Upgrading My A/C.....which unit is best.

[Jaxon]

Originally Posted by vswingfield

Hi Bill & Kim,

You guys are moving downtown, huh? Need neighborhood, I am jealous.

By coincidence, I just post a comment about the advice I got from Andy about this topic a couple of minutes ago at Two AC Units on 30 Amp???. My guess, since I lived outside Austin and the weather there is much like here in LR, is that you will have about the same results that I do. You might have some shade there depending on the lot, I have none. Also, my Excella is oriented perfectly East-West. If you have a North-South orientation, solar gain will be increased.

Everything else going OK?

Evening Vaughan. Things are peachy-keen. We'll be parked under two large shade trees (oaks) and will be facing east so, morning sun. Those accross the street experience the full effects of the afternoon sun...

Hey, how do you like your Carrier? The folks that installed ours took the control circuit board out of the 13.5 Dometic to use on the Carrier - said otherwise, thy'd be installing another thermostat for the furnace, which I didn't want. Did you run into anything similar? Wow, two 30amp systems... that seems to be a lot of wiring, no?

[vswingfield]

Originally Posted by Jaxon

Evening Vaughan. Things are peachy-keen. We'll be parked under two large shade trees (oaks) and will be facing east so, morning sun. Those accross the street experience the full effects of the afternoon sun...

Hey, how do you like your Carrier? The folks that installed ours took the control circuit board out of the 13.5 Dometic to use on the Carrier - said otherwise, thy'd be installing another thermostat for the furnace, which I didn't want. Did you run into anything similar? Wow, two 30amp systems... that seems to be a lot of wiring, no?

I'm happy with my Carrier. My Excella is too old to have anything other than the thermostat knob on the unit itself, so no complications there.

If you guys have some shade in the afternoons, I think you will be fine. Definitely worth trying first. I remembered that many of the sites there had shade. That is a real plus. Just remember to clean off the top periodically.

As for the wiring to add a second 30 amp circuit, it is actually a simpler thing to do than rewire for 50 amps. Cheaper too. That's the reasoning.

[JimGolden]

I recently bought a Carrier AiRV 15,000 BTU a/c with heat strip from Palomino Parts for $475. That's about 60% what camping World charges.

This replaced the Coleman Delta T clunker in my 34 footer.

I installed the Carrier myself. I don't need a dealer. It works perfectly, cools the tube down very well, is both quieter and more powerful than the old Coleman. Negatives....I can't think of any.

Some dudes on here complain about the airsweep feature not working right. That is because they don't have the inside cover installed properly. It is a very simple mechanism....there's a wheel that sticks down vertically from the ceiling inside the a/c housing that is differing thicknesses all around it's circumference. It's like a cam. The airsweep arm lays against this and as the arm moves up and down against this varying thickness wheel, it works the louvers. If you don't line the inside unit up with the outside one properly, you get this out of alignment and it doesn't work. You get it lined up, and it works perfectly. It's very simple. Yes, I screwed it up initially, realized what I'd done wrong, fixed it, and it's worked perfectly every since.

The Carrier AiRV has a slinger wheel that throws the condensate over the coils to aid the heat transfer and reduce the amount of water running down the side of your coach. Actually, I have had zero water running down the side of my coach.

Dometic makes good stuff, and I just put a new DM2852 fridge in my coach. But you will NOT go wrong with a Carrier 15,000 a/c. You can always dial back the cold on a 15,000btu...you can't dial in more than 11,000 on the little one.

I wouldn't even consider anything less than a 15,000 btu a/c nowadays.

best of luck,

[gunner]

Is there a difference in performance or features between the Carrier AirV standard unit vs. the low profile unit.

[JimGolden]

As best I recall from Carrier's specs, they are the same. As for the real world, I can't really answer.

I like the looks of the low profile. But one thing I didn't like was that the low profile unit has a big hole in the top for the air to blow up and out. The standard unit has the hole pointing out the rear. So basically with the low profile, every time you get rain or snow, you've got water getting down inside the a/c unit. Looked to me like that's just asking for trouble.

My coach originally had a 13,500 btu Coleman Delta T. It was on its last leg when I got the trailer. But anyway, last summer I painted the roof a highly reflective white. That seemed to help quite a bit. That, combined with this new 15,000 btu Carrier, and my trailer will stay cool on the hottest of days. I thought I might need two a/c units, but so far it's doing fine with just this one.

If you paint your roof, make sure to do it right. Get the aluminum prep stuff from an aircraft supply place. I got this etcher wash stuff that I put on with a roller, let it sit 15 minutes, then hosed it off. Then painted it with an etching primer that I got surplus from US Air. It's like a zinc chromate kind of stuff. After that, you can then use any good oil based paint. I just used gloss white Rustoleum and put it on with a roller. Been on there a year so far and no flaking at all.

Best of luck,

[gunner]

Thanks for the reply. I agree I don't want a hole in the top of the shroud allowing the elements to enter (rain/Snow). Based on this the standard unit is the way to go. Did you retain the drain hose somehow or does the water run off the side.

[vswingfield]

I have attached flyers for both from Carrier's website. One difference that influenced my choice is the difference in Cubic Feet per Minute (CFM) of airflow in High-Speed Cooling, see page 5 of both flyers.

The Low-Profile models have a 300 CFM flow for all models. The Standard-Profile models have 325 CFM for the 13.5K and High-Capacity units and the High-Capacity Heat Pump model (what I have) has 365 CFM.

The extra 65 CFM was another plus for me.

[JimGolden]

Vaughan,

Good job on finding those specs. I should have done that but was too lazy
I had forgotten that there was a CFM difference. Makes sense; you can put a bigger fan in the bigger housing of the normal unit.

Gunter, my trailer is actually an Avion 34 footer; I don't know how to change that line in my profile; I just selected the closest trailer to it. Anyway, Avion doesn't have the drain line down through the wall like Airstream.

But the good news is that the normal Carrier AiRV has a slinger wheel inside it that slings the condensate up over the coils. The water evaporates and help suck heat out of the coils more quickly; thus helping it cool more efficiently. But the side bonus is that water getting slung up on there and evaporated is water that doesn't drip down the side of your coach.

I get very little water dripping down the side of my trailer from the a/c. Most of it flashes off from the slinger wheel.

I've only had my Carrier for a couple months, but so far it's worked great. The only hard part about the install was the "fabric duct" from the outer unit to the inner unit. The rectangular air hole in the upper unit is offset from the one below. So they use a flexible duct. It's actually really simple to hook it up, now that I know what I'm doing, but their directions aren't the clearest. It took me a couple hours of drinking Pepsi and just looking at it, and at the book, and back again, to figure out what they meant. Now that I know, it's a ten minute job to hook it up. If you get one and want to hook it up yourself and need help, just give a shout. It's pretty easy.

take care,

[gunner]

Thanks for the input. Now the decision is getting pricing and whether I remove the old and install the new ones myself or have it done. The Coleman units that I will remove, one Coleman unit works fine and the other one works fine 50% of the time. With your comment that you are pleased with the Carrier unit you have in your 34 ft. Avion, two should cool my 34ft. motor home real well. Especially since I will be going from the 13.5K unit to the 15K I also want to install the heat strips I like the ones I have now. I assume the manual controls is the way to go. I did see where someone sent a picture where they drilled a hole under the fan in the pan and installed a fitting to remove the excess water down the drain hoses that looks promising. Let me know what the trick is to installing the flex hose.

[REDNAX]

f you paint your roof, make sure to do it right. Get the aluminum prep stuff from an aircraft supply place. I got this etcher wash stuff that I put on with a roller, let it sit 15 minutes, then hosed it off. Then painted it with an etching primer that I got surplus from US Air. It's like a zinc chromate kind of stuff. After that, you can then use any good oil based paint.

Did the information you found with the supplies apply to both anodized and Al-Clad? Anodized can be "stripped" (sorta) with a caustic solution (aerosol oven cleaner, for example), so I was wondering if prep was otherwise similar.

Also, my thanks for this thread with great, current information. Keeping a trailer even at 76F in Texas humid Coastal summer is a feat. I had to "tilt" the SILVER STREAK to port (drivers-side) just slightly when parked as A/C runoff was aggravating as it came down the starboard bow otherwise. And, thanks for the tip on considering twin 30A service!

[JimGolden]

Gunter,

Do it yourself. It's not hard. You'll spend a few hours on the first one, and then knock the second one out in an hour once you get it all figured out. With two of those big Carrier's in there, it'll be like an igloo.

I'm not sure what the flex hose is you mean? Unless that's the thing to the between the skins drain on an Airstream. I never had the a/c off my old Airstream so never really saw it. But the Avion doesn't have one.

One trick the Avion gurus told me was to put some sealer under the foam gasket of the new a/c to get it to be super water tight to the aluminum. I put a new gasket under my old Delta T and in a sideways wind storm it leaked a little. I got some of the silicone GE makes just for aluminum and put a generous bead under the new gasket. I've been in some 50mph sideways storms and it hasn't leaked a bit. Take it for what it's worth. If you don't want to use the new aluminum formulated silicones, you could use vulkem. But I'm a believer in sealing the foam gasket down now.

Rednax, you raise a good point that I didn't think about. Airstreams are alclad, my vintage of Avion are anodized. Well, the etcher worked just fine on the anodizing. I could see a visible difference in the skin after I etched it. I forgot to mention that I taped off the trailer where I did NOT want the etcher to get on. Stuff worked great. I forget the name of it, but Aircraft Spruce and Specialty sells it in gallon jugs. I think I used about a third of a gallon. My buddy gave it to me as he had it left over from painting his kitplane, but AS&S is where he got it. I then used an etching primer as well. So I guess it's double etched; but it's been on there for a year now and it seems like it's on there forever.

Cool on the Silver Streak. I like them!

see ya,

[gunner]

When I said the Flex Hose I should have said Duct. It was in reference to the statement:
The rectangular air hole in the upper unit is offset from the one below. So they use a flexible duct. It's actually really simple to hook it up, now that I know what I'm doing, but their directions aren't the clearest. It took me a couple hours of drinking Pepsi and just looking at it, and at the book, and back again, to figure out what they meant. Now that I know, it's a ten minute job to hook it up. If you get one and want to hook it up yourself and need help, just give a shout. It's pretty easy.

[szimmerer]

Originally Posted by szimmerer

I started this thread in February of 09 as I was in search of the best replacement/upgrade for my stock 11K btu A/C for my 25' Safari. I live in Mississippi and camp mostly in the south so the 11K unit was not cutting it. I also had a cracked pan (from the factory) and condensation was dripping into the interior. So rather than just fix the pan and reinstall the 11k unit, I decided to upgrade.

In March of this year I purchased a 13.5K btu Penguin Heat Pump from a local RV dealer and had it installed (closest AS dealer is 5 Hr drive). The unit was installed properly but on our first extended trip we discovered that the heat mode worked well however the A/C mode blew only outside air temps (no cool). Dometic Rep confirmed it to be a defective unit. RV dealer ordered a replacement unit.

Replacement unit (unit # 2) delivery was delayed due to the fire at the Dometic Plant in Mexico in April. Delivery took about a month. Replacement unit was received at the RV dealer "damaged" (big hole in box and large dent on bottom of unit). Probably caused by a fork lift at the Dometic plant or by freight carrier. New unit ordered.

New unit (# 3) arrived about three weeks later. Installed by RV dealer and during checkout the tech noted there was a clicking/rattling sound coming from the compressor. Dometic Rep confirmed the compressor was bad.

Ordered new unit (# 4). The Dometic plant informed the RV dealer that a delivery date could not be provided due to a significant backlog and we would "just have to wait". Waited three weeks, contacted Dometic for a delivery date and they said they could not predict any delivery date and we would "just have to wait".

......now I am at the end of my rope and have missed many weeks of camping, so in frustration I cancelled the Dometic order.

The RV dealer, who has been great during this whole ordeal, has now ordered a 15K Carrier Heat Pump for me and it should be installed this week (hopefully). I realize there will be no drip pan installed with the Carrier unit but I will gladly put up with the condensation drips down the side on the camper as long as the unit heats and cools well and I can start camping again.

Bottom line is my experiences with Dometic product quality and customer support have been "very" negative. IMHO I would not recommend Dometic/Penguin A/C or Heat Pump products to anyone at this time because they obviously have serious quality and logistics issues ongoing since the fire at the Mexico plant.

Got the 15K Carrier AirV High Capacity Heat Pump (standard profile) installed last week. Camped in Memphis, TN Fourth of July weekend as a test run. The Carrier performed excellently in 95 degree, high humidity, and full sun conditions all weekend. The condensation runoff the roof was minimal and not a concern at all. I am very pleased with this unit, it cools and dehumidifies the cabin in my 25' extremely well. I wish it had a 3rd fan speed (low) but thats about the only thing I think it lacks.

[vswingfield]

Originally Posted by szimmerer

... I wish it had a 3rd fan speed (low) but thats about the only thing I think it lacks.

Ditto!

Glad it worked out for you.