Factory a/c on bus

[petarm1]

What's the opinion. Keep it or remove it

[chessie4905]

If you are on a small budget, remove it except for front heater defroster. Down the road, it'll be costly to maintain. Unfortunately, older systems don't hold freon well and it'll be expensive to add it every year. I'm not even talking about relays, sensors, other components.Jmo.

[richard5933]

I'd say keep it if it works or is easily repaired. Nothing will keep you as comfortable going down the road. There are those who automatically say pull it out, but I've had two buses with working factory a/c and it is nice. If the system was maintained it you're ahead of the game.

At least have a proper a/c shop give you a quote so you can make an informed decision.

[buswarrior]

Not to be rude, but have you done any reading on here?

There is a search function up there, experiment with keywords, everything that was ever known, has already been written about.

That's what's good about these good boards, BCM, BNO and BGM, unlike social media, you can find old stuff, and if it isn't accurate, others have corrected it.

It has been typed out dozens of times, the pros and cons.

Happy coaching!
Buswarrior

[luvrbus]

OTR air is expensive to keep going I have friend in Phoenix that has a charter co and tells me he budgets from 2 to 5 grand a year for maintaince but his Ac's work hard every day.fwiw a compressor can cost up to 5K for one,If is a 134A unit you are a head of the game to convert one over to 134A the cost one can buy another bus

[chessie4905]

Richard, your present coach was or is supposed to be in fantastic shape. What is the TOTAL amount of dollars have you spent on your otr ac and heat so far? Include the water circulation pump.How many hours could you run a generator to use your rooftops with the money you spent? Unfortunately, it'll take several years to see how yours will now hold up.
It still depends on petarm1's budget, short and long term.

[luvrbus]

There a lot of difference now with AC's since Richards was made you put 35 people in his bus and you would probably never knew there was a AC unit,takes a lot of BTU's to cool these 40 or 45 ft buses 12 ft tall with 55 passengers  and the huge glass in front called windsheilds

[richard5933]

I'm in for about $5,000 for the repairs - replacing compressor, recharging system with refrigerant, and work on circulating pump. The rest of the system appears to be in good shape and holding up nicely. That said, only time will tell.

Our first bus had a minor leak repaired and the system recharged. Total cost on that one was about $1200. The original OTR a/c compressor had been replaced at some time with the dual GM rotary compressor setup, which greatly simplified things.

I never said that maintaining the OTR a/c system was the least expensive way to go. My point is that it is the best way to keep comfortable while driving, and that if the system is working or repairable it's my preference.

Probably would be cheaper to run the generator and house a/c systems, but those a/c units are not designed to counter the sun pounding in from the windshield (which is normally covered while camping in summer). Also, in my case that would mean spending money to either update the generator or replace with something more reliable.

Regardless of whether the OTR a/c is pulled or not, it is my opinion that the OTR heat & defrost should be retained if possible. These things are really difficult to keep warm while in motion otherwise. At the least, the loop going to the defrost coil so that the windshield can be efficiently kept clear.

[Jim Blackwood]

102D's have good OTR air starting out. Very likely 134, look on the side of the drier. 30lb cans of r134 are at least affordable. With a set of HF gages you can top it off yourself if it needs it, helping to keep the cost down. If it cools, I think you'd be crazy to throw that away. The main evaporator is 10 tons of A/C. That's two relatively large sized houses worth. Each of the overheads is 1-1/2 to 2 tons. The dash unit is 1-1/2 tons. At 12,000 btu per ton that's like having a dozen or more roof units. Personally I think those guys who just automatically say to tear it out are just jealous.

True, that much cooling capacity is going to cost more to maintain than, say a quarter as much would. And if it doesn't work, has no freon, and the belt is off the compressor then depending on your budget it may not be worth putting back to original. But even then you do have some pretty good building blocks to play with and a outdoor condenser unit in the basement can be used to advantage, driving the overhead and dash units.

Finally, there is no reason why it would not be possible to set up a compressor to run off shore power and operate the OTR system when parked. That will take a little ingenuity perhaps but you can believe me when I say that creative minds are at work on the concept and you can probably expect to see at least some progress over the next year.

So first assess. Make no decisions until you absolutely know the condition of the system. Also be aware that the compressor is nothing but a pump. If it leaks, all seals and gaskets are replaceable. If it has lost compression, it may be rebuildable. There's nothing magical about it.

Jim

[luvrbus]

Rebuilding a 05G Carrier is not a easy task and parts are expensive,there is more to the D systems that worrying about a compressor the condenser motors are almost 2 grand each for new ones,this guy is dealing with C that has a 6v92 power plant and the AC in the bus robs him of 15 to 18 HP with a 05G compressor hp he doesn't have to spare   

[Astro]

There's nothing magical about it.

Nope.  Nothing that a pile of Benjamins, a bunch of engineering and/or mechanical ability or resources and good luck over time can't conquer.  There is a well traveled trail of system removal by private busnuts established for a reason. I am sure there are some who have ended up spending more on their AC system upkeep and/or salvage than the bus in the first place.  That is a personal gamble. Tread carefully.

[Sebulba]

Finally, there is no reason why it would not be possible to set up a compressor to run off shore power and operate the OTR system when parked. That will take a little ingenuity perhaps but you can believe me when I say that creative minds are at work on the concept and you can probably expect to see at least some progress over the next year.


Jim

I really like this idea, if the system is in good shape.

Hope to hear more along these lines.

Seb

[muldoonman]

Gonna keep mine going as long as I can or until I sell the bus which might be soon. Nothing like them if there working, freeze you to death. Also bought an Carrier O5G-Bus compressor last year to replace mine but found out all mine needed was as a seal. So I have one precharged with nitrogen sitting in the bus barn if needed. 

[richard5933]

The GM system using the rotary compressors seems simple compared to what I've seen installed in some MCI buses. Even the dual rotary compressor setup. Wonder if it would be possible to replace the Carrier units with the GM style compressors? Our 4106 had the dual setup and it worked great. Our current bus, the 4108, has just a single rotary compressor. Takes about 20 minutes to get the system fully running, but once it's going it keeps up quite well. I don't know the specs, but I'd suspect that the rotary GM compressors don't rob nearly as much power from the engine as the larger Carrier units.

[sledhead]

I used my oth for 2.5 years and had to top it up once at about $300 but the next time I asked if they could top it up they said no as there was to many things that needed to be fixed or replaced . so then I removed all the parts . when it was working man could it cool down the coach fast ! and freeze you out if you left it on .

so if you do not need to I would leave it in if it works up until it starts costing you money . then remove it but think about what you are going to replace it with before it is to late or have to reinvent the wheel as to install on a finished converted coach

dave