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Fastfwd75's avatar
Fastfwd75
Explorer
Aug 08, 2014

Do ducted AC look the same outside?

AC noise is a big problem for me. Ridiculously loud even on low fan in my 24' comparable to a house windom unit.

I see that big class A have the same AC on top that I have. Are they the same? I read about some having basement AC; have not seen in person or picture yet.

I want to eventually trade for a class C or A. Small is OK. Gas is OK. But generator and quiet-ish AC is a must. Where to look for quiet?
  • We had a ducted A/C in our tt. It was loud in the main area where the A/C was but quiet in the bedroom where the ducts were. We now have a class A. The ducted a/c's are almost as loud, but not quite. Also, not as loud in the bedroom where the ducts, rather than the unit, are. It is the blowing air, not the unit itself, that is loud in both cases.
  • Mine look the same, rear A/C is ducted and front A/C that was added is non ducted. :)
  • Our Newmar ducted AC is so quiet that we don't have to talk louder when it is running. Not all are created equal. Our insulation is R16 in the roof also and that helps with noise and staying cooler in the sun.
  • Hi,

    I have a ducted A/C in my 18 year old Bounder. They had ducted in 94 as well.

    Ducted A/C is not silent, but sure is quiet compared to my older class C. I am able to sleep with it running on high fan speed.

    Yes they basically look the same on the outside, just no duct sitting below the unit on the inside, instead there is a air intake. Some owners installed a "Turbocool" vent in the air inlet that blows more cold air into the kitchen below the unit. You open this to quickly cool the kitchen, then close it to blow air through the ducts to cool the ends of the RV.

    Fred.
  • We recently replaced the factory ducted 13.5 A/C unit with a 15k ducted heat pump. Makes about half the noise and much better cooling. Just something to think about. Way quieter.
  • Fastfwd75 wrote:
    AC noise is a big problem for me. Ridiculously loud even on low fan in my 24' comparable to a house windom unit.

    I see that big class A have the same AC on top that I have. Are they the same? I read about some having basement AC; have not seen in person or picture yet.

    I want to eventually trade for a class C or A. Small is OK. Gas is OK. But generator and quiet-ish AC is a must. Where to look for quiet?


    Definitely by a 'ducted' ac MH.

    I have had both and would never purchase one with out be ducted. You have control of how the air flows thru out the entire coach. And NO noise.

    My furnace ducts go into the basement but not the ac ducts.
  • Ivylog wrote:
    Most class A's have ducted units so you run the one in the bedroom during the day and the one up front at night.


    X2
  • Yes, from the outside the two types of units look exactly the same.
  • Ivylog's avatar
    Ivylog
    Explorer III
    Most class A's have ducted units so you run the one in the bedroom during the day and the one up front at night.
  • Same AC units, but many times the roof is thicker to allow for the ducts. It is usually a 2' 03 3" thick layer of foam, shich helps with sound, and adds more insulation from the sun also. Sound is a bit better, and it is not routed directly into the space below the AC. Also, the foam surrounds the ductwork, which helps with the noise also.

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