Community Forums

Arrived1 · 12-15-2014, 03:02 PM

My husband and I love the layout of this coach. However, we keep getting conflicting info on the basement air. Can anyone who owns this model please help us to make our decision whether or not to make this purchase please?

Fred and Bonnie · 12-15-2014, 03:23 PM

I would give the "Right" floor plan a much higher priority. We have used our Dolphin with basement air for 10 years, however the floor plan is much more important. You will find pros and cons to both type of unit installation,

Fred

Cousin Ed · 12-15-2014, 03:51 PM

We now have over 53,000 miles on our Journey. Before this one we had a Suncruiser for over 63,000 miles and an Adventurer before that. All had basement air/heat pump and none had any problems.

Falcon190 · 12-15-2014, 03:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cousin Ed

We now have over 53,000 miles on our Journey. Before this one we had a Suncruiser for over 63,000 miles and an Adventurer before that. All had basement air/heat pump and none had any problems.

Same with our 2003. Except for a freezing issue the Oasis heater (my fault).

ecurb74 · 12-15-2014, 04:25 PM

We had a 2002 journey with basement air and we didn't care for it at all. I'm sure that they have improved in the later years but on ours the return air duct was on the right side of the bed frame and every time it cycled it woke us up. Could not get used to it. (Very loud!) Didn't cool all that well either. They also had problems with the ducting coming apart in a hard to get to location. The air was the main reason for us trading the Journey. Floor plan doesn't mean a thing when your burning up inside the coach in 104 degree weather.

Bruce & Teresa
40' 2000 Foretravel U320
Cummins M11 450hp
Allison HD4060R 6 Spd W/Retarder

Diane98 · 12-15-2014, 04:49 PM

We have basement air in our 2005 Itasca Horizon. We really enjoy it as it cools the whole coach at the same time, even on 30 amp. On roof air-at 30amp you can't use both roof air conditioners at the same time.
On basement air - u can't run the microwave at the same time as the basement air on 30amp, but you can on 50amp.
We had one small problem with the ducting last summer in our basement air conditioner, but was easily fixed at our dealer, this was after 9 years of no problems. The noise of the A/C never bothered us as it was no louder than using a heater or fan & it was in the bedroom under the W/D
We had basement air in our Adventurer for 4 years before we traded it for the Itasca & never had any problem with that one.

edgray · 12-15-2014, 05:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Arrived1

My husband and I love the layout of this coach. However, we keep getting conflicting info on the basement air. Can anyone who owns this model please help us to make our decision whether or not to make this purchase please?

Mine is not a DP, but it IS a 2010, which was the last year WBGO used the basement AC/heat pump units made by RVP branded as "Coleman". Like the others, I would not let this become THE deciding factor in a much bigger picture, however I have been extremely dis-appointed in mine.
It had a leak which caused it to not cool within the first month of my purchased-new ownership. WBGO paid to have it repaired under their warranty. When the repair didn't last more than a few months beyond the WBGO warranty, RVP refused to cover it under their "2 year" warranty because they claimed the WBGO dealer was not one of their "approved" repair centers. WBGO said "Sorry, but our warranty is over". I'm out $800 bucks for the second repair and the coach remained unusable in temps above 85*F until I paid almost $2K to have a 15,000 btu roof-top unit installed in place of the kitchen vent fan. I will NEVER own another coach with RVP-made anything on it. I'm not too happy with WBGO response either, but I understand their business model is all about their bottom line, and they were within their rights to not cover the second repair because a year had passed. So they get no brand loyalty from ME.

Peralko · 12-15-2014, 05:27 PM

One consideration is that you have no back-up AC if the basement AC goes out. Most motorhomes have at least 2 roof ACs, so you always have a back-up. Another issue is the fact that most manufacturers have gone away from the basement AC in favor of roof ACs.

Rusty years · 12-15-2014, 08:23 PM

Folks I know with basement air have very little storage space below. That is really important to have. Newer coaches don't have nearly enough cabinetry.

Sky_Boss · 12-15-2014, 08:36 PM

We had a bad experience with our 2006 39' Adventurer. We went as far as dropping the AC unit, thorough cleaning of all surfaces, validating proper operations and resealing the main duct. On a 100* day it would get over 80* inside the coach.

I wish it would have worked better because we though the unit was very quite in the living area. In the bedroom I don't think it would have been any noisier than a roof unit.

I have heard many good stories about the same set up. I just don't know if there was anything else we could have done.

FleetMan · 12-15-2014, 08:38 PM

Basement air was a deciding factor for me because of the lower overall height of the coach. That allowed me to safely get through a 12' high garage door opening without having to consider dumping pressure in the air bags for added clearance. We have no complaints with the performance of either the A/C or the heat pump. And, for a two person operation, we have more storage and carrying capacity than we need. The last few years we have been removing things we carried and never used.

Arrived1 · 12-15-2014, 08:51 PM

Thank you for your reply! Have you been in very hot climates with your coach?

FleetMan · 12-15-2014, 08:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Arrived1

Thank you for your reply! Have you been in very hot climates with your coach?

Several years ago we were in San Antonio in July or August and the temperatures were in the 110 degree range during the day - high humidity too. The basement air maintained about a 30 degree differential inside the coach. Roof and sidewall insulation play a big factor in maintaining inside temperatures during both cold weather as well as hot.

Fred and Bonnie · 12-16-2014, 11:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Arrived1

Thank you for your reply! Have you been in very hot climates with your coach?

Yes, we have been in 100 degree + weather, unit maintained 78 degrees. The most important thing is keeping the heat out. In high temp conditions we use insulated window with shading material, Multi-Purpose Foil, 4' x 10' - Four Corners AO2012-003 - Window Covers - Camping World, cut to size and Vent Cushion - Intersource D10-146 - Fan and Vent Accessories - Camping World, in all vents.

You need to start cooling before the temp rises.

Fred