Community Forums

ericgbirder · 10-16-2017, 03:33 PM

Hi,

I'm searching for a RV to buy. I often see rigs offering, say, a 13.5 kW AC unit with an option for a 15 kW unit with heat pump. I'm wondering what this means. Does the heat pump increase the air conditioning goodness in some way, or is the heat pump reversible so it acts as a heater?

Regards, Eric

Cousin Ed · 10-16-2017, 03:37 PM

It acts as a heater

bruceisla · 10-16-2017, 03:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ericgbirder

Hi,

I'm searching for a RV to buy. I often see rigs offering, say, a 13.5 kW AC unit with an option for a 15 kW unit with heat pump. I'm wondering what this means. Does the heat pump increase the air conditioning goodness in some way, or is the heat pump reversible so it acts as a heater?

Regards, Eric

The above.

Mac99 · 10-16-2017, 03:38 PM

The heat pump provides cooling or heat by reversing the
cycles depending on what the thermostat is calling for.
Just like the ones at many homes.

Skip426 · 10-16-2017, 03:41 PM

The heat pump function reverses flow through the roof unit and pumps the heat into the RV, and vents the cold to the outside.
UP TO A POINT they function well ; the point being approx 45 f , below that temp they won't function .

EDIT: three post while I was typing.... boy I type slow.

70ChevelleSS · 10-16-2017, 03:41 PM

A heat pump is basically the A/C running is reverse. Instead of drawing heat from the inside and exhausting it outside it draws heat from the outside air and exhausts it to the inside.

wingnut60 · 10-16-2017, 03:49 PM

These are air-to-air devices, and if the air it is drawing in is too hot or too cold, the unit performance will suffer accordingly. At 40d or thereabouts for heating, and 90-05 and above for cooling, seems to be where they stumble. Some of the units are tied into the furnace, and when they won't heat correctly, they turn the furnace on.

Cat320 · 10-16-2017, 04:02 PM

We have a heat pump on one of our ACs and very seldom use it. If it's cold enough for heat we turn on two portable Laskos or fire up the Aqua Hot. As noted above, the HP function does not work below around 40/45 plus they are noisy.

MSHappyCampers · 10-16-2017, 04:18 PM

Hi Eric! Others have answered your question but I just wanted to say that we love our heat pumps! We use them for heat until the outside temps get down close to freezing! Saves us a lot of propane.

USA-RVNomads · 10-17-2017, 08:33 AM

Between the use of our heat pumps and an oil filled electric radiator type space heater we rarely need to use our furnaces unless the outside temps dip down well below the freezing mark.

The heat pumps keep the humidity down which helps avoid condensation from building up inside the rig.

Fiesta48 · 10-17-2017, 11:40 AM

A space heater is $10-40. Throw away when bad. Just to repair a heat pump/AC unit is $100-1000. Which one do I use?

hclarkx · 05-09-2018, 07:15 PM

Hoping this thread is still alive .... Question. I have a traditional 13.5 noisy ceiling A/C (cooling only). If I replace it with a heatpump (cooling only?) will I have .......

1) lower starting current (hope to run it on a Honda 2000 good for 1600W continuous).

2) same or better performance when it's hot out .. 90-100F?

3) maybe a lower profile? I'm already at 12 feet 9 inches with the conventional unit.

4) same or lower noise inside?

5) I've converted my factory 13.5 to throw air straight down (the ducts used up too much of the coolness). Heatpump can work similarly?

I could live with a bit less cooling than the 13.5 produces. Same would be nice but I'd live with 82F inside instead of 77F if I could run it on the Honda 2000i.

A bigger generator is out, the 46# Honda is my lift limit.

Any other suggestions?

Thanks much.

Dutch Star Don · 05-09-2018, 07:58 PM

Pretty much nothing will change between what you have and what you want to get. When your A/C unit is running and cooling the coach, the heat the A/C unit develops, exits the A/C unit exterior vents into the outside air. When you turn on the heat pump, the cold air goes outside and the hot air comes inside.

It's the same unit, doing the same thing, they just add some additional wiring and a reversing valve. You won;t be able to start and run your unit off of a single Honda 2000. The height will most likely be the same.

wa8yxm · 05-10-2018, 07:37 AM

An "Air Conditioner" is any device that changes the condition of the air One air freshner used to advertise itself as the $1.89 Air Conditioner. But in standard practic when we say Air Conditioner we are talking about COOLING the air.

Now imagine if you were a window A/C installed backwards..So the outside was on the inside, IT would make the room WARMER by "Pumping" heat from outside to the Inside..

And this is what an A/C with Heat pump is.. A reversable A/C. only the "Reversing" is done with valves (Solenoids) inside the unit.

In teh Summer it "Pumps" heat out of the RV like any air conditioenr
In the Spring and fall it "Pumps" into the RV to help keep you warm
ANd in teh winter it just sits there and does nothing (one hopes you do not turn it on below freezing).

15,000 BTU will provide more cooling than 13,500 BTU. and I highly recommend it as the world warms. (I upgraded both my 13,500's to 15000 and it is still not enough.

Finally.. Warm air tends to rise. Your Heat Pump is at the top of the RV, of course the blower may push warm air down (Spring and fall) but the FURNACE ductwork is in the FLOOR, where a heater belongs.

That said. I'd much rather burn "Free" (included in teh site rental) electricity and relatively Expensive Propane.