Replace 13500 Coleman with 15K Air Commander

I'm a fan of the Atwood, but it can be a non-trivial swap due to thermostat wiring, which could/would add hundreds to installation costs. Atwood uses their own thermostat cable, the furnace leads hook up to the thermostat for Coleman, but the roof unit for Atwood. For this reason I would upgrade to the larger Coleman instead, unless running new thermostat wires is easy in your layout.

I would also look closely at the ductwork on your unit, making certain it is well sealed, and all of the cooling is getting where it needs to be.

We have a 31' TT with a 15K AC and live in South-TX! The 15K works great, but you should also use the silver window covers and the pillow vent inserts. We also insulated our cabinets and did some inside caulking as every little but helps!

Chris Bryant wrote:
I'm a fan of the Atwood, but it can be a non-trivial swap due to thermostat wiring, which could/would add hundreds to installation costs. Atwood uses their own thermostat cable, the furnace leads hook up to the thermostat for Coleman, but the roof unit for Atwood. For this reason I would upgrade to the larger Coleman instead, unless running new thermostat wires is easy in your layout.

I would also look closely at the ductwork on your unit, making certain it is well sealed, and all of the cooling is getting where it needs to be.

Thanks for the info. Based on your suggestion I just removed the ceiling fixture off the Coleman and a huge amount of air is coming out directly. The entry to the duct system is pretty small. One on each side and is 1.5" x 7". They have a blocker panel inside the ceiling fixture grid. Thinking of putting an opening in that panel. I can always tape it back up.

LynnandCarol wrote:
We have a 31' TT with a 15K AC and live in South-TX! The 15K works great, but you should also use the silver window covers and the pillow vent inserts. We also insulated our cabinets and did some inside caulking as every little but helps!

We have the vent inserts and keep the blinds closed. Not sure what DW would think of blocking all the exterior light w silver window covers.

The difference in cooling capacity will be negligible...maybe 1degF. I suspect you're having problems getting below 80F inside. Atwood HVAC is now owned by Dometic and they are having A/C issues of their own using the current freon spec.
Due to rear A/C problems last Summer in TX, I used a portable self contained A/C and directed the exhaust vent thru a window...wasn't pretty, but it dropped the inside to mid 70's.
The price of the Atwood unit sounds good and I too am a fan of Atwood products, but I would go to a Heartland Service Center for the installation. Your TT is new enough to ask if the Coleman A/C is working to spec. It's frustrating to discover comfort issues while there's better things to do, but heat will beat cooling BTU's when there's too much.

I just wanted to follow up on this. We did end up buying the Attwood Air Commando. Out the door was $850 including the ceiling fixture. Factor in the $300 I sold the Coleman for it was not too bad. I took Chris's comments into consideration and looked closely at my wiring prior to the installation. My TT was wired so that the 12V and furnace leads were both at the air conditioner side already (they were using an 8 conductor wire from there to the thermostat to connect the Coleman thermostat with 12V and furnace leads). Just finished up the installation yesterday. While I would not say it is a huge difference in output, but it is a good amount more than I was getting with the Coleman and is cooling much nicer. One of the biggest differences is sound...the Attwood is VERY quiet!