Air Conditioner |
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hogone
Senior Member Joined: 09 Apr 2013 Location: St. Louis Online Status: Offline Posts: 1043 |
Topic: Air Conditioner Posted: 26 Aug 2013 at 1:56pm |
My A/C is dometic. I have always run it in the auto position, so the whole unit does cycle off. I am by no means unhappy how it cools, I'm just amazed at how long it runs and quickly cycles considering the size of the pod. Granted, I keep it cool, but still. And as I said, it blows out some nice cool air. Blinds are always closed in these conditions. Sammycamper, do you recall where they may have found areas that were poorly sealed with foam, etc, at least those that would be accessable? I have looked around, but didn't find anything striking. The other night when it thumped, Pam said "I think somebody just hit us"!!!
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Jon & Pam
2013 RP177 2010 F150 2017 HD Streetglide 2009 HD Lowrider CHEESEHEAD |
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Sleepless
Senior Member Joined: 07 Jun 2013 Location: Titusville, FL Online Status: Offline Posts: 556 |
Posted: 26 Aug 2013 at 2:11pm |
Several motor homes ago, I read about the benefits of using foil insulation on the inside of all the windows. This is the same product sold at Camping World, Home Depot, Lowes, etc., and is very similar to the sun shades sold for car windshields. We keep ours on all the windows when the RV is in storage or we have a sunny camp site with little or no shade.
On the R-Pod, I pre-cut the insulation and fit it behind the blinds. The valances hold it next to the window and the bottom rests on the blind brackets. With the R-Pod, I have been using a small strip of Velco on either side, to keep the insulation even closer to the window. The foil is highly reflective, keeping the heat or cold outside and dramatically reduces the run time of the A/C. One small electric heater will keep the pod toasty warm. On our last trip, at 7000 feet, the temperature one night dropped to 37, and the single heater kept us warm. As for drafts, we have not found any. Bob |
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2014 R-Pod 178 (OUR POD)
2009 Chevrolet Avalanche |
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hogone
Senior Member Joined: 09 Apr 2013 Location: St. Louis Online Status: Offline Posts: 1043 |
Posted: 26 Aug 2013 at 2:18pm |
Sleepless: How about the re-foaming the dealer did after you picked it up and found the breaches?
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Jon & Pam
2013 RP177 2010 F150 2017 HD Streetglide 2009 HD Lowrider CHEESEHEAD |
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techntrek
Admin Group - pHp Joined: 29 Jul 2009 Location: MD Online Status: Offline Posts: 9059 |
Posted: 26 Aug 2013 at 3:04pm |
Yes, I notice a definite thump when the compressor cycles on. We keep the fan set to "on" partially for the white noise (to mask the compressor cycling, and outside noise), partially to keep the air temp uniform all over.
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Doug ~ '10 171 (2009-2015) ~ 2008 Salem ~ Pod instruction manual
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Sleepless
Senior Member Joined: 07 Jun 2013 Location: Titusville, FL Online Status: Offline Posts: 556 |
Posted: 26 Aug 2013 at 3:30pm |
That must have been another member. I bought my pod used and have never taken it to a dealer. Bob |
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2014 R-Pod 178 (OUR POD)
2009 Chevrolet Avalanche |
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hogone
Senior Member Joined: 09 Apr 2013 Location: St. Louis Online Status: Offline Posts: 1043 |
Posted: 26 Aug 2013 at 4:02pm |
Sorry, that question regarding lack of foam should of said "sammycamper". I guess I'm still wondering what a smaller a/c unit would do; actually cool better, less noisy, more environmentally friendly, ???; or all them. I would bet it costs more to cool my pod than my house seeing how hard and often it runs.
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Jon & Pam
2013 RP177 2010 F150 2017 HD Streetglide 2009 HD Lowrider CHEESEHEAD |
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David and Danette
podders Helping podders - pHp Joined: 24 Nov 2009 Online Status: Offline Posts: 1215 |
Posted: 26 Aug 2013 at 4:21pm |
I have read the Dometic AC has a automatic shut off when it reaches a factory set low temp. I read the Coleman too has a factory low temp set where it will shut off. The difference was said that the Coleman will be aloud to reach a colder temp than the Dometic before the compressor turns off. As far as I know all factory installed AC's in the r-pods are the Dometic brand. If we could afford it we would like to replace the AC with a quieter AC but until the Dometic wears out and needs replaced we will be keeping it. David
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2018 Vista Cruiser 19BFD (2018-
2012 Vibe 6503 (2014-2019) 2009 r-pod 171 (2009-2014) Middle Tn 2014 Ram 1500 Quad cab |
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hogone
Senior Member Joined: 09 Apr 2013 Location: St. Louis Online Status: Offline Posts: 1043 |
Posted: 26 Aug 2013 at 4:32pm |
Over the weekend I did crank it down to 65 (per my own thermometer, not the thermostat reading as this is not accurate). So I do no it can get down that cold.
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Jon & Pam
2013 RP177 2010 F150 2017 HD Streetglide 2009 HD Lowrider CHEESEHEAD |
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Sleepless
Senior Member Joined: 07 Jun 2013 Location: Titusville, FL Online Status: Offline Posts: 556 |
Posted: 26 Aug 2013 at 5:30pm |
I asked the original owner of my pod about the A/C unit. He assured me that the Coleman unit was factory-installed. I checked my owner's manual and the 2010 specs and found out that the 2010's came with an 11K BTU unit. Apparently FR switched to Dometic at a later date and changed the size from 11K BTUs to 13.5K. I don't know this for fact, just guessing. Bob |
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2014 R-Pod 178 (OUR POD)
2009 Chevrolet Avalanche |
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sammycamper
Senior Member Joined: 23 Oct 2012 Location: Minnesota Online Status: Offline Posts: 111 |
Posted: 26 Aug 2013 at 5:43pm |
Hogone,
The worst areas were around the refrigerator and the hoses to/from the hot water heater. You can see in the first two pictures, taken from the back of the refrigerator, where the dealer filled significant spaces with yellow foam. The third picture shows the hot water heater area. They also installed foam around the vent openings.
Basically, anywhere that there is a hole or cutout through the wall, floor, or ceiling of the camper should be sealed. That wasn't done by the factory, and the air leaks made our rPod virtually impossible to heat. We could feel a significant breeze next to the refrigerator that first night out, and I stuffed paper towels between the fridge and the wall inside the camper to slow it down temporarily.
Sam
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2012 rPod 173
2008 Trailblazer 4WD V6 |
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