GE air conditioners for RVs?

[Kirk W]

I just became aware that GE now sells an air conditioner for RVs and was wondering when that began and does anyone have experience with them? Anything else you might think of ....

[johnpeters]

I have a RecPro AC, it also great. It’s among the quietest air conditioners around for RVs while remaining ultra-effective. An advantage would be its ability to use fewer amps than you expect from a 13,500 BTU model.

Edited October 31, 2021 by johnpeters

[Kirk W]

37 minutes ago, johnpeters said:

I have a RecPro AC,

Do you  know who actually builds it? In looking at the RecPro website, it looks like they are the new Walmart for RV's. As such I doubt that they manufacture much, if anything. What grabs my interest the most is their 12V RV air conditioner, but they seem to sell everything.

[Ray,IN]

Boy they are proud of that puppy.  I wonder about the maximum current of 100A statement.

[vermilye]

I believe the Houghton ACs sold & installed by RecPro are made in Australia, although a modified version using 120V (Australia uses 240V).  

By the way, if you are replacing a Dometic AC that uses a combined AC & furnace thermostat, you will need to change the thermostat - the Houghton had the temperature controls on the AC and is not compatible with the electronics used by Dometic.

[Ray,IN]

6 hours ago, vermilye said:

I believe the Houghton ACs sold & installed by RecPro are made in Australia, although a modified version using 120V (Australia uses 240V).  

By the way, if you are replacing a Dometic AC that uses a combined AC & furnace thermostat, you will need to change the thermostat - the Houghton had the temperature controls on the AC and is not compatible with the electronics used by Dometic.

This particular model says it is 12VDC. Their statement about 100 amp draw still intrigues me.

[Dutch_12078]

12 minutes ago, Ray,IN said:

This particular model says it is 12VDC. Their statement about 100 amp draw still intrigues me.

100 amps max at 12-volts is 1,200 watts. The 120-volt equivalent would be 10 amps, not bad since a typical 15,000 Btu/Hr RV A/C draws ~12-13 starting amps. The RecPro is rated at 20,000 Btu/Hr.

[Kirk W]

I am wondering if there is any way to connect BTUs of cooling capacity to watts of power consumed? 1 BTU is equal to 0.293 watts, but I don't believe that would convert to air conditioner power??? 

Where is Old John, the resident electrical engineer? 

[Ray,IN]

This converter shows watts to btu per hour.  1200 Watt = 4094.56996 BTU/Hour (international), but I don't know what that means.

[Kirk W]

9 minutes ago, Ray,IN said:

1200 Watt = 4094.56996 BTU/Hour

That figures out to the same as I found, but I don't think that relates to power requirements for an air compressor. BTU is heat and heat is a form of energy. The only connection to effieiency for air conditioners that I know of is EER and SEER ratings. I have done a lot of searching but can find noting of the sort for RV air conditioners.

1200 watts / 4094.56996 = 0.29307107 watts per BTU

[Dutch_12078]

Btu/H is a measure of heat output over time and has no direct correlation to the input power used to generate that output. The efficiency of the motor, compressor, and related components determine that factor.

Edited November 2, 2021 by Dutch_12078

[GlennWest]

They are interesting to say the least. I have to compare to mini splits and they don't impress me. It does not use the vents so you will be cutting a hole inside. If I was going to spend money on a new system makes since to get the best cooling and seer. Mini split. They are mini splits now with 30 seer rating. Max power draw of 800 watts. And mini splits run normally about 50% so you looking at 400 watts. And I might add too, they holding up fine in our Teton. Already I would have been repairing a Dometic.

Edited November 2, 2021 by GlennWest

[Kirk W]

How long have you had your mini split system? We had neighbors who put them into a park model and really got good results. 

[GlennWest]

49 minutes ago, Kirk W said:

How long have you had your mini split system? We had neighbors who put them into a park model and really got good results. 

The 120v unit was February 2017. The 240v unit was May 2019.  I was getting work done on dometics, compressor fan, every at 1 to 2 year intervals.

[Kirk W]

I think that most roof air conditioners that are used all summer every summer usually last about 7 to 10 years before they are pretty much worn out. It can be pretty easy to spend more fixing them than it would cost to replace it. 

[GlennWest]

My original Dometics held up for a very long time. Their replacements were trouble. I put a compressor fan/motor in shortly after getting Teton. Just a little after a year it went out again. So put a new unit on. Nothing but trouble. Dometic replacement to. Then started looking at mini splits. When second unit failed, compressor motor, replaced with mini split. Solved my problems. 

[Randyretired]

We used a mini split all of last summer so I can't comment on how long these last.  There are some areas where the mini split is superior.   For us boondocking it is how efficient these are.  We ran ours with solar all summer.  Mini splits are very quiet.   Unless I am right next to the indoor unit I can't hear it at all.  Even next to the indoor unit it is barely noticeable. With the TV at normal volume I can't hear the mini split at all.  The biggest downside is the installation requires some engineering to adapt it to an RV.  Installed in a house mini splits are expected to last many years.  Comparable to central AC.  Some argue that minis will not be affected by travel and some are convinced these will be subject to early failure.  We will see.  I should also add that mini splits also function as a heater.  Above 40F ours works pretty good and is efficient below that the efficiency begins to decline.

[GlennWest]

We in Huntsville tx and saw some nite time upper 40's this week. Only mini splits running and comfortable. 

[Dutch_12078]

The two Dometic A/C's on our motorhome are 21 years old and the only repairs needed so far was replacing both shrouds that had gotten quite brittle and were coming apart. ICON shrouds from Amazon at $150/ea seem to be a much better material than the OEM shrouds. The coach spent about 12 years in Texas prior to our acquisition, and now summers in the north and winters in the south, so the A/C's probably don't work quite as hard as they used to.