TrueAir central air system

rdalcanto · 09-01-2008, 01:21 PM

What is the verdict? The Winnebago salesmen rave about them. Salesmen from the competition talk about them as a negative. Better than roof air units? Reliability? Noise?

Thanks!

rdalcanto · 09-01-2008, 01:21 PM

What is the verdict? The Winnebago salesmen rave about them. Salesmen from the competition talk about them as a negative. Better than roof air units? Reliability? Noise?

Thanks!

UFO Pilot · 09-01-2008, 01:39 PM

We are very happy with our TrueAir Central Air System. It has cooled very well so far and it is a whole lot quieter than our previous Coach with 2 roof AC's.

lthrnk · 09-01-2008, 01:54 PM

We love it. Easy operatio with little to no maintenance. Change one filter every week or two, depending on use, keep the outside radiator cleaned off, and that's it. We have been in some pretty hot places and haven't had a problem with being comfortable, day or night.

The noise is minimal and not a problem.

lthrnk · 09-01-2008, 01:55 PM

Mean't to add "never listen to a salesman"

dstinch · 09-01-2008, 02:30 PM

Another A+ from us. Love it! Don

jdsr · 09-01-2008, 03:02 PM

I will tell you this, their customer ser is second to none from rv products.

SteveG · 09-01-2008, 03:31 PM

I am thinking it boils down to where you want to hear the A/C noise. We sleep over our A/C units. Doesn't seem to bother us in the least; in fact it is a kind of white noise. We do not like noise in the main living areas. So there is less noise then most of the overhead units. I say most, because I have heard some quiet overhead units that are ducted returns. So if I were to trade units, with my present experience, I would spend a little quiet time aboard to see if the A/C system, whichever design, is something you can live with. And there is a storage trade off as the basement units use storage space. We are OK with our basement storage so that is not a problem for us. Good luck with your analysis. SteveG

John_Canfield · 09-01-2008, 03:56 PM

This has been kicked around for years in all of the RV forums. We like ours, but we've never had roof air. I think there are advantages of having a single unit (but two compressors) - one control board to run the entire shebang. I also like the weight low and the unit accessible from the ground.

For me, roof vs. basement air is a secondary factor in coach shopping attributes - it's not a deal maker or a deal breaker.

porscheracer · 09-01-2008, 04:18 PM

Having had pretty much everything - single non-ducted roof, single ducted roof, twin ducted roof, and TrueAir - each has its advantages.

Non-ducted air's only advantage is cost. All roof air units are noisier than the True-Air, except if the compressor noise under the bedroom bothers you. I look at it as white noise - handy when the drag races run until 1AM.

The TrueAir does use a large-ish bay's worth of storage space, but keeps the weight down low. TrueAir is not a deal breaker or maker - but non-ducted air IS.

I also like the heat pump function of the TrueAir - and admitedly some roof units have it. I don't like having to use propane to heat when I'm already paying the campground for electricity.

rv rick · 09-01-2008, 04:21 PM

We have had both roof and basement and I much prefer the basement. Much easier to maintain (filters for example) and I think it is more efficient.

One big consideration -- we recently were at a rally with 30 amp service. We could run our AC (both compressors) with no problem. Our friend with 3 roof airs could run only one at a time -- he cooked. I think the basement AC with the Winnebago load management system is a real winner.

David K · 09-01-2008, 04:39 PM

I prefer the basement air --- the noise under the bed does not bother me as others have said. Also, the condensation from the air conditioner is run onto the ground not on the roof as some of the roof units do. As RV Rick said in his last post, the air (both conpressors work fine with a 30 amp breaker setup -- I don't think you can run dual roof airs with just 30 amps.

autofish · 09-01-2008, 05:16 PM

Have had both roof air and basement air of the 2 I like the basement best. Have use 2001 Harizon since new 50k miles and 8 years old and not a single problem with a/c or heat pump. Stay in tenps from 13f to 112f. Love the basement a/c heatpump.

GG1 · 09-02-2008, 03:15 AM

I have had both also, I would look at the coach as long as system had the heat pump combined go for the manfacturer you prefer, as long as the company had a good solid reputation.

Randy Chesnutt · 09-02-2008, 03:30 AM

I'm very happy with my TrueAir. On mine it vibrerated the coach when it run. what I did was put anti vibration rubber, between the frame that it set on and the unite. Now you cann't tell when it's running.

afrank1971 · 09-02-2008, 04:49 AM

Have had both as well, can't say one is definately better than the other. As others have stated, both have their advantages. For me, the basement air was quite noisy in the bedroom, but quieter in the living area than the roof airs. But neither were deal breakers, generally they're both sufficiently quiet. The basement air condensation is nicer as it doesn't leak off the roof, which can be quite annoying if it's leaking just over the compartment you need to get in to. On the other hand, if you dry camp in the dirt much like we do, the basement air can kick up quite a dust cloud when it's running. Again, goods and bads to both. Good luck.
Alan

Duner · 09-02-2008, 04:57 AM

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Randy Chesnutt:
I'm very happy with my TrueAir. On mine it vibrerated the coach when it run. what I did was put anti vibration rubber, between the frame that it set on and the unite. Now you can't tell when it's running. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
Randy,
I see your rig is 2004, same as mine. You shouldn't have any noticeable vibration at all. I suspect you have an outdoor blower squirrel cage that is out of balance. See this posting I made about the old metal squirrel cage and blower bearings.

rdcanto,
Regarding roof vs basement, the bigger '09 Winnies now have 26K btu for more cooling using the same 23-24 amps power draw. The smaller models still get the 24K btu unit.

bellsharbor · 09-02-2008, 06:01 AM

This is our first basement air/heat pump unit in 5 motorhomes. We sure like it. No problems so far--knock on wood! One of our roof top units, in previous motorhmes, started on fire (recall), two leaked condensation and one went from cool to heat, by itself, in 100 degree temps. This is a very quiet unit and as said before--runs fine on 30 amps. It's a yes vote from us!

PS We love RV Salesmen!!

Randy Chesnutt · 09-02-2008, 09:15 AM

Bill, The fan is okay. It,s the normal running of the unit.As you know the unit sets on a steel frame that's bolted to the chassic and the unit has a vibration in them when running and you can feel that vibration. Which is not much.Alot do not know that the unit is not bolted down, that's it just sets in the frame. After having this one,I don'nt want no more roof airs.