markchengr wrote:
AEON is building small RV's with a mini-split heat pump that will run on battery power but their units are very expensive and intended for the off road boondocking crowd. Wish I could afford one. Google their website if you want to check it out.
Cost, that IS the reason mini splits are not typically offered..
Everyone wants their RV for as low of a price point as possible, very few would be willing to spend an extra $500-$1000 for a A/C unit.
Unless you are buying from a small mom and pop "one off" specialty RV builder the basic option is the standard RV roof air..
The big brands deal with volume building, everything is done on a large scale on assembly lines. Much quicker, easier and less expensive to simply lower a fully built fully functional all in one A/C unit onto a 14" x 14" hole in the roof with four bolts to hold it in place and three wires to connect and a interior cover to put in place. All told might take them 5 minutes to complete..
Time is money, mini splits take much more time to install and more wiring plus the lineset to deal with.. I also highly doubt that any bulk RV builders would be willing to pay the wages of a certified A/C tech with proper licenses to install each mini split on every unit (as a business they must follow certain rules when dealing with things like refrigerants unlike your own personal install)..
Why should they spend more money and waste production time when they can buy a fully functional A/C unit in one box without needing specialized technicians.
Heck, they typically don't even have dedicated carpenters, electricians or plumbers, who ever is trained for and assigned to a workstation does the work required for that specific assembly area as that is how assembly lines work.
