Any experience with the Atwood Air Command A/C ?

[justALnow]

I'm not sure if this is the proper forum and if not, I trust the moderators to move it . . .

My 2018 Vintage cruiser came stock with a 13.5 K BTU Non-ducted Coleman A/C which is SO loud you can barely carry on a conversation or hear the television when it's running. I saw online discussion where folks had replaced it with the Atwood Air Command which is supposed to be much quieter and much more efficient.

I'm wondering of anyone else has done this and what were your results?

[1320Fastback]

We just put ours thru it's first real test. We went to a friend's property in Menifee, Ca this weekend. Was 105F outside and when I turned on the AC it showed 92F on the display and cooled down to 70F degree within hour which was where I set it.

We of course were in the pool.

[justALnow]

Bob Vaughn wrote:
I must have gotten a lemon.....the Atwood dealer that installed mine is really frustrated with Atwood not being able to diagnose what the problems are with mine.....the compressor in heat mode only runs about 2 minutes then shuts off......

Well, hopefully they can get it rectified!

I've never been a fan of heat pumps and this model does not have a heat option.

[Bob_Vaughn]

I must have gotten a lemon.....the Atwood dealer that installed mine is really frustrated with Atwood not being able to diagnose what the problems are with mine.....the compressor in heat mode only runs about 2 minutes then shuts off......

[justALnow]

justALnow wrote:
Well, the AC arrived a couple days ago and it was installed this afternoon.
What can I say . . . AMAZING would be a good start! The difference in the noise level is so dramatic, it's like night and day!

A couple days ago I took sound level readings on the original Dometic unit with the sound meter laying on the end of the table. Did the same tonight with the new unit. Here are the results.

Original Dometic unit:
Low: 72 dB
Med: 75 dB
High: 78dB

Atwood-
Low: 62dB
Med: 64dB
High: 66dB

Additionally, the factory performance test shows an amperage draw of 8.26 amps!

Game changer . . .

Also features a digital thermostat, dehumidifier function, sleep timer, remote control and other functions I have yet to figure out!

[justALnow]

1320Fastback wrote:
It's incredible isn't it, almost like it was designed with sound and efficiency in mind 😉

YEP!


I'm surprised Dometic has not put their name on it yet! Maybe licensing agreements or something.

[1320Fastback]

It's incredible isn't it, almost like it was designed with sound and efficiency in mind 😉

[justALnow]

Well, the AC arrived a couple days ago and it was installed this afternoon.
What can I say . . . AMAZING would be a good start! The difference in the noise level is so dramatic, it's like night and day!

A couple days ago I took sound level readings on the original Dometic unit with the sound meter laying on the end of the table. Did the same tonight with the new unit. Here are the results.

Original Dometic unit:
Low: 72 dB
Med: 75 dB
High: 78dB

Atwood-
Low: 62dB
Med: 64dB
High: 66dB

Additionally, the factory performance test shows an amperage draw of 8.26 amps!

Game changer . . .

[1320Fastback]

For your 3 concerns you will be very happy. Chinese made brands can not touch a AtWood at efficient cooling.

[Bob_Vaughn]

Good luck I hope you are happier with your purchase than I am with mine....

[justALnow]

Thanks for all the replies . . . My concerns were about sound level, cooling, and energy draw, and it sounds like it fills the bill on those counts.

Not expecting it to be a furnace . . . I already have one.

Tracking shows it arriving Monday! I'll post results . . .

[imgoin4it]

The Atwood unit I had for a year would heat up the supply outlet air to about 90 degrees and as soon as my thermometer read the 90 degrees it shut off. All the other brand units I have experience with would heat up to about the same high temp and continue until the thermostat setting was satisfied. The Atwood has something that shuts if off. Dometic on several occasions told me mine was working s they understood it was supposed to but had never really looked at how it worked after buying the brand fron the Austraiilan company. Everyone I found that had an Atwood acnd unit with heat pump said the same. It did not heat the space and no matter what my tech did it would not ever heat the space even with mild cooler temperatures. My RV tech has 30 plus years working on RV’s. I replaced the unit softer one year. If you want heat don’t but one,

[jolvi]

Bob Vaughn wrote:

jolvi wrote:

Bob Vaughn wrote:
I REPLACED MY DOMETIC WITH AN ATWOOD AIRCOMMAND HEAT PUMP AND I HATE HATE HATE IT....IT DOES NOT WORK AS ADVERTISED AND ATWOOD WILL NOT FIX IT.....SO DO NOT BUY ONE....

Could you be more specific? I am wondering what the issue is heat pumps only good to about 40 degrees, cooling is efficient, air flow is great, quieter than the Dometic Brisk Air II it replaced and then again Dometic did buy them so all in the same basket now.

Mine will not heat the rv even at 50-55 degrees outside...

I have had two homes with heat pumps and did have Atwood with heat pump on motor home. The deal is from what I understood is that if you want temp at 70 degrees that is what they put out no higher so there is never a blast of hot air which most heating appliances put out. We dis stay in Alabama at 27 degrees set temp at 65 degrees and it did keep it comfortable di1d use furnace to heat it to 70 though.

[imgoin4it]

Bob Vaughn wrote:

jolvi wrote:

Bob Vaughn wrote:
I REPLACED MY DOMETIC WITH AN ATWOOD AIRCOMMAND HEAT PUMP AND I HATE HATE HATE IT....IT DOES NOT WORK AS ADVERTISED AND ATWOOD WILL NOT FIX IT.....SO DO NOT BUY ONE....

Could you be more specific? I am wondering what the issue is heat pumps only good to about 40 degrees, cooling is efficient, air flow is great, quieter than the Dometic Brisk Air II it replaced and then again Dometic did buy them so all in the same basket now.

Mine will not heat the rv even at 50-55 degrees outside...

[1320Fastback]

Mine does not have a heat pump as I have a heater/furnace that runs off the propane tanks. I have read they do not heat well but no first hand experience.