2 Roof Airs

[chip gremillion]

Those who have 2 roof airs, how often do you crank up both units? I just
picked up a 75 with only 1 roof air (newer Coleman) and are concerned that 1
A/C just won't cut it down here in the deep south (New Orleans). Remember
the movie "A Streetcar Named Desire"? It gets so hot and humid down here I
sure don't want to roast this summer.

Chip Gremillion
75 Glenbrook

 

[david l greenberg]

On Fri, 28 Jan 2000 08:06:32 -0600 "Chip Gremillion"

>Those who have 2 roof airs, how often do you crank up both units? I
>just
>picked up a 75 with only 1 roof air (newer Coleman) and are concerned
>that 1
>A/C just won't cut it down here in the deep south (New Orleans).
>Remember
>the movie "A Streetcar Named Desire"? It gets so hot and humid down
>here I
>sure don't want to roast this summer.
>
>Chip Gremillion
>75 Glenbrook
>
Chip, on a 1975 coach you will only be able to crank up both a/cs when
you are plugged into the Onan. But aside from that, I got rid of the rear
air when it finally failed and replaced it with a Fantastic Vent and
except for a week in Laughlin, NV one a/c seems to work for us. Your
individual comfort thresh hold is the major factor.

In extreme heat situations one can always close off compartments by using
the curtains and doors to cool a smaller area (for short term)

BTW, the Coleman is a pretty good unit per folks who have the newer ones.
I have a DuoTherm Pilgrim with a dc thermostat. Itis nice as it
completely cycles off and on like a home air con.

David Lee Greenberg
GMC Motorhome Registry
200 MacFarlane Drive PH4
Delray Beach, FL 33483-6829
ww.gmcss.com/registry.htm

 

[wayne newland]

Chip

We have 2 also, and both get used during the summer, especially when my wife is
with me. Neither one has a heat strip so they don't help during cool weather.
If you are buying a new one, I would suggest adding the heat feature. I know
that you are carring a lot of extra weight vs a fan unit, but a good nights
sleep will be worth it.

Wayne Newland F9300 75 Palm Beach Columbia, Md

> Those who have 2 roof airs, how often do you crank up both units? I just
> picked up a 75 with only 1 roof air (newer Coleman) and are concerned that 1
> A/C just won't cut it down here in the deep south (New Orleans). Remember
> the movie "A Streetcar Named Desire"? It gets so hot and humid down here I
> sure don't want to roast this summer.
>
> Chip Gremillion
> 75 Glenbrook

 

[bob mclaughlin]

Chip, I live in Arlington, TX and I need both rooftops and the dash air on
the road in the summer time.
Bob McLaughlin

- -----Original Message-----
From: owner-gmcmotorhome
[mailtowner-gmcmotorhome]On Behalf Of Chip Gremillion
Sent: Friday, January 28, 2000 8:07 AM
To: gmcmotorhome
Subject: GMC: 2 Roof Airs

Those who have 2 roof airs, how often do you crank up both units? I just
picked up a 75 with only 1 roof air (newer Coleman) and are concerned that 1
A/C just won't cut it down here in the deep south (New Orleans). Remember
the movie "A Streetcar Named Desire"? It gets so hot and humid down here I
sure don't want to roast this summer.

Chip Gremillion
75 Glenbrook

 

[kara m kosier]

> Those who have 2 roof airs, how often do you crank up both units? I just
> picked up a 75 with only 1 roof air (newer Coleman) and are concerned that
1
> A/C just won't cut it down here in the deep south (New Orleans). Remember
> the movie "A Streetcar Named Desire"? It gets so hot and humid down here
I
> sure don't want to roast this summer.
>
> Chip Gremillion
> 75 Glenbrook

When we bought our coach it had just the original equipment 13,500 btu air
conditioner. In July l985 we were in Tulsa, Ok and it couldn't keep up at
all. So we then added a 11,000 btu in the back since we were going to Fla
the following summer. It ended up that we rarely use the original one in
the
front as the newer rear one usually takes care of the whole coach. We also
put reflectorized tinting on all the side windows, and outside covers on the
front
and rear windows. The new air conditioners seem to be much more efficient
than the older, original equipment units.

Kara Kosier
77 EII

 

[kara m kosier]

. Neither one has a heat strip so they don't help during cool weather.
> If you are buying a new one, I would suggest adding the heat feature.
>
> Wayne Newland F9300 75 Palm Beach Columbia, Md
>

I forgot to say that part. Gary put a heat strip in the new unit in the
rear of the coach, and it is really nice. Our furnace quit a couple of
years ago, and we haven't felt pressured to have it fixed, as the heat
strip in the a/c does a good job as long as it isn't below 20 (above zero).
We have had people ask why we have the a/c running when it is
so cold out, and then we invite them in to see (feel) how warm and
comfortable the coach is.

Kara Kosier
77EII

 

[ronald b. kazi]

Is the new unit quieter than the old. Mine sounds like a 747 on steroids. Fan
blows like crazy, however havent tried it out since purchased in September.

Ron and Julie

> > Those who have 2 roof airs, how often do you crank up both units? I just
> > picked up a 75 with only 1 roof air (newer Coleman) and are concerned that
> 1
> > A/C just won't cut it down here in the deep south (New Orleans). Remember
> > the movie "A Streetcar Named Desire"? It gets so hot and humid down here
> I
> > sure don't want to roast this summer.
> >
> > Chip Gremillion
> > 75 Glenbrook
>
> When we bought our coach it had just the original equipment 13,500 btu air
> conditioner. In July l985 we were in Tulsa, Ok and it couldn't keep up at
> all. So we then added a 11,000 btu in the back since we were going to Fla
> the following summer. It ended up that we rarely use the original one in
> the
> front as the newer rear one usually takes care of the whole coach. We also
> put reflectorized tinting on all the side windows, and outside covers on the
> front
> and rear windows. The new air conditioners seem to be much more efficient
> than the older, original equipment units.
>
> Kara Kosier
> 77 EII

 

[kara m kosier]

> Is the new unit quieter than the old. Mine sounds like a 747 on steroids.
Fan
> blows like crazy, however havent tried it out since purchased in
September.
>
> Ron and Julie
>

The new one is MUCH quieter than the old. The old one sounds and
feels like it's going to take the roof off when the condensor kicks in.
That's another reason we use the one in the back most. Several times
we have said that if we had known how much better the newer one
would be, we would have replaced instead of added. The most use
the old one gets is when the dash air can't keep up and we start the
generator and run the old front unit going down the road.

Kara Kosier
77EII

 

[ronald b. kazi]

Someone locally is selling a Coleman unit with heat strip for cheap. Maybe I
will check it out. Last time I went to look at one, it looked like something
off a WWI destroyer which had been used for target practice by another
destroyer.

Ron and Julie
73 Painted frozen Desert

> > Is the new unit quieter than the old. Mine sounds like a 747 on steroids.
> Fan
> > blows like crazy, however havent tried it out since purchased in
> September.
> >
> > Ron and Julie
> >
>
> The new one is MUCH quieter than the old. The old one sounds and
> feels like it's going to take the roof off when the condensor kicks in.
> That's another reason we use the one in the back most. Several times
> we have said that if we had known how much better the newer one
> would be, we would have replaced instead of added. The most use
> the old one gets is when the dash air can't keep up and we start the
> generator and run the old front unit going down the road.
>
> Kara Kosier
> 77EII

 

[wayne newland]

David

I can run both of my roof ac's on shore power, but not for very long on a 20
amp circuit. We installed a 30 amp service to the parking pad, and both run
great.

Wayne Newland F9300 75 Palm Beach Columbia, Md

> On Fri, 28 Jan 2000 08:06:32 -0600 "Chip Gremillion"

> >Those who have 2 roof airs, how often do you crank up both units? I
> >just
> >picked up a 75 with only 1 roof air (newer Coleman) and are concerned
> >that 1
> >A/C just won't cut it down here in the deep south (New Orleans).
> >Remember
> >the movie "A Streetcar Named Desire"? It gets so hot and humid down
> >here I
> >sure don't want to roast this summer.
> >
> >Chip Gremillion
> >75 Glenbrook
> >
> Chip, on a 1975 coach you will only be able to crank up both a/cs when
> you are plugged into the Onan. But aside from that, I got rid of the rear
> air when it finally failed and replaced it with a Fantastic Vent and
> except for a week in Laughlin, NV one a/c seems to work for us. Your
> individual comfort thresh hold is the major factor.
>
> In extreme heat situations one can always close off compartments by using
> the curtains and doors to cool a smaller area (for short term)
>
> BTW, the Coleman is a pretty good unit per folks who have the newer ones.
> I have a DuoTherm Pilgrim with a dc thermostat. Itis nice as it
> completely cycles off and on like a home air con.
>
> David Lee Greenberg
> GMC Motorhome Registry
> 200 MacFarlane Drive PH4
> Delray Beach, FL 33483-6829
> ww.gmcss.com/registry.htm

 

[g.m. hope]

>Those who have 2 roof airs, how often do you crank up both units? I just
>picked up a 75 with only 1 roof air (newer Coleman) and are concerned that 1
>A/C just won't cut it down here in the deep south (New Orleans). Remember
>the movie "A Streetcar Named Desire"? It gets so hot and humid down here I
>sure don't want to roast this summer.
>
>Chip Gremillion
>75 Glenbrook

Hi Chip,
I have been in State Parks here in Florida many times during July, August
and September with temperatures and humidities not unlike "Nuawleens" (I've
been there in the late summer too :^). I _never_ need to run the two ACs
simultaneously - not even sure that I could on 35 amp service in the parks
here. The larger one in the front will keep the coach _very_ cool under
those conditions. I only use the second (smaller) one for those days when
it isn't hot enough to justify firing up the big unit and for nights when it
cools off enough so the big one is overkill. I do agree with those who
object to the noise when the compressor cycles on. Try it for a summer and
I think you'll find the second unit is unnecessary . . . . changing out the
existing unit may be a different matter :^).
HTH,
Marion Hope
77Kingsley

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
George M.(Marion) Hope, Ph.D.
1930 SW 19th Way gmhope
Gainesville, FL 32608 gmhope
(352) 371-2795 (Home) (352) 846-2111 (Office)

 

[tim dawson]

I must agree. We live in Lewisville, TX (also a bedroom community to Dallas)
and I have the same situation. When on the road in the summer, we need to
run the front roof unit plus dash air at a minimum, all three on really bad
days. When parked in the summer, I usually need both roof units (both 13,500's)
to keep things comfortable, and then we drop back to just the back unit at
night.

> Chip, I live in Arlington, TX and I need both rooftops and the dash air on
> the road in the summer time.
> Bob McLaughlin
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-gmcmotorhome
> [mailtowner-gmcmotorhome]On Behalf Of Chip Gremillion
> Sent: Friday, January 28, 2000 8:07 AM
> To: gmcmotorhome
> Subject: GMC: 2 Roof Airs
>
>
> Those who have 2 roof airs, how often do you crank up both units? I just
> picked up a 75 with only 1 roof air (newer Coleman) and are concerned that 1
> A/C just won't cut it down here in the deep south (New Orleans). Remember
> the movie "A Streetcar Named Desire"? It gets so hot and humid down here I
> sure don't want to roast this summer.
>
> Chip Gremillion
> 75 Glenbrook
>
>

- --
================================================================================
Tim Dawson (tadawson) Owner/Engineer
TPC Services Bellnet: (972)-221-7385
Lewisville, Texas 75067 FAXnet: (972)-221-0393
"The world is complex. Sendmail.cf reflects this...."

 

[david l greenberg]

>David
>
>I can run both of my roof ac's on shore power, but not for very long
>on a 20
>amp circuit. We installed a 30 amp service to the parking pad, and
>both run
>great.
>
>
>Wayne Newland F9300 75 Palm Beach Columbia, Md

Wayne, my old Palm Beach was about 300 numbers before yours and I can
recall that the way it was wired, only one a/c would run from shore
power. Maybe there was a change made within those 300 production units.
That is the way it came from the factory. I thought all '75s were like
that.

My '77 has 50 amp service and I could run two a/cs when I had 2!

David Lee Greenberg
GMC Motorhome Registry
Dedicated To The Preservation Of The GMC Classic!
www.gmcss.com/registry.htm

 

[al chernoff]

I have two... the one in front is a heat pump duo therm, that puts out 15K of
cooling and 12.5 of heating. Makes a bit of noise as it is a heat pump and the
temp outside has to be 40 or more. The rear one is a penguin and is very quiet.
I use both when I go to texas, las vegas or other places where the temp is 100 or
more.
al

 

[david l greenberg]

>....OR if you have retained the original 50 amp shore power cord and
>are
>plugged into a proper 50 amp campground outlet. There are more and
>more out
>there.

Not to belabor this issue but early 75's came with 30 amp power cords. My
77 has a 50 amp and when it is cold, like now!, it is almost impossible
to coil it up. Sometimes I think it will break in half!

I thought about changing it for a 30amp cord but since I run electric
heater(s) I suppose I should leave as is.

David Lee Greenberg
GMC Motorhome Registry
Dedicated To The Preservation Of The GMC Classic!
www.gmcss.com/registry.htm

 

[richard waters]

Maybe I'm doing things the hard way, but I leave my 50 amp
power cord coiled up in the power cord locker. I keep a 50'
30 amp cord up in the pod. I use that to connect to the outside
world. It's a hassle to climb up and get it out of the pod, but
then I need the exercise. I would never replace the 50 amp
cord with a 30 amp. I don't want to do anything to downgrade
my GMC.

Also, one of the best things that I did to my coach was to install
a generator transfer switch. That sure makes life easier for me.

By the way my '76 was built in December '75 so it must have been
one of the first ones with 50 amp service?
Richard Waters '76 PB, Troy, MI

> Not to belabor this issue but early 75's came with 30 amp power cords. My
> 77 has a 50 amp and when it is cold, like now!, it is almost impossible
> to coil it up. Sometimes I think it will break in half!
>
> I thought about changing it for a 30amp cord but since I run electric
> heater(s) I suppose I should leave as is.
>
> David Lee Greenberg

 

[kara m kosier]

> If the AC that is noisy and shakes on start up is the original, check to
see
> if the com pressor tie down bolts were ever loosened. Some got out that
> weren't.
> Justin

Thanks, Justin, we'll check that out.

Kara

 

[wayne newland]

Dave

My shore line cable has 40 amp stamped into it, and the book says that it
carries two 20 amp circuits??? But it looks likes a 50 amp cord and plug.

Wayne Newland

> >David
> >
> >I can run both of my roof ac's on shore power, but not for very long
> >on a 20
> >amp circuit. We installed a 30 amp service to the parking pad, and
> >both run
> >great.
> >
> >
> >Wayne Newland F9300 75 Palm Beach Columbia, Md
>
> Wayne, my old Palm Beach was about 300 numbers before yours and I can
> recall that the way it was wired, only one a/c would run from shore
> power. Maybe there was a change made within those 300 production units.
> That is the way it came from the factory. I thought all '75s were like
> that.
>
> My '77 has 50 amp service and I could run two a/cs when I had 2!
>
> David Lee Greenberg
> GMC Motorhome Registry
> Dedicated To The Preservation Of The GMC Classic!
> www.gmcss.com/registry.htm

 

[kara m kosier]

> You might check to see if the motor start Condenser is bad. They tend to
> deteriorate as they age. It is a small metal can shaped thing with a
couple
> of terminals on the end. Often when these are replaced the air
conditioner
> compressor kicks in quicker and much quieter.
>
> Emery Stora
> 77 Kingsley
> Santa Fe, NM

Thanks Emery. We'll check that out in addition to Justin's suggestion.
Maybe this thing can become more 'user friendly'.

Kara Kosier

 

[ron & gina]

Our 73 Pumpkin-Rose has on cable which looks stock 40amp, Asked P.O. and she
said that was never touched. Was just wondering what I had. Thinking of
adding rear air, Or upgrading 13500 to 15000btus. Unsure why it just doesn't
get hot enough here. >

Ron&Gina
73 Pumpkin-Rose
Ft. Mohave, AZ. 70deg. Man is it cold

- ----- Original Message -----
From:
To:
Sent: Saturday, January 29, 2000 1:29 PM
Subject: Re: GMC: 2 Roof Airs

>
> > Not to belabor this issue but early 75's came with 30 amp power cords.
My
> > 77 has a 50 amp.....
>
> Dave,
> Any chance you have a Transmode that was wired by an upfitter? My
early
> '75 (TZE.....397) was 50 amp from GM, and the GM manual wiring diagrams
(back
> to '73) are all for 50 amp. I think some of the other coachbuilders used
30
> amp out of tradition.
> I agree the stock 50 amp cord is a bit hefty to wind up when cold. I
> think it was Emery who suggested winding it in the opposite direction,
which
> helps. I wouldn't give up my 50 amp umbilical for anything though. ;-)
>
> Rick Staples
> '75 Eleganza
> Louisville, CO