Preparing Your Enclosed Trailer A/C for Summer

During winter, you may not pay much attention to your heating system unless it fails on you, but summer is another matter entirely. Most of us can sense the strain that the longer, hotter, summer days can place on our A/C systems. No matter if it is your automobile’s A/C or your home, there are just some days that seem more difficult to get your temperature to the right comfort level. An enclosed trailers HVAC system is no different.

In fact, without proper maintenance and realistic operating expectations, this small system can be put under extreme strain causing the unit to fail in the most needed times.

What You Should Expect from Your Enclosed Trailer HVAC System

Knowing the limitations of  your system is important to make sure the system doesn’t fail you.

Proper Operating Conditions

Remember, your enclosed living quarters trailer has an HVAC system designed for output in a small area, but even still can over stressed. The smaller compressor system must but used with reasonable expectations.

Air Conditioning

By properly maintaining your A/C, you can be sure to have years of comfort during the summer months.

Keep in mind that your the A/C is designed to cool your living quarters, but not to be used to keep the trailer in a refrigerated condition. If you expect to keep perishables safe from spoilage from heat, then you should purchase a trailer designed for refrigeration. These are commonly called “reefers.”

Heat

A trailer designed for living quarters is usually equipped with one of multiple heat systems. Depending on your needs, the exact heat system required for your trailer may vary.

Types of Heat Systems

• Heat Strip
• Heat Pump
• Gas
• Electric Base Board

Heat strips force air across warm coils, that then passes through the cabin heating the internal air.

Heat pumps pull air that recirculates and becomes warmer that the external air temperature. This is used mainly in areas south of Maryland and Virginia as extreme cold from northern areas can be too much for a heat pump to overcome.

Gas and Electric heat systems are different due to the requirement of the energy source to run the system. Heating by gas is usually the most efficient heat system, and thus usually less costly to use. For living quarters with gas heat, it is essential to have a carbon monoxide detector to alert you should a gas leak occur.

Electric Board systems have heat that emanates similarly to your home’s floor vent system, except that the heat is generated from an electrical system that is connected to an external power supply. This is similar to the standard hookups found for RV’s at camp sites.

Regular Maintenance Checks for Your Living Quarters Trailer

Checking the drain hose for clogs, regularly testing the coolant charge and keeping the coils from freezing over due to running the A/C too long under high heat conditions is essential to keeping an HVAC functioning.

Regular filter replacements can help reduce the strain on your system, while keeping the internal cabin air quality as clean as possible.

It is also recommended to test your HVAC system before extreme weather arrives so that you can be in front of any potential maintenance repairs. There is nothing worse that going on your first summer trip to find out too late that your A/C has gone on the fritz.

Get on the Road and Enjoy Your Summer Adventure!

Your summer adventure awaits. Now that you have some tips to keep your A/C and Heat system running strong, it is time to get out on the road and make the most of the summer. If you need maintenance on your enclosed living quarters trailer or are looking to make a new trailer purchase, the team at Proline Trailer Sales is ready to help.

Find out how we can help you this summer by giving us a call at (540) 334-4182 or by taking a look at our selection of fine trailers.