Upgrading roof air conditioners

Since there hasn't been much "action" on the Forum lately (unless I'm looking in the wrong place), I thought I'd start a new thread to stir up some activity & kick some ideas around.

This whole issue came to the forefront last September when at/during the 2025 PC Reunion, down south in Louisiana and Mississippi. We live in SW Utah and our humidity hovers in the 12-16% range throughout the year. I was reacquainted with the humidity "issue" inroute, during & after the reunion. On our way, we visited with friends in Texas, just north or DFW. The AC ran 24/7 and we burned up a 20a adapter in the process. The breaker never tripped, but it sure did melt the adapter. Not good, and it was only discovered as we were packing up camp upon departure. UGG.
For the rest of the trip, we had 30a service at campgrounds, but one "thing" nagged at me. I had installed a soft start about a year prior, but that THUD persisted every time the compressor kicked on, often times waking me up in the middle of the night. Something needed to be done.
At the Natchez Reunion while discussing PC upgrades during a owners session, one of the members asked if anyone had changed out their A/C with an inverter model. We were (unfortunately) out of time, but he (I sure wish I remembered his name) invited me to see his upgrade in his PC. I was convinced! This inverter model was much quieter, definitely made the coach cool, reportedly draws ~ 1/2 the current of non-inverter models and seemed like the way to go. The only down side is that the unit runs continuously.
When I returned home, I began researching Inverter A/Cs.
Spoiler alert: I ended up changing out my 120VAC unit with an inverter unit AND, I also added a 12VDC unit in the sleeping area of our 3100.
Has anyone else done either or the same or might be considering a switch-out?
I added the 12VDC because Lucy & I prefer to boondock, when not attending events where AC is available.
I'll be back with what I experienced as soon as I get a better handle on how to add info to my thread.
Kirk

Kirk, I'm interested in this as well and I've done some research...


I have the original 15K btu Penguin in the middle of my 2900 that is now 16 years old and I worry how long it will last.  It draws 18 amps on high while cooling, 14.5 amps is just the compressor.   When it quits the next AC must be a lot more efficient, quiet, and if possible 18K or 20K btu.   


I've thought about switching to a 12V AC since I have 800AH of battery and almost 3KW of solar, which would work very well when boondocking with no power lost (and heat generated) to inversion.   When on shore power I would then pay the cost of converting to 12V for the AC.


However you touch upon a middle choice: Installing a 2nd AC and keeping the 120V AC.  The 12V could supplement the Ford AC on the road on the hottest days (with healthy solar collection) and while boondocking. I fear the rear AC would not cool the front of the coach well when parked no matter how many fans you place in the hallway, so the 120AC would need to run occasionally.


I admit I've looked at 12V AC units and what caught my eye are the split units. The inside unit would fit between the bedroom closets against the ceiling (I have a useless cabinet with a TV mounted on it there now), and the outside unit would fit under the coach beside the fuel tank.. Where it is nice and shady. It might also be easier to run the heavy duty 12V wires under the coach.


Here are a few reasons why I haven't pulled the trigger yet...


1  The Penguin hasn't died yet.
2. The invertor AC products that I've seen seen to have the thermostat inside the roof unit (Furrion is a good example of this). That's why they must continuously run. The airflow is needed so it can sense the room temp.  I do like the quiet when my Penguin auto shuts off between cooling cycles.
3.  My Penguin has a heat strip which is silent (except for the fan). It also work at any outside temp. I like that much better than a heat pump. Before August of this year, I've never seen a 12V AC with a heat strip, it's always a heat pump.   A couple weeks ago I read a sneak peak new product announcement for a 12V AC to be unveiled at the Hershey RV show (this week), and it mentionred a heat strip. Maybe they are listening to the RV community.
4.  Weight.... I'm always watching how much weight I add to my rig. I can add another AC, BUT, when I pull the specs on the units the weights really vary from 75lbs to almost 180lbs.  I'm not sure if I trust them, or if it is a case of quality is heavier, or sloppy marketing, or ???
5.  The split unit puts half of the weight below the floor, which appeals to the engineer in me, but it would require some shielding to block the dirty&mud from the tires. Not a blocker, but an additional consideration.


So... Sorry I don't have answers,,, but I got plenty of worries and questions  LOL


Keep us informed. Tell us how the new 12V works in summer and winter.


.Larry