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Old 01-07-2023, 09:47 PM   #1
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Coleman Mach 10 NDQ - Installation Error

Just a heads up... I ordered my 2022 21C with the Coleman Mach 10 NDQ, but was having problems with the heat strip turning off after a couple of minutes, and not restarting until the unit was power cycled.


It turns out that Escape had incorrectly installed the AC unit. The install kit includes a flexible duct that is supposed to be trimmed flush with the ceiling assembly during installation. In mine, they didn't trim the duct, so (unknown to me) almost all the airflow was being forced through the two small round ducts in the bottom of the ceiling assembly. This restricted airflow enough to cause the heating strip to overheat. I'm guessing it didn't do wonders for the AC performance either, when I was running it during the summer.


Anyway, maybe this was a one off mistake, but I'm just posting this to give anyone with this unit a "heads up" in case they have similar symptoms.


If you have this AC unit and have a very strong airflow from the round vents, but very little from the side vents, check if you can see all the way through the ceiling assembly. Before I trimmed the duct, I couldn't see all the way through, but after trimming, it was easy to see side-to-side.


See the attached pics for the untrimmed duct (as I found it) and "through shots" of the ceiling assembly before and after. I don't have a pic of the duct after trimming, but see this video from airxcel, which shows how it's supposed to look after trimming:


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PXL_20221224_175055767.jpg   PXL_20221224_140929247.jpg   PXL_20221224_175741266.jpg  
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Old 01-08-2023, 05:04 AM   #2
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Thanks for this info.

My heater has turned off a couple of times but I thought it was due to it running for a long time trying to warmer the Escape up from cold (40F) to warm (70F).

I have airflow from the front and rear vents but it's not as strong as the round vents. I'll have to give it a look today.
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Old 01-08-2023, 10:33 AM   #3
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Thank you for the information, I will check mine.
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Old 01-09-2023, 10:01 AM   #4
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Thanks for this info.

My heater has turned off a couple of times but I thought it was due to it running for a long time trying to warmer the Escape up from cold (40F) to warm (70F).

I have airflow from the front and rear vents but it's not as strong as the round vents. I'll have to give it a look today.

Sounds like it might be worth checking. Since I fixed the duct, I haven't had any issues with unexpected shutoff, and that includes warming the trailer from 30's to 60's on several occasions.
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Old 01-09-2023, 10:14 AM   #5
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Maybe heat strips was an option that I declined. I wonder if I could add them.

Air conditioning, which I use quite a bit, should also benefit from trimming the baffle if it extends too far. I will check one of these days.

I do like the Coleman-Mach unit which I run on low auto. The noise doesn't bother me at all It would be nice to sometimes use it as a heat source instead of using propane.
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Old 01-09-2023, 10:25 AM   #6
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Don’t know, but likely could be added. We seldom run AC, but low auto on the Coleman works well from the standpoint of both cooling and noise. The heat strip works well. The manual says supplemental heat, but into the 20’s we find it’s great heat if we have electricity.
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Old 01-09-2023, 10:49 AM   #7
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I have the Mach 10 but not the heat strip option. The flex duct looks like hugh's. Airflow is excellent blowing from the rear and round vents, but could be better out the front vent (toward sleeping area). Should I also trim the duct? Thanks to all who reply.
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Old 01-09-2023, 06:09 PM   #8
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I have the Mach 10 but not the heat strip option. The flex duct looks like hugh's. Airflow is excellent blowing from the rear and round vents, but could be better out the front vent (toward sleeping area). Should I also trim the duct? Thanks to all who reply.
Both the installation manual ( https://www.airxcel.com/rv/coleman-m...ary?docId=6722 ) and the Airxcel video indicate that the fabric is supposed to be trimmed during installation.

Apart from the restricted airflow potentially causing problems with the heater, having restricted airflow across the evaporator coil in an AC unit puts extra strain on the compressor.

If you're going to fix it yourself, it's actually very easy. The main thing to be aware of is that there is a wiring harness connecting the ceiling assembly to the rest of the AC unit. You'll probably need to either unplug the harness, or have someone hold the ceiling assembly while you trim the fabric.

That said, it's up to you if you'd like to try this yourself or leave it to the professionals.
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Old 01-09-2023, 06:47 PM   #9
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Maybe heat strips was an option that I declined. I wonder if I could add them.

Air conditioning, which I use quite a bit, should also benefit from trimming the baffle if it extends too far. I will check one of these days.

I do like the Coleman-Mach unit which I run on low auto. The noise doesn't bother me at all It would be nice to sometimes use it as a heat source instead of using propane.

The heat strip is definitely something you can add. The cost is around $100. However, you'll need a "heat ready" ceiling assembly to control it. If Escape didn't install the heat strip, they may have installed a "cooling only" ceiling assembly, so you'd need to swap it for a"heat ready" version. The bluetooth "heat ready" version is around $300, and they have the "manual knob" version for around $150.
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Old 01-10-2023, 07:38 AM   #10
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Thanks Hugh
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Old 01-10-2023, 08:06 AM   #11
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Mine checked out fine.

However, I will say the heat strip struggles a bit to raise the camper temp from 35 F to 70 F. Once at temp it is perfect.

I started using the furnace to get it to temp and then switching over to the heat strip to maintain.
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Old 01-10-2023, 08:24 AM   #12
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Mine checked out fine.

However, I will say the heat strip struggles a bit to raise the camper temp from 35 F to 70 F. Once at temp it is perfect.

I started using the furnace to get it to temp and then switching over to the heat strip to maintain.
I wonder if it struggles because your trailer is bigger than ours? Ours warms up fairly fast.
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Old 01-10-2023, 07:22 PM   #13
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I wonder if it struggles because your trailer is bigger than ours? Ours warms up fairly fast.

With my 21C, the heat strip will warm the trailer about 30F above the outside temperature, and not much more. That said, even if it can't completely heat the trailer by itself, running it along with the propane furnace saves a huge amount of propane.
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Old 01-10-2023, 10:01 PM   #14
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Strange. Our heat strip will do at least 50F above outside temps.
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Old 01-11-2023, 07:48 AM   #15
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Strange. Our heat strip will do at least 50F above outside temps.
Same here.
Maybe it could be the problems some are having is with vent adjustment.
Also the filters needed to be cleaned sooner than expected, but I do have pets.
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Old 01-11-2023, 05:53 PM   #16
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As both of you though 30 degrees sounded low, I tried retesting the heater last night to see how warm it would get. It was 32 degrees outside, and the heater got the temperature up to 72 inside the trailer, so that's a 40 degree differential.

That's more in the ballpark of your 50 degree differential.

Last time I tried heating the trailer with just the electric heat it was very windy, so I'm thinking that might have made the difference, especially as the Escape doesn't have much in the way of real insulation.
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Old 01-12-2023, 04:44 AM   #17
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I wonder if it struggles because your trailer is bigger than ours? Ours warms up fairly fast.
This weekend I'm going to pull the interior cover and give it a look.
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Old 01-12-2023, 06:48 AM   #18
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I did not order the heat strip, but opted to carry a little plug in heater for those chilly mornings on the road.....
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Old 01-13-2023, 10:58 AM   #19
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Coleman Mach 10 NDQ

We are in the Q for a 21C this year and was wondering what experience people have had with this AC unit. Quality dependability?
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Old 01-13-2023, 11:42 AM   #20
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October ‘21 E19 with Mach 10 and 130 nights. Not much A/C use, but a lot of heat strip use. It’s heated and cooled fine ands it is much quieter than the Dometic. It does not seem to keep it’s bluetooth connection with my iPhone well.
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