I am thinking of spending summers in South Texas where the AC will be running almost constantly for three or four months. I wonder how long one will last? Mine is an almost brand new Coleman 13,500 unit.

They are nothing more than a cheap window unit, dressed in RV clothes and sold for 3 or 4x the normal price. I have found that 6 to 8 years of use in south Texas, SW AZ is about tops.

I think kinda a pig in a poke!! Ours I think like yours lasted 2 years (really didn't use but 1 year)and started leaking oil..cant fix em I guess so they replaced with my extended warranty..but one in bedroom 3 1/2 years old and still going fine.. ps im in midland right now.. probably not much help but think they work till they want to quit!!

that's a tough one...you never really know. My front Dometic a/c is the original one and is a 2001 and still works great....capacitors replaced a couple of times and a new thermostat once. Rear one is 5 years old now.

The original Duo-Therm A/C's on the 20 year old Class A we sold last year were still working fine. I did replace the start/run capacitors on both with hard start caps a few years ago. The only other maintenance has been normal cleaning. The analog thermostats were replaced with digitals a couple of years ago, but that wasn't due to any failing on the part of the A/C's.

Both original A/C units on our 96 Southwind are working properly.But, I'm in the northeast so they don't get used as often as units farther south.

Life expectancy of RV Air Conditioners | Good Sam Community

DaHose
Explorer
May 01, 2015
My 1983 Jamboree has the original Coleman AC unit. That's 32 years and still going after a capacitor replacement.

Jose
TNSnowbirds
Explorer
May 01, 2015
I have a 2014 Bighorn with Dometic a/cs and spend the winter in Florida and the A/Cs run almost constantly. The 15K living room unit has been replaced 2 times. The original lasted about 1 year and the replacement lasted about 4 months. The 13.5K bedroom unit is still doing Okay. So I guess your longevity will depend on the manufacture. The Dometics are from China....
dougrainer
Nomad
Apr 26, 2015
AC units are NOT that complicated, whether they be Window/RV/Home units. The BIG difference between an RV and the others is, the RV unit rarely gets maintenance(filters cleaned the evap/condenser cleaned. They are subjected to varying 120 voltages (especially LOW voltages) and that causes excessive wear and tear on compressors and the capacitors. Then when they break, they are called junk. Running 24/7 in a hot climate probably equals 3 to 4 time the normal use in an RV, so you would expect them to wear out/fail quicker. I would expect that the OP's AC unit should last 5 to 8 years in the conditions he will put it in. Doug
Gr8life
Explorer II
Apr 26, 2015
j-d wrote:
An RV A/C unit is your basic "window A/C" used for years before "central air." Just rearranged for rooftop operation. Window units last a long time and so do RV units. As long as the campsite provides steady good voltage and amperage, and you keep the coils clean, you'll be OK...Really!

One caution - If your South Texas site is on a beach, salt spray will rust/corrode everything. Your coach, your toad, your lawn chairs, your A/C, you name it.

Thanks. I wondered if they would have similar service lives to window units.
mpierce
Explorer
Apr 26, 2015
The Texan wrote:
My question to all who answered the OP's question and swear the AC will last a lifetime is ...... Have you read where and how he plans to use his AC??? Read the original question, then post an answer based on his criteria.

The Bluebird spent those years in TX, FL and GA, so it spent its life in the south. I do not know what percent of its time being used was in the summer, but I bet it got a lot of AC use in south TX and GA, and FL! I just got it a year ago. The one that failed, it was the board that failed, the AC itself worked by hot wiring it, and controlling with a switch! The board was obsolete, so replaced the whole thing. The other two OEM AC's are going good, knock on wood!

I do not know the history on the Airstream, as to how much the AC was used.
Dog_Folks
Explorer
Apr 26, 2015
The Texan wrote:
My question to all who answered the OP's question and swear the AC will last a lifetime is ...... Have you read where and how he plans to use his AC??? Read the original question, then post an answer based on his criteria.

My question is: Did you read my post above?

I DID answer his question that about an A/C that is in nearly continuous use.
mikensallyt
Explorer
Apr 26, 2015
I've got these flimsy sponge like filters and know they don't really block out the dirt. I'm thinking there has to be a better filter. Any suggestions? tks
j-d
Explorer II
Apr 26, 2015
An RV A/C unit is your basic "window A/C" used for years before "central air." Just rearranged for rooftop operation. Window units last a long time and so do RV units. As long as the campsite provides steady good voltage and amperage, and you keep the coils clean, you'll be OK...Really!

One caution - If your South Texas site is on a beach, salt spray will rust/corrode everything. Your coach, your toad, your lawn chairs, your A/C, you name it.
Teacher_s_Pet
Explorer
Apr 26, 2015
Our Phaeton's two Duo-therm heat pumps are working on 10 years of full time use for heating and cooling. The front unit has been replaced twice, with additional control boards and service. The rear heat pump has had one capacitor replaced and we've cleaned the compressor coils 2-3 times. We keep the front at about 75° during the day, 71° at night, the rear unit at 80° days, 73° at night.
TechWriter
Explorer
Apr 26, 2015
mpierce wrote:
On our 1964 Airstream, lasted 45 years!

I'm happy for you and I'm sure someone will come up with a 50-year-old AC, but I'm going with a 10-year limit as a rule of thumb.

B4 starting to full time, I replaced both 10-year-old ACs on my Newmar even though just one of them was sounding funky because ACs never fail in Winter.