have to wiggle them a little. But, they come out pretty easy. Then the Black Collar Tube is attached to the Louvered Attachment that is screwed into the ceiling.


By the way, the White Ring around the vents are decorative and need to be removed first, they snap on and off. then you will expose the Screws that hold the louvered vent into the ceiling.


DON'T JUST PULL DOWN ON THE VENT OR YOU WILL RIP THE 4 SCREWS HOLDING THE LOUVERED VENTS.


These Tubes are designed to keep Cold Air from getting in between the Ceiling and Duct Work. In my opinion, the tubes are not sealed in, so Air leaks out anyway in the ceiling cavity. And these Tubes are taller than the duct work, so air is further restricted by these tubes.


I also took some A/C Styrofoam and placed it in one duct in the bedroom to improve Air Flow in the Bedroom. Now all 4 of my vents in the Bedroom work very well.


And finally with the Living Room Kitchen Area. The last Duct in the system toward the rear of the RV needs to be checked and make sure that the rear most vents are closed off, and not venting Cold Air Into the Ceiling once again.


I had it at the Factory and they closed off those ducts, since they weren't closed in the construction process.


It was 92 here today and I was able to get the RV cooled down to 67 and held it there. Before this, it was difficult to get the A/C down to around 74.


So, I think I discovered a big problem in these Redwoods.


Hope this helps.


Jeff

[camper94]

This is the response I received from REDWOOD today!

Thank you for contacting Keystone RV regarding your Redwood. I regret to inform you that diagrams/schematics are not available due to the rapid changes with our units. It sounds as though there may be a an obstruction preventing airflow in the ducting of the unit. For proper diagnosis we recommend you contact your local Keystone/Dutchmen Authorized dealer for an assessment. If we can be of further assistance, please contact us at ownerrelations@keystonerv.com

To be expected from a Company like REDWOOD!

All I can say is just WOW!

Good thing I have enough Know How to fix these problems. The Dealer I purchase the unit from doesn't know which end of the screwdriver to use!

UNBELIEVABLE

Glad this will be my Last REDWOOD!

[travelin' texans]

Originally Posted by Jeff&Brenda

This is the response I received from REDWOOD today!

Thank you for contacting Keystone RV regarding your Redwood. I regret to inform you that diagrams/schematics are not available due to the rapid changes with our units. It sounds as though there may be a an obstruction preventing airflow in the ducting of the unit. For proper diagnosis we recommend you contact your local Keystone/Dutchmen Authorized dealer for an assessment. If we can be of further assistance, please contact us at ownerrelations@keystonerv.com

To be expected from a Company like REDWOOD!

All I can say is just WOW!

Good thing I have enough Know How to fix these problems. The Dealer I purchase the unit from doesn't know which end of the screwdriver to use!

UNBELIEVABLE

Glad this will be my Last REDWOOD!

Not to seem uncaring or in any way think this is the way the manufacturer should of handled the issue, but to say "it's your last RW" should be worded "it's my last rv" as I'm certain there are others out there that are much worse than your RW. Just for fun read the DRV forum some time, they paid a LOT more for theirs than we did.
Unfortunately the rv industry is what it is, the assembly line folks get paid to turn them out as fast as possible regardless of condition, the dealers are selling them as fast as they arrive with sales people that don't know which end to hook to your truck & with so many hitting the roads there's not nearly enough qualified technicians, most "don't know which end of a screwdriver to use" & they don't pay them enough to get knowledgeable ones or to stay when they get one.
Fortunately you are a handyman, just imagine the aggravation for someone owning one "that doesn't know which end of a screwdriver to use"! You're still using yours complaining about the heat, theirs is in a lot somewhere with NO idea when they might be able to use it (or see it) again! At some point you'll be just like the rest of us & have it all fixed up to YOUR liking & this will just be a bad memory or as my friend calls them "memorable misadventures".
Sorry for your problems, but it will get better!

[atom ant]

Originally Posted by Jeff&Brenda

This is the response I received from REDWOOD today!

Thank you for contacting Keystone RV regarding your Redwood. I regret to inform you that diagrams/schematics are not available due to the rapid changes with our units. It sounds as though there may be a an obstruction preventing airflow in the ducting of the unit. For proper diagnosis we recommend you contact your local Keystone/Dutchmen Authorized dealer for an assessment. If we can be of further assistance, please contact us at ownerrelations@keystonerv.com

To be expected from a Company like REDWOOD!

All I can say is just WOW!

Good thing I have enough Know How to fix these problems. The Dealer I purchase the unit from doesn't know which end of the screwdriver to use!

UNBELIEVABLE

Glad this will be my Last REDWOOD!

Something I was always frustrated about with Redwood. Not all RV companies are that secretive about drawings.

[camper94]

Well, Apparently I OFFENDED you by my comments.

So to correct the situation, THIS WILL BE MY LAST REDWOOD and MY LAST RV!

This is our 8th RV in the nearly 20 years we have been traveling. We have owned DRV's too and know all too well the CRAP quality there too. In fact I was just up in Elkhart and Went to Howe, IN and the DRV Factory. I wanted to see if anything had changed and NOT to my surprise, it has gotten worse.

Talking to an RV Tech at Morryde, he told me he used to work for one of the major manufacturers for about 6 months and quit because of the number of workers that are Stoned on Drugs! So, you wonder why these RV's are built like crap! When you look in the want ads up there, the RV industry is desperate for workers. NO BACKGROUND CHECKS, NO PISS TESTS FOR DRUGS! And even if you Don't know which end of the Screwdriver to use, they will show you!

To say the RV industry is what it is! It never used to be that way. But, when THOR owns and operates more than 50 percent of the RV Industry and Shuts down plants that don't make a profit, you can see why IT IS WHAT IT IS! And yes I know THOR owns REDWOOD, DRV and JAYCO, HEARTLAND, plus many others.

Since we purchased the RW in 2015, the REDWOOD name has fallen thru the Cracks. And the sad thing is REDWOOD doesn't Give a HOOT!

In my response to the Customer Service person at Keystone and THOR, I mentioned that any obstruction that could be (there was none) would have been put in there by REDWOOD. You see, I have an inspection camera for pipes and such and ran it through all the vents. This is where I discovered the Ends of two duct tracks were not even sealed off and air was blowing into the roof cavity. BUT, NO OBSTRUCTION! The response I posted was a CANNED Response and No attempt would be made to help with the problem. And the response was sent on a FRIDAY, when most people are looking to get out the door for the weekend and could care less if they help out a RW owner.

I will finish up this response with this: I am a retired Air Traffic Controller, retired after 22 years working for the FAA! Now, stop and think if I just never cared about my job, while working thousands of Airplanes??? I had a profession where doing not just a good job, but an excellent job everyday was a requirement! You cannot find that kind of dedication in this country and you will never see it in the RV industry, it's just a DAMNED SHAME!

NOW BACK TO MY MOVIE!

[atom ant]

Throw the first stone?

New York air traffic controllers filmed 'sleeping on the job' | Daily Mail Online

[travelin' texans]

Not offended! Not making excuses for the industry! Also had a job that required 110%+! Just giving my opinion! Take it or leave it!

[Greg C.]

Jeff, I have a '17 38rl that was assembled in '16 and I was told that they changed the configuration that year and the A/C 's now have separate ducts that supply each area of the coach. I have trimmed down the collars that you mentioned and I have been up on the roof (good title for a song) and sealed off the foam seals that everyone has been talking about and that helped quite a bit. But it still doesn't cool things down like you have described yours does. Was recently in Branson, the week before the Duck Boat tragedy. It was 95degrees and mid eighties was the best we could get. I'm wondering if the ends of my ducts are not sealed also. May have to buy me one of those cameras.

[Shane Wood]

I am ready for retirement but I may go back to school and become a dentist and then move to Elkhart
One could make a small fortune fixing all the crack heads teeth

[Gary Hage]

Wow, after reading this thread, feel pretty darn lucky. I have never seen or experienced a more balanced ducted dual A/C system in an RV (fifth wheels) as we have in our 2013 Redwood 36FB. This was a huge selling point for us! The quietness of both the A/C units themselves when inside the RV, along with the quietness of the airflow through the vents has been amazing. Even more amazing, is the force of the air flowing out of each vent. Not a weak one anywhere in our system. The room temperature differential between the upstairs area and the downstairs is consistently only 1-2 degrees with one or both units cycling on and off. We've never experienced such a well working, efficient HVAC system in an RV as this one. Was it a fluke, or by design? LOL

[Greg C.]

So Jeff if I read this correctly you aren't using the black tube now under the vents, just sealing it off with the duct tape. Everything that I have read about and then checked on my RW seems to follow along so hopefully I can make the same improvements to mine and make mine cooler.

[Tom's38GK]

JeffnBrenda,

I have been RVing since the 60s when My Mother and Father owned a 16ft, single axle, no bathroom, Trail Blazer. When we ran across our 2014 RW it came as choice of love of floorplan and economics for us. Spent 2 years looking at making the move to a class A motor home only to give in knowing that it would not work for us because of the cost.

The Thor company has been an issue for it's customers from the first time they started into this industry. My thoughts are they chose to do everything cheap knowing that most RVs they would sell are only used a couple of weekends a year. This business model has worked very good for them because now they own the majority share of the market over all. This is to bad for persons that actually want to use these rigs to travel long term. Knowing this after a number of new purchases I decided to go the slightly used route knowing that I would have to do a lot of work from the get go. Then I find out that Thor was the parent company of RW, the conversations of my late father popped into my head understanding that Thor would be of no help and my job increased ten fold.

Well being pretty handy and places like here I felt that I could make my rig better than it was new with some hard work and the information that forums like this provide. I am sorry that your frustration has caused you to dump this lifestyle for a more predictable solid ground provides.

My air conditioning is still sub par even after I have improved it 100 fold so far. I do believe that I have open vent supply lines and will investigate what i can do to make it even better.

The part that concerns me the most is the safety items of that can involve life or death problems like substandard frame welds and suspension that was used on these rigs full knowing that the loaded weight would be way over the limits. Most people carry more than one pair of socks and underwear. This is where I believe that Mr. CEO should be held legally accountable for allowing these behaviors to continue. Until we have a Ralph Nader to take these bad people down the issues we all have will continue.

I have less than a year before I start my journey Full Time hopefully I will have all the issues resolved so when I have that person stop by to ask me about it I can be proud knowing that it will be the best it can be and provide me many years of trouble free issues.

Good luck.....

[barrymerle]

We have a 2016 38 RL, with 3 AC units and 2 heat pumps, there is no problems with air flow in any AC. They will definitely hold the RV at low 70's even when outside temps are in the high 90's. The problem we have is with the heat pumps. The bedroom works great, the main unit when we turn on the heat pump, the furnace comes on. Campers World cant seem to fix this. We also have a 2016 Voltage 3990 Epic , and have major problems with the center main AC. There is no or little air flow, Keystone told Campers World to install the 1 1/2 inch tubing within the duct work, but this did nothing at all. Really cant use this toy hauler in either very cool or hot temps due to air flow problems. This must have a closed system on all 3 AC's as even when the front or rear AC is on there is hardly any flow toward the center kitchen living area. Have another appointment with Camper World next week, what a joke that they dont care what the industry sells, or what they repair.

[RWJSIM2003]

Keep in mind that if you sent the temp at more than 4 degrees higher than the temp is in the RV it will automatically go to the Furnace. Once the temp has leveled out the heat pump will then take back over. Also heat pump is good only down to about 38 degrees out side temp after that they are not effective.