Home installing roof A/C

[gbaglo]

They don't install fiber optic, just in case, either.

[MyronL]

So we are maybe back to the basic issue, which is, ...can I snake them extra wires down to the wall thermostat which I would then replace with a digital one, and have the unit coordinated with the furnace. OK. (Assuming this isn't stuff higher than my pay grade.)

[MarksAlot]

After reading all of this thread, i remember reading some other posts on the A/C option and installing after delivery. The digital thermostat is a pricy option too at $150 in the 19, but i ordered mine with both.

I like to tinker, but this is a large project that is better left to be professionally installed. Installing it yourself is one thing.
Getting it to work properly is another. Getting it working properly, consistantly AND under the A/C manufacturer's warranty is another thing entirely. Too often, you can buy and install a unit yourself, but if you have any issues, you may not have the manufacturer's support.

[Vermilye]

I've done a bit of "snaking" of wires in my 17, including adding a ceiling light, and no matter what they charge, I'd have Escape pre run the thermostat wiring to the AC if there is any chance you are going to add the dual thermostat. Getting a wire across the ceiling is tough, and fishing behind the side walls is as well.

[gbaglo]

Informative post over on FGRV regarding digital thermostats.

Digital Heater Thermostat? - Fiberglass RV

NEVER MIND...

[Viajante]

MyronL,

I have a 2010 "AC ready". I removed the trim piece, easy to remove and reinstall. The 110v wire is there, ready for installation. I'd bet yours is the same. If your trailer roof reinforcement is the same as mine, on the outside of the roof you will see a raised channel leading to the a/c vent. The power connection runs through that channel. If you are going to snake a line it is possible that it will go will go down that channel.

[MyronL]

Good heads up, thanks, Viaj. (Speaking humbly)... what I have learned over the years is this: things put together with a time line/deadline on the line, are done faster than ever. Assembly needs to be smarter, cheaper, so it is more profitable. They don't screw things together like they used to, they snap 'em into place. They don't solder individual components, they print motherboards. Plug it and play it.

Knowing where the snaps are, or how steep the trail to disassembly is, is key.

Forgive this long-winded example: My '92 Explorer blew out its heater core. The mechanic shook his head and told me it was a six hundred dollar repair because Ford buried that heater core deep behind the dashboard, making accessibility labor intensive. He graciously lifted the hood to detour hoses so i could get home. After I got a couple more similar assessments I went online, found out you open the glove box, snap out a bezel, take out 3 screws, exposing the heater core, then with pliers on the other side of the firewall you pull off the 2 hoses and wallah! old core comes out, new goes in, 20 minutes have passed and the job is done.

Moral of story: I don't give a hoo-hah if it looks like brain surgery, often it aint. Of course now, my beloved brother in law wouldn't know which end of a hammer is the business end, sooo...

PS: re-read paragraph 2.

[Jrn56]

I am a little disappointed that ETI doesn't add key options like the digital thermostat when they start installing them for other customers. On key appliances like AC they should at least mention them even if it is not on their web site yet. I followed the forum up until the day we finalized our build sheet last Sept and the only digital thermostat that people talked about was after purchase options. It would have been very easy to add the wiring and I definitely would have paid for the option. A trailer hatched right beside ours had the digital thermostat installed but how would someone find out about this? It is still not listed as an option and it seems to be a popular option. I asked Reace about adding it now and he didn't think it could be done. Ok, I am done venting.

[gbaglo]

My turn to vent. Have you heard that somebody is having a margarita maker built into their fridge?
Seems to me that Escape already goes the extra mile.

[Jim Bennett]

Yeah, there is no way they could possibly list as an option, all of the features they have built into their trailers over the years. These thermostats are a relatively new feature to them. As things consistently gain popularity, and are a reasonable request (option), then they most certainly would. I would bet they have installed maybe a handful of dual purpose thermostats to date. As they see the requests for this feature increase, I would also bet you will see it listed as an option.

I fully believe they are doing everything possible to do what they can to provide what people want. I challenge anyone to go to any other trailer manufacturer, including big names like Airstream, and see if they offer, or would even consider, the many modifications and options that Escape does.

Done venting now myself.

[Jrn56]

I guess it am not done venting.

My point was that even before these things are listed as an option they could be discussed with the customer. If Reace is already installing the option then Tammy and Kim probably know about this. I don't think you should have to rely on an Internet forum to get all the facts about a custom build.
Glenn, I don't think an optional blender is a good analogy. Heating and AC are key components of a travel trailer.
Ok, now I am done venting. . maybe .....

[cpaharley2008]

I had requested the digital thermostat back in my 2012 Quahog build and believe there was some discussion back then. RV heating, refrigeration and air conditioning, like computers and other electronic are constantly changing and improving. Reace was having some issues getting Dometic refrigerators and contemplated changing suppliers. Then Dometic came out with some new models. I believe I may have been the first one with the polar cub, why, because I asked. With the polar cub I requested the digital thermostat. It turns out ETI could not matchup the polar cub and the Dometic thermostat, but my 2012 had the digital thermostat for the furnace. Again something I asked for. when ordering my 2014 last year, I knew that the polar cub was no longer being offered and Reace said yes the digital can now do both the a/c and furnace, something I asked for.
I am a member over on FRRV and have owned 7 trailers in 6 years, the last 4 with digital thermostats, some I installed, some were factory. Being active on the forums and reading other posts can give you an insight as to what to ask for and what you can do your self. Again if you had asked for the digital or read about it in my posts or on other threads, the answer was there. These forums are a great source of information, but they also take a great deal of time to read and post. Donna has over 18,000 posts over on FGRV and Jim B and myself are in the 3,000 here and I have over 5,000 over there. It is a learning experience and you can not learn everything in one year, time will grant you that.

[Jubal]

In the interest of prospective buyers it would be advantageous to sticky a list of options that ETI has done or is currently willing to do.

[tractors1]

I'm good with a listing of basic options; customization will always require interaction with the customer as trying to list every possible option will result in a bunch of conflicting possibilities. Part of the fun is figuring out what you really really want vs a punch list.

[Jim Bennett]

Originally Posted by Jubal

In the interest of prospective buyers it would be advantageous to sticky a list of options that ETI has done or is currently willing to do.

I think this list is something that Reace would have to do up, and it would be a list that is constantly changing.

There are things he did for my trailer, and likely others, he is no longer willing to do, and have no doubt decisions made for the right reasons. Just as with new things that come along, if he can do them and stand behind the work, I would bet he would incorporate them.

Doing custom work myself, I fully understand the situation he is in. There is no way he can keep up to every possible new component, or process, used in building RVs, nor could he possibly list all that he could or would do. I think it is best that folks ask whether or not he would do something, and have faith in the fact that if he says no, it is likely not the best way to go.

[Jim Bennett]

Originally Posted by tractors1

I'm good with a listing of basic options; customization will always require interaction with the customer as trying to list every possible option will result in a bunch of conflicting possibilities. Part of the fun is figuring out what you really really want vs a punch list.

Yeah, this is what I was trying to say.

[Dave Walter]

Originally Posted by Jim Bennett

I think this list is something that Reace would have to do up, and it would be a list that is constantly changing.

There are things he did for my trailer, and likely others, he is no longer willing to do, and have no doubt decisions made for the right reasons. Just as with new things that come along, if he can do them and stand behind the work, I would bet he would incorporate them.

Doing custom work myself, I fully understand the situation he is in. There is no way he can keep up to every possible new component, or process, used in building RVs, nor could he possibly list all that he could or would do. I think it is best that folks ask whether or not he would do something, and have faith in the fact that if he says no, it is likely not the best way to go.

A good example is the locating of batteries inside the front dinette in the 19'. When I bought my 19', this practice was still done. New 19' trailers now must have the batteries in the front storage box or on the front frame if no box is present.

By the way, the option list on the Escape website is about twice as long now as it was a year ago when we bought ours. Escape is definitely updating things on a regular basis.

[cpaharley2008]

We may be missing a very important fact, the fact the ETI offers a custom option list, in a way spoils us. Very few, if any other rv manufacturers offer an option list. Airstreams do not, Casita nor Scamp do. You take what they build, nothing else. No additional 12v or 120 outlets, no movement of outlets, no adding shelves, no deleting a/c, no adding windows, nothing, -0- can be changed, even on a $80,000 Airstream.

[cpaharley2008]

Now back to our originally scheduled broadcasting…..

[MyronL]

CP's right: Ranting's fun but lets get real. If I'm managing a company, selling an admitted great product I conceived of, developed and have risked building, in a volatile, continuously expanding and contracting economy, where untamed productions costs could bog down a smoothly running operation, I've got better things to do than sit down and make a dumb list of all the modifications I have ever agreed to.

My only obligation to a potential customer is agreeing to changes that meld seamlessly with production. All other things would make me smile at Mister Hairbrain and think, kiss my---oh, never mind... ranting again.