Atwood Air Command Roof AC

[RJ]

One of my DuoTherm Penguin low profile AC units has failed.

Since nobody fixes these things anymore, it's time for a replacement.

Anybody have any experience with the Atwood Air Command ACs? 

I can get two of their 15K BTU units for $150 more than the price of one low-profile 15K BTU Penguin II. . .

Coleman Mach 15 is another option, but more expensive than the Atwood.

The low-profile Coleman Mach 8 is competitively priced with the Penguin II, but reviews universally slam them as being extremely noisy both inside and out.

Thoughts?

TIA,

RJ

[TomC]

Good old Coleman 13,500 if you don't use ducting-meaning you have hang down controls. I know that when I bought my Penguins, the only difference between the 13,500 and the 15,000 was a stronger blower motor-the compressor was the same. Good Luck, TomC

[luvrbus]

Atwood was a good AC in the beginning,  but not so good now since Dometic purchased it and took the manufacturing to Mexico.
If you don't want a Coleman the Chinese made Gree is about as good as any out there. FWIW there is nothing any louder than the piece of $#!% new Penguin ll with it's 2 speed fan I despise my Penguin ll      

[Gary Hatt - Publisher BCM]

I have one Atwood heat pump unit RJ in the front of my bus.  It heats and cools very well. However I heard they only work in a certain temp range like between 45 to 107 degrees.  Any colder than 45 they do not heat and any higher than 107 outside, they do not cool.  I called Atwood and they would not comment on this but if you are considering one, you should call and ask them about this.  If you find I am wrong, I will update or remove my post.  The nice thing is that these come with a remote control so I can turn it ON/OFF and adjust the thermostat from the front seat so I no longer have to rely on the Cruise Control to adjust the temp when I am riding solo. 

I need two more units so I am picking up a couple of other units at B&B Coachworks in Vegas on my way to the Thayne, WY rally in September.  I think they are Coleman's but not sure.

[richard5933]

I just picked up an Atwood Air Command on Thursday to replace the Dometic which has failed. Hope to have get it installed sometime next week. I'll be able to report on it then. Ordered it from Bills RV Appliance Repair in Elkhart and drove out from Milwaukee to go fetch it. Gave me a chance to stop at Brad & Hall to check out their furniture options.

[thomasinnv]

I replaced my front ac unit (coleman mach) with the atwood air command heat pump unit (15026) last year. Works very well, draws much less power than the coleman, and is much more quiet. Digital controls with a remote is a plus too. I plan on upgrading the remaining units as well later this year.

Sent from my SM-G920T using Tapatalk

[luvrbus]

Where did you pick up the DC supply for the Attwood Derrick ?, my bouts with Carrier and the electronic boards if you didn't have a DC supply you had no AC

[Beluga Bus]

RJ

I have had the smaller unit in my bus for over a year now. It is much quieter than the Coleman it replaced. A few weeks ago I drove through Baker to Vegas, it was 115 in Baker and was comforable in the bus. I would buy one again.

Matt

[bigred]

Where did you pick up the DC supply for the Attwood Derrick ?, my bouts with Carrier and the electronic boards if you didn't have a DC supply you had no AC

Same with the Dometic's and they are as noisy as the Colman's.As I have said before ,I have two original ducted Colman's on my '95 Dream that actually cools better than the three Dometics CW installed on the Money Pit.

[Gary Hatt - Publisher BCM]

These Atwood's are made in Australia according to a representative I just talked to and they all display degrees in Celsius.  So remember you can change C to F with this formula from Physics 101...

     F = C x 5/9 + 32

Or you can change your display by holding down the these two buttons for 5 seconds. This has been driving me crazy for two years now. :-)

     Down Arrow & Fan

He also told me that the range for these units is from about 55 deg to 105 degrees but if you have more than one unit on your bus they should work above that. I am waiting for a call back from Marketing to get the exact specs.  He said the hotter it is outside, and the more humidity inside, the harder they work and they become less efficient as they try to work harder especially if you have inadequate power so they start snapping breakers when it gets really hot outside.

I like the Atwood Air Command unit I have now and I may buy another one this year after I find out for sure if they will cool as well as the other A/C units on the market like this guy claimed.

If you want to find out more you can call the factory at 800.546.8799.

And they do seem to be much quieter than the Coleman's and they disperse air better. On High speed, they can be as noisy as the Coleman's I believe, but on low they are whisper quiet.

BTW, This is not the first time these units have come up on this Forum.

[luvrbus]

They are Air Command units with a Atwood logo is what I was told,I don't about the Air Command being built in Australia, I think they were Australian design 

[Dave5Cs]

More than one person here has said their AC roof top has failed. Why not go on line with the number that is printed right on the Capacitor and go to Amazon type it in and order new Run capacitor (the bigger one) $10.00 to $25.00 and capacitor Same. These go out on AC every so often and have to be replaced. Also they sell new fan motors 30 to 40 dollars, fairly cheap, three screws and they are replaced. 1 gallon of condenser cleaner 19.00 1 gallon will clean 10  times. Spray it with a hudson and rinse with water. Tape a piece of plastic over the roof opening before cleaning.
Just finished fixing our one at home for 200.00. They wanted 8,500.00 to replace it and said it could not be fixed. BS its fixed. Took me 3 hours of 1 day after the parts all got here. and that was mainly because I cleaned the condenser 3 times to make sure.
Dave

[buswarrior]

I like Dave5Cs' approach.

happy coaching!
buswarrior

[RJ]

I like Dave5Cs' approach.

I do too. . .

BUT -

When the start and run capacitors have been replaced three times within 18 months on the front AC alone, it's time to cut the losses on an 11 year old unit.

Two new 15K BTU Air Commands will be here Wednesday.

[Dave5Cs]

If they fail that many times it has electrical problems maybe a Contactor that's gone bad and not the capacitors or problem with your wiring. But if its that it will show up with the new ones too. Sometimes it not getting enough amps because of an old wire to the unit.
Hope the new ones work for you. Have to be quieter than our 17 year old Coleman's.