Houghton AC for 5.0 TA

[dcavit]

Would be nice to hear from someone who has installed a Houghton and any problems or modifications required to do so. Looking to install a 13500 BTU on my 5.0. From all the data I can find, should be no problem to install.

[kavm]

Originally Posted by dcavit

Would be nice to hear from someone who has installed a Houghton and any problems or modifications required to do so. Looking to install a 13500 BTU on my 5.0. From all the data I can find, should be no problem to install.

We will most likely be behind you as we want to install the 9500 BTU unit which is out of stock… So, look forward to reading your experience.

[ocala guy]

Kavm, you are correct. I looked at the wrong specs. You need 3 inches for the ducted model. Sorry for the bad info and thanks for the correction.

[kavm]

No worries! That’s what I figured.

[sameo416]

Just running our Coleman on a 5.0 for the first time and were surprised how quiet it is on cool low. No problem carrying on a conversation from one end to the other without raising voices.

We were fortunate as was not supposed to be available but Escape received a shipment. No soft start but I suspect watching the load cycling that it may still work with our Honda 2200. Will test that at home next week.

[Galen]

I want to mention that the larger BTU air conditioners are not always better. The Escape trailers are small, so you should size the air conditioner to the area you want to cool. In a hot humid climate too big of an air conditioner will cycle on and off continuously. It can freeze you out, but won’t run long enough to reduce the humidity inside the trailer.

[sofmerc]

I keep hearing that but would hate to find out the 9500 btu would be anemic in the southern states in the heat of mid summer. If ETI offers 11000 BTU and 13500 BTU (for a while anyway), do you think 9500 would be enough?...... Easy for people who only need it a few days per year...

I think some units have been installed in several trailers but not used extensively yet.

[uthorns]

We have the 13,500 BTU in our 5.0 and I’m extremely happy with it. In the southern states it gets so hot no way is it too much AC. It’s not even hot yet and neither does it freeze us out or cycle too much. In a 21 or 19 that may be different but no way would I do 9500 BTU in Texas. I think we all have to look at the areas we camp in and plan accordingly. I don’t give heating or condensation advice because it just doesn’t apply to my area and in turn I wouldn’t take cooling advice for southern states from anyone in the northern climates. They just can’t understand how hot it is here without humidity.

[sofmerc]

Originally Posted by uthorns

We have the 13,500 BTU in our 5.0 and I’m extremely happy with it. In the southern states it gets so hot no way is it too much AC. It’s not even hot yet and neither does it freeze us out or cycle too much. In a 21 or 19 that may be different but no way would I do 9500 BTU in Texas. I think we all have to look at the areas we camp in and plan accordingly. I don’t give heating or condensation advice because it just doesn’t apply to my area and in turn I wouldn’t take cooling advice for southern states from anyone in the northern climates. They just can’t understand how hot it is here without humidity.

That is my thinking as well! If it "cycles" can't a low setting compensate?

Fiberglass is a horrible material for thermal insulation. The cabinets and insulated liner material help but...

[Ryanb-72]

I Just purchased over the weekend a 13500 RecPro low profile unit. We are in line for a 21C with a September delivery date. They were having a Memorial Day Sale and I was still able to use an online discount code for another 5% off. I believe it ended up being cheaper than the Mach 10 NDQ through ETI. Of course I will get to provide the labor to install. I confirmed with ETI several weeks ago that the trailer is pre-wired for AC.
Our family generally prefers to be outside but in the heat of the Texas summer it is often necessary to retreat to the shelter of an air conditioned environment until the sun begins to fade. There were several trips with our previous trailer ( Jayco with 13500 BTU AC ) we would attempt to retreat for the afternoon only to discover the trailer was still in the 80s.
So I feel pretty confident, down here at least, it should be a good fit for us. I will try to update through the process for anyone else interested.
Ryan

[sofmerc]

Same plan here...except I didn't purchase on the weekend sale...

[Ryanb-72]

Originally Posted by sofmerc

Same plan here...except I didn't purchase on the weekend sale...

Not sure if you have room to store the unit or are ready to buy but the sale did save $200.00. May be worth a call to RecPro to see if they would honor the sale a few days late?

[uthorns]

Does the RecPro unit have a high cool/low cool setting? We use that feature a lot. Also, we have the heat strip and since the Coleman runs so quiet we’ve only used the furnace one time just to see if it worked.

Jimmy

[Ryanb-72]

Originally Posted by uthorns

Does the RecPro unit have a high cool/low cool setting? We use that feature a lot. Also, we have the heat strip and since the Coleman runs so quiet we’ve only used the furnace one time just to see if it worked.

Jimmy

Good question! I just assumed it had two as all the RV AC units I have ever seen always had two. I just called RecPro and verified it does have a High and Low cool setting. The heat pump feature however only has one.
Ryan

[sofmerc]

Originally Posted by Ryanb-72

Not sure if you have room to store the unit or are ready to buy but the sale did save $200.00. May be worth a call to RecPro to see if they would honor the sale a few days late?

I have room to store it . I didn't want it sitting for almost a year burning the warrantee time. I am hoping there will be an off season sale around Christmas or so. My buddy just installed one in his Mercedes camber van. He said it was simple and straight forward. He used a forklift to hold the unit.

[Greatboatz3]

Originally Posted by Ryanb-72

I Just purchased over the weekend a 13500 RecPro low profile unit. We are in line for a 21C with a September delivery date. They were having a Memorial Day Sale and I was still able to use an online discount code for another 5% off.
Ryan

Hi Ryan, I have a 21 C on order for early August. I had hoped to get a Coleman Mach 10 but deleted AC from my build sheet once they were no longer available. I am interested in both the RecPro 9500K and the 13500K models. My concern with the 13500K model Is the length. I have been asking ETI to provide me with the length of the 21C raised roof area and the distance from the aft end of the 14" wide vent opening to the aft end of the raised roof. I had sent Melisa a sketch about 2 weeks ago and she just got back to me.

The overall length of the raised roof is 35" and the distance from the aft end of the vent opening to the back of the raised roof is 19". I haven't asked RecPro for their dimensions but I scaled their drawings and my best guestimate on the 13500k is that it is 23 3/4 inches from the aft mounting holes to the end of the unit. I know that the AC can have some overhang but I don't know the location or length of the foam support pads on the unit. I also don't know if anyone has mounted the 13500k model on a 21C. I am picking my trailer in Sumas and have lined up a RV repair shop to have the AC shipped to and installed by in Bellingham. Driving 3000 miles to NC without AC is in August is not an option.
I will give RecPro a call tomorrow. If you have any other information it would be greatly appreciated.

Jim A.

[Ryanb-72]

Originally Posted by Greatboatz3

Hi Ryan, I have a 21 C on order for early August. I had hoped to get a Coleman Mach 10 but deleted AC from my build sheet once they were no longer available. I am interested in both the RecPro 9500K and the 13500K models. My concern with the 13500K model Is the length. I have been asking ETI to provide me with the length of the 21C raised roof area and the distance from the aft end of the 14" wide vent opening to the aft end of the raised roof. I had sent Melisa a sketch about 2 weeks ago and she just got back to me.

The overall length of the raised roof is 35" and the distance from the aft end of the vent opening to the back of the raised roof is 19". I haven't asked RecPro for their dimensions but I scaled their drawings and my best guestimate on the 13500k is that it is 23 3/4 inches from the aft mounting holes to the end of the unit. I know that the AC can have some overhang but I don't know the location or length of the foam support pads on the unit. I also don't know if anyone has mounted the 13500k model on a 21C. I am picking my trailer in Sumas and have lined up a RV repair shop to have the AC shipped to and installed by in Bellingham. Driving 3000 miles to NC without AC is in August is not an option.
I will give RecPro a call tomorrow. If you have any other information it would be greatly appreciated.

Jim A.

Jim,

Sorry not much more information. Calling RecPro tomorrow is probably your best bet. Seems like I have seen a picture or two of the unit installed with a slight overhang. If I remember correctly there was several contact points on the unit.
According to the FedEx tracking it should be here Monday the 7th. If there is still any question I can certainly unbox it and snap a few pictures for you.

Ryan

[Greatboatz3]

Originally Posted by Ryanb-72

Jim,

Sorry not much more information. Calling RecPro tomorrow is probably your best bet. Seems like I have seen a picture or two of the unit installed with a slight overhang. If I remember correctly there was several contact points on the unit.
According to the FedEx tracking it should be here Monday the 7th. If there is still any question I can certainly unbox it and snap a few pictures for you.

Ryan

Ryan, that would be awesome. What would be most helpful is the distance from the aft mounting holes to the front and back of the aft foam supports and for my curiosity what is the actual dimension from the aft holes to the back of the unit along the unit's bottom.
Best of luck with your trailer and the install when the time comes.

JIm A.

[hrewer]

Sorry to not be chiming in sooner. We put the 13.5 in our 17B and I would expect that the larger trailers would have no problem. The only alteration was that we needed to shim the inside faceplate because of the curve of the inside ceiling. This might not need to be done on a wider trailer. We have used the heating element and everything rode well on our trip from Southern California to Utah. Both cooling and heating are very quiet. We were planning to camp in the Central Valley this weekend, giving a good workout to the air conditioner but medical issues have caused us to cancel that trip. We're very happy because it is so much quieter and I will be able to sleep with it on. Kim

[Buzz505]

We have ordered the Coleman Mach 10 with easy start. The sound level appears to be low and the easy start will help when we boondock. AC is a must except when we will be at the Oregon coast.