Am getting a new van and was going to go with the new Dometic Harrier air cond as I cant stand noisy air conds but after reading the negative comments I wont be doing that.
Can anyone suggest which domestic split system is the best for a van - I imagine Daikin, Fujitsu or Mitsubishi would be the pick but open to suggestions. Van builders may not like the idea so I will just keep knocking on doors.
Cheers,
Raffa
Warren-Pat_01 said
11:21 AM Oct 22, 2020
Hi Raffa,
Firstly welcome to this forum.
One major consideration that all of us have whether buying new or secondhand is weight. W E I G H T!
Yes we all see the odd domestic air conditioner hanging off caravans in our travels but how long they stay there without wrecking the van, how long they last, is anyone's guess. Are you getting a pop-top or normal van? Where will you be travelling to? What sort of roads will you stay on?
Domestic air conditioners are NOT designed to be attached to caravans, are too big, too heavy & I wonder about how the warranty will go - the unit being used in a situation it's not intended to be.
I have a pop-top with a split "caravan" system (Heron) - inside it's very quiet although my bed rumbles a bit on start up, outside it's a bit noisy. Most new ontop air conditioners are compact, very quiet. You cannot hear them running from inside.
Give up on the domestic idea & have a good look around. Visit caravan parks, ask questions of the owners.
Possum3 said
11:28 AM Oct 22, 2020
Welcome Raffa; Whilst our van does have air conditioning we would normally only use it on the hottest of days maybe 7 - 10 days a year for brief periods. Consider you travel plans and attempt to follow comfortable weather/temperatures, to see if you actually really need any airconditioning. More important in my mind is ensuring finest mesh on door and window screens keeping out these new breed of black buggars of insects (what a pain in the R'ss they are).
mike g g said
02:31 PM Oct 22, 2020
Hi Raffa We have just had a new dometic fitted very efficient heat or cool and also very quite it has replaced our old unit which was hail damaged ,we don't use it a lot but it's very handy ,weight from memory was about 46kg and it's quite low profile and no problems with it been on about 18 mths now, also has a remote controller which is very handy,we also carry a small fan for use at night.i think you would be happy with it Mike G.
Warren-Pat_01 said
03:15 PM Oct 22, 2020
Again Raffa - if you need an airconditioner fitted, get it fitted before it leaves the factory as the weight will be included in the Tare weight.
If you make a habit of coming up my way & further in the "wet season", you'll need one. If only in hot, dry areas, you might get away with smaller, cheaper evaporative units.
TheHeaths said
07:57 PM Oct 23, 2020
Raffa,
quite a lot of people have moved to domestic air conditioners for a variety of reasons. Most appear to be happy, and they do seem to win on both noise level, and power usage grounds.
The only comment I will make is that you may struggle to find a caravan manufacturer who will install one. Certainly the volume builders such as Jayco, Millard, Coromal etc, will probably not do it, so it is likely you will need to buy from a custom builder who will be quite a bit more expensive for your van.
Firstly welcome to this forum.
One major consideration that all of us have whether buying new or secondhand is weight. W E I G H T!
Yes we all see the odd domestic air conditioner hanging off caravans in our travels but how long they stay there without wrecking the van, how long they last, is anyone's guess. Are you getting a pop-top or normal van? Where will you be travelling to? What sort of roads will you stay on?
Domestic air conditioners are NOT designed to be attached to caravans, are too big, too heavy & I wonder about how the warranty will go - the unit being used in a situation it's not intended to be.
I have a pop-top with a split "caravan" system (Heron) - inside it's very quiet although my bed rumbles a bit on start up, outside it's a bit noisy. Most new ontop air conditioners are compact, very quiet. You cannot hear them running from inside.
Give up on the domestic idea & have a good look around. Visit caravan parks, ask questions of the owners.
If you make a habit of coming up my way & further in the "wet season", you'll need one. If only in hot, dry areas, you might get away with smaller, cheaper evaporative units.
quite a lot of people have moved to domestic air conditioners for a variety of reasons. Most appear to be happy, and they do seem to win on both noise level, and power usage grounds.
The only comment I will make is that you may struggle to find a caravan manufacturer who will install one. Certainly the volume builders such as Jayco, Millard, Coromal etc, will probably not do it, so it is likely you will need to buy from a custom builder who will be quite a bit more expensive for your van.
Good Luck with the search anyway.