Hello,
What is the advantage of having air conditioner units in the underbelly compartment vs. on the roof? Is there any? Seems like having air underneath decreases the cargo space...
Thanks!
Mark,
I'll take a shot at this...since I actually have both (basement AND roof). All of this is opinion and is worth exactly what you pay for it.
There are several advantages / disadvantages of each system.
Basement
1. Advantage. The weight of the units is lower making the bus more stable.
2. Advantage. Easier to work on. The units are right behind a door so are (on a Newell) easier to work on.
3. Disadvantage. The company that made the units in the vintage you are looking at is out of business and replacement units are (were) hard to come by. I think that Newell now has a solution for units that need to be replaced.
4. Disadvantage. The path that the air has to flow from the basement to the living space is limited. Maybe cause of the slide stuff. Anyway, in the front of my coach, the basement unit has a hard time keeping up with the solar loading when it is hot outside. (That is why I added a single roof air unit).
5. Advantage. As qcj says...The basement units are quieter. (at least inside the coach). I once had a guy at RV park give me a hard time about the noise of my basement units. I just smiled and watch him pull up stakes and move to another spot.
Roof
1. Disadvantage. More weight higher up makes the coach (theoretically) a little more unstable...Tho I have never heard anyone complain.
2. Advantage. Since the cold air has a shorter trip to get into living space it is more efficient.
3. Disadvantage. On coaches prior to 2005 there is nothing to hide the units on top of the bus. Some folks like a nice smooth roof line.
4. Advantage. If a unit needs to replaced...replacements are readily available.
Some folks have removed their basement air units and replaced them with roof units....but beware....its pretty easy to mess up that beautiful inside ceiling treatment with ugly air units. I saw a 2003 that had done that and it did not look good at all.
Finally...it really comes down to personal preference. I have basement airs, but have not really felt a lack of storage. (I have a huge bay that is open on both sides with a Joey bed. Half the stuff I haul around in that bay never gets used).
Cheers,
bill
In addition to what been said. Roof A/C make a lot of noise. My wife hates them. Chappell
Thanks for sharing your experiences. At this point, since I don't own a bus yet, I really have no preference, so I appreciate your sharing...
Cheers!
btw, i have had both. roof in my 90 and basement in my 02. the roof airs in the 90 will make it very cold inside and do it faster from the start.
i dont know this for sure, but i wonder if the ones with basement airs have a higher ceiling potentially?
tom
Comparing my 98 with basement air and rheavns 99 with roof airs his ceiling is a couple inches lower.
My only experience is with roof A/C's. They are noisy, and they don't cycle "OFF"....the fan is always running, even when the compressor cycles off. When a hot day finds us cooped up inside we run just the rear A/C in the bedroom, and while it can be "heard", it is more like "white noise" after a while. It will actually make the entire coach quite cold all by itself, even when it is over 100. They get the space cold quickly. If it is one of those hot, humid nights in the South where the day time temps, and night time temps are only 5 degrees apart we run the front A/C while sleeping. If I get the vents aimed just right it keep us comfortable in the bedroom, and, again, the sound becomes white noise after a while. The filters are easy to access for cleaning/changing.
Fortunately we have been able to avoid using the A/C too much in the 14 months we have been on the road. We seek out climates that do not necessitate the use of A/C......now heaters are another thing lately with the LATE spring here in the east.
That's my 2 cents and I'm sticking to it!
For every one with basement air units, I had a conversation with John Clark. He stated Newell looked at a unit as a possible total new replacement unit, but it was 3" taller. The work that it took to make it fit made it not cost effective. He did say as of now he has a source for all the parts, including compressors and circuit boards, to keep them running. Any questions should be directed to Creslie Clark.
good news on the parts.
thanks steve.
tom
Thanks Steve. Nice to know parts are again available.