Need New AC unit

MACorbett · 10-13-2018, 09:27 AM

A large tree limb fell about 100 feet Thursday night and chose our trailer as a landing zone. The AC unit seems to have taken one for the team. The limb skewered the Air Conditioner and we need to replace it. Just looking for recommendations for a replacement. I would assume weight, power load and size would be an issue. We have a 2007 2720 sl. The good news is that it looks like the rest of the trailer is okay, a few dents but nothing went through the top as far as we can tell and the trailer seems to open without issues.

Shane826 · 10-13-2018, 11:27 AM

Atwood Air Command 15026 (white) or 15026 (black).

15k BTU cooling power, low amp draw, quiet, includes heat pump. Also will need Atwood 15021 ceiling unit.

tentcamper · 10-13-2018, 01:53 PM

I would get the heating coils or heat coil ready, with my new units. Much cheaper then a heat pump. We have the heat coil with our unit and it does a nice job down into the mid 40's. If we have electric, we only use AC heater during the day. Night we use a small electric heater because it much quieter.

BrucePerens · 10-13-2018, 02:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tentcamper

I would get the heating coils ... Much cheaper then a heat pump.

Huh? Are you saying that resistive heating is less expensive to operate than a heat pump? I don't think so. Or just that the acquisition cost is less?

Everyone seems to like that Atwood because it's quiet and has a relatively low power drain. You might also consider a soft-start kit like the Micro-Air.

Shane826 · 10-13-2018, 04:25 PM

The chill chaser coils will work regardless of the temp but they don’t put out much heat. Whereas a heat pump only works down to about 50°. But now way is the chill chaser coils efficient in any sense of the word. Not that it REALLY matters, as you’d need 110V AC electric to run either.

On an unrelated note, I’m seriously thinking about ipgrading to the Atwood. My original A/C works fine but I just found I have a leaky base seal. If I’m gonna R&R the A/C I have to seriously consider upgrading while I’m in there. Gonna have plenty of time to think about it as she’s going into the garage for the winter soon. But if I do the upgrade in the spring I’d sell the original A/C cheap.

tentcamper · 10-13-2018, 07:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BrucePerens

Huh? Are you saying that resistive heating is less expensive to operate than a heat pump? I don't think so. Or just that the acquisition cost is less?

Everyone seems to like that Atwood because it's quiet and has a relatively low power drain. You might also consider a soft-start kit like the Micro-Air.

No I'm not saying that it cheaper to operate. To me it's the same cost because I don't pay for the electricy usage when camping. It comes with the CS.

I'm saying it's much cheaper to buy a new unit with the heat coils than a heat pump.

BrucePerens · 10-13-2018, 09:31 PM

The main goal, IMO, is to avoid the built-in furnace, which is unpleasantly loud. The Atwood is relatively quiet and comes with a heat pump in the base model, so it sounds like a good deal. Probably rather than a resistance heater in the air conditioner we should just plug in a separate resistance heater. They're quiet.

SirDrake · 10-13-2018, 09:56 PM

I upgrade our A/C with the Atwood Air Command 15k unit this summer.
It was fairly easy to install (with some help swapping units on/off the roof).

It is quiet, cools extremely well, and the heat pump works nicely to take the chill out of the air (we used it in auto mode one weekend and it works great!).
The remote works great too, can operate the unit from bed.

The only issue I ran into was that I had to grind a little off the edges of the 14x14 opening to get the new bracket to fit (my opening was a little rough, took the dremel to it and opened it up a bit).

Then I had an issue with the trim ring that covers the opening, it would not fit back over the opening correctly with the new A/C plenum in place.
I spun it 180 degrees, placed it where it fit best and drilled new mounting holes.

I think I paid about $675 for the unit and the ceiling kit as a package deal on eBay. Shipping was included and it was delivered by a trucking company, it came bundled on a palate.

So far we love it. Hope this helps your decision.

MACorbett · 10-26-2018, 05:06 PM

I want to thank everyone for the suggestions. Turns out we were lucky. The A.C. seems to have survived. We purchased a like new shroud to replace the crushed one, pulled out the remainder of the limb which didn't hit the coils and went camping with no issues. Can't do anything about all the new dents, but that is cosmetic. This forum is a fantastic source for information!