Is the Atwood Air Command A/C any good?

Scott & Heather · June 07, 2016, 04:24:04 AM

I've seen that these Atwood Air Command roof a/c'e supposedly are quiet and have a nice digital thermostat. Is there a reason I should stay away from them?
http://www.americanrvcompany.com/Atwood-15028-Air-Command-Air-Conditioner-Ducted-with-Heat-Pump

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luvrbus · June 07, 2016, 05:04:53 AM

They are Dometic now but should still be ok,we have a friend with a motorhome that has 3 on top along with the Atwood double pane windows it stays cool here in the desert

bigred · June 07, 2016, 05:47:53 AM

I am currently in the process of having the AC units replaced on a 20 year old CC conversion .What a PITA!!!!!!And a bigger pain in the billfold!!!I can't figure out what all the to do is about.The thermostat is nothing but a switch that makes a coil in the AC make a contact er turn the AC'S off and on so why do I have have zoned Control centers and all this garbage.All I want is three AC'S and a thermostat for each one.I mean ,come on Dometic,we are talking about a 40 ft motor home ,not the freakin' Biltmore House!!

lvmci · June 07, 2016, 06:06:12 AM

hi Scott, I'm not liking many of the new AC units with the plastic frame pans, the life of plastics gets sucked right out of them in the desert sun, witness the AC covers and their replacements. I can't imagine the frames will last as long as the metal frames from the last series of ACs, with all that flexing and exposure to the sun, lvmci...

luvrbus · June 07, 2016, 06:32:43 AM

Bed liner material will make the shrouds last years longer,I ordered all new shrouds for my Penguins and Jim is going to spray the white liner on before I install the 5 suckers

lvmci · June 07, 2016, 08:16:20 AM

hi Clifford, good idea, also reinforce the cover holes and use fender washers to distribute the tightening force, I'm also thinking about using nylocks and bolts instead of self tapping screws, tom, lvmci...

DKO · June 07, 2016, 02:54:54 PM

Scott,
I know nothing about that brand but the link is to the unit with a heat pump. I have had both and I like the heat strips a lot better. The ones I have had with a heat pump quit heating below about 40 degrees. The heat strips will heat no matter what the temperature. The heat is only 15-20 degrees warmer than the intake air but after a while it will get toasty warm. If you have another source of heat to supplement until the inside temps come up then that is even better.

Of course, the idea is to stay south of the cold weather but that does not seem to work out for me.

Davy

Lin · June 07, 2016, 04:53:07 PM

Regarding the suggestion of coating the AC shrouds-- I have traditionally done that with the same coating I used on the roof, and although it's not clear how long it extended their lifespan, I am certain that it did. However, I recently had to replace my shrouds for the first time anyway. These are Coleman AC's, but I used Tuffmax replacements (it's owned by Coleman BTW). The Tuffmax shrouds have a lifetime warranty and claim to have twice the UV protection of normal shrouds. I had planned to coat them also but was advised by their tech support not to do so. He claimed that they should last as they are, are warrantied anyway, that most coating might not adhere well, and that it might void my warranty. Hence, the shrouds are facing the world naked!

Obviously, this is a departure from the thread, but I wanted to address this one issue since it came up. I do not know much about the unit you are looking at but would venture to say the day of the old simple workhorse rooftop AC is gone. While technological refinements have improved many things, I do not believe this is one of them. If I had to replace my units, I would be looking for the best track record and warranty I could find. If that came with simplicity, so much the better.

belfert · June 07, 2016, 05:17:46 PM

I have a Carrier, an Advent, and an Atwood A/C unit on my bus. It is a toss up if the Carrier or the Atwood is the better unit in terms of cooling. The Atwood is the only unit that is a heat pump. The heat pump performs very well in the 40s and 50s. The built-in thermostat is horrible in heat mode and won't maintain constant temps. The temperature display will show a degree or two below the set point yet the unit is not producing heat. The heat mode just doesn't do anything below about 35 degrees. The unit just makes all kinds of noise with basically no heat output.

LuckyChow · June 07, 2016, 05:41:19 PM

Quote from: belfert on June 07, 2016, 05:17:46 PM
I have a Carrier, an Advent, and an Atwood A/C unit on my bus. It is a toss up if the Carrier or the Atwood is the better unit in terms of cooling. The Atwood is the only unit that is a heat pump. The heat pump performs very well in the 40s and 50s. The built-in thermostat is horrible in heat mode and won't maintain constant temps. The temperature display will show a degree or two below the set point yet the unit is not producing heat. The heat mode just doesn't do anything below about 35 degrees. The unit just makes all kinds of noise with basically no heat output.

Is one of them quieter than the others?

Dave5Cs · June 07, 2016, 08:40:31 PM

We have the big Colemans with the original covers and a little oil on the fan and motor each year and they must be 12 to 15 years old from what the PO told us. They run well. One started to go slow this last year in Clifford's state but got up and cleaned it and oiled it and off we went again.

Dave

luvrbus · June 07, 2016, 08:55:32 PM

Quote from: Dave5Cs on June 07, 2016, 08:40:31 PM
We have the big Colemans with the original covers and a little oil on the fan and motor each year and they must be 12 to 15 years old from what the PO told us. They run well. One started to go slow this last year in Clifford's state but got up and cleaned it and oiled it and off we went again.

Dave

LOL it was hot here today I went out to work inside the bus about 2 pm and needed to run 4 Penguins for about 30 minutes to cool it down

Dave5Cs · June 07, 2016, 10:00:25 PM

Clifford I know the feeling 108 here Saturday and 106 the rest of the week. This week down to 93. We are heading to Bodega Bay and Gualala at the coast for 3 days just to cool off.

Dave

Scott & Heather · June 08, 2016, 03:32:05 AM

My colemans on my 9 have run flawlessly for 5 years. No issues except the occasional ice up and one cap changeout. That wasn't the fault of the ac unit tho.

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luvrbus · June 08, 2016, 07:34:55 AM

Quote from: Scott Bennett on June 08, 2016, 03:32:05 AM
My colemans on my 9 have run flawlessly for 5 years. No issues except the occasional ice up and one cap changeout. That wasn't the fault of the ac unit tho.

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Stick with Coleman and they are one of few things left made in USA