Anyone add an air conditioner
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Topic: Anyone add an air conditioner
Posted By: frogpod
Subject: Anyone add an air conditioner
Date Posted: 16 Jul 2015 at 10:40pm
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Our used 2010 171 Pod came with a fantastic fan and no AC unit. Considering adding AC sometime before our trip to the desert next year. I understand that the stock units are 13.5K Dometic units. Coleman Mach makes a Polar Cub unit that is 9000 BTU and only 8 inches tall to reduce wind drag. Also uses less power. Will be dry camping with a 3100 watt Champion inverter generator. I believe the genny is big enough to run any AC unit but I'm not sure the 15 amp circuit I use when the Pod is in "spare bedroom" mode in the driveway can start a 13.5k unit. Anyone have experience or problems with this?
Anyone have experience with the Polar Cub AC in a Pod? Given the size of the trailer I'm thinking the smaller BTU would be fine. Never been in another pod though.... Does it really need the 13.5 k AC in a Pod unit? How cool does a pod get with a stock unit? Also, I see there is a circuit breaker already installed for AC. I assume they ran a wire that will be available for hooking up the AC. Should I take the fan out to look for a wire, or trust that FR would not skip doing this to save a dollar. Any advice appreciated. ------------- Leo and Tami with Coltrane the Jack Russell Terrier 2010 Rpod 171 2003 Toyota Tacoma TRD |
Replies:
Posted By: SNO4ME
Date Posted: 17 Jul 2015 at 3:38am
Sorry I don't have much direct technical advice regarding your Pod air but I'm real curious about the idea of the 9k unit. I don't ever recall mention of the idea on this forum. I had heard of it only once before when we were Pod shopping a couple/three years ago (looking at a Lancer). The dealer said a smaller 9k air conditioner unit was available for an up charge that could run the air on a 2k watt generator. My thought is you would be just fine. We have a (used) 2011 177 Pod and the first time we had out it was in Mich Upper Peninsula at 95 above with almost the same in humidity and our 11 k unit worked just great and then some (other than the noise) The Lancer unit we looked at was bigger than a Pod. ------------- Bruce & Donna in the Sno Pod (and Brewer too) 2011 RP 177 |
Posted By: JohnBG
Date Posted: 17 Jul 2015 at 8:40am
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My 171 came with factory installed A/C (I think it's 13.5K BTU) and when cranked up full blast for a while feels like you are walking into a refrigerator. I had to turn it down because I was cold, which rarely ever happens. Gotta have A/C in Florida...
------------- 2010 R-Pod RP-171 2010 Honda Ridgeline TV |
Posted By: Leo B
Date Posted: 17 Jul 2015 at 11:59am
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I know someone who bought a 175 a while back with no a/c and they had an after market one put in by the dealership
And they had nothing but problems and it actually messed up their heater too. ------------- Leo & Melissa Bachand 2017 Ford F150 2021 Vista Cruiser 19 csk Previously owned 2015 Rpod 179 2010 Rpod 171 |
Posted By: Kickstart
Date Posted: 17 Jul 2015 at 2:46pm
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Our 2010 RP175 didn't come with an air conditioner. We had a 9000 BTU Polar Cub installed, and for the short time it was used it did a great job, was much quieter than the 13.5 Dometics I've had previously, and cooled well without a lot of cycling off and on. It was not wired through the wall thermostat, just using the ceiling controls; which is what we were used to using in our previous R/V's.
P/S It did run well on my Ef2000is Yamaha Inverter. I never tried it at any elevation though. ------------- '10 RP 175-Replaced by 2014 Kodiak 173 QBSL '12 Toyota Tundra '05 Sportster (half a Harley) Retired-We're on Beach Time! |
Posted By: frogpod
Date Posted: 17 Jul 2015 at 3:21pm
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Thanks to all for the input. Especially Kickstart who has already done exactly what I am planning to do. I will start looking for a deal on the 9000 BTU Polar Cub unit. I plan to use the controls on it and not wire it through the thermostat and will be installing it myself. ------------- Leo and Tami with Coltrane the Jack Russell Terrier 2010 Rpod 171 2003 Toyota Tacoma TRD |
Posted By: SNO4ME
Date Posted: 17 Jul 2015 at 10:50pm
I'm curious what this is going to cost you? Reason being.. We don't have a generator at all and I would like one for back up for the house with 220 to run the well pump. (Don't care about noise). All the RV style inverter quiet generators I have seen are 110. What I would really like would be a cheaper 4+K generator for the house and a 2 K inverter for the trailer. Wondering what it would cost me to change out the 11 K AC we have for a 9 K AC. I've tried looking up the amp draw on our 11 K (btus) AC and I'm not finding the exact model number that's listed in our our Pods original build records.  ------------- Bruce & Donna in the Sno Pod (and Brewer too) 2011 RP 177 |
Posted By: frogpod
Date Posted: 18 Jul 2015 at 3:44pm
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So far the cost to get a Polar Cub including the inside piece is about $700. Cheaper online but shipping is over $100....and about the same cost when you include the shipping. I will probably wait until winter to get one. I suspect the cost will be much less then. Now may be a good time to buy a new snowblower, but not an AC unit. ------------- Leo and Tami with Coltrane the Jack Russell Terrier 2010 Rpod 171 2003 Toyota Tacoma TRD |