-
Vantare a/c update
We recently decided to update our hvac system on our coach. As with tires, batteries, etc every part of our coach has a useful life. I hate having problems and decided the time was right to update the hvac system in our coach. The Vantare salon a/c never cooled quite as well as I would have liked. My first preference would have been to change the system to roof airs. However this would have required substantial ceiling changes which would have been complicated and expensive.
Vantares have a split system for the salon. It is not terribly efficient with the fans located on the roof which is a long run from the units. The fans seem to go out regularly. We chose to eliminate the split system installing new separate cruise air units for salon left and right. We also changed out the other crise air units for new. The result appears to be a more comfortable coach in hot weather and hopefully less chance of problems.
Donnie Myers did an outstanding job making the modifications. It was expensive but will be worth it to me if it cools the coach better and prevents problems which it appears to have done.
-
17 Replies
-
Dave,
Thanks for the update, and I know exactly what you mean. That is the only problem I’ve had with Vantare’s design…..the AC.
I am ready to replace mine as well.
-
Vantare’s are something I’m considering to purchase, so could you be a little more specific in “how” the Vantare’s HVAC units are inferior to other coach designs? I’m assuming you are not addressing a roof A/C, since you stated you looked at doing that but decided against based on the coast.
I’ve seen many Vantare’s with OTR, but I believe you’re addressing the HVAC once stationary, so the only one I’ve seen are the Cruiseairs. Or are you talking about how the ducting is arranged?
Thanks for your insight.
-
Tim,
In my case, I have 2 cruise airs, and a central basement unit. The RVAC basement unit is not serviceable, and no one makes a replacement for it, other than Coleman, which doesn’t actually fit without some modifications.
After 03, most of the Vantare’s I’ve seen have 4 cruise airs instead of what I have. They are still available, and servicable.
Roof airs are the best, but costly to install in an older coach.
OTR bus air is great to have, which runs off the engine while traveling. I would hate to know I didn’t have OTR air after I have gotten used to it.
-
Jerry, I think your best option may be to to talk to Ben at Parliament.about adding the 2 cruise airs instead of retro-fitting the RVAC. I’m pretty sure he knows what Donny’s been doing. I’ve never been real happy with the bsmt air and may consider the split cruise air option in the future. But, you’re right, you’d have to pry the OTR out of our COLD dead hands. Geo.
-
So I’m assuming you usually get 4 Cruise Airs (not Roof Airs) when the coach has OTR? Do the RA’s have more BTUs for cooling?
Tradewinds Coach
Kyle Bennett (Service)
Brian Miller (Sales) -
T&C, On Vantares of a certain vintage. the H’s with OTR they were equipped with bsmt air and 2 cruise air’s. Later H’s without OTR came with 4 cruise air’.s. Vantare XL’s seem to mostly have come with 4 roof air’s. Vantare stopped at a certain point on the H’s with OTR. The cooling on our previous 45′ XL with roof air’s and our present H with bsmt and 2 cruise air’s seems equal with the difference being the present set up is much quieter. Geo.
-
The converter makes the determination as to the use of Cruiseairs, basement air or roof airs when the coach is OTR equipped.
I think it can be said that generally Liberty has used Cruiseairs but lately on 3 or 4 slide coaches they have used roof airs, or some roof airs. Vantare has been discussed above. Other conversions with OTR are rare so I am not sure there is a “standard” for which AC system is used.
-
FWIW…
On our Vantare we had our basement split unit totally rebuilt using 2 new compressors and new high speed fan and all new wiring (did away with the circuit board that had jumpers all over the rear of it.
We still were NOT happy with the airflow at all… we also had the duct work redone (partially) I say partially because the guy missed a big part of it and when we were at Coachworx one of the guys noticed how COLD the bay was on such a hot day and after checking around he found a huge part of the duct work had collapsed and we were cooling the bay….when they rebuilt the ductwork ( required quite a bit of disassembling to get to it) we could not believe the difference… the bus was suddenly freezing never even needed to use the high speed on the fan the airflow was unbelievable. I think Ben will remember this quite well. From that day forward we never ran all the A/Cs … not even in Texas heat in an H…. we were so happy !!
Cheers, Diane
-
Diane,
Who rebuilt that basement unit for you?
-
Jerry…
We had it rebuild by a tech guru who was working for us at the time… he has since moved away from here…. he did an outstanding job except for the duct work …
Sorry I can’t help you with that…. I remember it took awhile as we had to remove the genset radiator to get to it then he totally rebuilt everything once he got it out….new wiring … 2 new compressors… built a new circuit board… new fan. Worked very well and wasn’t too terribly expensive either.
Cheers, Diane
-
Thanks Diane
-
The issue the original poster was discussing was the later iteration to try to make the Cruisair Units more efficient by having AAP modify the condensers into a “pallet” system for installation in the bay and the condenser coils on the roof with axial fans cooling them. This was all still technically a “cruisair” system. It seemed a good idea except for the extremely excessive copper tubing runs that ended up resulting from this arrangement into 3 separate components versus the normal outside and inside unit design we are all familiar with from our homes.
By this time, SCS-Fridgette, the company that made the RVAC two-ton basement unit had gone out of business, so these systems were no longer available, forcing Vantare to use 4 cruisairs or go with roof top units (which they were hesitant to do on H models for fear customers would shy away due to being at or near the legal height limit). We ourselves only started installing roof a/c’s on H’s in model year late2006-2007. Coleman was just getting started with their 27kbtu all-outdoor unit and only Winnebago, Fleetwood, Legendary, and the “L-series” Country Coach utilized them. Featherlite Vantare did not even consider using them.
For most Vantare H3 models with an RVAC, the two most economical options for a failed unit is to replace all the components in the existing RVAC, or fitting in the Coleman basement unit, and redoing the ductwork as necessary. (The are not direct “drop-ins” but work). At Parliament, we have done both. Some early models of H3 with slideouts cannot physically take the slightly larger Coleman unit.
As for the other comment about bus air and Vantare coaches, Prevost did not offer and H3-45 VIP without OTR until late 2002, at the same time the headlights and cap changed to 2-piece windshield. Before that, every H3 had OTR a/c regardless of who converted the coach. After that point, most converters elected to order the shell without OTR A/C for the extra bay space and reduced shell weight. Liberty was the one that consistantly continued to order their coaches with OTR, Vantare would order the shell with IF the customer was custom-ordering one and insisted on having it. Just a little history lol.
-
Thanks Ben, that clears up some of the questions quite well.
-
Yes,
Thanks Ben … would love OTR, but 4 cruiseairs or roof airs are more important to me rather than deal with the basement HVAC.
-
Dave,Did you save the cruise air units that you had removed?
Log in to reply.