Need to replace A/C

[claymanjack]

i have 2006 25ft int. and need to replace my a/c unit. i will be doing the replacing when i return from florida. i believe i need a 13500.btu no heat strip. i have done this years ago on another unit. my question is what would be the best most efficent replacement. any info. will be a great help. thanks to all who reply.jack would like soft start also

[n2916s]

Purchased a 13.5K Penguin II this summer. No heat strip, manual controls. It cost $750. Should be two hours labor to R&R. Another hour of labor to install the Soft Start.

[claymanjack]

please give input on the current A/C replacements. good bad ugly? looking for quieter unit and more effient.

[1StreamDream]

Before you narrow your list down, be aware that the supply chain snafu is affecting this area too. I had an issue in my A/C late last summer, there was a chance I would need a replacement, and my repair shop warned me if a new unit was on my horizon, it might be 6 months before they could get me one. It turns out mine was repairable, so I avoided that, but given that Airstream continues to struggle keeping up with demand, it might still be a problem for you in trying to get a replacement unit.

[88Limited]

Mind if I ask why a replacement and not a repair? Unless you have a leak or the compressor is bad everything else can be repaired. A leak and a compressor can also be repaired, but the cost is almost the same as replacing the unit...

[switz]

We were just this week able to buy two 15K BTU Coleman units. We have been looking since last fall. They will replace the OEM Dometic units on our 2014 Classic. We will transfer the Easy Starts to the new units.

[uncle_bob]

Hi

If you look at what AS *seems* to be doing .... the "Coleman" units seem to be dribbling into the product line. The claim is that they are quieter and slightly more efficient. Since the Coleman brand name has been gobbled up by a bigger outfit, the same unit shows up with various brand names on it. Are they all *really* the same? Who knows .....

Depending on where you will be camping and under what conditions (shore power or not) ... a heat pump unit might make sense. Swapping out the thermostat generally is *not* the hard part of doing this.

Bob

[Starlight Mike]

I am very interested in this thread because I am planning to change out my AC on 2005 Safari 25. Present one works perfectly but we are planning a long trip this summer and don't want to get caught not being able to find new one out in the boondocks or even at an AS dealer.
If I replace Dometic with Coleman, will drains line up the same and can i use my old thermostat? I want another heat strip also so I don't deplete propane.
I know many people have been through this drill and would love to hear thoughts. Thanks

[claymanjack]

reason for replacing leak in coil.not worth fixing. trying tofind new unit that is quieter and lower power draw. thanks to all who reply. jack

[uncle_bob]

Originally Posted by m rafferty

I am very interested in this thread because I am planning to change out my AC on 2005 Safari 25. Present one works perfectly but we are planning a long trip this summer and don't want to get caught not being able to find new one out in the boondocks or even at an AS dealer.
If I replace Dometic with Coleman, will drains line up the same and can i use my old thermostat? I want another heat strip also so I don't deplete propane.
I know many people have been through this drill and would love to hear thoughts. Thanks

Hi

The drain line can line up. Since there are a billion variations in how AS does this or that and a similar number of variations in A/C drip trays, you can never be *certain* it will line up.

Thermostat wise, swapping out one is easy and dirt cheap. I would not make that the thing this all revolves around.

Bob

[switz]

Forgot to add that the OEM Dometic air conditioners were a 13.5K and a 15K on our 2014 31' Classic. The 13.5K was for the rear bedroom and lacked a heat pump like on the 15K.

The 13.5K Coleman's seem to be made of the movie Avatar's "unobtainium".

We have already converted to the MicroAir thermostat in both Airstreams in 2020 for the Classic and 2021 for 23D. On the Classic, that was the cure for both A/Cs cycling as needed even being powered on at the same time. The OEM Dometic thermostat was a real POS.

Both 15K Colemans will have heat pump capability.

Only the rear A/C was wired to run off of the inverter/charger when we converted to solar capability in 2014. It would be a major rewire job to run the main area A/C off of the inverter charger. Our first battery conversion was four Lifeline GSM 6Vdc 300 amp hour batteries and there was no way they could run both A/C units so we by-passed the main A/C to run only off of shore power. We also wired the OEM water heater 120Vac and the OEM refrigerator 120Vac to go off line when on battery.

The Truma instant on water heater runs on propane and 12Vdc control circuity and the Vitrfigo freon based refrigerator runs on 12Vdc.

I have been told that a 600 amp hour lithium could actually run both units at the same time for a finite period of time....

The current single Lithionics 600 amp hour lithium battery weighs 200 pounds less than the four GSM batteries.

Progress in electronics is really amazing. And some equipment brands last better than others.

We had Magnum branded inverter charges in both Airstreams as part of their initial solar conversions. Both units failed at different times even after being repaired.

In 2020 the AM Solar lithium battery was replaced in nth Classic with a Lithionics battery and we installed a Xantrex converter charger. There was infant mortality at initial power up and a second one (probably from the same build batch) was installed. It too has now died so we are awaiting the new Dexter 5,200 pound axles with 12" disc brakes and 3" lift plates to arrive at A&P Vintage Trailer Works before heading over to also do another equipment upgrade to Vectren's inverter charger and add their DC to DC charger for power from the truck to charge the lithium battery. Vehicle alternators can not provide the voltage levels needed for a lithium battery.

The form factor for the Vectren inverter charger is very challenging so we are getting creative on both location and mounting orientation. The Vectren supports a 7" color display which can chat with the internet for remote access. We are installing a Peplink modem with dual sims using Verizon as the carrier. It can be left powered on (12Vdc) so remote access in the storage location is possible.

We will be adding the tenth AM Solar 100 watt panel to the Classic's roof and switching to 24Vdc wiring to reduce voltage drop. The Vectren solar charge controller can take 24Vdc nominal in and output 12Vdc to the lithium battery.

In 2021, the 23D had a 315 amp hour Lithionics battery to replace the 300 amp-hour AM Solar lithium battery and a Xantrex converter charger from a different build batch. So far no issues. It too has a Truma instant on water heater and a Vitrifrigo 12Vdc refrigerator.

[uncle_bob]

Originally Posted by switz

.......

I have been told that a 600 amp hour lithium could actually run both units at the same time for a finite period of time....

The current single Lithionics 600 amp hour lithium battery weighs 200 pounds less than the four GSM batteries.......

Hi

Two A/C's will pull about 15A each at 120V. A hot trailer will keep them both running for a while. 15A at 120V is 1.8 KW. The two of them will pull 3.6 KW ( or more ). First thing to put on the list is a 4KW inverter. That's the "running" load and not the peak. The beast may be labeled "5KW" in bold print.

Each A/C would pull 150A at 12V at 100% efficiency. Is your setup at 90% or at 80% ... who knows. Call it 180A and move on. You are pulling 360A out of the batteries while the two A/C's. are running.

If the water heater is on, it will pull substantial current unless it is heated by burning this or that. ( so do turn on the propane ...). It likely does not run at full load for hours. A compressor fridge does run on and on. Very much so in a hot trailer. Is that 10A or 40A over an hour for all this stuff ... again, who knows.

You are above 360A and might be as high as 400. Lithiums are good at high current discharge, but they are not perfect. An hour and a half is about it before the batteries are into the "danger zone". That assumes they are at full charge to start.

As the batteries drop voltage, the current goes up. The inverter may be happy at 9V input. The batteries are struggling at 10. Go from 12 to 10 V and your current goes up. At the same time the inverter efficiency goes down. Wiring losses go up at the higher current ( ... by the current squared ...). All that can get you into a death spiral as you get to the tail end of the battery charge. You can set the inverter to cut out higher, then you don't get full capacity out of the batteries .... still not ideal.

Does the trailer cool down in this or that amount of time? It depends a lot on where you are. We certainly camp in places where both A/C's kick in around 11AM and are both still running at 4 PM. We also pull in with a trailer that takes a long time to cool down enough to shut the A/C's off.

Bob

[Camping_wego]

I’m basically in the same situation. We have but might sell a 1999 27 safari and the AC portion doesn’t work. If I could just drop in clone, I think I would. No need for wall thermostat, I like the manual knobs on the unit itself. Since I’ve never done a replacement before, is there a big difference in unit footprints and so on of these devices? I’d love it to be easy peasy. Thanks.

[Passingas2]

Recently replaced my Dometic Brisk II with a Houghton. We were looking to cut the noise factor and these were touted as being significantly quieter than others.
Purchased from RecPro. Mine is non ducted and previous owner had futzed with thermostat wiring. Rather than chase that, I opted for a 15,500 btu with heat strip and remote control. Suits our needs camping in Florida in the summer (read nauseating heat and humidity) Unit install wasn’t particularly difficult.
Drawbacks…. RecPro isn’t very familiar with this unit. I phoned tech support seeking answers for soft start feasibility and phone numbers for Houghton support and was told that neither were available. ?? I contacted TechnoRv who, in turn, put me in touch with their soft start technician. Yep, soft start can be used and sent me a couple of wiring diagrams. So far, so good.

[88Limited]

Originally Posted by Passingas2

Recently replaced my Dometic Brisk II with a Houghton. We were looking to cut the noise factor and these were touted as being significantly quieter than others.
Purchased from RecPro. Mine is non ducted and previous owner had futzed with thermostat wiring. Rather than chase that, I opted for a 15,500 btu with heat strip and remote control. Suits our needs camping in Florida in the summer (read nauseating heat and humidity) Unit install wasn’t particularly difficult.
Drawbacks…. RecPro isn’t very familiar with this unit. I phoned tech support seeking answers for soft start feasibility and phone numbers for Houghton support and was told that neither were available. ?? I contacted TechnoRv who, in turn, put me in touch with their soft start technician. Yep, soft start can be used and sent me a couple of wiring diagrams. So far, so good.

How's the noise level of the Houghton unit?

[Passingas2]

65 decibels according to my non scientific phone app. We can actually listen to the television at less than supersonic levels which wasn’t an option with the Dometic.

[coastal me]

1999 30 amp, 31'.
After 4 years and over 4 service techs, I'll be having the Dometic Brisk II, 15,000 BTU installed. A shop has one that a customer ordered and didn't want.
I think that I've read that any unit other than the Penguin II already on, will need to have drain line modifications?
It seems like many folks install soft starts on the a/c?