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Old 02-11-2012, 11:44 AM   #1
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New Air conditioner advice?

OK I have searched the threads and now I want to know...what would be the best a/c for me? I know nothing about the subject. After reading and asking questions I am still unsure. I am kinda leaning towards the Dometic and I like low profile. Any and all advice will be greatly appreciated!
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Old 02-11-2012, 11:58 AM   #2
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I am am also looking at a Dometic Briskair 15,000BTU but it is not the low profile unit. I think Dometic has a 3 yr warratee where the others are 2 yrs. Also Dometic is the only manufacture that has the drain kit for the AS as far as I know. I live in the south and I have a 31ft trailer so I need all the cooling I can get. 13,500 BTU maybe the biggest they make in the low profile. The price seems to be about the same for all of them. The Best price I have found is about $750 shipped with the drain kit. Locally they cost a lot more plus you have to pay sales tax.

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Old 02-11-2012, 12:07 PM   #3
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Send a PM to Lewster for a fact-based recommendation.
Otherwise, purchase the low-profile Dometic. It's a great unit much improved over the old Armstrongs that were once OEM Airstreams.
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Old 02-11-2012, 12:17 PM   #4
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Dometic for sure

Quote:
Originally Posted by marzboy View Post
OK I have searched the threads and now I want to know...what would be the best a/c for me? I know nothing about the subject. After reading and asking questions I am still unsure. I am kinda leaning towards the Dometic and I like low profile. Any and all advice will be greatly appreciated!
Dometic makes a drain kit for the Brisk Air 3107688.016
And Airstream makes a drain pan for the low profile 961270

I like the low profile with the drain pan MUCH better. The low profile cost more than the Briskair but is much nicer.
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Old 02-11-2012, 02:09 PM   #5
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Dan can you define "Nicer"?

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Old 02-11-2012, 02:44 PM   #6
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Dan, is the drain pan for the low profile a/c an airstream dealer item?

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Old 02-11-2012, 04:09 PM   #7
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I am not 100% sure that the same kit for the Briskair won't fit the low profile unit as well.

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Old 02-12-2012, 06:42 AM   #8
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nicer

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Dan can you define "Nicer"?

Perry
The drain kit for the Brisk-air is a pair of cups and rubber tubing that interlocks with the foam gasket that comes with the kit. Then the gasket that comes with the AC sits on top of that. That makes it sit pretty high.

For the low-profile pan it is shaped with a contoured bottom that is round and the same shape as the top of the the Airstream.

Chris (Minno) yes the pan is a dealer item and can only be gotten from a Airstream dealer. It is made by Airstream. Out-of-Doors Mart stocks them and I'm sure InlandRv does too. But this item can be gotten from any Airstream dealer. If you get it from a local dealer (local to you) you may be able to save yourself the freight charge.

Perry (perryg114)the brisk-air kit may fit the low profile unit but will be very high thus getting away from the low style design that the unit is nick-named for. The Airstream designed pan for the low-profile will NOT work on the brisk-air.
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Old 02-12-2012, 07:15 AM   #9
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For me, the Dometic 15K heat pump is the way to go. High rise/low rise......form follows function.........In the south you want the greatest cooling that you can get........Yes, you want it to drain like original not spill and run down the side.......Greatest advantage is a heat pump doesnt use propane and you can heat the interior quite well on the campground's dime.........

The other day, it was in the low 40's here in NW Georgia......the housekeeper came for her 3 hour weekly visit......I went down to the barn where we keep the trailer and fired up the heat pump for my "escape".........Within 15 minutes the unit was cycling at 73 degrees............LOTS better than fooling with the propane........

FORM FOLLOWS FUNCTION...........God bless........Dennis
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Old 02-12-2012, 07:31 AM   #10
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Curious about this: I noticed that in the Dometic sales info that the heat pump shuts off at 40f, and switches over to your furnace. What if you don't have a furnace, and its colder than 40? does it just "not work"?

I know house-type heat pump systems have an electric heating element that comes on when it gets this cold; "fine" for down south, as this rarely happens, but "not fine" for up north, where its always below 40.

The reason I ask is because my furnace has reached the end of its useful life, and I'm just thinking of going without, as it is an expensive item, takes up a huge amount of space (in my relatively small trailer), and I hardly ever use it. most of the time, we just go with a $20 electric heater, and that is more than adequate, except in the very coldest of weather...which I would define as "below freezing".
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Old 02-12-2012, 07:35 AM   #11
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Is there a drawing of how all this fits together. Does the unit sit any higher with the drain kit than without it?

The heater strip kits works pretty well and will keep the trailer warm until it gets really cold outside. I had a Coleman in a 27ft fifth wheel that I lived in when I was in Gainsville, FL going to college. All I had for heat was the heat strip unit and I was fine. If it gets too cold for the heater strips to keep you warm the heat pump won't work well either.

Perry

Quote:
Originally Posted by Dan@LED4RV View Post
The drain kit for the Brisk-air is a pair of cups and rubber tubing that interlocks with the foam gasket that comes with the kit. Then the gasket that comes with the AC sits on top of that. That makes it sit pretty high.

For the low-profile pan it is shaped with a contoured bottom that is round and the same shape as the top of the the Airstream.

Chris (Minno) yes the pan is a dealer item and can only be gotten from a Airstream dealer. It is made by Airstream. Out-of-Doors Mart stocks them and I'm sure InlandRv does too. But this item can be gotten from any Airstream dealer. If you get it from a local dealer (local to you) you may be able to save yourself the freight charge.

Perry (perryg114)the brisk-air kit may fit the low profile unit but will be very high thus getting away from the low style design that the unit is nick-named for. The Airstream designed pan for the low-profile will NOT work on the brisk-air.
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Old 02-12-2012, 09:53 AM   #12
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Allow me to clear up a few things.

The Dometic Penguin low profile unit comes in a variety of flavors in both 13.5K and 15K BTU with or without the heat pump feature. Heat pumps, essentially air conditioners working in reverse by changing the direction of the refrigerant flow make the evaporator (indoor coils which are normally cold in A/C mode) into the condenser (the outdoor coils which get hot in A/C mode).

By doing this flow reversal, your indoor coil (the one that the right above your indoor air exit vent) puts warm air into your trailer. For my money and after having 2 units with heat strips in my '98 Monaco Dynasty motor home, they are not worth the cost as they only slightly warm the air with a 500 watt heat coil that the indoor blower pushes the air over as it enters the trailer.

Also, the Dometic drain kit (3107688.016) is used on most luxury coaches with the low profile Penguin units that have interior condensate drain lines. I have never seen one used with a Brisk Air unit! The kit only raises the Pengiun unit about an inch or less, as you add a second 14" X 14" sealing gasket to the existing one to provide clearance for the drain cups.

IMHO, this is a far better design than the cumbersome drain pan that Airstream insists on using. I replace many roof air units every year and Airstream is the only company that uses such a convoluted system to deal with the A/C condensate.

Also, a Brisk Air, IMHO, would look quite odd on an Airstream due to the much higher visible profile. Your trailer.....your choice
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Old 02-13-2012, 09:19 AM   #13
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So lewster who makes the best AC unit as far as reliability?

Perry
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Old 02-13-2012, 09:23 AM   #14
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Wow thanks everyone! I love all the input and thank you all for asking questions that I never even thought of. Please keep it coming as the jury is still out on this phase of my resto. So far I am hearing low pro Dometic Penguin, but the Airstream drain kit maybe a little wack. Also the heat pump is a luxury not necessity. I am going to install a gas furnace and 1 or two Olympic wave 6 heaters (I have a 30 footer don't judge me). We camp in some pretty cold places and the wife likes to be warm. Also I am going to get a generator to run the A/C at campgrounds w/ no hook ups. I looked at the Honda 3000 IS looks pretty huge and probably can only handle a 13500 BTU. Has anyone had luck with two 2000 IS units running parallel to handle a 15k unit?
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Old 02-13-2012, 12:37 PM   #15
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I would think 3000W would be plenty to run the AC. 2000W might be enough if you don't run much else. 3000W is 25A and that should be plenty for the AC and other stuff. I would run the fridge on gas to ease the load on the generator. You should be fine even with the 15k unit. Most generators will take more in surge than continuous so they can handle inductive loads like a compressor.

Perry
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Old 02-13-2012, 12:45 PM   #16
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We are also in the market for an air conditioner, so this is very helpful info for us!

Kay
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Old 02-13-2012, 12:52 PM   #17
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The nearly new air conditioner on my 31' Excella needs a 30 amp circuit. Won't run on 25 amp, it'll shut down. A lot of the units need the 30 amp to start the pump, but the numbers show they'll run on less. I'd hate to get into a unit thinking that 25 amp would suffice and then find you need a larger generator.
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Old 02-13-2012, 12:57 PM   #18
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Well my 30 yr old Coleman ran fine on a 20A breaker. The fan motor is toast though. You only have 30A total. 20A goes to the AC usually and the other goes the the wall plugs and the fridge. I think mine has a 30A main and 20A for the AC/microwave and 15A for the wall sockets and everything else.

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Old 02-13-2012, 01:40 PM   #19
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A/c

Hi all,
My question is, does my 73 Tradewind have a pan, and or interior drain tubes? I know my A/C is a replacement unit. I belive it's a mid 80's unit (Coleman TSR Mach 3) and it cools well. But it lets the condensed water run down the sides of the trailer. I would need a new cover, as mine is dry and cracked. At $135 it's a small part of what a new unit would cost. I want to spend the money wisely, and do it correctly (drain pan) if I go new. I really would like to get another few years out of the A/C as other improvements are more important. MPJ
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Old 02-13-2012, 04:17 PM   #20
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Pull the bottom off the unit and see if the tube is hooked to something.

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