| [GMCnet] Split air [message #94164] |
Sun, 01 August 2010 07:13  |
Gerald Work
Messages: 102
Registered: June 2010
Karma: 0
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Senior Member |
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Hi Chris,
Before writing off all RV roof air units, take a look at the modern designs. We replaced our 30+ year old unit with a Carrier Air V low profile unit. It uses a more modern compressor technology and separate motors for the interior and exterior fans. Amp draw at both startup and run is low so it runs well whether plugged in or on the generator. It is quiet in and out and cools our 26 foot GMC quickly even in the hot, muggy weather we have experienced while in the Maritime Provinces for the last several weeks.
Carrier has exited from the RV business so you need to find one from existing distributor/dealer stock. Carrier states they will support and provide parts for at least a decade. Dometic and Coleman both make similar units. We selected this one because it is designed like a home unit where the outside fan draws air in through the side mounted coils and exhausts it out the top. In this arrangement the coils are protected from tree branches, hail and other impact damage.
Installation is a half hour to one hour easy task. With all 120vac power to your coach turned off, remove a few screws and the inside cover comes off. Disconnect the positive, negative and ground wires, Remove four nuts from the corner mount bolts and lift off the old unit. The previous owners may have done you the "favor" of lathering on all kinds of goo trying to seal leaks from a failed gasket. If so, the unit will need to be pried up carefully so as not to damage the roof. Once off, clean the roof, place the new unit in place with it's seal and reverse the steps to complete the installation. All gain and no pain and much easier/cheaper than trying to engineer a way to properly mount one of the split units from my pov.
Jerry Work
78 royale rear lounge
Now in Maine on our way back to Oregon,
6300 miles into our cross country adventure
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Message: 20
Date: Sat, 31 Jul 2010 19:19:34 -0500
From: Chris Choffat <cchoffataz@yahoo.com>
Subject: Re: [GMCnet] split air conditioners
To: gmclist@temp.gmcnet.org
Message-ID: <16fb4.4c54bd96@gmc.mybirdfeeder.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="ISO-8859-15"
I am looking at doing this too, as the roof units are crap. I have seen 115V units as high as 15K BTU. I will mount my Condensing unit on the rear bumper to the left of where the spare should be. I have considered laying it flat on the roof, and rotating the compressor vertical, through a hole in the top with a sealed cap of some sort, but not sure how well the cabinet in this orientation can protect the electronics from rain.
There is also the possibility to use an autotransformer for the larger units. We discussed this a while back.
Bottom line, I think even a single 12K BTU one of these is probably orders of magnitude better at cooling the coach than the repackaged window units on our rooftops.
On Rooftop units, I think that running both indoor and outdoor fans with the same motor is a bad idea. I want low flow inside to allow the heat to more completely be extracted by the evaporator and the outdoor fan to run fast to expel the heat faster. Maybe a couple of radiator fans up there would help..
Chris "getting really serious about buying one of these this summer just to try it out" Choffat.
--
-Chr$: Perpetual SmartAss
77 Ex-Kingsley 455, Power Drive, 3:21 FD, Quadra bag. The Engineer's Motorhome
Scottsdale, AZ
Photosite: Chrisc "It has Begun"
Jerry
Sent from my iPad
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| Re: [GMCnet] Split air [message #94183 is a reply to message #94164] |
Sun, 01 August 2010 11:51  |
tmaki
Messages: 200
Registered: September 2005
Karma: 0
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Senior Member |
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On 8/1/2010 5:13 AM, Gerald Work wrote:
>
> Before writing off all RV roof air units, take a look at
> the modern designs. We replaced our 30+ year old unit
> with a Carrier Air V low profile unit. Amp draw at both startup and
> run is low so it runs well whether plugged in or on the
> generator. It is quiet in and out and cools our 26 foot
> GMC quickly
>
> Carrier has exited from the RV business so you need to
> find one from existing distributor/dealer stock. Carrier
> states they will support and provide parts for at least a
> decade.
>
> Installation is a half hour to one hour easy task.
I agree completely with Jerry.
Installed two Carrier Air V 15k units (with the help of a
good and capable friend) on my 23', and it took maybe 45
minutes to install both of them - including dropping the old
LaSalle-Dietch units (which worked perfectly) to the ground.
Slid the old ones down a padded ladder, new ones up the same
way. One man on top, one below.
Cleaned up the openings, installed according to directions,
had them running in a matter of minutes.
My Onan 4K runs both with no complaints. If I do it right, I
can also run the microwave at the same time - just have time
the starting so the heaviest load doesn't hit all at once.
I've done the things to the generator that allow it to run
to spec.
Don't fear the fact that Carrier has decided to get out of
the RV business. If you based your decisions on that kind of
fear, you wouldn't own a GMC motorhome...right?
Toby Maki
'73 Glacier 230
Riverside, CA
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| Re: [GMCnet] Split air [message #94189 is a reply to message #94164] |
Sun, 01 August 2010 13:22 |
Chr$
Messages: 2690
Registered: January 2004
Location: Scottsdale, AZ
Karma: 1
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Senior Member |
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Guys, I like the low profile Carrier units but I'm hesitant to spend $2K on two new roof units only to have them suck too. remember, I need them to work in 115 Degree az heat.
As for R&R the units, I have done that already. I put both units I have on my roof. One is a 1994 that came off my tent trailer, and the other one is John Ruff's old unit that I cleaned both coils and resealed.
I had a hunch the top fan units used a separate motor...
-Chr$: Perpetual SmartAss
Scottsdale, AZ
77 Ex-Kingsley 455 SOLD!
2010 Nomad 24 Ft TT 390W PV W/MPPT, EV4010 and custom cargo door.
Photosite: Chrisc GMC:"It has Begun" TT: "The Other Woman"
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