Houghton AC unit

[byu2beach]

Has anyone here attempted to run their Houghton 3400, with a Honda EU2200i starting from ECO Mode?

[PizzaChop]

Finally finished painting the roof (a weeklong affair which involved removing/stripping 2 coats of white elastomaric "KoolSeal paint) and was able remove old Coleman AC and install new Houghton this weekend.

Used the tractor bucket to position unit at roof height to assist.

Existing hole from Coleman (and DuoTherm before that?) was near perfect, requiring only slight trimming to position mounting bracket. Not crazy about plastic mounting bracket the Houghton came with (both above roof and ceiling mount) but it is what it is.

Used butyl (black tar like "rope" used for glass seals) between plastic roof mount and aluminum roof, applied pressure, and then sealed outside joint with Trempro 635? (vulkem).

Positioning unit over mounting bracket was pretty straightforward as the flat portion of the roof is nearly 20" wide in center. I had 1 x 2 pvc ready to cut to fit, but the outside edges of the unit are probably only 5/8" or so from curved roof...so not sure I will bother trying to support given the unit is only 30" wide. I'll look into it later.

On inside, I drilled a 1/2" hole through plastic ceiling mount for the existing 12-2 AC wire to connect to unit. No work box and no room for one, so fastened securely with yellow wire nuts wrapped in electrical tape. Not great, but not sure of how else to do it.

Long mounting bolts (4 corners) secure the ceiling mount to the roof mount and pull the two together with with the 1-1/2" "frame" between roof skin and inner ceiling skin.

The inside ceiling curve prevents the center of the inside panel/plenum from reaching the center return and being concerned about too much flex on the plastic, I will extend the center return duct about 1" downward and use longer screws (4) to attach inner panel to ceiling mount, monitoring side flex of panel as I go. (No pics of this as I've yet to do it.)

I did connect the inner panel to unit to verify unit works (it did). I just need to fab a "ring" out of aluminum flashing to finish.

Lots of rain this week and no leaks yet!

[PizzaChop]

Here are a couple more pics

[byu2beach]

FWIW and future Reference Hein at DIY Van Makes an adapter for this curved roof as well as for the Sprinter.

[88Limited]

PizzaChop, any chance on getting a video showing how quiet it is? I've been looking at a replacement for our 20(ish) yr old coleman mach. It still works and I know how to repair/maintain (HVAC tech) them so I'm not in a rush - just keeping options open.


Thanks!

[PizzaChop]

Originally Posted by 88Limited

PizzaChop, any chance on getting a video showing how quiet it is? I've been looking at a replacement for our 20(ish) yr old coleman mach. It still works and I know how to repair/maintain (HVAC tech) them so I'm not in a rush - just keeping options open.

I'll see if I can get video once its finished. My hearing is terrible so I rely on my wife to be the judge. She says the Coleman was quite noisy.

I removed an old but working Coleman Mach (13k btu with new shroud) that I'm reluctant to part with given its simplicity and my personal experience with low voltage control boards. I'll probably keep it around (you'll probably do the same) in case things go south with the "fancy" Houghton. I will investigate some sort of surge protection soon.

NOTE: I installed the unit before adding curved supports. Supports could obviously be fashioned before installation utilizing 3 whole supports rather than 6 "halves". This seemed easier to me and I had plenty of exposed roof curve to model my supports.

To support the flat AC unit on a curved roof, I used 1 x 2 PVC trim to fashion six curved "wedges" to insert between AC unit and curved roof. I started with a basic pattern and then shaped, reduced, and cut short as necessary to accommodate the 3 support points. (I started with six 15" segments and shortened as necessary during fitting.)

I rough cut them with a handheld jigsaw. (Probably should've rigged up ShopSmith jigsaw attachment as would have been quicker once set up..but I was in a hurry). I used a portable 3" belt sander to smooth out, and ultimately used some 80 grit with a block to hand finish.

NOTE: I will post a pic later of support with dimensions for reference.

I positioned supports directly forward of opening, directly aft of opening, and at the rear of the unit, approx 2-3" from end of unit.

The curve matches my '73 Sovereign, which should work for any coach between built between 69-79. The Coleman was mounted with opening just forward of a main frame member so my mid-point support wedges sit atop a solid base of support.

Each support (6 total) was "fine tuned" individually with sanding/shaving until it seemed to fit snug it its position. The two most forward supports once fitted were removed and the outside ends were cut and curved to somewhat match the profile of the shroud.

After all supports in place, I re-tightened the 4 long mounting bolts (inside ) which hold the AC unit in place. The curved supports fore and aft of opening are now immovable. The 3rd pair at rear are snug but will likely need some form of anchoring....probably a screw top down from inside the base of the shroud or perhaps some sealant between support and roof.

Good enough for me, I'm ready to finish inside installation and move on to other issues.

[PizzaChop]

Originally Posted by byu2beach

FWIW and future Reference Hein at DIY Van Makes an adapter for this curved roof as well as for the Sprinter.

I couldn't find any sort of support on website (might not be listed).

They do have a lot of cool stuff that I'll keep in mind as I have a 65 Ford Falcon Van resto (currently on hold) that I hope to resume work on soon.

[Hawk-ination]

The support is not listed on the website. You need to contact them as they need measurements on the curvature of your specific trailer. They make them custom to your specific trailer/measurements.

[PizzaChop]

Originally Posted by Hawk-ination

The support is not listed on the website. You need to contact them as they need measurements on the curvature of your specific trailer. They make them custom to your specific trailer/measurements.

Here is a pic of the the support(s) I made with curve dimensions measured at every inch. The curve is probably different with newer/older models but this works for 69-79 era and might possibly be a good starting point for the others. (Use wood for pattern, save PVC for final.)

As stated above, I ultimately "fine fitted" each support to prevent gaps between roof curve and support...but this should be pretty close.

[PizzaChop]

The curved ceiling inside the coach presented a bit of a problem as the 8.5" round return duct was not long enough to meet the control panel "shroud".

While some curvature in the control panel is possible, wasn't real comfortable with pushing it so I made and extension ring out of aluminum flashing.

The ring was approximately 1.25" - 1.5" tall and notched to accommodate the four plastic supports of the black mounting bracket. I used aluminum HVAC tape to secure it to the return duct, even though it fit tightly enough so that it stayed in place without tape.

I had to use 4 longer screws (2"?) to attach control panel to black mounting bracket and it was aggravating trying to line up the screw with the hole which could not be seen from underneath. (I actually used a couple of longer temporary screws until I had all four aligned.)

NOTE: I taped off the side discharge vents from the inside as per mfr instructions as the overhead cabinets are close enough to prevent proper circulation and might cause over-cycling.

Once all four screws were in place, I carefully (by hand) tightened them up until the control panel/return duct/extension ring were together.

Drilled 8 holes (2 per side) for the outer edge control panel screws, and removed as much gap as I was comfortable fore and aft of the control panel (given curvature of ceiling and flex of control panel)

The AC and heat pump functions seem to work great and it is definitely much quieter than the Coleman (sorry, no video yet). Very surprised at how warm the heat pump output is, and hoping to be able to use this rather than our Suburban furnace (new in 2006) for heat.

Time will tell as to the durability of this AC/Heat pump (Houghton Belaire A3400). The lower profile makes parking it inside the barn easier and definitely like the ability to heat electrically. The remote control and digital display of temp is nice....I just hope it proves to be durable over time.

[AudioNomad]

I'm ordering an adapter from Hein at DIY Vans for our 2012 27FB. I will detail the install and will be doing extensive sound measurements vs our current Dometic Penguin. (Audio engineer by trade, so I have all the proper equipment to do some in-depth measurements) I also have a good idea on getting around the furnace issue if you are in the ecosystem of the Dometic CCC2. And also plan to do some home automation with the system as well.

[88Limited]

Looks good, I like how you made the supports. Thanks for the info and I'm looking forward to the noise video.

[PizzaChop]

Originally Posted by 88Limited

Looks good, I like how you made the supports. Thanks for the info and I'm looking forward to the noise video.

Thanks. Might be a week or so before I can get a video up.

Upon disassembling the "bunk room" (rear bedroom w/ 5 bunks) Sunday to convert to master bedroom, found that years of neglect by current owner resulted in a couple of leaks which led to significant floor rot.

Current owner, having replaced this floor once before (2005) is now in the middle of another rear floor replacement.

This my 3rd overall (did a 72 Overlander in 2004) so I know what I'm doing and definitely have better tools and better fabrication skills than 15 years ago but it's still gonna be a few days.

I'll get a video once I get the power hooked up again.

[AudioNomad]

Our unit has been installed and is working great. Quieter than we expected, and we are absolutely amazed so far. We didn't get to document the process as well as we wanted due to weather and time constraints but will have pictures, videos, sound levels, and power draw figures up soon. The install went very well, the quality of the RecPro is fantastic, and if anyone is looking to convert from the Dometic CCC2 ecosystem, we have a great workaround to keep the furnace working, and even have the RecPro working with Alexa.

[PizzaChop]

We did use the Houghton heat pump at the Alumalina rally in Marion, NC and it was AWESOME!

The furnace had to bail us out the first night due to a faulty 30a breaker on the pole, but 2nd night was very comfortable (and quiet).

I'm amazed at how much heat is produced!

[AudioNomad]

@pizzachop I agree. The heat pump is very good. It's currently in the high 20s at night where we are so that rules the heat pump out, but during the day it's been fantastic and so frekin quiet.

[SilverHouseDreams]

Originally Posted by AudioNomad

Our unit has been installed and is working great. Quieter than we expected, and we are absolutely amazed so far. We didn't get to document the process as well as we wanted due to weather and time constraints but will have pictures, videos, sound levels, and power draw figures up soon. The install went very well, the quality of the RecPro is fantastic, and if anyone is looking to convert from the Dometic CCC2 ecosystem, we have a great workaround to keep the furnace working, and even have the RecPro working with Alexa.

Curious if you had a chance to share your process. You mentioned you ordered an adapter from DIY Vans, did you end up needing one? I have a 22FB and our A/C unit is obnoxiously loud, and having a heat pump would be a life saver when we have hookups...as we often need A/C to fall asleep and then heat to keep from freezing in our sleep due to elevation.

Did you need the adapter to get a stable mount on the curvature of the roof? What did you need to provide to DIY Vans to get the adapter? Thanks for sharing your experience, as I am looking to tackle this before summer as it will be a huge quality of life improvement.

[AudioNomad]

Originally Posted by SilverHouseDreams

Curious if you had a chance to share your process. You mentioned you ordered an adapter from DIY Vans, did you end up needing one? I have a 22FB and our A/C unit is obnoxiously loud, and having a heat pump would be a lifesaver when we have hookups...as we often need A/C to fall asleep and then heat to keep from freezing in our sleep due to elevation.

Did you need the adapter to get a stable mount on the curvature of the roof? What did you need to provide to DIY Vans to get the adapter? Thanks for sharing your experience, as I am looking to tackle this before summer as it will be a huge quality of life improvement.

I did not get the adapter from DIY Vans, time did not permit us to do so. I made 2 "stabilizers" out of 1x2 pvc stripping. We also just installed a Micro Air Easy Start Bluetooth on the unit. It says it has a built-in soft start, but it really doesn't. It now pulls about 16 amps starting the AC instead of 34 w/o it. I'll try and get some pictures up of how we did the install, I've been slacking on getting that stuff together. I will say, the way it operates takes some getting use to, but it is so frekin quiet. And integrating it with Alexa has been amazing for conveinence.

[solyoung]

I took the same approach with the PVC. I used slices of a 1/2” PVC sheet. It worked perfectly.

I can’t say enough good things about this AC/heat pump. I’ve been renovating my ‘81 in the northeast in sub freezing temps. The heat pump has functioned beautifully down to 14’ish degrees F. It’s amazing! Super quiet and super effective.

[AudioNomad]

Originally Posted by solyoung

I took the same approach with the PVC. I used slices of a 1/2” PVC sheet. It worked perfectly.

I can’t say enough good things about this AC/heat pump. I’ve been renovating my ‘81 in the northeast in sub freezing temps. The heat pump has functioned beautifully down to 14’ish degrees F. It’s amazing! Super quiet and super effective.

Since we have a newer year model with less slope on the roof, we opted to do just 2 strips running the direction of the camper to eliminate any side to side rocking. And SikiFlexed them into place. Not sure why the photos are coing up sideways, but you'll get the point.