13.5K BTU ducted AC vs. 15K BTU A/C w/Heat Pump

LinandLen · 02-07-2017, 07:33 PM

I hate to ask something that's probably been asked a hundred times, but I did a search and nothing came up.

Is there that much of a difference between the 13.5K BTU ducted air conditioner and the 15K BTU A/C with heat pump to justify the extra cost?

Garrette · 02-07-2017, 08:48 PM

Other than the obvious, the 15k will provide better cooling and the heat pump will heat the coach when outside temps are down to about 38f thus saving on propane. The heat pump will remove unwanted humidity during the cooler days. Mine came with it so I do not know the option up charge. Using and knowing what I know, I would want the 15k unit.

newRVer · 02-09-2017, 10:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Garrette

Other than the obvious, the 15k will provide better cooling and the heat pump will heat the coach when outside temps are down to about 38f thus saving on propane. The heat pump will remove unwanted humidity during the cooler days. Mine came with it so I do not know the option up charge. Using and knowing what I know, I would want the 15k unit.

We opted for the larger 15K unit since we knew in advance that our 3011 (32ft) is large and you can never have enough cooling in these things. We were in a couple of campsites this past summer that were in full sun and 90+ outside and the unit would never get below 80 degrees inside although it was not that bad really since the AC takes the humidity out. At night, it make not make much of a difference other that the larger unit would get it down to a comfortable sleeping temp quicker. The additional benefit was the heat pump. We did end up using it a few times more than expected since a lot of our camping is in the mountains and at night it can get cool. There were a few nights this summer were if got down to high 40's and the heat pump worked great while not consuming any propane.

**RedLdr1** · 02-09-2017, 01:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by newRVer

We opted for the larger 15K unit since we knew in advance that our 3011 (32ft) is large and you can never have enough cooling in these things.

Same with our 30 foot GTS. I'm thinking about adding a second A/C unit already.

Another plus of the 15KBTU is the heat feature is a very nice test load for when I'm running the genset monthly at the storage yard...

sgtlm17 · 02-09-2017, 08:10 PM

Isn't bigger always better lol. I love having the heat pump it saves propane and does a good job of keeping the rig warm with temps as low as 40 degrees outside. Its a win win.

LinandLen · 02-09-2017, 08:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sgtlm17

Isn't bigger always better lol. I love having the heat pump it saves propane and does a good job of keeping the rig warm with temps as low as 40 degrees outside. Its a win win.

Thanks all. It's a $350 upgrade, so I was just wondering if the 13.5K A/C just doesn't do that great of a job or what. From all your comments, it seems the 15K A/C with heat pump is worth the upgrade.

Stevemc · 02-09-2017, 09:02 PM

Our experience has been that you never seem to have to much A/C capacity on really hot days. Our trailer also has the heat pump option and we use it a lot more than I thought we would. I would pay the up charge just for the heat pump.

CharlieS3 · 02-10-2017, 01:47 PM

I'm in the process of pulling my two 13.5 dometic penguins, both working fine, to replace with the 15K heat pump version. I rarely use the A/C (my wife makes me design trips to cooler destinations), but have had several occassions when these two units didn't cut the mustard.

Charlie

WayneLee · 02-10-2017, 02:24 PM

Your signature says you are based in "Central Coast California". As you know, there are a lot of places in CA that get hot during the summer months. You will appreciate the 15K unit during those days.

I once had a DP that came with 2 13.5K AC's from the factory. They could not keep up with the Arizona/Nevada summers. When one AC broke under warranty, I paid the difference and had the service company replace the 13.5 with a 15. Wow, what a difference.

So, when I ordered my current Sunseeker, I opted to upgrade to the 15K. I haven't been out in the desert in summer with this coach so I am anxious to see how cool it gets inside.

Iwannacamp · 02-10-2017, 02:29 PM

I am a strange one...I was getting 2 units(if you have that option I advise that also). I was very scared of the 15K Dometic units as they had many coil problems(supposedly fixed now) and supposedly the 13.5K units didn't suffer(different plant or run or something), so I chose the 13.5K units(2) and ended up with Coleman units...better I dunno. I was just happy it wasn't Dometic. Good luck with your choice and if only getting one unit see if the have a 25-30K most need it. HA HA

conceptumator · 02-10-2017, 03:46 PM

Like some others, my 15K unit was standard on the coach so I don't know the upcharge. I can tell you if I was ordering a new coach, I would definitely upgrade unless it was simply prohibitive. We routinely travel to Texas and other areas where the weather can change in a heartbeat. With our old coach, you might need the heat in the morning and the AC by just after noon (welcome to North Texas!), so I always worried when we left the dog in the coach for a while as it might get too hot or cold. With the heat pump, I can choose Auto and it will maintain the temperature regardless and automatically switch to heat or AC depending on the need. Also, since we're not camping in extreme cold, it results in a savings on propane. Ours is programmed at the factor so at an outside ambient air temp of 32F it will automatically switch from the heat pump to the furnace but also keep the auto switch feature from heat to AC functioning. At 32F and above, the heat coming through the ducts above warms the coach quite nicely.

JnScattle · 02-11-2017, 06:34 PM

An additional question - if upgrading, which brand and model should be considered? As well, how difficult is it to swap out?

glsimms · 02-11-2017, 06:43 PM

Unfortunately our trailer had the 13.5 when we purchased it from the dealers' lot. We have not had a chance to use it in the summer yet, so I'll wait and see how it does......

Edrps · 02-20-2017, 08:29 AM

I'm on my 3rd Dometic 15K on our 2016 3011DS. Although Dometic stood behind the units it was a pain in the tookus. We had to come home a month early from our trip to Florida. The last unit had some wiring reversed which burned out a coil in the unit itself. Not sure what the problem was on the first one. I'm thinking about possibly putting a 2nd unit in the bedroom skylight as backup and for extra cooling on those 95+ Days. I know I will have to make it a stand alone unit which cannot be on the main system which is 30amp. It will have to have its own electrical cord which will be plugged into the campground pedestal 110 circuit.

newRVer · 02-22-2017, 08:56 AM

"I'm thinking about possibly putting a 2nd unit in the bedroom"

I know that would not be practical on our 2016 3011 since weight is already a issue and we have to be careful what we pack on every trip. A second fixed AC would just make matters worse. In fact, I just purchased folding bikes that I can store in our toad when traveling just to avoid more weight in/on the RV.

Edrps · 02-22-2017, 10:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by newRVer

"I'm thinking about possibly putting a 2nd unit in the bedroom"

I know that would not be practical on our 2016 3011 since weight is already a issue and we have to be careful what we pack on every trip. A second fixed AC would just make matters worse. In fact, I just purchased folding bikes that I can store in our toad when traveling just to avoid more weight in/on the RV.

Good point. The unit I saw on a Winnebago C was pretty small. That should suffice as a back up. I'll have to check out the weight. Definitely don't want to get the rear ended overloaded.

mwparker · 04-06-2017, 06:11 PM

15,500 is the way to go. Makes a big difference in S Texas

LinandLen · 04-07-2017, 04:06 PM

Thank you all for your input. We ended up getting a 2016 Forester 2861DS already equipped with the 15K a/c and heat pump. So excited about this new RV and all the extra options we got with it.

pcryer · 04-09-2017, 02:54 PM

We have the.
15,500 with heat pump. Hopefully someone with one can chime I
in here. We have the fans on auto. Set the thermostat to desired temperature. The ac comes on, runs for a good while, then shuts off but almost immediately the fan comes back on. It does this several times before it starts actually acting normal, i.e. everything shutting off when the desired temperature is reached. What is up with this?

JLeising · 04-09-2017, 03:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pcryer

We have the.
15,500 with heat pump. Hopefully someone with one can chime I
in here. We have the fans on auto. Set the thermostat to desired temperature. The ac comes on, runs for a good while, then shuts off but almost immediately the fan comes back on. It does this several times before it starts actually acting normal, i.e. everything shutting off when the desired temperature is reached. What is up with this?

Believe your fan may be shifting between high and low speeds as the thermostat temp setting is approached. Try setting the fan to "Hi" or "Lo" rather than auto. The fan then, I believe, will just stay on at a constant speed. The AC compressor will cycle with the thermostat setting.

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