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eb145's avatar
eb145
Explorer II
Mar 14, 2015

"Whisper Quiet" or "Dual-Ducted" Air Conditioning - reviews?

I have been seeing lots of newer fifth wheels moving to what are called either "Whisper Quiet" or "Dual-Ducted" Air Conditioning. A Whisper Quiet system is essentially being marketed as the result of a Dual-Ducted AC system.

The difference appears to be that the RETURN air to the AC unit is through a second set of air ducts, compared to the traditional AC units where the return air is directly into the ceiling mounted AC unit. This allows the AC compressor and blower to be mounted more outside of the RV living area reducing the noise somewhat.

Here is Heartland RVs diagrams and explanation of how they do it:
Heartland "Whisper Quiet" details


Here is a picture with a traditional AC unit mounted in the ceiling:



And here is a Dual Ducted system picture (notice the 2 large return vents in the ceiling):


Personally, I "think" the dual-ducted system should be much quieter but I haven't been able to test it out myself yet.

Does anyone have real-world feedback on the benefit of having a "dual-ducted" or "Whisper Quiet" system?

If so, did you notice any noise improvements?

Are there other (good or bad) consequences from the change to a dual-ducted AC system?

Thanks,
Ed
  • I'm wondering if the 'Whisper Quiet' A\C units ride any taller on the roof than the traditional type. I'm at 13'4" now any any more height would certainly NOT be welcomed.
  • It's nice to know they've finally made some progress in this area.
    Do they make them any stronger? Like perhaps 18K BTU?
  • My Excel has separately ducted return air like the second picture. There are no exposed parts of the ac. My dealer suggested it as an option along with the padded ceiling to reduce noise, and it does. It is much quieter than the standard system we had on the motorhomes and other fivers we have owned. It is not something I would have even thought about had he not suggested it. As far as any down side, I can't see any. The system still works the same way.

    Both our living and bedrooms a/c's are mounted this way. One thing we have noticed is the cooling and heating (we have 2 heat pumps) is more evenly distributed. It is nice for sleeping as the air is not being dumped directly on you.