New project in the works - adding roof air

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stardalo said:
Hardest part was snaking the wires.  .....  I decided to use 10 gauge wire.
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Welcome to the club  ;D

10 gauge - wow!  That wasn't necessary but it will ensure no voltge drop at the AC.  Totally agree - running the wiring was the most difficult part of the job.  Thanks for the report!  Enjoy the cold coach!
 
The air flow that comes out of it is unbelievable.  I can not wait to check it out in some 100 degree plus temps!

I did make one mistake, I ordered the 13,500 btu power saver model, but did not get the low profile one.  In a way it is good bc the normal height PS draws less amps than the low profile version.  With the basement ac running and the rooftop unit, i topped out at about 32 - 33 amps.  If this does not do the job, i will drop another one in place of my bathroom vent next year but I do not think that will be necessary.
 
Has anyone installed a roof air on a model with basement air and used a ceiling assembly that utilizes the ducts in the roof?  It appears it could be done by carving ducts in the styrofoam insulation to each side of the roof opening to connect to the ducts.  I think I have figured how how to get power to the forward vent opening, and I think I can get wiring to the wall near the One Place for a thermostat.
 
Yes, use the existing roof duct work.  There are ceiling kits for RVs that use in the roof ducting, had them on a Coachmen I owned once.  I realize you would end up reverse feeding the duct to the basement AC, and I haven't thought through the effects of that yet.  Just thought you might achieve better air distribution than through the small ducts on the ceiling assembly.
 
Not sure how that could be implemented or how effective it would be over the standard ceiling discharge when the roof air is used to augment basement air. With the front outlet adjusted properly, we can easily feel the air all the way forward in the cockpit.  Due to the pocket door trim, the rear discharge is blocked to a great extent and blows down and a little aft.

We now have more experience with the install and found running basement air and the roof air is extremely effective at keeping the coach cool when the outside temps get into the 90s.  I fully expect we could be quite comfortable even with OATs into the 100s.  Running the roof air while on the road works quite well except the aft cabin will get hot from the engine and that heat is not absorbed by the roof air.  For that situation I'll start the basement air about 30-60 minutes before we go jacks down.

Should have installed the roof air years ago  ::)

BTW - for mrschwarz, I have no problem running the roof air on gen set, we do not blow any breakers.
 
I found the problem with my installation. I am thinking that wire nuts may not be the best way to attach wires in a moving building. I took the cover off a connection box I had behind the One-place and found a loose neutral. Apparently it was making an intermittent connection while I was driving. The momentary loss of electrical power was putting excessive head pressure on the compressor and when the power was restored, the excessive current would pop the breaker. I fixed it, but the darn weather hasn't cooperated. It cooled off!

I am headed out for a golf weekend tomorrow. I'll run it on the way to Oklahoma and see if I fixed it. It's amazing how much cold this thing blows on low. I have been thinking about running it into the ducts and connecting it to the thermostat. That may be a project for another year. L)
 
mrschwarz said:
I found the problem with my installation. I am thinking that wire nuts may not be the best way to attach wires in a moving building. I took the cover off a connection box I had behind the One-place and found a loose neutral.
Click to expand...

Ah, most excellent! I never used those wire nuts on the boat for that very reason. 

It does blow a whole bunch of air, and air that's very cold - it surprised me!
 
The loose connection was it. It ran all 90 miles to my destination. Even with it's only 85 out. It sure feels nice standing underneath it after 27 holes of golf.

Last two issues with the project are patching the hole in the ceiling and moving around some connections in the breaker panel. The goal is to balance the load on the two sides of the generator and get the connections to the energy management system back to the sides where they belong.

One of the better things I have done.
 
Holy thread revival Batman!  :D

Our Coleman-Mach roof air I added seven years ago is off the roof and replaced with a low profile Dometic Penguin II (same 13.5K BTU). The C-M started making a really bad noise a few years ago (which was the squirrel cage blower rubbing/interfering with something in the unit) which would get so bad it would stall the motor and make a stinky electrical smell. Finally I was fed up with that so we're going with a Dometic.

I chatted with a C-M rep at a Grand National Rally two or three years ago and he said getting access to the blower involves basically taking the entire unit apart, I didn't see much point in that so the plan was to replace the C-M.

So we have a Dometic Penguin II model 600315.PW with a 3314851.000 air duct unit. The Penguin is maybe 2/3rds the height of the C-M and not nearly as noticeable. The C-M blew more air forward than this Dometic unit, I like their air handler box more than the Dometic but oh well.

I'll get some pictures up when I get some time.
 
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