Noisy AC

[dennisl]

Is it just me, or is anyone else annoyed by how much noise the AC makes? We have a 307RKD Mountaineer, and when trying to watch TV or listen to the stereo, when the AC kicks on, you have to turn the volume way up to hear the sound. I don't know how else they could design these things, but maybe someday they can mount the AC somewhere else to cut down on the noise. Anyway, just wanted to vent a little bit. Overall, we really like the new fiver.

[bncinwv]

If you have the quick-dump vent open, close it (tabs on the unit itself), that forces the air into the duct system and cuts down on the noise considerably. Just a thought, the other option is to tun the fan to medium, I personally wouldn't go to low because that sometimes causes the ac to freeze up. Hope this helps,
Bingo

[gjetzen]

You may want to try this. If your AC unit is the same as the unit in my coach you will find several vents in the ceiling, adjust these vents to blow air in the desired direction to circulate air through out the coach. Next if your AC unit is the same as mine you will notice some very large vents on the bottom of the AC unit itself, this is the quick cool portion of the AC. It is meant to force huge amounts of air through out the largest portion of your coach to cool it down quickly, this is also the source of about 80% of your noise. Set the thermostat to the desired temperature and let the AC cycle 3-5 times and then close the quick cool vents. This should cut the noise way down. A side benefit of closing the quick cool vents is that more air is forced through the ceiling vents (read bed room) almost negating the need for a second bedroom AC unit. Hope this helps.

[Ozz]

The thing is just horribly noisy, indeed. Airflow carries noise well, every 90 degree ell lessens the noise, but your compressor and fan are 4' away from you, unfortunate.
I installed the bedroom A/C so we could run that, blow air from the top of the stairs with a high velocity fan to the living area, along with the ceiling fan, it works well.

[bsmeaton]

I saw new techology on MH where the AC is a single 2-ton unit located at the rear on the frame below, with an intake in the side of the coach body. It was very quiet.

Hopefully this technology will carry forward into the Trailer industry someday. I would be more than happy to surrender a little more basement room and have the units off of the roof and better overhead clearance along with quiet operation.

[richfaa]

Yes they are noisy. We are never far from the A/C.

[Bill Frisbee]

A number of motorhome manufacturers, Alfa Leisure for one, are (or were) installing their air conditioners in the basement, trading off storage space for less noisy operation and more headroom. There seems to be some debate about whether they work as well as ceiling units and some debate about whether the trade-offs are worth it. To be sure, the guys who are 6'4" and taller seem to be VERY happy with the basement air arrangement. I do not know whether such an arrangement would be a viable option for fifth wheels.

Bill

[SlickWillie]

Yep, keep that remote in hand. Was watching a movie last night, and the volume was up and down, up and down. Oh well, I'm sure not going to turn the AC off. When it cools down just a little, I think we can run the front AC and be comfortable. That'll put the noise up front.

[c5racer]

My class A had a heat pump in the basement, was very quiet, just like the one we had in our house. Had all the registers in the floor where they belong.

[ScottandBrenda]

We went so far as to have our dealer - Fourwinds in Maroa, IL GREAT people! - install a new AC unit because of the vibration - there is a resonance that's set up when the compressor is on that generates a low frequency vibration that drives me more nuts than I already am. After they replaced our stock AC in our 3500RL, the vibration was exactly the same as before. It's the nature of the beast, I guess. I am researching rubber engine-isolation mounts for the unit but haven't gotten beyond the R&D phase. If it helps, I'll post here.

[ole dude]

Had an ALFA 5th wheel with a heat pump under the trailer, was real quite and worked well when it worked, which was not real often. Trying to work on the darn thing was a nightmare. Had to jack trailer frame way up to drop A/C down to do any service except wash the condenser. Unit was a Coleman and was replaced 3 times , as well as repaired numerous times.