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***cmillsap*** · (This post was last modified: 05-25-2018 00:44 by cmillsap.)

Ernie,
Call Gary at Marathon Grand Prairie and see if they will look at your Cruisairs and quote what they would charge to fix your units. $4300 for a rebuilt unit with a year warranty is an outrageous price. At any rate, it not going to be cheap to repair your units but you really don't have much option as installing roof airs will be more complicated than one might think.

***Ernie Ekberg*** · 05-25-2018, 08:08

Thanks for all your replies. I am pretty handy with coaches as most of you know my reputation. Will keep you posted

davidbrady · (This post was last modified: 05-25-2018 12:29 by travelite.)

(05-24-2018 18:14)davidbrady Wrote: ]Hish, silence is golden, in this case literally!

Hish, hope my post didn't offend you. What I meant was the silence of the CruisAir is golden because of the $$gold$$ required to repair/replace it. After a re-read I'm afraid it came across that you should be silent! Oops! I didn't mean that. Hope it didn't come across that way. No-way am I fan of CruisAirs, I'm a fan of mini-spits. My mini-splits work fine; I believe Ernie's having the issue.

(05-25-2018 08:08)Ernie Ekberg Wrote: Thanks for all your replies. I am pretty handy with coaches as most of you know my reputation. Will keep you posted

Absolutely Ernie, if anyone can install a roof air correctly it's you; although, an alternative might be these Pioneer mini split units. These are popular with the Tiny Home builders. At $4000 per CruisAir unit there's bound to be substitutes out there that can be adapted. If not, then I'm going into the mini-split business! LOL!

davidbrady · (This post was last modified: 05-25-2018 12:29 by travelite.)

Ernie, there's a bunch of alternative mini-splits on the market. Google: ducted or ductless mini-split air conditioner. The brands include Pioneer, BlueRidge, MrCool, LG, Mitsubishi, Hessaire, ClimateRite, GREE, etc. Even HomeyLowes carries a selection. It'd be great to identify a few models that could substitute for our "golden" CruisAirs. Search for what's used in the TinyHome world, and FWIW, there's a ton of youtube videos offering installation guidance.

***Ernie Ekberg*** · 05-25-2018, 13:38

David- now you are my lifesaver. I never saw those mini splits. Beats the heck out of the high priced Cruisairs and they are brand new

***cmillsap*** · (This post was last modified: 05-25-2018 21:25 by cmillsap.)

So David, Ernie,

I guess I should read more about these Mini-Split units. At first glance tho, it looks like the Mini-Split unit sits verticle. Can they be laid down with the exhaust fan downward to exhaust where the Cruisairs did or will there need to be a 90 degree duct used to duct the exhaust down through the floor?

davidbrady · (This post was last modified: 05-25-2018 23:14 by travelite.)

That's one of the challenges Chuck. You'd need to build elbow duct work and attach it to the side or front of the condensing unit to allow discharging out the bottom of the coach. I'm still looking for a good condensing unit form factor. Many of the household types seem to be tall, wide and narrow - maybe as tall as two CruisAirs stacked. In my coach one of my basement units discharges out the bottom while the other discharges out the back. One possible solution would be to choose a 30,000 BTU or more condensing unit and use it in place of two Cruisair basement condensing units. Then you could run it with two concealed duct units in the house - they call this multizoning, and it's similar to the original RVAC installed in the early Vantare's. I think all these solutions are preferable to cutting a hole in the roof. Me... I'd probably just pony up the $4k for a reman unit. Heck, so far I've gotten 14 years out of the existing units, that's not a bad cost per year.

It's going to take some time to come up with a good solution, but the good news is there seems to be a large supply of products out their to choose from.

davidbrady · (This post was last modified: 05-25-2018 23:49 by davidbrady.)

Another option is the Chilled Water type of mini split where the basement unit chills a water/glycol mixture which is then piped to the upstairs air handlers.
http://www.oceanbreezeac.com/whisperaire.php
http://www.oceanbreezeac.com/motor_coach.php
http://www.oceanbreezeac.com/air_cooled_chiller.php

***Ernie Ekberg*** · 05-26-2018, 09:41

Both of my DOA Cruisairs are behind the front bumper where the shutters are- plenty of ventilation. I won't be running these down the road, as I have a great OTR air system for that

davidbrady · (This post was last modified: 05-26-2018 10:35 by davidbrady.)

Ernie, have you considered pulling the faulty units out to see if a qualified refrigeration technician can replace the compressors?

Being able to rely on your OTR while traveling is a huge plus. It's the radial style fans on these other mini-splits that concerns me. Our cruisairs use centrifugal blowers which are better at handling static head pressures than radial fans, but this isn't an issue when the bus is stationary. There may be some mini-splits out there with centrifugal blowers, but there's more with radial fans.