How To Swap A 13,500 BTU RV AC With A 15,000 One
Most RVs, travel trailers and 5th-wheels come with at least one 13,500 BTU RV air conditioner.
Some RVs will have two of them but it will pretty much always be a 13,500 BTU RV AC unless you request a larger one when you order from the dealer.
Related Product: Use a Camco RV Vent Insulator (click to view on Amazon) to keep cold air inside.
If you find that you aren’t getting enough cold air in the hot winter months the good news is swapping from a 13,500 BTU RV AC to a 15,000 one is really easy.
In fact, the hole size for all RV air conditioners is the same (14″x14″), so you won’t have to do any roof cutting.
When you do make the swap it should be as simple as removing the old RV AC and putting the new one in the same place.
The wiring should all be the same as well.
Just make sure when you are done you use plenty of Dicor Self-Leveling Lap Sealant (click to view on Amazon) around the seals to keep everything protected from the rain.
Related: Is My RV Air Conditioner 13,500 or 15,000 BTUs?
How To Get More Cold Air In Your RV
Bypass RV Air Conditioner Duct System To Boost Cold Air
If you have a ducted RV AC system and you don’t like it you can buy a non-ducted inner panel and cover the duct holes with sheets of metal and duct tape when you install the new 15,000 BTU RV air conditioner.
See Also: Best 13,500 & 15,000 BTU RV Air Conditioners
People remove the duct system because it can be less efficient than a non-ducted system that blows all the cold air out directly under the AC unit.
Put RV AC In Bedroom
RV vents also use a 14″x14″ hole size, if you want more cold air you can install an RV air conditioner over the existing hole.
If there is no wiring you may need to hire a professional to run a wire from the breaker box to the vent location. Once the wiring part is don’t installing an RV AC is easy.
For more detailed information about the entire process check out this video made by RV Education 101.
Replace The RV AC With A Fan
Another option if you are a boondocker or someone looking to reduce the weight of an RV or trailer is to replace the RV AC unit with a fan instead.
Using a powerful and high quality fan like the MaxxAir (click to view on Amazon) or Fan-Tastic Fan (click to view on Amazon) will not only increase airflow in your RV it also will be able to run on 12V power.
And fans are much quieter than RV air conditioners.
They don’t put our refrigerated air but they do help bring in new air. Sometimes that’s all you need.
Go to this article here (click to view) for detailed instructions on how to replace an RV air conditioner with a 12V RV fan.
Have any questions about RV air conditioners? Leave a comment below.
Are Dometic 13500 but and 15000 btu A/C’ interchangeable?
Yes, they should be interchangeable.