New ac

[adonh]

Back to a project I put off for awhile but as summer approaches again thought I would get back to it. My 1976 31' Sovereign currently has a Carrier 15,000 BTU AC unit. Works OK but noisy. I had thought about the Coleman Mach 8 low profile when they came out but now it seems they have debveloped a problem with noise from the outside fan blade. Although new replacement blades have been made available it seems that there is still some question on how they preform and if the new off the shelve units have the new fan blades.

I also remember a a couple of years ago that Dometic was having some issues with the Dometic Penguin II 15,000 BTU units from npoice and or isues with switching to the new coolant.

Anyway any thoughts on either or both of these 2 units as they are today would be helpful.

Thanks

[Belegedhel]

I have the low profile Dometic in a 13k model, has been working fine for over a year now, no unusual noise issues to speak of.

good luck!

[sandlapper]

I have a friend who is a HVAC tech, and also a fellow trailer owner. His comment on the low profile units and the excessive outside noise was that the low profile required a high velocity fan to do the job. Hard on the neighbors, or anyone sitting outside trying to enjoy a semi quiet afternoon. So, higher velocity= more noise.

As for the cooling properties, they work just fine. John

[terrencecolp]

I need to replace my a/c too. What do you do about the roof curvature?

[lewster]

Originally Posted by terrencecolp

I need to replace my a/c too. What do you do about the roof curvature?

For Airstream use, I typically double up on the 14 X 14 gasket on the under side of the A/C unit. This will give you more height at the outer edges that will allow for proper sealing of the gasket. If you are using a Dometic unit, this is readily accomplished by installing their Auxiliary drain kit that allow you to route the condensate thru the internal drain line in the walls of the trailer.

The kit also contains catch cups, required tubing and the additional sealing gasket that you will need to complete the job.

If you are using an RVP unit like the Mach 8, You will have to order it WITH their condensate pump, but you will still need a second gasket underneath the unit. remember, these gaskets are best when compressed to 50% of their original thickness.

[adonh]

Originally Posted by lewster

For Airstream use, I typically double up on the 14 X 14 gasket on the under side of the A/C unit. This will give you more height at the outer edges that will allow for proper sealing of the gasket. If you are using a Dometic unit, this is readily accomplished by installing their Auxiliary drain kit that allow you to route the condensate thru the internal drain line in the walls of the trailer.

The kit also contains catch cups, required tubing and the additional sealing gasket that you will need to complete the job.

If you are using an RVP unit like the Mach 8, You will have to order it WITH their condensate pump, but you will still need a second gasket underneath the unit. remember, these gaskets are best when compressed to 50% of their original thickness.

Lew is the extra gasket for the roof on top or ceiling inside. I remember when I installed the carrier on my 1976 Sovereign the one gasket was fine on top compressed to 50% but the inside curvature of the ceiling making it impossible to attache the inside AC panel on the ceiling. I ended up making a flat sided spacer that fit the curved ceiling and then had the flat side for the panel to attach.

The new Dometic inside panels look to be much smaller and not as wide as the the o0ld Carrier so it might fit better on the ceiling.

Where is the best deal online for a Dometic Penguin II these days.

Thanks

Don

[Belegedhel]

When I installed my penguin, I used the condensate drip pan that AS sells. This has the roof curvature built into it, and once the AC was seated in the pan, I couldn't really see what the gasket was doing, but evidently it sealed well enough as I have had no leakage. If you go with the newer fashion condensate "cups," you will need to stack two foam gaskets up so that you have enough gasket height to run the condensate tube through. The ceiling unit of my dometic fits nicely against the ceiling of the AS, without any obvious gaps.

Seems like when I was looking for my AC, PPL had pretty good prices online on the Dometics.

good luck!

[lewster]

Originally Posted by adonh

Lew is the extra gasket for the roof on top or ceiling inside. I remember when I installed the carrier on my 1976 Sovereign the one gasket was fine on top compressed to 50% but the inside curvature of the ceiling making it impossible to attache the inside AC panel on the ceiling. I ended up making a flat sided spacer that fit the curved ceiling and then had the flat side for the panel to attach.

The new Dometic inside panels look to be much smaller and not as wide as the the o0ld Carrier so it might fit better on the ceiling.

Where is the best deal online for a Dometic Penguin II these days.

Thanks

Don

Don,

I place the additional gasket under the attached gasket on a new unit, so it effectively doubles the thickness of the seal between the unit base pan and the roof. Two are also required for the use of the Dometic drip cup system.

If you have an electronic thermostat on your Carrier (as many had the wireless unit), you can purchase a conversion kit from Dometic that allows for the use of your Carrier air distribution box (ADB) and wireless thermostat.

If you have the manual Carrier controls, then you must replace them with the manual ADB from Dometic that is compatible with your new upper unit.

The Penguins are a bit wider and shorter than the Carrier AirV units, but the ceiling opening is still the same 14" X 14" standard as for all A/C units. All of the gaskets are also the same size, regardless of the unit manufacturer.