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Old 12-14-2011, 11:11 AM   #1
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New AC options

I was wondering what folks have replaced old AC units with? Dometic I believe is the supplier for Airstream now and I think makes the only unit with the condensate drain that will hook to the Airstream internal drain. Dometic has gotten rid of the drain pan and replaced with with two cups to collect condensate water.

Brisk Air A/C Drain Pan 3107688.016 [3107688.016] - $59.95 : Out-of-Doors Mart!, More Airstream Parts on-line than anyone!

and here page 36 talks about it.

august

Are there any other options out there for replacement AC units? Any experiences good or bad. I think I will replace my 30 yr old Coleman 13,500 BUT with a 15,000 BTU model.

Perry
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Old 12-14-2011, 01:32 PM   #2
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I was researching this over the summer and seem to recall several threads expressing regret at having replaced a working but older 13.5K unit with a newer 15K unit.
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Old 12-14-2011, 01:43 PM   #3
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Dometic's never actually hooked to a drain line and the pan isn't a Dometic part, it's from airstream. The pan is the connection to the drain. The cups have been available for a while from Dometic. IMHO, the advantage of the pan is it fits the contour of the more rounded roofs.

It sounds like Airstream is now using the Dometic cup drain option instead of the Airstream designed pan. As users, we can still get the pan and use Penguin units, no change for us.
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Old 12-14-2011, 04:20 PM   #4
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I would think the open pan would collect all manner of stuff and get stopped up.
Why did folks regret the 15k BTU option? You can't just drop a bomb like that and leave.

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Old 12-14-2011, 06:21 PM   #5
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I would think the open pan would collect all manner of stuff and get stopped up.
Why did folks regret the 15k BTU option? You can't just drop a bomb like that and leave.

Perry
Off the top of my head, I don't remember any.

Glad I installed a 15k.
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Old 12-14-2011, 07:48 PM   #6
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See post #6...

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f427...a-c-80847.html
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Old 12-14-2011, 08:13 PM   #7
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I remembered that one, but it's about replacing one of the old Armstrong ACs. I don't think that anyone would advocate replacing an original Armstrong unit that is repairable.

It also doesn't say anything about the replacement being a 15k unit. Just talks about the advantages of the old Armstrongs over the newer design ACs. Thing like the wall mound thermostats and the quieter operation. All worth considering.

perryg114 is looking at replacement on a 1981. He's not going to have an Armstrong unit. The differences between his original AC and a replacement are going to be minimal other than the amount of cooling the unit will do (size matters here) and the difficulties of attaching the newer unit to the existing drain system.

That's why I didn't consider the post you referred me to.
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Old 12-14-2011, 08:17 PM   #8
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Why did folks regret the 15k BTU option? You can't just drop a bomb like that and leave.

Perry
Went back to look at the threads....most were relating to repairing (vs replacing) the older Armstrong A/C units. Didn't appear to be anyone recommending to repair the 80's Coleman units or expressing regret about moving to a 15k unit.
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Old 12-14-2011, 08:28 PM   #9
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Went back to look at the threads....most were relating to repairing (vs replacing) the older Armstrong A/C units. Didn't appear to be anyone recommending to repair the 80's Coleman units or expressing regret about moving to a 15k unit.
That's what I did. I replaced the Coleman on my 1983 Excella with a 15k Carrier in early 2008.

Were I to do it again, I'd still opt for the 15k. I wouldn't go with Carrier now, even if they hadn't abandoned the RV market. It still works fine, just the "Slinger Wheel" that is supposed to eliminate the need for the drain hose by slinging the condensate against the hot condenser doesn't really do the job in the humid south. Not a major deal, but annoying when the humidity is up.

In fairness, the Carrier was less expensive.
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Old 12-14-2011, 08:36 PM   #10
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Carrier is good joo joo

I also replaced the 13,500 btu Coleman on my '87 with a new 15,000 btu Carrier. The Carrier kicks the Coleman's arse around the moon and back!

Seriously, I don't understand the argument that the 13.5 is better than the 15 at all. OK, maybe the ancient Armstrong's were better than the Coleman's, but the Carrier blows the Coleman out of the water.

OK, it really sux that Carrier got out of the RV market. I called them and asked "Whassup wit dat?" They said it was simple economics; they simply did not sell enough RV units to make it worth staying in the business. They sell plenty of household units and that is where their bread and butter is.

Just the same, mine works great. Cools the 34 footer off WAY better than the old one, has the air sweep feature, has the air shower feature, and just overall works great. No regrets at all.

Cheers,
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Old 12-14-2011, 09:03 PM   #11
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While we're talking about Carrier's good things, I really like how the filters just slide out the front of the bottom unit for cleaning vs having to remove the entire bottom shroud to clean the Coleman's filters.

Much easier, so it gets done more often. At least in my case.
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Old 12-15-2011, 06:38 AM   #12
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Well since I can't get a Carrier it is a moot point. So does anyone else have the drain capability? What are the new Colemans like? There is a new comer called Advent that a local dealer was trying to sell me.

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Old 12-15-2011, 07:11 AM   #13
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Perry,
I replaced the Dometic AC heat pump unit with a Coleman/AirExcel Mach3 15K unit this past summer. The original unit was noisier and would not cool adequately if temps were over 85-90*. The new unit has a wall t-stat that required a new t-stat wire w/ more & heavier strands. ( I removed the fridge to replace t-stat cable) The new AC cools the rear bedroom and ALL other areas nicely and is quieter! I had a local metalworker fabricate an aluminum pan and spacer w/ tube outlets (to allow hookup to existing drain hose). He charged $100. It was a little trial & error to install the unit, but I am confident in the performance.
As for the pan catching leaves, etc., an annual inspection and cleanout should alleviate problems.
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Old 12-15-2011, 07:32 AM   #14
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The wall thermostat was manditory or an option?

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Old 12-15-2011, 09:08 AM   #15
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The wall thermostat was manditory or an option?

Perry
That was something that came along later than our trailers. Actually earlier, too, with the Armgstrongs. The ones in the 1980s just used the controls built into the lower units. I don't know when that started and/or ended, perhaps someone can chime in on that. There are lower units available that have the simple thermostat and controls built in for replacement of the kind that you have.

Of course, upgrading to the wall units is an option, but more work. I didn't go down that path.
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Old 12-15-2011, 12:02 PM   #16
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Perry,
The wall mount unit was used because the original t-stat, also a digital, was tied to the furnace and it was wall mounted. I don't know if other options were available. This AC was installed on my '02 30' Classic w/slide.
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