Leave AC On When Sitting Unused Outside?

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Cass Sumrall

Cass Sumrall

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Joined
Mar 5, 2012
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136
We just got a new 2013 Itasca Sunstar 30t a couple of months ago & it sits beside the house in full sun when not on the road. We are in south FL & it gets pretty hot & humid in summer.

I rigged up shore power for it & so far have been leaving the AC on so it doesn't get extremely hot inside. Seems like that would be best for the interior (cabinets, etc.).

What do others think?


 
Sounds good.  We are in Las Vegas and on days when it tops 110 we set the a.c. at 90 and head for the pool.
 
If you don't mind the excess power usage and wear & tear on the A/C then why not?  However, if it were me, I'd settle for a good vent fan or two...maybe a box fan in a window.  That should keep the temps down to a reasonable level and not cost near as much to operate.
 
I keep mine stored at the house also but do not run the A/C when we are not using it. I have a carport type cover over it which keeps it much cooler and also keeps the sun from weathering it so quickly. We live in FL year round and I just can't see letting the summer sun cook the thing year after year, but many do.
 
I live in Florida and the drivers side faces south so the RV heats up every day. I leave the A/C on all day every day. I also bought 99% black out drapes at Walmart for every window and I hung one up in the hallway between the living room, where the A/C is and the bedroom/bathroom so that the A/C only has to cool off the living room. I also put some of those silver window covers on the windows facing the sun.

The reason I leave the A/C on all day is not because of my three cats, they prefer to stay in the bedroom where it is warm, it is because if I turn off the A/C and then turn it back on in the middle of the day it takes forever to cool the place back down. I think in the long run it uses less electricity that way.
 
SeilerBird said:
I live in Florida and the drivers side faces south so the RV heats up every day. I leave the A/C on all day every day. I also bought 99% black out drapes at Walmart for every window and I hung one up in the hallway between the living room, where the A/C is and the bedroom/bathroom so that the A/C only has to cool off the living room. I also put some of those silver window covers on the windows facing the sun.

The reason I leave the A/C on all day is not because of my three cats, they prefer to stay in the bedroom where it is warm, it is because if I turn off the A/C and then turn it back on in the middle of the day it takes forever to cool the place back down. I think in the long run it uses less electricity that way.
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The OP is not talking about an RV they leave for the day and return, having to cool it down again.  His statement seems to me to be asking about leaving the A/C on for days, even weeks between uses so cooling down using more electricity is not a issue as far as I see.  Since he is at home and not on an unmetered service, I still think keeping the RV well ventelated would be satisfactory AND much less costly.
 
Ventilating by itself would be good if it wasn't for the humidity. I tried that at first with mine but in the mornings it walls would be wet from condensate. That was a moldy disaster waiting to happen, now our AC runs all the time. I look at it as an air conditioned retreat with cold drinks inside, kinda like my outdoor man cave.
 
catblaster said:
Ventilating by itself would be good if it wasn't for the humidity. I tried that at first with mine but in the mornings it walls would be wet from condensate. That was a moldy disaster waiting to happen, now our AC runs all the time. I look at it as an air conditioned retreat with cold drinks inside, kinda like my outdoor man cave.
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It doesn't sound like you had enough air flow.  Condensation should not occur if the inside temp is maintained close to the outside temp with plenty of air movement.  Just sayin'.
 
I will only ask what make and model A/C you have... Here is why

I used to have a matched pair of Carrier Air V's.  One had to be replaced because of a workmanship flaw.. The other had the same flaw.. but once I knew about it fixing it took mear seconds during my next scheduled maintenance pass.  (Which I did a bit early).

ON Carrier Air V 13,500 B T U units, and possibly others near the compressor there are two pipes that drop down into what looks for allt he world like a plumbing trap. Actually it is a vibration trap. and it works quite well, however the workmen left the two pipes touching so they rub against each other and let all the coolant out when the hole appears.

The cure.. Spread ''em apart a half inch or so.
 
Good comments so far-

I haven't figured out a way to get air circulation without the AC on since leaving windows or roof air vents open would invite rain in sudden showers & thunderstorms that are common in south FL in the summer.
 
Cass Sumrall said:
Good comments so far-

I haven't figured out a way to get air circulation without the AC on since leaving windows or roof air vents open would invite rain in sudden showers & thunderstorms that are common in south FL in the summer.
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A couple of vent covers will permit you to leave the vents open without risking rain.  I have them on all my vents.
 
Molaker said:
A couple of vent covers will permit you to leave the vents open without risking rain.  I have them on all my vents.
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Great idea!

I wonder how they hold up to tropical force winds that it will get sooner or later living in south FL?  I wonder if maybe I could mount them with wing nuts so I could quickly remove them if a storm is coming?  Or do they need to be permanently mounted with caulking to be waterproof for normal use?
 
I've always had vent covers on mine and never had a problem with wind in Florida's frequent thunder squalls. Afterall, they are designed to withstand highway speeds, so ought to handle 70 mph wind with aplomb. 120 mph hurricanes, of course, are a different story altogether. Vent covers are the least of the concerns.
 
Cass Sumrall said:
Great idea!

I wonder how they hold up to tropical force winds that it will get sooner or later living in south FL?  I wonder if maybe I could mount them with wing nuts so I could quickly remove them if a storm is coming?  Or do they need to be permanently mounted with caulking to be waterproof for normal use?
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I am in Florida and I have vent covers on all three of my vents. I would not be without them. No need to caulk. The vents are already caulked. The bolt on on top of the existing vents. You don't need to remove them once they are on. If the wind is strong enough to damage the vent covers then the vent covers are the least of your problems.
 
Gary RV Roamer said:
I've always had vent covers on mine and never had a problem with wind in Florida's frequent thunder squalls. Afterall, they are designed to withstand highway speeds, so ought to handle 70 mph wind with aplomb. 120 mph hurricanes, of course, are a different story altogether. Vent covers are the least of the concerns.
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Are you actually able to leave the vents open in thunderstorms?

Seems like a driving rain (with wind) would go through the louvers & into the MH through the vent.
 
Cass Sumrall said:
Are you actually able to leave the vents open in thunderstorms?

Seems like a driving rain (with wind) would go through the louvers & into the MH through the vent.
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I leave my vents open 24/7/365. Not a drop of rain has come through yet, even in driving rainstorms.
 
Yes, you can!! I have 4 of them on my trailer in Southwest Florida and the vents stay open underneath  during any rain storms. I do close the vents when I leave for the summer though. They have yet to go through a hurricane as the last one had occurred 4 months before I bought the trailer. (Although the trailer itself did go through it, it did not have the covers at that time and one vent had leaked staining the sealing.) 
 
Molaker said:
The OP is not talking about an RV they leave for the day and return, having to cool it down again.  His statement seems to me to be asking about leaving the A/C on for days, even weeks between uses so cooling down using more electricity is not a issue as far as I see.  Since he is at home and not on an unmetered service, I still think keeping the RV well ventelated would be satisfactory AND much less costly.
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You are right Tom I did misread the question. However I think leaving the A/C on is much preferrable to just leaving the vents open. He doesn't have to set the A/C temp real low, he can set it around 80. That will keep the air flowing and not cost too much. And like Catblaster says, it is needed because of the humidity here.
 
I leave the AC on during the rare times when the MH is not in use. We also leave the house AC and heat on the 11+ mos it is not in use (for a range of 50 to 85 deg. F -we have two systems). It costs about $700 per year and I think it's well worth while.
Ernie
 
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