Full timers-How long do your appliances last - Montana Owners Club

mtlakejim · 06-30-2019, 04:16 PM

Question for the full timers. How long have your appliances lasted? Particularly the roof AC units. Running ours hard in the desert, I am wondering how long they will last.....

mazboy · 06-30-2019, 05:41 PM

it open of a question. they will last for years. with having a 2018 I would not lose any sleep over this question.

mtlakejim · 06-30-2019, 06:12 PM

I guess my main worry is the AC units won't last long in this desert heat. It is a question that worries me enough that we have considered a sticks and bricks here.

rohrmann · 06-30-2019, 06:39 PM

We lost the front 13.5 A/C while the rig was still under warranty, and it was replaced. That was six years ago, and both the 15 and the replaced 13.5 A/C units are still working well, and they show no indication of pending failure. We spend quite a bit of time in hot areas in the summer, and many times we have both units working at the same time.

Ahdmeyer · 06-30-2019, 06:53 PM

well I know for sure that if you get a "sticks and bricks" house here in the desert that if the heat pump/air conditioners go it will a whole lot more to replace them than the ones on top of your Montana. going rate for 1 replacement 3 ton is $6000 to$8000 depending on brand and who puts it in. Dont know the cost of replacement on your montana probably somewhere around $1200 plus the cost of labor to replace it. I Had a class a diesel motorhome that was 12 years old and had to replace the capacitors in the air conditioners and that was it, not full time in it but used a lot here in the desert in the hot summer. Enjoy what you have and dont lose any sleep over it, much more expensive for that house than being in your 5th wheel. but if thats what you want go for it. have fun and enjoy

al meyer
in the hot desert in my stick house
waiting for my new 3930fb
to be made.

**AZ Traveler** · 06-30-2019, 07:47 PM

Jim,

Your units will likely last longer in dry desert where they don't have to work as hard as a humid environment. It is much easier to cool dry air and there is likely less corrosion.

WeBeFulltime · 07-01-2019, 05:15 AM

Spent 6 years full time in our previous 2012 3585SA and only appliance problem we had was the handle on the microwave/convection oven cracked. Most time was in the SE states where it can get rather hoy & humid.

On the other hand, we just had the main AC/Heat Pump on our 2018.5 3791RD replaced under warranty. Ruptured freon line and took Dometic almost a month to ship replacement.

1retired06 · 07-01-2019, 06:46 AM

We have never worried about it, do all the required maintenance, and whatever happens we deal with it when it does.

BandBmalin · 07-01-2019, 07:24 AM

Although far from full-time, or even part time really, our trailers throught the years have always stayed plugged in at the end of our driveway. Living in Florida, I keep one AC on all the time to keep the humidity down inside our trailer feeling that the humidity will cause more expensive issues for our trailer than having to replace one of my roof units. So far, haven't lost one yet. I added one once and the cost was only around $700. (I installed myself so no labor.)

mtlakejim · 07-01-2019, 09:18 AM

Thanks folks. I know I sound paranoid but AC is a MUST HAVE in the desert. Not just for us but also for our puppies.

**DQDick** · 07-01-2019, 02:13 PM

We got 8 years of full timing out of the old AC units and all the other applliances when we traded it in. Got two more years out of our washer before it died. As you know, we run our AC's just as hard as you do so if one of them craps out, it's just bad luck.

mtlakejim · 07-01-2019, 02:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DQDick

We got 8 years of full timing out of the old AC units and all the other applliances when we traded it in. Got two more years out of our washer before it died. As you know, we run our AC's just as hard as you do so if one of them craps out, it's just bad luck.

That's good news!

JLM · 07-07-2019, 01:17 PM

Ac units in an rv are a crapshoot. you may get one that lasts for years. the other a cpl months at best.
Ac s are one of the most replaced appliance at our shop.

WaltBennett · 07-07-2019, 02:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mtlakejim

I guess my main worry is the AC units won't last long in this desert heat. It is a question that worries me enough that we have considered a sticks and bricks here.

If you're parking your unit in the desert, you might think about a small swamp cooler - as long as you've water that is.

Tomzspot · 07-07-2019, 05:46 PM

4 years and counting...! No issues here. Not really a big difference in where you run your AC. Desert is only 15-20 degrees more than most southern US summer temps (or Ohio where we are, argh!). These units will only cool to about 20 degrees or so below outside temp only. That is where you run the second AC.

Agreed with JLM that how long is a crap shoot, though. And that compared to stick and brick... I'll take this any day!

jking · 07-07-2019, 06:14 PM

We run ours during the day at about 77 degrees and as soon as it starts to cool down outside we turn it off and open windows and fantastic fan. We do have trees to either side so only get an hour or two of sun straight up. So it Really helps to keep our heat gain down. Also use a couple small fans inside to move air. Of course we are in southern Idaho now, so that helps also! In the am we close up before it gets warmer outside than in, so we are not starting the day from behind!

Byron B · 07-07-2019, 06:55 PM

Sold our 15 year old Mobile Suites two months ago. Still had one of the two original air conditioner with heat pump units. The other died after 11 years and I replace it myself.

Mynabird · 07-07-2019, 08:40 PM

Just replaced living room ac in 2018 on our 2012 3402RL.

We have been full timing since 2010. Traveled around the country every year and every winter we spent in Arizona...until April, May or June....usually only staying a month in each location.

I think...it is cheaper...to replace the a/c than to buy a house...ie in Arizona. JMHO.

zwma6@aol.com · 07-08-2019, 10:57 AM

Wanna hear a great story? My DOMETEC a/c on the roof is 15,000btu's WoW. So when its hot as hell in Fla 3pm-5pm my breaker flips off sometimes. Annoying. GUESS what? Do what I did.....WALMART has a FANTASTIC 5000 btu small window unit that KICKS ass like u won't believe. BEST 147buck$ I ever spent on anything. Super quiet ! Freeezing cold. I tossed it in a window in no time flat...……….I studied the roof ubit prices......EIGHT hundred or more to buy it...…..$250 for someone to put it in.

zwma6@aol.com · 07-08-2019, 11:03 AM

I bought my 2009 MONTANA 3400RL 5th wheel and luv it more every month. I am full timing in it with my dog MAGGIE. When I got it the fridge sucked so I shopped smart and found MAGIC CHEF has a beautiful black 10.1 cubic foot FRIDGE that fits LIKE a GLOVE in the fridge space. I paid 400bucks but found out later normal price is 379.....they had it on sale 329ish. FANTASTIC huge freezer and SUPER deep fridge. BTW it was HOME DEPOT that had it.

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