Information on 2002

[Janssvt]

We just purchased a 34' Limited in MINT condition. We are not new to Airstreaming but would like to hear comments from others with this same year and model, good and bad. Thanks, Jan

[Rebee]

Originally Posted by Janssvt

We just purchased a 34' Limited in MINT condition. We are not new to Airstreaming but would like to hear comments from others with this same year and model, good and bad. Thanks, Jan

We also are the proud owners of a Limited, 30 ft classic. We are not new to RVing but are new to Airstream. We purchased from a private party last week.

We have found some very minor things such as latches on the cabinet doors are not aligned properly. I removed them and reinstalled. Found two places where the covering on the wall is poorly cut arounf the kitchen sink splashboard.

Former RV had a new Colorado Carefree awning, very strong and very user friendly, no problem for wife to operate. The Zip Dee appears to be flimsy and is more difficult to erect. Securing it for travel requires a ladder, if to be done in a timely manner.

My 115 AC load center/circuit breaker panel has a 60 Hz hum same with the converter . This noise could be a cooling fan. I need to look closer but have not had the chance yet.

Baring these few things we love it.

I really like the heat pump. We camped last week and it was perfect for the cool weather.

[flyfisher]

Originally Posted by Rebee

I really like the heat pump. We camped last week and it was perfect for the cool weather.

I have a 2004 30' Classic Ltd. I don't know whether you guys have heat pump and thermostat control models identical to mine, but I assume yours are similar.

One thing we learned last month about our heat pump is not to go to bed, expecting to keep very warm using it if the outside temperature falls below 39-40 degrees, because the heat pump shuts off at that temperature and then it just continues to blow cold air. Plus, the furnace doesn't automatically turn on when you have the control set for "heat pump" until the temperature goes down to something like 29 degrees (the temperature is from memory since I don't have the manual here at home). Between 30 and 40 degrees, you'd best have warm covers! I don't know why one doesn't convert to the other at a single temperature, but it doesn't. Otherwise, the heat pump works good.

At first I thought my heat pump was broken, so I read my owners instruction materials to learn more about it. I couldn't interpret what it was trying to say, so I asked the service guys at Airstream. They didn't understand it either for sure, rather surprisingly, so they called Duotherm to find out how it worked and that's what I was told.

John

[Big Dee]

Also the heat pump periodically shuts down to recharge the heating element if it is real cold out. The heat pump did this to me when it stopped blowing warm air. The blower stopped so the element could get hot then the blower started again about ten minutes later. It was then was blowing warm again. It sure is nice way to warm the trailer when it's not too cold out.

Thing I don't like is the thermostat. It takes forever to activate. Cycle through and it takes like 5-10 minutes to turn on. Don't see the need for any delay more than 10 seconds. So it's cold in the trailer, cycle through to furnace and wait, wait, wait. Ahh, there, it finally turned on but the trailer is half frozen in the meantime.

[Pahaska]

Maybe the heat pump operation has been improved, but we have used the heat pump at and slightly below freezing and it kept our 25 Classic quite comfortable. It does defrost periodically at very low temperatures, but it doesn't take long to do so. We have used it on nights where our water hoses froze solid (Blanco, last Xmas) and never started the furnace.

In moderate temperatures, I run the fan on continuous low so that it doesn't blow a blast of cold air every time it cycles on. When it gets really cold, I turn the fan on auto so that it doesn't blow cold during the defrost cycle.

I agree on the ridiculous long thermostat delay. It is partially to keep from doing the wrong things as you step through the modes, but it is too long and it would be nice to have a simple button on the thermostat that immediately aborts the delay when you get everything set up.

Just as bad is the almost impossibility in reading the LCD display with just the overhead flourescent on. The words are too small and too dim. I usually grab the flashlight when I am ready to change it.

[Pahaska]

Originally Posted by Big Dee

Also the heat pump periodically shuts down to recharge the heating element if it is real cold out. The heat pump did this to me when it stopped blowing warm air. The blower stopped so the element could get hot then the blower started again about ten minutes later. It was then was blowing warm again. It sure is nice way to warm the trailer when it's not too cold out.

It is not a "recharge", the shutdown is the defrost cycle. The unit goes into air conditioning mode for a short while which extracts heat from the trailer and heats the outside fins so that any ice on the outside fins is melted. The fan is stopped during this so that it doesn't blow ice cold air inside the trailer. At the end of the cycle, it goes back in heat pump mode and the fan restarts.

A few weeks ago, my unit got stuck in heat pump mode (the changeover valve was internally jammed) on a 95-degree day. It blew so hot that a hand could not be held in front of the air outlets. The entire ubit was replaced so that I now have a brand new AC on my year-old trailer.

[Tinsel Loaf]

The compressor on our AC would cycle on and off when it was coolish outside and would be hot and humid inside. Called the manufacturer and they said it was defrosting the coils inside because they must be frosting up. There is a thermistor in between the fins that senses how cold the coils are and then shuts off the comprsssor for a long time. I found the thermistor and pulled it out and just let it hang in the wind. The thermistor is most likely faulty but it's not worth replacing. Problem solved unit works just fine.