17' Series Wall Mounted AC V Roof Top AC

[TTBRIDGE]

Hi All,

We are in the process of changeing from our Aussie Swag Camper Trailer to a 17 series with toilet etc but just want feedback on roof mounted v wall mounted ac and what you think is better or think they are just as good as each other ?

Cheers

Trish

 

[Bank of Dad]

I don't think you get a choice now. I believe the 17' series has roof mounted Truma Adventa as standard?

 

[TTBRIDGE]

Yeah we are looking at the 2nd hand market vans so maybe 2011 or 2012 model.

 

[Lara]

We have the roof mounted air and I love it for a few reasons.
1. It's out of the way
2. You gain more cupboard space
3. It blows cold air in both directions, so cools the Expanda quickly. Or you can set it to blow in one direction only.
4. We don't have to worry about stone damage to the vents underneath like the cupboard mounted air.

But having said all of that this is our first van, so I never had the cupboard mounted air con to compare.
I'm sure someone with the other can let you know the benefits of the cupboard mounted air con.

 

[Bank of Dad]

Oh....ok. We have a wall mounted aircon and it is fine.

Reasons we got it when we bought new were:

1. It was about $1,000 cheaper.
2. It keeps weight off the pop top roof.
3. Less chance of roof leaks.
4. Keeps the profile lower for towing.

Apart from when the temperature hits 40 + degrees it is fine. We have more than enough storage - more space means more sh*t in your van = more weight!

 

[macca]

Our wall mounted has worked fine. I noticed at the show last week quite a few vans that had roof mounted AC had water running off the roof, onto and down the awning. It was annoying, dont know if thats common.

 

[Burnsy]

Hi TTBRIDGE, welcome guys! I think the roof is the ideal spot for the aircon but just not convinced that the pop top will handle the weight over time without sagging as they are quite heavy. In saying that though Jayco do it so it must be ok right? As Lara said, the roof top does cool the van effectively as it blows front and back.
good luck with your choice.

cheers.

 

[Bushman]

If you have a roof mount air cond you also get a microwave. in the 17 footers if you get a side mount air cond you loose the microwave as this is wear the air cond is placed.

Could be wrong, but pretty sure they just re-locate the Microwave

 

[Bank of Dad]

If you have a roof mount air cond you also get a microwave. in the 17 footers if you get a side mount air cond you loose the microwave as this is wear the air cond is placed.

Not necessarily true.

The microwave goes in under the cooker in place of the pot drawer. You can't have an oven in this case. Not a big issue for us as we felt the oven was too small and we cook in our BabyQ.

Remember, most of these vans are holiday vans, not to live in full time.

 

[TTBRIDGE]

Thanks for all your heads up guys

 

[bigman0510]

Could be wrong, but pretty sure they just re-locate the Microwave

Pretty sure it goes to below the cooktop, that's if you upgrade the fridge.

Edit: then I read the post above.. Already answered.

 

[Bushman]

Pretty sure it goes to below the cooktop, that's if you upgrade the fridge.

Edit: then I read the post above.. Already answered.

Yeah, looking at the virtual tour of the 17-1 on the website (which proabably isn't updated) the Mirco is above the fridge, then if you upgrade the fridge I guess it goes under the cooktop as mentioned. In our 16 the micro is below the cook top and is a pain in the butt

 

[cruza driver]

On a side note I think I'm going to pull the microwave out as we don't even use it

Our wall mounted A/C has worked well when we have used it with no complaints and the heat side works ok too.

 

[mfexpanda]

I dont know if you have a choice but if its on the roof and then you add 2 or 3 solar panels your starting to put a bit of weight onto roof . And a poptop would be worse I'd say

 

[Izzya123]

We have the roof mounted air and I love it for a few reasons.
1. It's out of the way
2. You gain more cupboard space
3. It blows cold air in both directions, so cools the Expanda quickly. Or you can set it to blow in one direction only.
4. We don't have to worry about stone damage to the vents underneath like the cupboard mounted air.

But having said all of that this is our first van, so I never had the cupboard mounted air con to compare.
I'm sure someone with the other can let you know the benefits of the cupboard mounted air con.

I agree with Lara. We have a 17.56.1 (2012) with a roof mount Dometic aircon & it's great. No problems with weight being a pop top. We have the larger 150ltr fridge and the micro is above the sink where the over head cupboards are. I have pot draws under my cooker so I could have chosen an oven. Opted for the 56.1 with ext shower (& BYO porta potty) for extra cupboards/benchspace. The roof top air got me happily around the north west of Oz for 3 months last year.

 

[Rockape]

Hi,
Our last caravan, an Expanda 14.44-4 had the heron 2.2 a/c fitted and it worked a treat. Like others, I found you had to run the internal fan on medium to high in humid conditions to stop the unit icing up. Also the cooling fan on the outside unit has a 2 speed cooling fan which is quite noisy in my opinion at night when it ramps up to high speed. I could hear it some distance away. With our new caravan, a 17.55-5sh I will be getting roof mounted a/c which is much quieter. This unit weights around 30kgs. . Either will work fine. If noise is an issue and you are not restricted by height, I would go roof mounted.
Just my opinion from experience.
Cheers
Nick

 

[Fabulous]

we have a wall mounted on the starcraft, mainly due to travel height, and the need to fit in the garage. No issue so far with cooling the van, and it's pretty quiet !

 

[Dandy]

Hi guys, we have the roof mount in our 2014 model 17.56.1. It was fantastic over Christmas in Mildura in 40 plus heat. It was quiet and basically ran non stop for 2 weeks! One thing to consider is the reverse cycle. A friend has the wall mount in his 16.49.1 and found that it seems to have a more simple heating element that doesn't have any problems heating with very low temps. Our Truma was struggling over winter when we were in very cold conditions and we found in the manual that temps below 1 degree would cause it to reset. Our friends older model wall mount just kept going. I'm guessing that is because the heating element in the wall mount unit is separate to the aircon compressor as it essentially a split system. I still prefer the roof mount for looks, better fan settings, remote control and quietness. if it is factory designed and installed I can't see why the bracing, gas struts etc wouldn't be upgraded. Although next winter if we will be taking a heater!

 

[vivkingsa]

Hi guys, we have the roof mount in our 2014 model 17.56.1. It was fantastic over Christmas in Mildura in 40 plus heat. It was quiet and basically ran non stop for 2 weeks! One thing to consider is the reverse cycle. A friend has the wall mount in his 16.49.1 and found that it seems to have a more simple heating element that doesn't have any problems heating with very low temps. Our Truma was struggling over winter when we were in very cold conditions and we found in the manual that temps below 1 degree would cause it to reset. Our friends older model wall mount just kept going. I'm guessing that is because the heating element in the wall mount unit is separate to the aircon compressor as it essentially a split system. I still prefer the roof mount for looks, better fan settings, remote control and quietness. if it is factory designed and installed I can't see why the bracing, gas struts etc wouldn't be upgraded. Although next winter if we will be taking a heater!

Hi Dandy,
What is the make and model of yours? We have a dometic roof mount and were also in swan hill in 40+ and it did not cope at all, what kind of cooling temps are you talking? we are looking at changing ours, but are unsure what to change to. The roof weight is fine for us, we had a H reinforcement put in when it was built and after 3 years, still no changes to the gas struts at all, still nicely tensioned.
WE take a little fan heater (kambrook) and it does an AMAZING job! If I could do it al again I would have put in the biggest cooling capacity wall air con I could afford!
Viv.

 

[Dandy]

Hi Dandy,
What is the make and model of yours? We have a dometic roof mount and were also in swan hill in 40+ and it did not cope at all, what kind of cooling temps are you talking? we are looking at changing ours, but are unsure what to change to. The roof weight is fine for us, we had a H reinforcement put in when it was built and after 3 years, still no changes to the gas struts at all, still nicely tensioned.
WE take a little fan heater (kambrook) and it does an AMAZING job! If I could do it al again I would have put in the biggest cooling capacity wall air con I could afford!
Viv.

Ours is the standard Truma for 2014 models. We already have a couple of little heaters so we're quite happy with the standard set up.