AC/Heat pump

[wayne newland]

Chuck

The heating strips have been around for about 20 years so they are tried and
true. They are at their best to take the chill off a morning or evening without
firing up your furnace. They use the fan on the ac unit, but they are not a heat
pump. They do use 110 shoreline or generator. Well worth the money.

Wayne Newland F9300 75 Palm Beach Columbia (great day) Md.

> Good evening:
>
> Campers World has a special on Dometic airconditioners. My 21 year old unit
> has gone away, and I need to replace. One of the Dometics has a heat pump,
> costs more than w/o heat pump, and about $100.00 more than a heat strip.
>
> I am thinking about ordering the AC with heat pump, it has 12,000 btu output
> vs 5000 for the heat strip.
>
> My rationale is that I like redundancy in my systems especially the furnace.
> Part of my Minnesota upbringing.
>
> Is their a downside besides the added expense?
>
> I suspect the heat pump is essentially a reversal of the cooling cycle, and
> doesn it create more wear on the AC or would using the AC actually be better.
>
> Any experiences or thoughts would be appreciated.
>
> Chuck D
> 78 Royale
> Stillwater Mn

 

[travis martin]

The heat pump is great in that it is more efficient than resistance heating
(the heat strip.) But you need to be aware that this efficiency falls off
rapidly below about 40 degrees F, and hardly any heat is available much
below 30 degrees. You'll want the propane furnace or resistance heating in
those conditions.

You are correct on how it works; the heat cycle is quite simply the cooling
cycle in reverse. Heat is picked up outside and transferred inside, but
there has to be some heat available to transfer...as I said, they get very
inefficient as it gets cold outside. The major advantage is savings on
electricity vs the heat strips, but I really wouldn't think that this would
be much of an issue in the RV since you're usually either at a campground
where you usually aren't buying the electricity by usage, or running off of
the generator which is going to use very nearly the same gas with heat pump
or strip heating. Just depends on how you're gonna use it...

A lot depends a lot on how cold you go campin'...But I see that you're in
Minnesota; you don't have to tell me how cold it gets, I've been there!

Travis

 

[john wright]

I replaced my old unit with the Dometic Duo-Therm Quick Cool model. It
is a 15,000 BTU unit. I could cool my coach even when it was 98+
outside. You don't want the heat pump because of cost and problems
listed below.

J.R. Wright
GMC Greatlaker
77 Eleganza II
Michigan

>
> I installed the heat pump for the same reason you stated. However I went with
> teh 15,000 btu cooling and 12000 heating. One thing to keep in mind is that the
> heating won't work if the temp is coolder than 40 degrees, and I thought you
> might want to know that.
> al
>

>
> > Good evening:
> >
> > Campers World has a special on Dometic airconditioners. My 21 year old unit
> > has gone away, and I need to replace. One of the Dometics has a heat pump,
> > costs more than w/o heat pump, and about $100.00 more than a heat strip.
> >
> > I am thinking about ordering the AC with heat pump, it has 12,000 btu output
> > vs 5000 for the heat strip.
> >
> > My rationale is that I like redundancy in my systems especially the furnace.
> > Part of my Minnesota upbringing.
> >
> > Is their a downside besides the added expense?
> >
> > I suspect the heat pump is essentially a reversal of the cooling cycle, and
> > doesn it create more wear on the AC or would using the AC actually be better.
> >
> > Any experiences or thoughts would be appreciated.
> >
> > Chuck D
> > 78 Royale
> > Stillwater Mn

 

[mr.c]

I installed the heat pump for the same reason you stated. However I went with
teh 15,000 btu cooling and 12000 heating. One thing to keep in mind is that the
heating won't work if the temp is coolder than 40 degrees, and I thought you
might want to know that.
al

> Good evening:
>
> Campers World has a special on Dometic airconditioners. My 21 year old unit
> has gone away, and I need to replace. One of the Dometics has a heat pump,
> costs more than w/o heat pump, and about $100.00 more than a heat strip.
>
> I am thinking about ordering the AC with heat pump, it has 12,000 btu output
> vs 5000 for the heat strip.
>
> My rationale is that I like redundancy in my systems especially the furnace.
> Part of my Minnesota upbringing.
>
> Is their a downside besides the added expense?
>
> I suspect the heat pump is essentially a reversal of the cooling cycle, and
> doesn it create more wear on the AC or would using the AC actually be better.
>
> Any experiences or thoughts would be appreciated.
>
> Chuck D
> 78 Royale
> Stillwater Mn

 

[heinz wittenbecher]

Just my 2 cents into the pot....

I have the Dometic with the heatpump and it does indeed work very well down
to about 40. It's a nice backup for the propane furnace, but....

In my last roof A/C I didn't bother with the heatstrip because 5000 watts is
zippo and the noise associated with it really stinks ( in my opinion ). In
AC mode I have to put up with the noise if I want to keep cool, but I don't
have to for heat.

I use one of the little 1500 watt cube heaters, and if cold I use 2. They
are quiet and give more effective heat than the heat strip, in part because
they are on the floor I assume. The heat strip is ineffective, in my
opinion, because the air moving accross the strip is usually moving too fast
to pick up heat, plus it's on the ceiling where it's doing nothing to keep
my feet warm.

I don't know if I'd buy another heat pump model. I ceretainly wouldn't if
someome finally came out with a quiet AC unit (unless it also had the
heatpump , but I know I won't bother with the heat strips.

just my 2 pennies worth

Heinz
Finally out of Bakersfield... in Stockton.

>I replaced my old unit with the Dometic Duo-Therm Quick Cool model. It
>is a 15,000 BTU unit. I could cool my coach even when it was 98+
>outside. You don't want the heat pump because of cost and problems
>listed below.
>
>J.R. Wright
>GMC Greatlaker
>77 Eleganza II
>Michigan
>

>>
>> I installed the heat pump for the same reason you stated. However I went
with
>> teh 15,000 btu cooling and 12000 heating. One thing to keep in mind is
that the
>> heating won't work if the temp is coolder than 40 degrees, and I thought
you
>> might want to know that.
>> al
>>

>>
>> > Good evening:
>> >
>> > Campers World has a special on Dometic airconditioners. My 21 year old
unit
>> > has gone away, and I need to replace. One of the Dometics has a heat
pump,
>> > costs more than w/o heat pump, and about $100.00 more than a heat
strip.
>> >
>> > I am thinking about ordering the AC with heat pump, it has 12,000 btu
output
>> > vs 5000 for the heat strip.
>> >
>> > My rationale is that I like redundancy in my systems especially the
furnace.
>> > Part of my Minnesota upbringing.
>> >
>> > Is their a downside besides the added expense?
>> >
>> > I suspect the heat pump is essentially a reversal of the cooling cycle,
and
>> > doesn it create more wear on the AC or would using the AC actually be
better.
>> >
>> > Any experiences or thoughts would be appreciated.
>> >
>> > Chuck D
>> > 78 Royale
>> > Stillwater Mn
>

 

[bdub]

Hi Heinz!

Sure gonna miss you at Albuquerque next week. Good luck with the nephew's
wedding.

bdub

>Heinz
>Finally out of Bakersfield... in Stockton.