Has there been any A/C improvements

My pc is a 2011 with the 13500 btu ac. Does anyone know if there have been any real improvements in recent years? I’m  considering going to a 15000 as that’s as big as I guess they currently make. I’m just wondering how much improvement  I might hope to see?

When. We were in Elkhart the 24th of July we stayed over to meet with AC tech... We have 2 AC units with heat strips which work well. What we found was we had too many things open and blowing and it was affecting our thermostat and so the unit in kitchen area was coming on, turning off and right back on again. The tech pulled the center apparatus closed and had all outside places open... And it seems to be doing better. There was one unit that needed some clean up inside and things connected properly but nothing else.  Regards, Patricia

You have to be careful when sizing a unit. If you install one too big the unit will short cycle. Under size it and it will run constantly. Motor homes are difficult to size because the heat load variables change when you travel to different parts of the country. A unit that works well in California may not work well in Florida. Find a hvac person experienced in sizing design would be the best way.

A/C tech has been mature and stable for a long time, so I would not think there would be any real improvements.  Most changes would be ways for the manufacturers to cut costs in some fashion.  Controls have improved or at least changed from analog thermostats to digital, but that is not really going to change performance much.

Non-ducted units are fairly standardized with 13.5 and 15k units.  I see Atwood now makes an 18k unit but I've no idea if it fits the standard opening and wire size.

If I were looking for a new unit I would focus on:
1) Reliability, don't buy the cheapest unit
2) Air distribution box vent and air handling design, lots of adjustments to move the air where you want it from the rather limited possibilities of a non-ducted unit.
3) Sound level.  I want the absolutely quietest unit available.  I suspect that unit would also be a bit better made but of course that is not a given.
4) Compatibility with existing thermostat or how hard it would be to change out the thermostat if needed.
5) Optional heat strip or heat pump.  I went with the heat pump on my unit as in our mild climate that makes sense for me.  Might not be the same for all though.
6) I wonder if two small units would be better than a single large one?  Two units gives you more flexibility but unless the coach is already wired for that it might not be easy to do.

Jatrax, I agree, the decibel level is huge consideration.

Joe, I don’t buy into the what’s good for Ca may not be the right size for Florida pitch. If that was the case I guess one shouldn’t travel outside of there area with a motorhome.  I live in the the desert and we camp in high temps but we also travel across country. Our last trip covered 7,000 miles. We find the 13500isn’t up to the task given the min wall thickness and insulation these units have. I’m hopeful going to a 15,000 which really isn’t that much larger will help.

I think jatrax is prob correct in that there hasn’t been much in improvements over the last few years.

Just did some more reading on the Atwood 18k model.  They list it as 18k BTU equivalent. Not sure exactly what that means except when I see that terminology it usually means someone is playing with the numbers to make their equipment sound better.  Maybe better insulation or something so more of the cooling is actually used?

Another thought would be can your rig handle the power requirement for a 15k unit?  Probably not a big deal.  I checked at Dometic and their 13.5 k Brisk II uses 1670 watts and the 15k model uses 1725 watts.  Not enough difference to be a problem I would think.

They also list 'cooling capacity' of 3953 watts for the 13.5k unit and 4392 watts for the 15k unit.  You might want to find out exactly what model you have installed now and look it up, perhaps you can find the 'cooling capacity' numbers for your unit for comparison. Looks like the 15k unit produces about 11% more 'cooling capacity'.

If you go the two unit route then I suspect you might need a 50amp rig, so unless that was done at the factory originally I do not think that is a good option.

I cannot find any noise information although the Atwood 16k and 18k brochure brags they are 2x quieter.  http://www.atwoodmobile.com/images/air-conditioners-brochure.pdf

Jatrax, I recall someone here added a second unit to their 2552 and had the 50 service upgrade. Can’t swear to it but I thought they said around 2 grand. I’m not sure I’d want a second unit thinking they will be too close to each other using existing holes.  That and the thought of two units roaring isn’t appealing. This summer I came across a guy with a 34 foot pusher with the unit  in the basement. Sweet set up and quiet. I’m guessing there are some downside or they would be on more units.

This summer I came across a guy with a 34 foot pusher with the unit  in the basement. Sweet set up and quiet. I’m guessing there are some downside or they would be on more units.

I'm guessing mostly cost.  The non-ducted units just bolt through the roof.  The basement units would require ducting, vents and so on.  I am sure the ducted basement units are great but not an option for us with no basement .

When I ordered my rig I wanted 50 amp service.  I was told it was not needed unless I got a second A/C unit, that was the only reason they used it.  With no second unit I had them put the electric hot water onto the other side of the 50 amp.  But that means no electric HW with the generator which is wired only to the first leg.  I assume the same would be true with a second A/C unit it would not work when the generator was supplying power.  Should work on 50 amp shore power or on 30 amp if the correct adapter cord is used assuming both can be run off 30 amp of power.  Which would be doubtful.  Even the 13.5BTU unit uses about 1700 watts, so 2x that = 3400 watts.  And you only have 3600 available.  Might work as long as they do not start at the same time but I doubt it would be a good solution.

You might want to take a good look at the Atwood 18k unit and see if you can get some firmer numbers on what exactly they produce.  Seems to be the only significant upgrade I can find.

Jatrax is correct.  With 50 amp service, the second A/C will not operate off the generator or if plugged into 30 amp service.  This was one of our questions we asked because we are planning on including 50 amp service when we order our 3100 next spring.  The two reasons we have for wanting two units is when traveling in hot climates and in case the main unit should fail.  When we saw our first PC in South Dakota last year, the owners said they wished they had two units in their 2552 because their single unit could not keep up in the 100 degree temps we were experiencing.  We had our A/C unit die on us when we had a fifth-wheel unit and had to get one installed immediately so we could leave our pet in the unit as we did some site seeing.

Free2, yes I knew the gen couldn’t handle a second ac unit. If I was ordering a new 2552 I’d go with 2 units no question. However I never buy new. That being said I believe to add a second unit after the fact would require a lot of structural work. I’m guessing one unit would have to be farther forward and the second back by the beds. That’s too much roof work for me to consider. Also having a unit right above the beds would not lend to a good nights sleep being they are so noisy. Hence why I would like a little stronger unit. I’ve been in 120 temps. If the ac is on full bore from the morning before the heat really comes on I could keep it at 88-90. If you wait till it’s 120 all bets are off. Also I have found several times where the gen set won’t start once it gets above 115. I contacted a place that advised me to set a fan blowing on it for a while before attempting to start it and that did work.

An old thread I know.  I’ve been looking into upgrading my AC and I think I’ve narrowed it down to the Dometic Blizzard NXT 15k heat pump.  Everything I read leads me to believe it would be a good upgrade. Heck a bag of cans and marbles might be quieter than my current unit. 

Does anyone here have any experience or knowledge of this unit?

Free2RV, I have the 50 amp service on my 3100 with 2 AC units, I can run the front or back on a 30 amp cord hooked to the 30 amp plug, with 30 amp you have to watch what you turn on, as a rule if I'm using the Microwave, I shut down AC, if the wife uses her hair iron, shut down AC. we run the back AC most the time because it is a lot more quiet. I carry a 50 amp cord and a 30 amp cord, works better that way, had an adapter burn up on me one time.

I’m going to stay with one unit and the new units apparently have a softer start so I’m not overly concerned with the small jump from 13,5 to 15K.  There are a couple of newer units where it’s claimed to be more efficient. The one that interests me the most is the Dometic blizzard. It’s poplular enough that it’s difficult to find one, at least in the 15k single zone.  My unit is so darn noisy that any improvement is a huge upgrade. And more cooling ability is a plus as we live in the desert and tend to go to places that are a bit warm.

For anyone following this. I contacted dometic and it seems the blizzard which is there most powerful unit does not have the same bolt hole alignment as the penguin.  So on install old holes would need to be plugged and new holes drilled etc. I’m not keen on new holes in my roof and patch jobs. I asked about the new penguins compared to my 2011 and was informed the newer foam noise dampening technology used in the blizzard has been incorporated in recent years. Also, I was told that all Dometic ac units require 20amps to start and 15 amps to maintain, regardless of 13.5 or 15k.

I’m not sure how much difference a 15k unit will do over my 13500 but it appears the newer unit will at least address the noise issue somewhat.