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Replacing roof air 3 units
Greetings from the NCR. I was wondering if any of you may have replaced your roof air units. I am currently thinking i may need to do so in the springtime. Currently I have 3 Dometic penguin 1 model 630215 heat pump units with a 4 button control. After many hours of RV forum readings I have come down to 3 possible replacement options:
A) buy new Dometic units w/heat pumps. Replace the 4 button with a 12 button and pray I don’t need to replace each of the 3 temp sensors in the bus.
B) buy new Dometic AC only units. Replace the 4 button with a 12 button and pray about the temp sensors
C) buy Coleman Mach 8 units and try to find central control unit to mange them and pray the temp sensors work with them. Continue to pray the units fit my current cutout & ducts.
my main concerns are that if I go with “B” could I still control the webasto? Heat pumps are okay but having them is not a big deal to us. We have a webasto and she is a workhorse.
so the question to the forum is: Have you changed roof airs & what did you need to do to make it work? All advice is appriciated
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20 Replies
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See if you can get in touch with Rudy Legget ,he repalced his with another brand(senior moment) can’t think of name.
But he was very pleased. maybe he will jump in.
Jim Brown -
I just replaced one of my 3 units with the new Dometic 15,000 Btu heat pump and did not have to do anything to the 4 button Duo-Therm control center.
Why the need for the 12 button control unit.
The only negitive to the 15000 btu unit is it draws 15 amps. Not a big deal just have to manage amp useage.
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My roof A/Cs were replaced with Attwood 15k BTU heat pumps. They are very quiet, have two fan motors and a number of superior internal features that are not in the other brands.
I have a 2 amp 120vac load with all systems in off mode. With both A/C compressors running my ems shows a total amp draw of 27 amps.
I purchased two from the12voltstore.com for $1338 tax title and delivered. Took one hour to install both using a fork lift to get them up on the roof.
My wife likes the very quiet operation of these units. They make ducted and non-ducted models as well as 13.5k BTU size.
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I just replaced all 4 units with dometic..I call dometic tech support and ask for the model to replce my current ones with…They informed me they can install the new ac card to talk with the new 12 thermostat..I am happy with the dometic and can see the new thermostat better …the temp sensors were no problem..I would probally think of resale and put the heat pumps in…took about 4hrs by a local mechanic
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Hey Rudy, are the Atwood units a lot quieter than the Dometic’s.
My two remaining units are almost 7 years and when I get ready to replace them I might consider the Atwoods.
My Dometic are really loud.
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I like the idea of quieter. My question is whether Atwoods would work with the current
” Comfort Control Center “. -
Everyone says they are very quiet.
A call to Attwood will answer the Comfort Center question. For myself, quiet and superior construction trumps all other concerns.
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Rudy I reviewed the Atwood website and the AC’s sound very interesting when you compare the other brands. I especially like the fact they are manufactured in Australia and not China. They have what seems to be a new low profile unit and units up to 1800 BTU’s. Are your units the standard or low profile ? Thanks for letting us all know about the Atwood units. -
George,
My units are standard ones which match the Dumetics that came on my Poortravel motorhome.
There is a rod on top of the compressor that fits into a hole in a strap above the compressor to restraint it from swinging side to side when traveling but still allow movement when it is operating. There are two fan motors.
There is a duct to change the cold air flow from straight down to horizontal. There is a lanyard to hang the ceiling unit from to free your hands to connect the cable and wires. There is retracting lanyard to pull the cable up out of the way once connected.
My long time RV fix-it friend says this is the only A/C he can recommend be run on low all the time. There is a dry mode to dehumidifiy when inside and outside Temps are close in spring and fall.
There is an auto fan mode that runs the fan on high when the compressor is running and on low when the compressor is cycled off.
In heat mode, the fan stays off till the coil is warm so it does not blow cold air.
There is a remote control to command the unit from your chair.
They are quiet and the air is cold. Call me if you want more info, 7 one 3 8 one 8. 3234.
Don’t forget 12 volt store has very good prices on these units.
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Sounds good. I will book mark that site for the eventual day when I WILL need one or four. Mine are six years old. Three work flawlessly and tirelessly but one has been tempermental from day one. I do like heat strips rather than the heat pump. The heat strips will produce heat no matter how cold it is outside even though I know it is against the law to be north during winter!
12voltstore.com is dead but my12voltstore.com will get you there.
Davy
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Davy,
Thank you for the link. Mine are heat pump so do not know about heat strip availability.
God bless.
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I just want to add that the reason I decided to stay with dometic was that the 4 units in my coach were still working after 16 yrs …I changed them due to age only..if a companies product does well I want to stick with it
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of the 3 Dometic heat pumps we have on our coach, 2 are at least 17 years old. The front one replaced by one of the previous owners. I replaced all 3 of the AC motors and capacitors on each unit this summer. Having a unit (the one that was replaced before) fail was a wake up to look at replacements.
As as you can tell. I like the idea of direct replacement with no further modifications need. A new control unit or broad mods are not an issue. A new temp sensor at each location Is a problem. Especially the bed room.
I appriciate the inputs about the Atwoods. They do sound interesting as I would like a quieter system. From my research the new model Dometic units had a reliability issue and a sound issue (louder than the units I have) when they came out. I’ll do some reading up on Atwoods.
The bottom line, for us, is replacing the units with the least amount of bus down time and keeping costs to a minimum. Downtime because we are full timing it and cost because my wife still serves in uniform & I work as a civilian for the Uncle Sam. Neither gig has big $ but that’s not why we joined or stayed in so long.
Thanks for the feedback and advice
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To your wife and to you Thank you for your service
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Chip & Pam,
Thanks bunches for your service.
I replaced my units myself using a fort lift to get them up on the roof in 30 minutes each. The included remote control allows me to control each unit sitting down in my favorite chair.
If you are near me, Baytown, Tx, the forklift is available to you. But I’ll bet there is one near you also or a friend that would help you slide the unit up a ladder to the roof.
All the best.
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