Roof air conditioners-directing all air forward

[christopher musselman]

Hi all-

My still-original 1974 roof air conditioner (Caravan Mark V?) is having motor-start problems, and its shroud is cracked and patched already, so I think it is time to replace it with something from this century.

The big feature it has, that I need in a replacement unit, is the ability to direct all cool air forward. This is because I use the unit to cool the cab while driving on hot, sunny days. The Caravan air conditioners have a sliding lever to direct the air to the front or back, or a mix, and it does a pretty good job when set to all-frontward air. (I have only this one A/C, in the middle roof position, and I wish to keep the new unit there as well.)

Do any of you know how well the current Coleman, Dometic, Advent, or other air conditioners can do a similar job? Thanks-

Chris Musselman
'74 Sequoia
Hayward, Cal.

 

[justin brady1]

The Mach 8 technically has that feature,but so much air leaks past the louvers that it barely makes a difference.
--
Justin Brady
http://www.thegmcrv.com/
1976 Palm Beach 455

 

[christopher musselman]

Thank you for your quick reply, Justin. I know I have seen some of the mid-age Coleman air conditioners (newer than GMC originals, but different from the current ceiling-panel design) that had louvers that could be "closed" but as you said, it was certainly not anything close to an airtight seal.

Chris Musselman
'74 Sequoia
Hayward, Cal.

________________________________
From: Justin Brady
To: gmclist
Sent: Monday, May 22, 2017 4:55 AM
Subject: Re: [GMCnet] Roof air conditioners-directing all air forward

The Mach 8 technically has that feature,but so much air leaks past the louvers that it barely makes a difference.
--
Justin Brady
http://www.thegmcrv.com/
1976 Palm Beach 455

 

[jack christensen1]

Hi Chris,
Thanks for the great GMC 49er rally you hosted!

I can't tell you which ACs do a good job of directing air forward, but I can tell you one to definitely avoid. The Dometic Brisk Air units direct
virtually all their air backward and downward. I bought one because it was compact and would fit in the back roof vent on my GMC unlike any others I
looked at, and only found out about this deficiency after I installed it. It does work in concert with my Penguin to cool the whole coach, but it
would be a lot better if it directed more air forward.
--
Jack Christensen - K6ROW,
'76 Glenbrook/Clasco - "The Silver Bullet",
Sebastopol, CA

 

[bdub1]

I agree completely. And that is the Brisk Air II. I've advised at every
opportunity against buying this particular unit. It isn't worth a plug
nickel for blowing toward the front of the coach. And of course, Dometic
support could'nt care less.

bdub

On Mon, May 22, 2017 at 9:36 PM, Jack Christensen
wrote:

> Hi Chris,
> Thanks for the great GMC 49er rally you hosted!
>
> I can't tell you which ACs do a good job of directing air forward, but I
> can tell you one to definitely avoid. The Dometic Brisk Air units direct
> virtually all their air backward and downward. I bought one because it was
> compact and would fit in the back roof vent on my GMC unlike any others I
> looked at, and only found out about this deficiency after I installed it.
> It does work in concert with my Penguin to cool the whole coach, but it
> would be a lot better if it directed more air forward.
> --
> Jack Christensen - K6ROW,
> '76 Glenbrook/Clasco - "The Silver Bullet",
> Sebastopol, CA
>
> _______________________________________________
> GMCnet mailing list
> Unsubscribe or Change List Options:
> http://list.gmcnet.org/mailman/listinfo/gmclist_list.gmcnet.org
>

 

[christopher musselman]

Thanks for the notes, Jack. I will be sure to skip the Dometic units.

I was happy to see you at the Rio Vista rally, I am glad you had a good time there. 73-

Chris Musselman W6ATV

'74 Sequoia
Hayward, Cal.
________________________________
From: Jack Christensen
To: gmclist
Sent: Monday, May 22, 2017 7:37 PM
Subject: Re: [GMCnet] Roof air conditioners-directing all air forward

Hi Chris,
Thanks for the great GMC 49er rally you hosted!

I can't tell you which ACs do a good job of directing air forward, but I can tell you one to definitely avoid. The Dometic Brisk Air units direct
virtually all their air backward and downward. I bought one because it was compact and would fit in the back roof vent on my GMC unlike any others I
looked at, and only found out about this deficiency after I installed it. It does work in concert with my Penguin to cool the whole coach, but it
would be a lot better if it directed more air forward.
--
Jack Christensen - K6ROW,
'76 Glenbrook/Clasco - "The Silver Bullet",
Sebastopol, CA

 

[christopher musselman]

Thank you for the confirmation of the Dometic A/C issues, Billy.

Chris Musselman

________________________________
From: Billy Massey
To: "gmclist"
Sent: Monday, May 22, 2017 8:20 PM
Subject: Re: [GMCnet] Roof air conditioners-directing all air forward

I agree completely. And that is the Brisk Air II. I've advised at every
opportunity against buying this particular unit. It isn't worth a plug
nickel for blowing toward the front of the coach. And of course, Dometic
support could'nt care less.

bdub

On Mon, May 22, 2017 at 9:36 PM, Jack Christensen
wrote:

> Hi Chris,
> Thanks for the great GMC 49er rally you hosted!
>
> I can't tell you which ACs do a good job of directing air forward, but I
> can tell you one to definitely avoid. The Dometic Brisk Air units direct
> virtually all their air backward and downward. I bought one because it was
> compact and would fit in the back roof vent on my GMC unlike any others I
> looked at, and only found out about this deficiency after I installed it.
> It does work in concert with my Penguin to cool the whole coach, but it
> would be a lot better if it directed more air forward.
> --
> Jack Christensen - K6ROW,
> '76 Glenbrook/Clasco - "The Silver Bullet",
> Sebastopol, CA
>