Quiet Air Conditioner from Advanced RV

[pattonsr]

Originally Posted by booster

Caravan air conditioner - Houghton Belaire HB2400 - Pilgrims' Caravan & RV Parts

Cooling is 2.4kW. What is the btu rating?

[gregmchugh]

I am investigating getting one of the Advanced RV Houghton A/C units installed on our truck. Just need to confirm that it will fit on the roof since it is larger than the Coleman Mach 8 currently up there and there are a few things close to it on the roof.

Since our truck is very well insulated I am not too worried about the cooling BTUs but I am interested in the dehumidify mode on the Houghton. The compressor doesn’t cycle often enough with the Mach 8 to get much humidity reduction. We weren’t planning on being in the heat very often but with a new grandchild in Florida it looks like we will be down here a lot so a more efficient and quiet air conditioner will be a plus.

[avanti]

Originally Posted by gregmchugh

Since our truck is very well insulated I am not too worried about the cooling BTUs but I am interested in the dehumidify mode on the Houghton. The compressor doesn’t cycle often enough with the Mach 8 to get much humidity reduction.

I don't quite follow what you are saying here.

I, too, am more interested in dehumidification than I am with temperature reduction. But as I understand it, for this purpose you want to MINIMIZE the cycling. I.e., a perfectly-sized A/C for a given situation is the one that runs nearly continuously under the hottest encountered temperature. The A/C only dehumidifies while it is running, so any time it cycles off, it is not doing its dehumidification job.

Specifying a too-large air conditioner is one of the biggest mistakes people make. This is especially easy to do in a tiny, well-insulated space. In our (admittedly well-insulated) van, we currently have a 11.5K A/C, and I think that it is already too big. If I ever decide to move ahead with putting in a mini-split system, I will probably go down to 8K, and also a dual compressor so that the capacity becomes variable. I suspect that the large upfitters tend to go with large A/Cs because the look good on paper and because they demo well during a 5 minute walkthrough on the lot. ARV is great and I learn from them frequently, but they do seem to have a "more is better" mindset occasionally. I am a bit worried that this might be a case where this approach may be counterproductive. The efficiency of this unit is certainly tempting, though.

[gregmchugh]

Avanti, we are in agreement. Our 15,000 BTU Mach 8 doesn’t cycle ON enough to get much reduction in humidity...

[pattonsr]

If the ARV unit is a Houghton Belaire Hb 3200 Caravan AC, I wonder how it compares in cooling power with a Coleman Mach 8 at 15000 BTU. I saw somewhere that the HB3200 is around 12000 BTU.

[gregmchugh]

A new video from Advanced RV showing the internal construction of the AC, looks very good. We are scheduling an install in our truck when we get back from Alaska in Nov.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zQkBDPOLW4

[pattonsr]

How does this unit stack up against the cooling power of a Dometic Penguin II 15K heat pump?

[GeorgeRa]

Looks nice, it doesn’t look like neither Dometic nor Truma.

[gregmchugh]

Originally Posted by GeorgeRa

Looks nice, it doesn’t look like neither Dometic nor Truma.

It is a Houghton unit from Australia and the design looks nice and the internal construction looks very good. It is larger than our Coleman Mach 8 so Advanced RV is doing a custom spacer in the mount on ours to clear a solar cable that is inside a mesh aluminum cover that will be running under the side of the new AC.

[pattonsr]

Originally Posted by gregmchugh

It is a Houghton unit from Australia and the design looks nice and the internal construction looks very good. It is larger than our Coleman Mach 8 so Advanced RV is doing a custom spacer in the mount on ours to clear a solar cable that is inside a mesh aluminum cover that will be running under the side of the new AC.

Can you ask Mike how the cooling power stacks up with your 15,000 BTU Mach 8? The unit looks fantastic. I am hoping that the cooling will be enough to replace a Dometic Penguin II 15K unit on a LTV Wonder that is based in Texas..

[GeorgeRa]

Originally Posted by gregmchugh

It is a Houghton unit from Australia and the design looks nice and the internal construction looks very good. It is larger than our Coleman Mach 8 so Advanced RV is doing a custom spacer in the mount on ours to clear a solar cable that is inside a mesh aluminum cover that will be running under the side of the new AC.

Thank you, this AC runs 220 VAC in Australia, so either they are making 120 VAC version for Advanced RV distribution in NA or ARV will use a transformer - rather unlikely.

[gregmchugh]

Originally Posted by pattonsr

Can you ask Mike how the cooling power stacks up with your 15,000 BTU Mach 8? The unit looks fantastic. I am hoping that the cooling will be enough to replace a Dometic Penguin II 15K unit on a LTV Wonder that is based in Texas..

Give Advanced RV a call at (440) 283-0405 and I am sure Mike will be glad to answer your question...

[gregmchugh]

Originally Posted by GeorgeRa

Thank you, this AC runs 220 VAC in Australia, so either they are making 120 VAC version for Advanced RV distribution in NA or ARV will use a transformer - rather unlikely.

It is a 120v unit and I read somewhere that they are also looking at getting a 48V DC version to use with the Volta lithium battery system that they are installing in Advanced RV Sprinters.

[pattonsr]

Originally Posted by gregmchugh

Give Advanced RV a call at (440) 283-0405 and I am sure Mike will be glad to answer your question...

I did speak to Mike and he said the unit was almost equivalent in cooling to the 15K Penguin or 15K Mach 8. He said the unit is also available in a heat pump model which cools 6% less than the 15K units. ARV doesn't use themselves the heat pump model since they have a great heating system.

If I heard it right, the unit is 1.5 inches wider on all sides than the Penguin. The video made the unit look much larger, but Mike said it is not that much larger than the Penguin.

[gregmchugh]

Originally Posted by pattonsr

I did speak to Mike and he said the unit was almost equivalent in cooling to the 15K Penguin or 15K Mach 8. He said the unit is also available in a heat pump model which cools 6% less than the 15K units. ARV doesn't use themselves the heat pump model since they have a great heating system.

If I heard it right, the unit is 1.5 inches wider on all sides than the Penguin. The video made the unit look much larger, but Mike said it is not that much larger than the Penguin.

Email Viki Bautista at VikiB@Advanced-RV.com and ask for a drawing of the new AC with dimensions.

[peteco]

How much does the Houghton unit cost?

[gregmchugh]

Originally Posted by peteco

How much does the Houghton unit cost?

.

The price at Advanced RV for installation of a white one is around $2700 I believe, I went for the 15% discount available in April. A black one is a little higher in price.

[InterBlog]

Originally Posted by gregmchugh

A new video from Advanced RV showing the internal construction of the AC, looks very good. ...

Here are the two questions I posted on the YouTube site (my husband asked ARV previously about the inrush current and, at that time, they did not know):

Why are the heat exchanging surfaces teal blue in color? Should they not be bare aluminum? We have a big problem in the deep south with air conditioning components rotting out prematurely if they are not all copper and aluminum construction.

Also, when and how can we get data on the inrush current at startup? Those of us who run our a/c for periods of time off our lithium battery and inverter need to know that information.

[Davydd]

Advanced Fest starts Friday. I hope to get a first hand look at everything under development. Anyone else going? Last message they sent they had said 50 RVs were attending.

[Mfturner]

We'll be at ARV Fest, prospecting, staying at the B and B up the street. We'll get there later Friday evening because of a flight change. Look forward to meeting you, and learning how to pronounce the name Mies :*)