avanti
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Re: Beginning the search for our next B - Lots of Questions
reed cundiff wrote: Avanti Thanks When you write 2.2 to 5.2 A, are you discussing AC or DC. Assume it must be 12 V DC or 26 to 62 W. With 50% duty cycle this would be 13 to 31 W. This is less than the parasitic loss from our inverter and is quite low from our battery suite capability. Yes, those currents are at 12VDC. Sorry. These refrigerators are a dream. I would never go back to absorption.780Views0likes0CommentsRe: Beginning the search for our next B - Lots of Questions
reed cundiff wrote: We have a typical Dometic propane/AC fridge. Have been following this debate for a while; however, I have not seen a discussion of how many Watt-hours are required to run a compressor unit for a day. The fridges with Danfoss compressors range from 2.2 to 5.2 A depending on size. This is while running. Obviously your actual consumption will be less, based on duty cycle. How much less depends on conditions of course, but 50% is a good SWAG.778Views0likes0CommentsRe: Beginning the search for our next B - Lots of Questions
black88mx6 wrote: avanti wrote: black88mx6 wrote: Normally newer equipment works better than old, modern 3 way absorption units automatically switch between modes and work well way out of level. Best to compare apples to apples. How old is old. Old is 2005. There have been few substantive improvements in absorption technology since then. This topic is discussed interminably over at Sprinter-Source. It is abundantly clear that absorption fridges are temperamental at best. Yes, they work. But any claim that they work as well as compressor units is untenable -- apples to apples. This isn't to say that some users may not be better off with one. Specifically, if you do extended dry camping and have limited battery, then that is what you want. But unless both of these things are true, compressor units are the clear choice, IMO. 2005? Didn't you have to get out of the vehicle and turn a crank to light the fridge that old? Seriously, the newest ones are fully electronic and have full auto mode. Anything less than lithium batteries I would keep the propane option. Just sharing my experience. I have 440Ah of AGM, and power is a total non-issue. The fancy electronics are nice, but they don't make the fridge cool any better. Some people never dry camp. If the latter, I think a compressor unit is a no-brainer. Otherwise, it is a harder decision.777Views0likes0CommentsRe: Beginning the search for our next B - Lots of Questions
black88mx6 wrote: Normally newer equipment works better than old, modern 3 way absorption units automatically switch between modes and work well way out of level. Best to compare apples to apples. How old is old. Old is 2005. There have been few substantive improvements in absorption technology since then. This topic is discussed interminably over at Sprinter-Source. It is abundantly clear that absorption fridges are temperamental at best. Yes, they work. But any claim that they work as well as compressor units is untenable -- apples to apples. This isn't to say that some users may not be better off with one. Specifically, if you do extended dry camping and have limited battery, then that is what you want. But unless both of these things are true, compressor units are the clear choice, IMO.778Views0likes0CommentsRe: Beginning the search for our next B - Lots of Questions
Shearwater wrote: Compressor fridges get cold a lot faster than 3 way/propane. There's also 1 less way to die from carbon monoxide. I've owned both, and am a firm believer in compressors. You ARE taking on the issue of constantly feeding it amps (not many amps, but it is constant). But in exchange you are getting the same cooling experience you get at home. Our old absorption unit always worked, but never well.777Views0likes0CommentsRe: Any Winnebago factory workers lurking?
cameronpatentlaw wrote: I'm learning, slowly but surely, that there is less aggravation in just fixing the minor fit and finish issues myself. I think RV'ers develop sort of a Stockholm Syndrome. At first, we fight back against the injustice of spending high 5 figures for a vehicle with warranty issues, then we get so worn down, we just accept our fate. Someone pointed me to the Airstream site, where they lament build quality over there too. I guess I'm glad I bought a Winnebago on the MB chassis and not the Airstream on the MB chassis. Although the build quality on the AS is better, it too has its own set of issues. I used to own a 2005 Interstate. That experience TOTALLY cured me of attempting to collect on upfitter warranties in all but the most extreme (and implausible) cases. Systems warranties, yes, but upfitter warranties--just do it yourself. I actually disagree that build quality of Airstream is better. Materials and systems, yes. But from what I have experienced with Airstream and seen at RV shows with Winnebago, I think that Winnebago's build quality is significantly better. Some of the stuff that was wrong with my Interstate was simply beyond the pale. And, as you can see from their discussion group, things have clearly not gotten better since then. Our GWV Legend was vastly better in build quality than the interstate. I hope they make it out of their current difficulties.498Views0likes0CommentsRe: Any Winnebago factory workers lurking?
I hate to say it, but we DO need to keep in mind what industry we are talking about. In the RV world, you certainly pay for what you get, but you don't necessarily get what you pay for. The poster child for this is Airstream. Our last rig was a 2005 Interstate. There was a lot to like about it, but the initial build quality was frankly a disgrace. I won't bore you with the specifics, but a lot of them were beyond ridiculous. If this thread: http://www.airforums.com/forums/f240/airstream-quality-control-137852.html and many others like it over at the Airstream Forum is any evidence, things have only gotten worse in the intervening years. It took about 10 minutes at Hershey for us to cross Airstream off of our list. I mention them in particular only because you pay maybe a 30% premium for the Airstream name compared to the competition. As far as I can see, you get NOTHING for that premium beyond the name. I wasn't blown away by Winnebago at Hershey, either. But compared to Airstream, they seemed like a class act.498Views0likes0CommentsRe: Any Winnebago factory workers lurking?
401nailhead wrote: Yes, no offense to anyone, but I wouldn't use Toyota as an example in 2015. I'm not bashing Toyota either, but just speaking about realistic expectations. Toyota had a reputation at one time for that type of top-of-the-line workmanship, but that was partially a backlash against mediocre U.S. products at that time (and needing an automotive hero). I never really ever saw it to the degree people talked about it (envisioned it). And further at that time, if you kept the Toyota long enough, the bubble burst a little later on,as on average people were not so pleased at all about the paint and rust out (usually still pleased about most of the mechanical though). No offense back at you. But, have you ever actually owned a Toyota? I have owned quite a few of them (and many other marques as well). I can honestly say that the Toyota experience is in a whole higher league than any other brand I have ever owned. My 2005 Sienna with almost 140,000 miles absolutely refuses to give me an excuse to replace it. Last month, I needed to replace a small section of exhaust pipe. This was literally the first dollars (beyond routine maintenance) I have EVER spent on this vehicle. This is typical of every Toyota-built vehicle I have ever owned. Unless my next car turns out to be a Tesla, I'm not sure I will even bother to shop beyond Toyota models. I sure wish they would start selling their Sprinter-equivalent in the US. Now, THAT would be a B-van! Back to RVs: I have a lot of respect for Winnebago as the "value" brand. Obviously not top of the line, and, yes, you are giving things up for the sake of price-point. But, IMO, they are the most cost-effective of all the major brands. For someone on a budget, I would recommend them in a heartbeat.163Views0likes0CommentsRe: Buying opportunity?
jjson775 wrote: My observation has been that Winnebago Class B conversions are not up to the same quality and finish as the Canadians, i.e., Pleasure Way and Roadtrek but I'm sure someone will disagree. Quality and finishes are two different things. Winnebago is definitely building to a price-point, and this necessarily implies lower-level finishes than their higher-priced competitors. But, in my judgement (admittedly based on a limited sample size), they are doing a much better job than RT at keeping build quality up. As such, I think they have been delivering better value for the money than RT, whose build quality seems to be pretty mediocre. Pleasure Way appears to do better.782Views0likes0Comments
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