Are roof mounted air conditioners noisy, and are they noisier than domestic units mounted on the end of the van.
hako said
07:44 PM Apr 28, 2015
Generally speaking yes. They are also dearer and harder to instal and service if anything goes wrong.
Good Luck.
Plendo said
07:52 PM Apr 28, 2015
My experience says they are noisier (had roof mounted, now have split system). However I am hearing good reports on the latest Air Command Ibis. it is certainly quieter than the older ones.
We currently have a Fujitsu split on the back bumper, cant hear it inside the van, and reasonably quiet outside as well. Also low power consumption, which is important if you plan to run on Inverter or Gennie.
iana said
07:58 PM Apr 28, 2015
Plendo, do you have problems with stones getting into and behind the condenser?, Layout plan of the van shows an Ibis Air Command. The roof mounted system gives a centaly mounted air flow, a split system would direct from the end of the van. Is either just as effective when used?
Dougwe said
07:58 PM Apr 28, 2015
I have the air command ibis and is nice and quiet in and out. Naturally there is some noise though.
It was suggested to get the ibis by a aircon mechanic in Townsville last year. I thought if a aircon expert in the tropics recommends it that's good enough for me.
-- Edited by Dougwe on Tuesday 28th of April 2015 08:00:28 PM
Footprints said
08:02 PM Apr 28, 2015
They need not be. We had a caravan custom built 2014 and requested a Denso Roof Mounted Air conditioner. DENSO received the ultimate Australasian Engineering Award for Excellence for the design of this unit. Once installed the caravan manufacturer (of 30years experience) was amazed at how quiet it was when operating, he stated that he had never installed one which was so quiet and effective. We have operated it in both heating and cooling modes and are very pleased with the performance of it and it is no problem to sleep without being disturbed when in use. Denso air conditioners are lighter in weight than others also slimmer in profile so not protruding extra height. They also make a unit that can be retro fitted to older vans which have had other brands fitted previously. Very happy with this unit, highly recommend. Check out the web site, www.denso.com.au
Hey Jim said
08:11 PM Apr 28, 2015
Hi Iana,
Hope Not, Just put down our deposit on a Jayco Journey Outback of our dreams. Allways had fresh air for the last four decades (Tents to Camper to comfort we hope).
Regards Hey Jim & Lambie
Bruce and Bev said
09:49 PM Apr 28, 2015
Our van came fitted with the roof mounted Ibis. It is quite noisy when the inside temps are high and you have it on cool. Once it gets closer to the pre-set temp, then the noise is not too bad and once at pre-set temp it cycles between just air and cooling - so not too bad at all. Easy to clean the dust vents inside - its about all you can do to it.
There was a post here about 2 months ago concerned running air cons with gennies and it was generally thought the Ibis was about the only one that could handle a Honda 2 gen (the most common one around). A few said they had problems with the cooling cycle.
I ssaid they had spoken to an air con/auto-sparkie and as a result got the biggest diameter cable made up and only 5 metres long - then they found the Honda 2 ran the cool cycle perfectly (cable size cut down power loss). I also guess that if you have the van too hot and try to cool it too quickly, your genie cannot cope and will shut down.
Bit off topic - sorry
deverall11 said
11:00 AM Apr 29, 2015
Dougwe wrote:
I have the air command ibis and is nice and quiet in and out. Naturally there is some noise though.
It was suggested to get the ibis by a aircon mechanic in Townsville last year. I thought if a aircon expert in the tropics recommends it that's good enough for me.
-- Edited by Dougwe on Tuesday 28th of April 2015 08:00:28 PM
Ditto. Our previous van had a Dometic and very noisy. New van has a Air Command Ibis. Comparatively very quiet and more efficient.
Larry
Phil C said
06:56 PM Apr 29, 2015
deverall11 wrote:
Dougwe wrote:
I have the air command ibis and is nice and quiet in and out. Naturally there is some noise though.
It was suggested to get the ibis by a aircon mechanic in Townsville last year. I thought if a aircon expert in the tropics recommends it that's good enough for me.
-- Edited by Dougwe on Tuesday 28th of April 2015 08:00:28 PM
Ditto. Our previous van had a Dometic and very noisy. New van has a Air Command Ibis. Comparatively very quiet and more efficient.
Larry
Ditto over here as well, the ibis is not too noisy.
Cheers
iana said
07:36 PM Apr 29, 2015
Thanks guys something to work on.
Dougwe said
07:39 PM Apr 29, 2015
Mmmmm, mine doesn't go "Ditto" Must be something wrong with it ?
iana said
07:52 PM Apr 29, 2015
Dougwe it may go ditto if you back past a low limb from a tree!
KFT said
08:36 PM Apr 29, 2015
Doug it is ok mate
It was Phil who was going Ditto where he is.
nothing to do with aircons mate
probly more to do with vineyard workers just after work
hope you are well phil mate
I just opened a bottle of Chivas 12 yo and it is delicious.
shame you can't have some with me. Maybe when we are a bit further north and more likely to run into each other somewhere
makes it had to hear the TV with the air com and Geni going. But is quieter inside then out, pitty about the neighours.
kesa32 said
07:46 PM Apr 30, 2015
Hi , we have a denso roof mounted on our van , its fine until the compressor kicks in , then there's an annoying resonance in the van Denso were great about it ( we bought the van used last year and the unit was on it ) , they sent a brand new unit up to replace it and it was fitted ( properly ) yesterday .
Unfortunately its hardly any better which is dissapointing , so i'm guessing the Baley's solid compisite roof and this unit don't play together well :(you can feel vibration throughout the van when the compressor kicks in , so sadly l can't reccomend this combo of AC and van , but Denso's backup service is faultless ( i have'nt told them about the result.....l doubt there's much more they can do really )
iana said
09:58 PM Apr 30, 2015
There hasn't been much said about split system domestic air conditioners, I have seen some fitted to caravans and Fifth wheelers. I can think of several advantages for these, no weight swinging off the roof. Easy to get repairs, cheaper and probably more efficient.
banjo said
03:56 PM May 1, 2015
Hate roof top AC's with a vengeance, had all of them, from a Coleman, Dometic, to the Aircommand Heron, Ibis, all noisy rubbish.
I smile when I read that an Ibis is "fairly quiet" ours was like a chimpanzee jumping on the roof when it cycled in and out, and the condenser fans ! OMG, think jet engines !
And yes we had it checked, rechecked, new mounts tried everything, just useless.
Now we have simply the best AC ever, for last 3 years full time on the road, used for cooling and heating, simply works as an aircon should with no fuss, excess noise (cant hear it half the time so have to check the led display to see if it is on)
It's a Fujitsu domestic inverter split.
And if required will run on a 1kva Yamaha! try that with an Ibis.
D and D said
10:38 PM May 1, 2015
I'm with Banjo. The builder of our van fitted domestic split systems as a standard feature and depending on the deal he could get from his supplier at the time determined which brand of unit was installed. We have a Kelvinator, friends have a Samsung and I've seen plenty of other brands. They're cheaper to buy, cheaper to install and depending on the size of the unit, can be easily run off a Honda 2 kVA genny (about 5 hours from a tankful of juice). They're substantially quieter inside and out than any roof top system I've seen. They're refrigerated units that try to achieve a preset temperature rather than a unit that applies a proportional cooling process. Last, and not least, they can be serviced and/or repaired by any electrical appliance maintenance business and don't require specialist knowledge. Buggered if I know why these are not fitted in more RVs.
Regards
Dave
iana said
10:10 AM May 2, 2015
I have seen a photo of a van with the condenser of a domestic unit "build" into the body, and closed off when traveling by a door. When I went to a caravan show I talked to the rep manager etc., and asked him about this, he said its to do with the gas if there is a leak in the system, not being environmentally friendly. I thought all gas types had been changed to comply?
Northernblue said
04:48 PM May 2, 2015
My 10c...
I installed a Mitsubishi Electric split to my caravan last year, brilliant, silent unit inside and outside, heating and cooling.
My only problem is that it seems the mounting legs are spot welded to the housing (external unit) and after approx 8000km the welds have broken on one leg.
Luckily I picked it up and threw a strap over it before it fell off or fatigued the gas pipes.
I don't have any experience with rooftop aircons, but I'm more than happy with the heating and cooling performance of my split, just pay a bit of attention to the mounts...
jonathan said
06:10 AM May 3, 2015
Dougwe wrote:
I have the air command ibis and is nice and quiet in and out. Naturally there is some noise though.
It was suggested to get the ibis by a aircon mechanic in Townsville last year. I thought if a aircon expert in the tropics recommends it that's good enough for me.
-- Edited by Dougwe on Tuesday 28th of April 2015 08:00:28 PM
Hiya Doug ..
FYI .. while I was in Rocky I had an agent for IBIS check out a periodical noise that came from my IBIS ..
After an initial examination, he became aware of the location and fixtures of "piping" that could be the problem.
Sure enough .. after managing to make small adjustments to avoid loose fixtures and providing greater spacing between objects, the unit now just purrrrrrs ..
Are roof mounted air conditioners noisy, and are they noisier than domestic units mounted on the end of the van.
Good Luck.
My experience says they are noisier (had roof mounted, now have split system). However I am hearing good reports on the latest Air Command Ibis. it is certainly quieter than the older ones.
We currently have a Fujitsu split on the back bumper, cant hear it inside the van, and reasonably quiet outside as well. Also low power consumption, which is important if you plan to run on Inverter or Gennie.
I have the air command ibis and is nice and quiet in and out. Naturally there is some noise though.
It was suggested to get the ibis by a aircon mechanic in Townsville last year. I thought if a aircon expert in the tropics recommends it that's good enough for me.
-- Edited by Dougwe on Tuesday 28th of April 2015 08:00:28 PM
Hi Iana,
Hope Not, Just put down our deposit on a Jayco Journey Outback of our dreams. Allways had fresh air for the last four decades (Tents to Camper to comfort we hope).
Regards Hey Jim & Lambie
There was a post here about 2 months ago concerned running air cons with gennies and it was generally thought the Ibis was about the only one that could handle a Honda 2 gen (the most common one around). A few said they had problems with the cooling cycle.
I ssaid they had spoken to an air con/auto-sparkie and as a result got the biggest diameter cable made up and only 5 metres long - then they found the Honda 2 ran the cool cycle perfectly (cable size cut down power loss). I also guess that if you have the van too hot and try to cool it too quickly, your genie cannot cope and will shut down.
Bit off topic - sorry
Ditto. Our previous van had a Dometic and very noisy. New van has a Air Command Ibis. Comparatively very quiet and more efficient.
Larry
Ditto over here as well, the ibis is not too noisy.
Cheers
Doug it is ok mate
It was Phil who was going Ditto where he is.
nothing to do with aircons mate
probly more to do with vineyard workers just after work
hope you are well phil mate
I just opened a bottle of Chivas 12 yo and it is delicious.
shame you can't have some with me. Maybe when we are a bit further north and more likely to run into each other somewhere
bloody frank(KFC) ever so slightly off topic
Hi , we have a denso roof mounted on our van , its fine until the compressor kicks in , then there's an annoying resonance in the van Denso were great about it ( we bought the van used last year and the unit was on it ) , they sent a brand new unit up to replace it and it was fitted ( properly ) yesterday .
Unfortunately its hardly any better which is dissapointing , so i'm guessing the Baley's solid compisite roof and this unit don't play together well :(you can feel vibration throughout the van when the compressor kicks in , so sadly l can't reccomend this combo of AC and van , but Denso's backup service is faultless ( i have'nt told them about the result.....l doubt there's much more they can do really )
I smile when I read that an Ibis is "fairly quiet" ours was like a chimpanzee jumping on the roof when it cycled in and out, and the condenser fans ! OMG, think jet engines !
And yes we had it checked, rechecked, new mounts tried everything, just useless.
Now we have simply the best AC ever, for last 3 years full time on the road, used for cooling and heating, simply works as an aircon should with no fuss, excess noise (cant hear it half the time so have to check the led display to see if it is on)
It's a Fujitsu domestic inverter split.
And if required will run on a 1kva Yamaha! try that with an Ibis.
Regards
Dave
I installed a Mitsubishi Electric split to my caravan last year, brilliant, silent unit inside and outside, heating and cooling.
My only problem is that it seems the mounting legs are spot welded to the housing (external unit) and after approx 8000km the welds have broken on one leg.
Luckily I picked it up and threw a strap over it before it fell off or fatigued the gas pipes.
I don't have any experience with rooftop aircons, but I'm more than happy with the heating and cooling performance of my split, just pay a bit of attention to the mounts...
Hiya Doug ..
FYI .. while I was in Rocky I had an agent for IBIS check out a periodical noise that came from my IBIS ..
After an initial examination, he became aware of the location and fixtures of "piping" that could be the problem.
Sure enough .. after managing to make small adjustments to avoid loose fixtures and providing greater spacing between objects, the unit now just purrrrrrs ..
food-for-thought .. eh !