Air Conditioners

[yattr0]

It is a very HOT year here in Arizona, even at the higher elevations, and our 337 is clearly in need of a second AC unit. A quieter and less power hungry unit would be a plus. Our 337 currently has a Dometic Brisk Air II 15k BTU ducted unit in the rear and nothing in front.

I did a bit of research on what I believe to be the dominate RV AC manufactures; Atwood, Dometic and Coleman. I also did a cursory check of Advent but didn’t see anything worth pursing.


I am aware the Atwood was acquired by Dometic and there is an uncertainty with respect to Atwood’s AC product future. Per a call to Atwood, they have not discontinued any of their AC products at this time nor issued any end of life notices. Dometic acquired Atwood in 2014 and Dometic’s web page is indicating Atwood AC are being sold under the Dometic name starting this year. There isn’t anything in Dometic’s product line that reflect the Atwood specifications.


I created a table of key parameters for units that would work in the 337. For less noise, I would consider replacing the Brisk Air II and a taller unit up front. In my case a full size unit in front would increase the 337’s current height by 4 inches or slightly less (current vent cover is about 10”) to a height of ~13’


I have no need for a heat pump based unit. We like to sleep in a cooler environment and only use the fireplace and/or an electric heater in the main living area.




From what can be gathered from the web,

• Atwood is considered the quietest but with an unknown future
• Mach 3s are not only pricy but apparently loud externally and not that all quieter internally
• Dometics are loud internally

I would like to gather a bit more feedback before proceeding.

• Insight on the future of Atwood AC support
• Experience with
  
  • Atwood ACs in general
  • Coleman ACs in general and on spreadsheet

There is abundant feedback on Domteic ACs in this forum and elsewhere throughout the web but if you would like to express a point that I am overlooking, please do.

[yattr0]

One additional question, if anyone done a Dometic to Atwood change your insights would be highly appreciated...

Thanks

/ed

[Cate&Rob]

Interesting summary chart !
I found this link that claims 350 CFM for the Dometic Brisk II.
http://www.americanrvcompany.com/******...skIIReport.pdf

Rob

[yattr0]

Rob,

Thanks. Big number, must be why it is loud on high. Started using mine on low...

Will also update table with number of motors.

/ed

[GENESIS]

We had a chance to visit several GD owners RV's a few weeks back at a GD rally in Brunswick, GA. The 90 degree temps and 90+ percent humidity had everybody's RV A/C units dripping water in bucket loads. Sadly - our 15K unit gave up the ghost, but the Penguine 13.5K unit up front ran like a champ. I've since heard that Dometic had a run of units that had compressor failures - don't quote me on that. Anyhow.........

Some RV's we went in were Reflections and some were Solitudes. The upper end Solitudes had Coleman Mach 3's and were whisper quiet. The RV's that had Dometics were as loud as ours - both Solitudes and Reflections (our Penguine is loud too). We visited a couple that had an older GD RV and it had an Attwood (IIRC) and that unit was very quiet. I've not gotten a clear answer if the quietness we experienced was due to ducting or the A/C units. However, I will say this, I think it's unacceptable, in this day & age, to have a $50K RV that has an awesome entertainment area (think 337) and one has to almost shout to have a conversation. That's ridiculous. I have trouble sleeping sometimes. So if I'm up and trying to watch TV, if the volume is up on the TV to over come the A/C noise, it's useless if the bedroom door is closed because the wife can hear all the "noise".

When I poked around on the Dometic website, there appeared to be some alternatives to the Brisk II albeit at a higher price. Quieter?? Who knows. Oddly enough, when our Brisk II was replaced last week with a new Brisk II, the wife said, "Is it my imagination or is the new unit quieter?" And that was my perception too. Maybe placebo - I dunno.

What I do know is that if I find an RV A/C unit that is 20db quieter, I'm gonna buy it.

Tom

[Cate&Rob]

yattr0 - Would be interesting to track/compare number of motors. The Atwood uses two motors and they claim this is why their's is so much quieter and draws less power. A while back there was a member on this forum (Gamewarden I think) who had an Atwood on his first GDRV and his second one came with a Dometic. He replaced the Dometic with an Atwood.

Tom - We have only one original 13.5 Atwood. This cools the trailer adequately to the mid-80s outside and is quiet enough to watch TV or have a normal conversation right under it. We discovered that the secret to getting by with one AC is to get it going mid-morning before you really think you need it.

If Dometic is going to continue to manufacture and market the Australian Atwood design, I think this would be a viable replacement for one of the noisier makes. They all fit in the same 14" hatch hole and connect to the same ductwork.

Rob

[yattr0]

Rob, Added both number of motors and also speed settings. I agree that these 2 items contribute to the reduced noise level. Confirmed by Tom's great reply referencing both Mach 8 and Atwood.

Tom, heard the same on Domtric Penguin units and bad compressors. I did read 55-65 dB on the etrailer site for the Atwood. Also agree that it is pitiful that the AC systems are as bad as they are.

So Tom, did either the Atwood or Mach 8 meet your 20 dB metric?

/ed

[TucsonJim]

yattr0 - We discovered that the secret to getting by with one AC is to get it going mid-morning before you really think you need it.


Rob

Rob - We've been running 112-120 here in AZ. I have had one AC running continuously for the last 10 days. No matter how much I try to seal up the unit and block the sunlight, it's been running a temp of 95+ every afternoon inside. I really need to run a 50 amp supply so I can crank both ACs.

Yattr0 - On our 2014 337, I had an Atwood in the living area and a Penguin low profile in the bedroom. I know in another thread I reported the dB readings, but I couldn't find it with the search function. Suffice it to say the Atwood was MUCH quieter than the other unit.

Jim

[GENESIS]

Rob, Added both number of motors and also speed settings. I agree that these 2 items contribute to the reduced noise level. Confirmed by Tom's great reply referencing both Mach 8 and Atwood.

Tom, heard the same on Domtric Penguin units and bad compressors. I did read 55-65 dB on the etrailer site for the Atwood. Also agree that it is pitiful that the AC systems are as bad as they are.

So Tom, did either the Atwood or Mach 8 meet your 20 dB metric?

/ed

Thanks yattr0 for the Coleman model correction (Mach 8 not 3). Not trying to beat this to death, but there were (2) 2017's and (1) 2018 RV's at the rally. The 2018 was a pre-production show & tell Solitude (had the deep smoked front cap glass which was awesome) demo for the rally. All three of the units had Mach 8's and were so quiet I wanted to throw rocks at my 337. I mentioned to the General RV sales droid about the quietness and his response was that all the RV's they sell with the Mach 8's are very quiet.

I've got other irons in the fire, so a new quieter A/C is not on my radar - YET.

One other thing and then I'll STHU, when the home A/C manufacturers came under the Gubmint's pressure for more energy efficiency, they poured a ton of research into making systems. 10 years ago you'd be hard pressed to find a 13 SEER A/C. Now, 18 and 21 SEER systems are common place. The part that really was a game changer was the compressor design going from piston to scroll. Additionally, heat pump systems were hard pressed to generate heat when the temps dipped below around 38 degrees F. The newer heat pumps can hold their own at temps below 30 degrees F which is remarkable. Anyhow.....as with any product or industry, it just takes one company to raise the bar in order to push the others to do the same - or the Imperial Federal Government sticking their noses in.

Tom

[yattr0]

Jim - We were in Show Low for a week with mid to high 90 temps. The one unit got us through but it was working all the time. Closing off the vents and doors to the bath and bedroom along with using the AC well before really needed helped. Also setting the fan speed to low was a noise improvement. About to spend a month up at Clint's Well/Long Valley. Only 30 amps at this location but the heat will be a bit less as it is 1000 feet higher in elevation than Show Low and 2000 more than Payson where we are now.

Tom - All great info on the Atwoods and Colemans. The Mach 8s are very low profile and utilize 2 motors. They are bit pricy but if that is the cost for less noise then they are a winner. How was the noise from the Mach *s outside the RV? BTW, thanks for all the great info.

Our Payson home has heat pumps. The heating options in Payson are propane (piped throughout the city), electric or wood/pellet stoves/fireplaces. Propane is the most expensive heat source and pellet stoves are very popular. The original owner of our homes elected to not have propane service to the house and selected all electric. Our heat pumps are about 12 years old and without heat strips they would be useless for heat during our colder periods. We also have a large fireplace and burn wood most nights. I'll start researching scroll units so I am ready to make the change when our current units die.

All great info - thanks!

/ed