Life expectancy of RV Air Conditioners

[Gr8life]

I am thinking of spending summers in South Texas where the AC will be running almost constantly for three or four months. I wonder how long one will last? Mine is an almost brand new Coleman 13,500 unit.

[DaHose]

My 1983 Jamboree has the original Coleman AC unit. That's 32 years and still going after a capacitor replacement.

Jose

[TNSnowbirds]

I have a 2014 Bighorn with Dometic a/cs and spend the winter in Florida and the A/Cs run almost constantly. The 15K living room unit has been replaced 2 times. The original lasted about 1 year and the replacement lasted about 4 months. The 13.5K bedroom unit is still doing Okay. So I guess your longevity will depend on the manufacture. The Dometics are from China....

[dougrainer]

AC units are NOT that complicated, whether they be Window/RV/Home units. The BIG difference between an RV and the others is, the RV unit rarely gets maintenance(filters cleaned the evap/condenser cleaned. They are subjected to varying 120 voltages (especially LOW voltages) and that causes excessive wear and tear on compressors and the capacitors. Then when they break, they are called junk. Running 24/7 in a hot climate probably equals 3 to 4 time the normal use in an RV, so you would expect them to wear out/fail quicker. I would expect that the OP's AC unit should last 5 to 8 years in the conditions he will put it in. Doug

[Gr8life]

j-d wrote:
An RV A/C unit is your basic "window A/C" used for years before "central air." Just rearranged for rooftop operation. Window units last a long time and so do RV units. As long as the campsite provides steady good voltage and amperage, and you keep the coils clean, you'll be OK...Really!

One caution - If your South Texas site is on a beach, salt spray will rust/corrode everything. Your coach, your toad, your lawn chairs, your A/C, you name it.

Thanks. I wondered if they would have similar service lives to window units.

[mpierce]

The Texan wrote:
My question to all who answered the OP's question and swear the AC will last a lifetime is ...... Have you read where and how he plans to use his AC??? Read the original question, then post an answer based on his criteria.

The Bluebird spent those years in TX, FL and GA, so it spent its life in the south. I do not know what percent of its time being used was in the summer, but I bet it got a lot of AC use in south TX and GA, and FL! I just got it a year ago. The one that failed, it was the board that failed, the AC itself worked by hot wiring it, and controlling with a switch! The board was obsolete, so replaced the whole thing. The other two OEM AC's are going good, knock on wood!

I do not know the history on the Airstream, as to how much the AC was used.

[Dog_Folks]

The Texan wrote:
My question to all who answered the OP's question and swear the AC will last a lifetime is ...... Have you read where and how he plans to use his AC??? Read the original question, then post an answer based on his criteria.

My question is: Did you read my post above?

I DID answer his question that about an A/C that is in nearly continuous use.

[mikensallyt]

I've got these flimsy sponge like filters and know they don't really block out the dirt. I'm thinking there has to be a better filter. Any suggestions? tks

[j-d]

An RV A/C unit is your basic "window A/C" used for years before "central air." Just rearranged for rooftop operation. Window units last a long time and so do RV units. As long as the campsite provides steady good voltage and amperage, and you keep the coils clean, you'll be OK...Really!

One caution - If your South Texas site is on a beach, salt spray will rust/corrode everything. Your coach, your toad, your lawn chairs, your A/C, you name it.

[Teacher_s_Pet]

Our Phaeton's two Duo-therm heat pumps are working on 10 years of full time use for heating and cooling. The front unit has been replaced twice, with additional control boards and service. The rear heat pump has had one capacitor replaced and we've cleaned the compressor coils 2-3 times. We keep the front at about 75° during the day, 71° at night, the rear unit at 80° days, 73° at night.

[TechWriter]

mpierce wrote:
On our 1964 Airstream, lasted 45 years!

I'm happy for you and I'm sure someone will come up with a 50-year-old AC, but I'm going with a 10-year limit as a rule of thumb.

B4 starting to full time, I replaced both 10-year-old ACs on my Newmar even though just one of them was sounding funky because ACs never fail in Winter.

[sdianel_-acct_c]

One of our Dometic died after 11 years, the other is still going (knock on wood) and we live in Florida where we run the AC all year and we travel to LA and OK in the summer heat!

[The_Texan]

My question to all who answered the OP's question and swear the AC will last a lifetime is ...... Have you read where and how he plans to use his AC??? Read the original question, then post an answer based on his criteria.

[mpierce]

On our 1964 Airstream, lasted 45 years!

Now, on our 1990 Bluebird, just replaced one of three. 25 years, and 2 of 3 still going.

[nineoaks2004]

I have one on my 1990 pop up that is original, main thing is cleaning the coils and the filters, plus correct voltage.