Hello there. I have an '04 Lance 921, which I bought new in Alaska. It had no air conditioner, which I did not need up there. We moved to Michigan last September, and I spent the last week baking myself alive in that thing. It does have the exhaust fan in the ceiling, but it doesn't put a dent in that heat.Per the customer rep at Lance, they don't make the A/C unit anymore, that would fit in the roof. I have a call coming in tomorrow from the tech wizard to confirm this, but it didn't sound promising. I need something in there.Looking at portable A/C's, they look a little big for the camper, so I see these evaporative coolers on the big box store sites. Does anyone have any experience with these? Do they work? I don't need an ice box by any stretch of the imagination, but it's almost not safe in there with these 90 degrees plus temps. Thank you for your time.

I had a Coleman Mach 8 Polar Cub installed where the standard roof vent was. Unless your roof is so full of other things there should be room to install a rooftop unit.

Evap coolers work 'ok' when it's not scorching hot, but you will notice a rise in humidity, which can feel clammy. And they need water. Are you not travelling?

I don’t know what the Lance rep is talking about , maybe he doesn’t either . Every RV roof top AC I know of fits standard 14”x 14” opening , same as a standard roof vent . The particular model that lance used back then may no longer be available but you don’t need to stick with the same model . As far as evaporative coolers they only work well in very dry climates .

Swamp coolers work great in the desert. In areas with high humidity, they just leave it hot and damp. Guess which one Michigan falls under in the summer.You should be able to fit an aircon unit on. They aren't custom to a particular model.We used a portable aircon on out boat for a while. The problem with a truck camper is it eats up floor space which most truck campers start out with very little. Also, you need a window where you can vent the exhaust tube. If you get one, look for the twin tube versions. The single tube uses already cooled interior air to cool the condensor, so they aren't nearly as efficient.

I wouldn’t recommend installing a swamp cooler. The 2004 921’s should all be prewired for combination heat/AC thermostat, Roof AC, Fantastic fan, Microwave, stereo and speakers, and TV antenna whether those options were ordered or not. Any standard non-ducted RV roof air conditioner can be installed in the roof vent opening that’s in front of the refrigerator. There should be a blank electrical box cover in the ceiling next to the vent opening, and that’s where the 115v and thermostat wires will be stashed. There may not be a breaker in the power center for the air conditioner, but the wires will definitely be there. You may also have to install a new combination thermostat. This is what the electrical box in the ceiling looks like in my camper. This is a screenshot from the 2004 Lance brochures the 921 interior, and I’ve circled what I believe is the air conditioner prewiring box in the ceiling. :):)

Evaporative Coolers for Lance | Good Sam Community

23 Replies

Kayteg1
Explorer II
Jun 11, 2021
I use evaporative coolers in my Las Vegas house and top-end $1500 unit does work well, but even in dry Las Vegas we do have higher humidity seasons when it will loose the efficiency.
Considering risk of water splashes and limited use, I vote against putting it on RV.
For my latest conversion I order low-profile AC From Rec Pro
It really is low-profile unit, although not small and is having good referrals. I did not use it yet, but for me typical AC with their high profile are looking like balloons on TC.
Notice that I order 13.5k for smaller Sprinter van.
We had 12.5k on our Lance camper and in 120F heat it was barely making it. Opening any cabinet was like opening an oven.
stevenal
Nomad II
Jun 10, 2021
My Coleman will freeze up if I'm not careful. Does the Houghton have a freeze sensor?
CYCLEPATH
Explorer
Jun 10, 2021
I just ordered a 9200BTU unit from RecPro, made by Houghton. What few reviews I have seen have been positive. It is supposed to be here next week. After I get it in, I will post an update, or have more installation questions:) Thank you.
CYCLEPATH
Explorer
Jun 09, 2021
I appreciate the information. I settled on the Coleman 9200 Mach 8 Polar Cub, with the ceiling unit with the controls in it. Finding one is another story. Getting it before the end of summer, another. Trying to get some information from Big Daddy's Parts. It would be nice if ETrailer sold them. Thank you again for the responses.
mkirsch
Nomad II
Jun 09, 2021
You don't have to worry about whether or not the unit you choose has built in controls, because that will be specified in the description of the unit you order. If it doesn't say, ASK QUESTIONS. If you don't get a satisfactory answer, DON'T BUY. Find another seller that can answer your questions to your satisfaction, and buy from them even if they're more expensive.
Atchafalaya_man
Explorer
Jun 09, 2021
For the ease of installation, a 'ceiling control' model only requires 120vac power to be connected to it. All on-off and temp controls are on the housing that screws to the ceiling.
kohldad
Explorer III
Jun 09, 2021
Get the smallest roof AC unit u can get, I think this will be a 9200BTU, not the standard 13,500 BTU that most have. 9200 is plenty for a TC your size.

Agree. The 13,500 will quick cycle once it has initially brought the unit down to temperature. With quick cycling, it doesn't run long enough to bring the temperature down. The 9200 will run more money, but worth it running properly and removing the humidity from the air.

I have a smaller Lance 815 with the 13,500 and have to switch it off, let the camper heat up, then turn it back on. Have to do this so the compressor cycle is long enough for it to remove enough moisture in the air so things don't feel damp. After 14 years of owning this camper, I keep thinking the 13,500 is going to die, but except for a bad capacitor, it just keeps on chuggin.
mr_andyj
Explorer
Jun 09, 2021
Get the smallest roof AC unit u can get, I think this will be a 9200BTU, not the standard 13,500 BTU that most have. 9200 is plenty for a TC your size. The Dometic have the Polar cub that is also low profile (not as tall) so gives you a little more clearance. Bonus is that a 9200 will run off a 2000 watt generator where a 13.5 will not.
IF you can and are willing to put in a window unit then consider that option. $99 is a lot better price than $999.
This is hard to do on a TC.
A 5,000BTU should be plenty in this case.

I had a 9200 on a TC and it cooled instantly, and was over-kill to be honest.

AC roof units are sold as the roof part and the inside ceiling assembly is sold separately (usually). Sometimes you can find a rebuilt (like new) unit on eBay much cheaper. Sometimes you can find a used one for 200-300 bucks.
NRALIFR
Explorer
Jun 09, 2021
Cyclepath, you’re correct a wall tstat isn’t required. I’ve actually had more RV air conditioners with the controls on the ceiling unit than on the wall.

But, the wires for a wall thermostat are already there somewhere. You wouldn’t have any luck fishing wires in the walls or ceiling of an RV due to the construction. If the wires aren’t in the ceiling box, they may be behind the vent trim bezel. And, If your existing thermostat is a “heat only” type, you’ll have to replace it with one that supports heat and air.

:);)
Supercharged111
Explorer
Jun 09, 2021
pianotuna wrote:
Hi,

While a wall thermostat is nice to have--there are lots of RV's that don't have such a complication. Use the kiss principle.

I used a Sharpie to mark the 65 and 70 degree positions on my AC temp knob. Makes it much easier to tweak the perfect temperatures and find the desired temps without hunting.