Houghton A3400 install

[gklott]

Originally Posted by Ryanb-72

The Houghton 3400 is installed.

Congratulations, Ryan! Glad to see another Hill Country Texas Escape owner with an installed AC3400.

That's a neat looking hoist stand you used. Know many "AC ready" trailer owners will benefit from your experience with removing the factory vent.

May we all enjoy many years of quiet AC3400 cooling and heating.

73/gus

[sofmerc]

Originally Posted by Ryanb-72

The Houghton 3400 is installed. I wanted to thank everyone here on the forum for the help especially gklott for the detailed write up he provided (I referenced it several times throughout the day). The install went as previously described with one exception. I was not replacing an A/C unit but installing one where the factory vent was installed. The main difference being the factory vent is screwed down from the top with a LOT of screws all covered in Dicor sealant. After taking everything apart from the inside I bent the cross member on the vent until it broke off so I could squeeze through from the bottom side to access the screws on top. I used a small chisel to get under the sealant and then had to peel it back off of each screw. once all the screws were removed I had to use a putty knife to wedge between the gelcoat and sealant to separate the outer vent ring from the shell. A word of caution here, the gel coat is thin, several places it pealed off with the Dicor. Once the vent was finally removed the rest of the install was as previously described and went quite well. So again a BIG THANKS to everyone and if I can answer any questions I would love to help as much as I can.
Ryan

Thanx for this! I'll be doing the same thing next spring, removing stock vent.

[sofmerc]

Sooo, I had my Houghton unit installed this past week.. A friend is manager of a local HVAC biz and had a few techs with a slow afternoon.. Told me to bring it by the next day and they would do the install.. took them about 2 hrs... I asked them if they thought it was oversized for the trailer.. They said no way... I will be doing Florida camping all summer... The reason ETI went with the 13,500 Colemans was from peeps not happy with 11000 Dometics. capacity.. The Coleman was in supply chain hell at the time, so I decided to just get the Houghton.. Pleasnt surprise at the end.. No installation costs.. Just buy a beer for manager.. Happy camper here!

[gklott]

Originally Posted by gklott

Listed the carefully removed Dometic Penguin II described in this thread via the forum classified. $380 OBO, local pickup only. Includes EasyStart 364 (3-ton) Soft Starter installed.

Now offering TWO Dometic A/C units and all parts removed to any Escape owner for FREE, local pick up only.

73/gus

[AuthorSP]

Originally Posted by sofmerc

Sooo, I had my Houghton unit installed this past week..

Hey sofmerc, I was thinking about this for my upcoming 5.0. It looks like you have the same. Did you get the 9500 Houghton, or the 1350? Any reports on cooling, especially in the sleeping area? I'm hoping not to have it constantly cycle.

[sofmerc]

Originally Posted by AuthorSP

Hey sofmerc, I was thinking about this for my upcoming 5.0. It looks like you have the same. Did you get the 9500 Houghton, or the 1350? Any reports on cooling, especially in the sleeping area? I'm hoping not to have it constantly cycle.

I have only been out with my trailer once since the install. I have been away working for the last 5 weeks. No real test yet, sorry'

I see you live in Maine. Unless your going to be summer camping in the deep south, I would get the 9500.

[sofmerc]

Spent my first test of the new Ac system. 4 days at Cedar Key, Fl in June. No shade site. Trailer was cool, quiet and comfortable. 3400 didn't sweat either, stayed on low fan the whole time. I could barely hear the compressor kick on or off..no shuddering or drama noise...

[dcgrout]

I just installed the Houghton 9500 in my 2022 21C. I went with it due to the comments about being lower profile and less noise. I've had it running all day in the Seattle area, got up to about 82 degrees today with full sun (go figure, huh?). The inside is for sure cooler, but not as much as I would have hoped. During the hot point of the day, mid afternoon, the coolest it got inside was about 76, so about 5-7 degrees cooler than the outside. Is that what others are experiencing? It seems it should have a more profound impact on interior temps than just 5-7 degrees.

[gklott]

Originally Posted by dcgrout

During the hot point of the day, mid afternoon, the coolest it got inside was about 76, so about 5-7 degrees cooler than the outside. Is that what others are experiencing? It seems it should have a more profound impact on interior temps than just 5-7 degrees.

It was 102 with bright sun today in the Texas Hill Country. Trailer was 77 degrees inside last time I checked. We have the AC3400, which is a must for Texas summer temps.

73/gus

[gklott]

Originally Posted by sofmerc

Spent my first test of the new Ac system. 4 days at Cedar Key, Fl in June. No shade site. Trailer was cool, quiet and comfortable. 3400 didn't sweat either, stayed on low fan the whole time. I could barely hear the compressor kick on or off..no shuddering or drama noise...

Am so glad the AC3400 is working well for you. We remain delighted with ours.

73/gus

[Tonny LR]

Originally Posted by gklott

I am not sure that will work because of the Dometic thermostat interface unit. You would need to check the Dometic wiring diagrams. We removed the interface unit because the AC mains power also went into that box. See attached image of the Dometic interface unit before removal.

Plus, you would have a hard time finding space for the Dometic interface unit inside the Houghton air distribution box.



The "display" button on the remote turns off the display on the air distribution box. The remote control goes dark after a few seconds. There is no additional light pollution.



Will try that when we get home.

73/gus

Hello 73/gus,
Thank you for sharing the RP AC3400 13.5K installation details. I plan to install the same AC as you have. The temperature in Little Rock AR has been above 100F the past few weeks. My noisy Dometic 1100 BTU had been running constantly to keep the trailer cool when we camp. May I ask you a few questions of installation and wiring please:
1. Wiring for Furnace Thermostat. I plan to install a Honeywell Home Thermostat TH1100DV 1000 Pro Digital 2 wire. After I unplug/disconnect 2 red wires (daisy chain), a black wire and 2 blue wires from the Dometic thermostat interface unit, how do you re-connect these wires to make the thermostat work. I know these wires go to Sail switch, high-limit switch and gas valve. I plan to use Wago connectors for AC main power.
2. Clearance needed for RP AC 3400 installation: I have a solar panel mounted in the front between Dometic AC and Maxx fan. There is a 5-inch gap between the raised part of trailer roof and solar panel. Is there enough clearance for the RP3400 AC installation?
3. Any special tips would be greatly appreciated.

Tonny LR

[gklott]

Originally Posted by Tonny LR

1. Wiring for Furnace Thermostat. I plan to install a Honeywell Home Thermostat TH1100DV 1000 Pro Digital 2 wire. After I unplug/disconnect 2 red wires (daisy chain), a black wire and 2 blue wires from the Dometic thermostat interface unit, how do you re-connect these wires to make the thermostat work. I know these wires go to Sail switch, high-limit switch and gas valve. I plan to use Wago connectors for AC main power.

I am not familiar with that thermostat.

The two (light) blue wires go to the furnace. One is at +12V DC. The furnace thermostat connects these two wires to turn on.

I had a small gray cable with one red and one black wire from the Dometic interface unit that ran to the old Dometic thermostat. I connected the +12V blue wire to red and the other blue wire to black. I connected these two wires to my LuxPro Digital 2 Wire Heat Only Thermostat mounted where the old Dometic thermostat was.

Originally Posted by Tonny LR

2. Clearance needed for RP AC 3400 installation: I have a solar panel mounted in the front between Dometic AC and Maxx fan. There is a 5-inch gap between the raised part of trailer roof and solar panel. Is there enough clearance for the RP3400 AC installation?

My solar panels are forward of the MaxFan and behind the old Dometic AC. Am not familiar with a panel mounted just before the Dometic AC and behind the MaxFan. Recommend looking at several of the images I put in the threads that show the mounting location and clearances. You will see how much the Houghton hangs forward off the raised part of the trailer roof.

Other advice: Take your time, work safely, and thoroughly check each step as you complete it.

73/gus

[Tonny LR]

Originally Posted by gklott

I am not familiar with that thermostat.

The two (light) blue wires go to the furnace. One is at +12V DC. The furnace thermostat connects these two wires to turn on.

I had a small gray cable with one red and one black wire from the Dometic interface unit that ran to the old Dometic thermostat. I connected the +12V blue wire to red and the other blue wire to black. I connected these two wires to my LuxPro Digital 2 Wire Heat Only Thermostat mounted where the old Dometic thermostat was.

I will use a multi-meter to identify which blue wire is positive 12 V and connect it to the red wire correctly. You answer is helpful. Thanks

My solar panels are forward of the MaxFan and behind the old Dometic AC. Am not familiar with a panel mounted just before the Dometic AC and behind the MaxFan. Recommend looking at several of the images I put in the threads that show the mounting location and clearances. You will see how much the Houghton hangs forward off the raised part of the trailer roof.

I will research to find out see how much the Houghton hangs forward off the raised part of the trailer roof. Thanks again.

Tonny LR

[FishBioGirl]

Hi all! I have been reading through the thread as my Dometic AC unit is dead. I am looking at the Houghton units. I live in SoCal and hot temps definitely require AC to sleep. What is the pro of having the heat pump on the AC unit? i.e., the AC3400 versus the AC3501??

[cpaharley2008]

Heat pump gives you a "heat" option other than your furnace.

[Rockhead]

One thing is if you have full hookups you save on propane usage

[Iowa Dave]

We do not have the heat strip on our AC. However I will note that of those who have commented on it over the years, I don’t remember anyone saying they didn’t like it. Liked it, or didn’t use it but none with “tried it and did not like it”. We use a portable electric heater that we always have along if we have hookups. Once in a while we will use the furnace to bring the temp up and then let the portable maintain. If you’re into managing costs, the comment on not using your own propane is valid for sure. My brother has the electric Weber Q that he uses all the time, even at home. Like us, he has a solar array and the output he has sized covers all of his electrical needs. No charcoal and no propane for him.
Iowa Dave

[cpaharley2008]

I remember having a new home in 1970's that had an electric heat pump "heating" system. I called it cold heat due from being raised from a home with radiators for heat. I'm sure they have made improvements. My current home has in floor radiant heat. Hot water pipes are encased in gravel which transfer the heat to the hardwood floors. The pets love sleeping on the floors when it is operating.

[gklott]

Originally Posted by FishBioGirl

Hi all! I have been reading through the thread as my Dometic AC unit is dead. I am looking at the Houghton units. I live in SoCal and hot temps definitely require AC to sleep. What is the pro of having the heat pump on the AC unit? i.e., the AC3400 versus the AC3501??

The AC3400 is the lower profile at 9", and the AC3501 is higher profile at 13-11/16".

Both units are 13,500 BTU and have the same operating amperage. The AC3501 Energy Efficiency Rating (EER) is 10.38, and the AC3400 EER is 9.8. That's not much of any real difference you'd notice in your electricity use.

The AC3501 advertised sound levels are (decibels) Indoor High speed: 59.7; Indoor Low speed: 55.4; Outdoor: 71.9. The AC3400 advertised sound levels are: Indoor High speed: 56 decibels; Indoor Low speed: 47 decibels; Outdoor: 67 decibels. If advertised is true, the AC3400 is significantly more quiet. We find our AC3400 to be the most quiet, roof-mounted, non-ducted RV air conditioner we've ever experienced. Since you mention sleep, this may be the difference for you.

Other than that, everyone else mentioned that the AC3400 can heat. However, we do not use it for heating. Instead, we use a small electric space heater, which has worked well for us down to 19ºF.

The AC3501 AC is $900, and the AC3400 heat pump is $1500.

We like our AC3400. It's running today keeping our E19 at 76ºF with an outside temp 101ºF.

73/gus

[gklott]

Originally Posted by Ryanb-72

The Houghton 3400 is installed.

How's your AC3400 handling our Texas hot summer? Ours is handling it without any issues, even with daily temps > 100ºF.

Would like to hear more on how Escape owners are finding with the Houghton units in operation.

73/gus