Roof air's

[dalej]

I was thinking of adding a roof air to the bus in the forward section. I was going to power it from 15 amp run that is in the overhead area. It will be powered by inverter power while driving.

Question....

What is the brand of choice in roof air's? I have been looking at PPL in Houston, TX. They offer Coleman, Duo-therm and Carrier. I like the 15,000 btu models.

[phorner]

Dale,

Our previous coach, a Beaver, had Duo Therm roof air conditioners that would also function as a heat pump.

I was very happy with them as to their performance with my only complaint being the lack of plumbing to drain the AC condensate from the roof. Always a mess.....

They were also quiet and low-profile.

Good luck!

[Loc]

Dale,

I have had Coleman's and Duo Therm Penguins. They both do a good job. The Duo Therms are lower profile and look better on the roof. Recognize that on a really hot day, a roof AC may draw 13 to 14 amps while running and more at startup of the compressor. While the startup is very short term (less than a couple of seconds) you may see amps hit the mid to low 20's. I have been able to run a roof ac off of 15 amp service in the storage facility where I park the bus, but I haven't done it for an extended period of time.

Loc

[Kenneth Brewer]

My two cents worth about the Coleman's and Duo - Therms (Dometic) is that the Colemans have more robust compressors and are less prone to refrigerant leakage. I have had both myself, and I have one 25 year (or more) old Coleman in the front (thank goodness) and two Duo-Therms center and rear that were replaced (both twice), on my '84 Bird. The Coleman had to have a leak fixed and the refrigerant replaced about 16 years ago.

Apparently in the early 2000s Duo-Therm (Dometic) had some problems that caused them big headaches. If you hog tie a RV repair shop (Camping World or others) repairman older than about 30, and make him talk, I feel fairly confident you will hear the same stories. Let me know if you hear otherwise. You may have to wait (shipping time) to get the Coleman(s), though.

[jack14r]

Marathon brags about the unit that they use because it is very efficent and low profile,they had a article in their magazine a couple of years ago.I will look it up Dale if you want.

[truk4u]

Dale,

I don't think you can do it with only 15 amps.

[dalej]

Tom- It's 14 gauge romex so I'm thinking it should hold the breaker at start-up and the wire should be fine.

Jack- if it's not to much trouble, I would appreciate it.


I'm really not wanting to cut a opening in the roof unless I have a great unit in hand.

[tdelorme]

Dale, just so you know beforehand, a roof AC unit that discharges directly into the coach is a noisemaker of the first degree. Go sit in an older coach with non ducted air before you cut the hole.

[nrhareiner]

Hello Dale,

I have Penguin duotherms on my coach. I have had problems with the front unit which has bee nreplaced twice. However, the others seem fine. The main reason for the start of the answer is that we have measured electrical draw many times over the last year. When perfect it is 12 amps steady with compressor and 20 amps on start up. However, with any dirt or other problems the draw increases to a steady 14-15 amps. I would worry about running this on a 15 amp breaker.

[Jon Wehrenberg]

Dale as a rule of thumb you should never load a breaker by more than 80% of its rated capacity. That is 12 amps for a 15 amp breaker. It may carry more but anything greater than 12 and breaker tripping can be expected.

[dalej]

I'm of the understanding from reading these post that bus's equipped with roof air's are feed with 12 gauge romex from a 20 amp breaker

[Joe Cannarozzi]

Dale we have a forward roof vent that could accommodate an a/c and if you like I can take some measurements and photos to help you pick a spot.

[dale farley]

Dale, My 3 roof airs are each on #12 wire and 20 amp breakers.

[dalej]

I have read on Carrier's web site that they require 12 gauge wire to feed their unit. I went out and looked and I have the front tv on a 20amp 12gauge circuit. I ran a 14 gauge wire from there to power my aux. air compressor in the steer bay.

So with that clear... back to the original question, Is there a preferred roof top air conditioner manufacture that converters like best?

I'm leaning toward Carrier. Coleman to me has been on the lighter side of quality. I just base that on air compressors and pressure washer lines.

[PLSNTVLE2]

Dale.
My bus has (4) Carrier units with dedicated 20 amp. breakers. They don't get a lot of use but when I need them they work great. I can run one unit off each inverter on the road. All are remote controlled.
These are 2003 vintage. I'm not sure what is available in the later models.

They sit on top of a drain pan to catch the condensation and rain water and have a hose running inside the wall of the bus down to the ground under the bus. I'm not sure how easy this would be add to yours. Obviously you would need to open up the walls and ceiling. They are kind of tall but no taller than the satellite dish.

FWIW, I did hear that the new Colemans were pretty good???

[jack14r]

Dale,I can't seem to find the article but I think that they were using Coleman AC units.

[dalej]

Ok, thank's guys!