Basement Air

[bluwtr49]

I'm looking at a coach that has basement air and wondering if there are any issues I should be aware of and if there are any significant benefits.

Pro and Con comments would be appreciated.

Thanks for any input.

[Alphamonk]

I had basement air in a 1993 Navigator. I really loved the thing. I actually did some work on it myself - same as a household unit. As far as the lost bay, we lost one on our newer Signature due to the Aquahot and damn sure don't reget that! Still plenty of space underneath.

[JetAonly]

Dometic makes a unit they call cruise air. It is used by the Marine industry and MH manufacturers.

[Canadian_Rainbi]

past-MIdirector wrote:
Would not have one. We decided the lose in basement space was not worth it. Then the problems a with find someone to do repairs and several provides have discontinued production of parts for these units.

?

We have had ours repaired once in Mexico then replace it the next year in the US since we realised that the failure was due to sever vibration and age and the the other three lines could go the same way. Pretty happy with it. A bit noisy as it is under the bed but works great. Of course they are not just a/c but real heatpumps so are relatively efficient heaters. Ours is a Coleman-Mach.

[GREGORYJ]

We really like ours. We find it quiet inside and outside. It's under our bed, so
there is a hum under the bed, that may bother some people. Most of our trips are in the spring & fall so the heat pump function sees as much use as A/C, so saves on LP gas consumption by not using the furnace as much. It has a switch, 50A or 30A modes(1 compressor or both) so it can be used when only 30A power is available. Less clutter on the roof & lower clearance required for the RV. We have never had any issues with ours. It's a Coleman unit.

[Fleet_Man]

The PLUS for me is the lower overall height which allows me to drive comfortably through the 12' 4" door opening into my big garage.

[the_silverback]

I love it!!!! Winnebago should be kicked for going away from it.

[revump]

We love our basement air. The only difficulty is the cost of having it removed for service. We are dreading the time when we have to have that done - probably $500.00 just to RNR it.

Bob

[ferndaleflyer]

So far mine has never missed a beat---Noise? I didn't know it made any other than the wind noise from the vents. Call the house tech if you need service.....keep the filters clean

[Coyote74]

RVP products are mfg in Iowa and the 2 ton basement unit is still mfg for Coleman replacements. Panasonic compressors used in the units are out of business. Tecumseh compressors are the replacement type .all printed circuits are available, run and start capacitors are available and other parts. I believe the web site is RVP products.com

[PeppyPilot]

We love ours and find it much quieter than any rooftop unit - even higher end coaches.

Just last week we were in Amarillo at 104F with no shade and it kept us very comfy in the 70's. Over 11 years it has always been adequate even for very long stretches of hot weather.

As others have posted, downside is availability of parts, service, and repairs.

Ours works perfectly well on 30 amp service. It starts one compressor at a time and settles out at about 22 amps. If we use the microwave, electric water, etc., the EMS will shut off one compressor while the other appliance is working. So, we prefer 50 amps, but 30 works just fine and has kept the coach very cool in extreme heat. Just have to be careful about using other electric draws.

[egh33]

I have had the same trouble with the duct that runs up under the back, it has split apart a couple of times.

[Bikeboy57]

Those would be SCS units.

They can be repaired, or some just exchange for a rebuilt unit.

The only inherent weakness I know of is the original control boards had a problem with one circuit that is easily jumpered with a small wire and soldering iron.

Do a search on newellgurus.com and read all about the SCS units.

[bluwtr49]

Thanks for all the replies.

The MH I'm looking at is a 43' Beaver Marquis and, from what I understand, uses a unit built by SCM or something like that. Anyway it's the same unit used by earlier Newall and can be serviced by Newall dealers.

I've also been told that rebuilt units are readily available for moderate cost but labor to R&R is a bit high. On the upside, AC units are pretty reliable so figure 10 years or so between issues.

Yes, it does lose one bay that is in the slide but still lot's of bay storage available so that isn't to troublesome.

I will apologize in advance for any inconvenience to my potential neighbors but.......

Again, thanks for you comments.

[Bikeboy57]

You asked for pros and cons. Here they are as I see them.

Basement air
Pros
Quiet inside, noisy outside.
Even temperature distribution
Cons
Loss of basement space
Can be difficult to get RV tech to work on them, a house AC tech will easily know what to do, but they have to be told its a house style unit

Roof Air
Pros
Easy to replace by most any tech
Add as many as you need for cooling
Quiet outside
Cons
Noisy inside

Nothing that wasn't said above.

There are two different schools of thought with repair. On the roof air, if the failure is anything but a control board, the entire unit will be replaced. RV techs will not replace compressors, or refrigerant on a roof unit. So, if a unit fails you are looking at a 1400 to 2000 bill including labor.
Basement airs are treated more like home units with individual components replaced if they fail. However, a lot of RV techs will not touch them. It takes an AC tech to repair them.