Ducted AC return air in fivers
What mid level fiver brands have ducted rather than direct return air to the AC? Does that lower the sound very much? I don't like the high noise level of the direct air return ACs.
Forum Discussion
My Bighorn also has the ducted air delivery and return ducts. It's quieter, but tends to be somewhat less efficient at cooling. As far as noise, you still hear the rumble of the compressors on the roof, but the fan noise is significantly less. Half the round vents on the roof are return vents that have foam filters in them. Easy enough to clean, but you need a ladder to get up to the ones downstairs.
As far as the efficiency, with these bigger units you need all you can get out of the AC units. We dry camp a lot, and my twin generators will only power one unit which doesn't do all that great of job if we can't get into the shade on warmer days. Insulation these things isn't all that great, especially with all the windows. Seems there is always a trade off of some sort. On the plus side, the furnace is exceptionally quiet the way they routed the return duct on it so as long as we can head to cooler climates we're all set.
As far as the efficiency, with these bigger units you need all you can get out of the AC units. We dry camp a lot, and my twin generators will only power one unit which doesn't do all that great of job if we can't get into the shade on warmer days. Insulation these things isn't all that great, especially with all the windows. Seems there is always a trade off of some sort. On the plus side, the furnace is exceptionally quiet the way they routed the return duct on it so as long as we can head to cooler climates we're all set.
