2017 Dometic AC fan is quite loud.

[Losangeles]

Hi all

First time we have used the AC to cool our new 21' escape.

Stock Donetic unit.

It pumps out a lot of cold air but the fan is on high, and quite loud.

It is way way louder than the AC was in our 2011 casita.

I can't find an obvious way to throttle down the unit. So it is less loud.

I don't think It is defective. Just over achieving.

;-)

We have the fan to AUTO.

Plus when it has reached 72 degrees (what the wall thermostat is set to) in here it does not make less noise.

Just keeps cooling. And blowing.

Fan does not slow down.

So maybe something is amiss ?

Probably 68 degrees in here now. Still cold air coming. (Tho not as cold)

Thanks for any tips and thoughts.

John.

[C&G in FL]

Originally Posted by Losangeles

Hi all

First time we have used the AC to cool our new 21' escape.

Stock Donetic unit.

It pumps out a lot of cold air but the fan is on high, and quite loud.

It is way way louder than the AC was in our 2011 casita.

I can't find an obvious way to throttle down the unit. So it is less loud.

I don't think It is defective. Just over achieving.

;-)

Plus when it has reached 72 degrees (what the wall thermostat is set to) in here it does not make less noise.

Just keeps cooling. And blowing.

So maybe something is amiss ?

Probably 68 degrees in here now. Still cold air coming. (Tho not as cold)

Thanks for any tips and thoughts.

John.

Is the fan set to high or is it set to auto. Go to the fan position on the thermostat and make sure it is on auto.

[wetzk]

Tap the control until you see the fan icon and select low. That is a little bit better.

Edit, we had ours on auto and after 30 minutes of it roaring looked in the manual and selected low.

[padlin]

Don't know where the thermostat is on a 21, but on our 5.0TA it's around the corner from the A/C facing the loft. If I check the location of the thermostat with an instant read, it cools down a lot slower then the dinette/kitchen area. We can get the dinette area down to 60 with the thermostat still at more then 70. An indoor/outdoor thermometer mounted on the wall over the fridge would get down into the 50's, one of the side vents blows right on it.

Fix for us is to adjust the vent baffles, open the side facing the loft, close the 2 side vents, just crack the side towards the dinette and the bottom vent. Cools much more evenly this way.

Occasionally, our A/C compressor shuts down momentarily shortly after first starting the unit, it then kicks back on. Experience shows when this happens I know it's going to never stop cooling. When I catch it I turn off the A/C via the thermostat, when it shuts down I just restart it and it runs just fine afterwards.

Talked to a local Dometic tech, he tells me I can pull off the inside cover and tighten all the connections on the control board, which is supposed to be right there. That's what he would do on your first service visit. Being an intermittent problem, you may have it in multiple times. I have yet to do so.

[Losangeles]

Originally Posted by wetzk

Tap the control until you see the fan icon and select low. That is a little bit better.

Edit, we had ours on auto and after 30 minutes of it roaring looked in the manual and selected low.

I had it on auto.

I remember being advised at orientation that auto is best. I forget why.

Tho I can switch the fan from high to low to auto.

In low it is a bit quieter, but still pretty loud.

Hmmmmmm.

John.

[Donna D.]

If your 2011 Casita was fairly quiet, you were lucky. I follow the CasitaForum and everyone over there is $%^& about the new Mach 8. They're all trying to order the older model.

Sorry I have nothing to offer, I don't have A/C... just pre-wired.

[Greg A]

Ours is set to auto when we use it and when it reaches temp it pretty much shuts down. It is fairly loud when compressor kicks in and it's cooling but pretty quiet when reaching temp, so I'd go with something is amiss.

[rubicon327]

I know nobody wants to hear to rip their overhead A/C off their new trailer, but I will say it. Rip that obnoxiously loud white box with antiquated HVAC technology off your roof. If I lived in the southern US I'd probably be installing mini-split heat pumps for other trailer owners and working with a manufacturer on a horizontal condenser that could be roof mounted. I know it costs some money and won't work with every trailer configuration, but being able to hold a conversation and sleep peacefully in the trailer with the A/C on....priceless.

I spend countless hours working with designers on proper acoustics for commercial HVAC systems. It bothers me that RV air conditioner manufacturers have not improved their products and that trailer manufacturers have not demanded better for their customers. The technology already exists. Customers are complaining. It just needs to be packaged and executed properly.

http://www.escapeforum.org/forums/f8...tml#post154526

https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCRqH4W-MD1R4nHj84Exw_iw

[wetzk]

Padlin, ours must have the same problem when in auto. It will shut off and instantly start back up with the compressor running. In low it does not do that but the fan stays on all the time. Still working on bugs. So far if it is damp or raining the grey water sensor screws up and the display reads 2/3rds full when empty. And the door handle takes a lot of force to open the latch if the trailer is moved. It's fine after the initial opening. I greased it and no luck. I guess I'll try checking the connections in the thermostat.

[Kountrykamper]

The fan will shut off completely for a few seconds when it changes from high fan to low fan as it gets within a few degrees of setpoint if the fan is set in the auto position. This is normal. The thermostat may take a while to settle down if the trailer was hot and over cool the areas closer to the unit. Close the vents that blow down and in the areas that are cold and make sure the one blowing air toward the thermostat is wide open.

They are noisy no matter what even on low speed. I do find the Dometic to be quiter than the Coleman we had in the Casita.

[padlin]

Might be loud, but it's better then not sleeping when it's to dang hot. I've gotten used to it.

[C&G in FL]

Wear earplugs when you go to bed. You won't hear the A/C!

[rbryan4]

Originally Posted by padlin

Might be loud, but it's better then not sleeping when it's to dang hot. I've gotten used to it.

This is very true. We set our fan to low, not auto, and it's substantially quieter, although still pretty loud. We do get used to it, and it's still far better than sleeping in the sticky heat down here from April to September.

[Viajante]

Rubicon327,
There are some good mods and tweaks listed on this forum. But, your mini-split a/c design deserves an award as the finest upgrade ever installed. Thank you for documenting how it is done and how well it works.

[rubicon327]

Originally Posted by Viajante

Rubicon327,
There are some good mods and tweaks listed on this forum. But, your mini-split a/c design deserves an award as the finest upgrade ever installed. Thank you for documenting how it is done and how well it works.

I'm not sure I'd go that far but thank you for the kind words. With enough pressure on the industry I'm hoping we see some real changes in these rooftop A/C units in the coming years. I don't think one should have to have a set of earplugs on their shopping list after spending $30k+ on a new trailer.

[Donna D.]

Originally Posted by rubicon327

I don't think one should have to have a set of earplugs on their shopping list after spending $30k+ on a new trailer.

And in the grand scheme of things that's cheap. They're using these same air conditioners (usually more than one!) on gazillion dollar RVs and mohos.

[Kountrykamper]

Originally Posted by rubicon327

I'm not sure I'd go that far but thank you for the kind words. With enough pressure on the industry I'm hoping we see some real changes in these rooftop A/C units in the coming years. I don't think one should have to have a set of earplugs on their shopping list after spending $30k+ on a new trailer.

I doubt they will every change as long as they can sell them. They have been the same technology for 25 years. Only real change has been switching to scroll compressors which in some cases are noisier then reciprocating. It will take a new player in the market to make changes. Refrigerators are the same way. The technology is there to make a good unit that works but profit demands outway performance. Its all about how much money they can make not about how good of a product they can make.

Now if Fujitsu or Mitsubishi were to get into the makert and start making self contained inverter type roof mount RV retrofit units that would be great. The technology is there and has been for many years now. They would be double the cost but I would bet most anyone that lives where A/C is needed would be happy to pay the price. I would also be happy to pay for a refrigerator I did not have to worry about when the temperture got above 90 degrees.

[War Eagle]

Originally Posted by Losangeles

... It pumps out a lot of cold air but the fan is on high, and quite loud. John.

Just pretend you are camping on the edge of Niagara Falls, and your A/C is the white noise of millions of cubic feet of crystal clear water crashing to the misty depths below. Then pull your covers a little higher and enjoy the fantasy as you fade off to sleep.

[Donna D.]

Originally Posted by Kountrykamper

I would also be happy to pay for a refrigerator I did not have to worry about when the temperture got above 90 degrees.

I think many people would be willing to pay more. The irritating issue is Dometic makes a "tropical" fridge, we've discussed it here. But they won't sell it here... just other parts of the world.

[steve dunham]

I don't hear my A/C run at night , I'm too busy sleeping.
We only run the A/C in our trailer maybe 5 nights in the whole summer. A guieter A/C maybe desireable to some but the addition cost far outweighs the value of a small reduction in noise. IMHO.

If a different style A/C produced less outside noise so as to not disturb my camping neighbors , then the additional cost maybe justified.