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Location: Just transplanted to FL from the N GA mountains
3,997 posts, read 4,141,865 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rtandc
Now in my unit I have zero problems keeping my coach cooled.... I have three AC units and even on the hottest days I can get my coach so cold you could use it as a freezer to hang meat inside of it......lol.... Now as far as the heat pumps.... They work ok down to around the mid to upper 40's anything colder than that and I kick on the hydro hot unit...and I feel I have one of the best built coaches built today as for as the insulation properties.
We've got 3 units on our coach too; but believe it or not even with three we had major heat issues last year... of course, it didn't help that we were in TX and the temps were rising to about 108 daily. I finally joined the ranks of those using the reflective stuff in my windows and it helped tremendously. Our heat pumps work well to about 38. I'm envious of the hydro-hot!!
We've got 3 units on our coach too; but believe it or not even with three we had major heat issues last year... of course, it didn't help that we were in TX and the temps were rising to about 108 daily. I finally joined the ranks of those using the reflective stuff in my windows and it helped tremendously. Our heat pumps work well to about 38. I'm envious of the hydro-hot!!
Whata this reflective stuff you speak of? Im in houston now and stay pretty cool. It's not july yet tho :l
Location: Just transplanted to FL from the N GA mountains
3,997 posts, read 4,141,865 times
Reputation: 2677
Quote:
Originally Posted by houstan-dan
Whata this reflective stuff you speak of? Im in houston now and stay pretty cool. It's not july yet tho :l
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You know those sun-screen things they sell to put in your car windshield (looks like aluminum foil)... I used those and big aluminum foil like looking rolls of insulation. I cut to fit my windows as needed. I put them in my windows, my upper vents and in the sky-light over the shower. Granted, it looks tacky, makes the RV dark, but boy did it work to help keep it cool. Without that the inside temps were pushing 90 even with all three running at max.
How is one AC unit in a 20ft TT any different than two ACs in a 40ft 5th wheel?
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There can be a huge difference, of course it depends on how/if the AC units are ducted, are they both running off of one thermostat or do they both have their own seperate thermostat controls etc... A bunch of variables.... Most 5th wheels have a main 15K AC unit and the second unit could be a 13.5k or another 15K based on the floor plan...... On most TT's built today especially the lightweight models 13.5K is standard and its normally an upgrade to move up to a 15K
I'm 25 and live full time in a 5th wheel travel trailer. It's actually a toy hauler as it has a 12' garage in the rear. It's a 2013 42' Crossroads Elevation 3912. I live in it with my girlfriend and my 9 year old Chocolate Lab.
I went from an incredibly nice 850+ sq ft apartment to this travel trailer. I have lived in apartments for the last 7 years and do not miss that living at all.
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Monthly spots at most camp sites range from about $400/mo on up. Mine right now is one of the nicest and few 5 star RV sites in Texas. I pay about $650/mo. All utilities are included except electricity (ranges from $25/mo - $150/mo depending on the time of year)
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I love having my own big patio for a grill, everyone around me is super nice, the rv site is super safe. We have two hot tubs, a super nice pool, exercise equipment, laundry, you name it. Every amenity a top notch apartment complex would have.
Oh please, TONS of people live full time in travel trailers.
Loved reading your post. I snipped a bit for length but I wanted to thank you for sharing your perspective and experience.
Personally I've lived full time in RVs three times. First time I was little (9 or 10) and don't remember it much, it was very temporary when we moved from Corpus Christi area to Houston and was just while we looked for a place.
In high school, my father kicked me out of his house and the only place I had to go was my Grandma's. She and her husband had just moved back to Texas from D.C. and had brought their motor home and were renting park space while they decided where they were going to buy a house. It was me, my Grandma, her husband, two dogs, and three cats. The park was gorgeous with all sorts of amenities and trees, pool, jacuzzi, etc. This was in San Antonio, I lived there for a year and i don't remember AC ever being an issue (and I am super heat intolerant, always have been). There were some negatives for me but they were more about my Grandma's husband being a jerk than anything else, so I spent a lot of time out and about to stay away from him!
Next I lived for about six months in a very small travel trailer with my mother and my infant son, because I'd moved from one town to another and was looking for affordable housing. That was in New Braunfels, Tx. Her TT was small and old but again, don't recall any air conditioning issues. And again, the negatives to that situation were about the person I lived with,rather than the living space! I couldn't live with my mother again, period. I told her once, there's not a house big enough or enough land in all of Texas for us to co-exist peacefully!
I don't know, I guess I've grown up with family that had some sort of RV as a matter of course and living in their RV was never considered a big deal, even though they've had houses and apartments too. My aunt and uncle are senior citizens and full time RVers and have been for a decade now, with SIX little teacup chihuahuas! They do that work-camping thing to save money, and travel the country visiting their numerous kids and grand-kids. Sometimes they settle in a place for a year, sometimes they are in five places in a year. They've even got a washer and dryer in their motor home and a Queen size tempurpedic bed and wood look floors everywhere. It's pretty swanky! Their RV is certainly nicer than any apartment I could afford.
Quote:
Originally Posted by AnywhereElse
If you are used to keeping a budget, you can do it. People full-time in all sorts of units even though some could never imagine living in such a unit full-time. We spend 2 years in a 24' travel trailer - 2 adults, a teen and 75 lb dog. We plan to do it again very soon. We had a cheap travel trailer and managed with southern heat and freezing rain. Full-time RVing comes falls under "Where there is a will, there is a way." Temp employers are booming right now and a lot of people work for awhile and then travel until they need to refresh their stash of cash. Amazon is a big employers of seasonal workampers not to mention Summer Jobs and Seasonal Jobs in Great Places | CoolWorks.com can give you some ideas on jobs that might be available for consideration. I can't wait to shed this house!
Thanks for your post too! I appreciate all the first-hand insight.
Our current issue is this: we are having to move to a city an hour away but because it is a college town (we are both full time students), the rental market is awful. We cannot find much that is affordable and the size we want and then we have pets so there are pet restrictions and deposits. We figure we'll spent at minimum, $10,000 for the year in rent, rent alone, not counting pet rent and pet fees and utilities. That's if we are lucky and find something below market rent. Otherwise it's more like $11,500 realistically. Gag.
It seems so much more logical (to me) to buy something with cash that is OURS that we can live in in a park, and then use to travel when we are free to do so.. but I know everyone will tell me I am absolutely nuts because we are a family, not just a couple. I have looked at parks in the town we are moving to and we could get a space in a highly rated park right on the river, with tons of trees, indoor pool, jacuzzi, shade, playground, fenced in dog park... SO much more than in any apartment or what we'd get in a mobile home park (they like to put them in big fields with no trees, it seems)... for about $400 a month, utilities included. It's very very tempting.
The problems I had in the past, living in an RV full time, were related to WHO I lived with more than anything else and maybe I am naive but I don't see that being an issue.. we are a close family and we respect each others' need for alone time and quiet. We have a very peaceful co-existence currently in our cramped apartment, we don't bicker or fight... so who knows, it could work!
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
34,705 posts, read 58,031,425 times
Reputation: 46172
Quote:
Originally Posted by aus10
You know those sun-screen things they sell to put in your car windshield (looks like aluminum foil)... I used those and big aluminum foil like looking rolls of insulation. I cut to fit my windows as needed. I put them in my windows, my upper vents and in the sky-light over the shower. Granted, it looks tacky, makes the RV dark, but boy did it work to help keep it cool. Without that the inside temps were pushing 90 even with all three running at max.
You can buy relective insulation in rolls, usually put in windows (It's not cheap), but... I prefer shade cloth on OUTSIDE. Cover the whole rig up if possible !
Ok I'm glad but what does any of that have to do with my post..I said a TT with one AC unit.. ..but ok I will reply..... I'm glad you have two AC's because it would be very hot in your unit with only one...... Like most fifth wheels you most likely have a 15k in the main living area and a 13.5k in the sleeping area...... Take either one of those AC units out for about a week and then get back to me with your findings..I bet you would be agreeing with my prior statement 100%.. Now if you look at allot of the higher end fifth wheels they have three ac units and some even have four AC units..... It's all what you want to spend.
Sorry dude, my 28 foot Airstream has one AC, and it can easily get into the 60's when temps are in the 90's and it's in the sun.
Sorry dude, my 28 foot Airstream has one AC, and it can easily get into the 60's when temps are in the 90's and it's in the sun.
LOTS of ignorance in this thread!
Yeah and the ignorance is showing.....because anyone who thinks an airstream TT is comparable to a standard POS built TT is so far off of center I can't even begin to help them.
I actually happened to look at a new Airstream 30 ft classic, sticker price 104K...... Again not built like a standard TT... So yeah the AC better cool better as the insulating packaging and construction materials are far better....
Yeah and the ignorance is showing.....because anyone who thinks an airstream TT is comparable to a standard POS built TT is so far off of center I can't even begin to help them.
I actually happened to look at a new Airstream 30 ft classic, sticker price 104K...... Again not built like a standard TT... So yeah the AC better cool better as the insulating packaging and construction materials are far better....
You keep on changing your story....
Pretty much anyone who says "Here is a real life example of how your incorrect"
...and you say "Oh, no... not THAT ONE"
Speaking of Ignorance:
Just so you know, while an Airstream IS much better CONSTRUCTED than most TT's....
It is not INSULATED markedly better than others....
(R value is in the single digits, and Aluminum isn't exactly knows as a quality insulation!)
Now if you were talking about an Artic Fox or other '4 season TT'... it would be different.
Oh, and the price of one like mine, on the secondary market is about $16K
Pretty much anyone who says "Here is a real life example of how your incorrect"
...and you say "Oh, no... not THAT ONE"
Speaking of Ignorance:
Just so you know, while an Airstream IS much better CONSTRUCTED than most TT's....
It is not INSULATED markedly better than others....
(R value is in the single digits, and Aluminum isn't exactly knows as a quality insulation!)
Now if you were talking about an Artic Fox or other '4 season TT'... it would be different.
Oh, and the price of one like mine, on the secondary market is about $16K
Dude, first read what I have written and not what you "think" I have..... I stated that the airstream is a better built TT than many other TT's in the market place........ Lol, a four season TT......cute little catch all by the industry overall.... Each manufacture has their " 4 season package" ..... Read the fine print though.....it may surprise you....... Today's " four season" is nothing more than how many trailers used to be built before the " lightweight" craze caught on.
Last edited by rtandc; 06-26-2013 at 02:59 PM..
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I finally joined the ranks of those using the reflective stuff in my windows and it helped tremendously. Our heat pumps work well to about 38. I'm envious of the hydro-hot!! 
