Community Forums

Zonearc · 07-21-2022, 10:15 AM

Hi! I have a 2015 Fleetwood Excursion 35E. It came with two rooftop Coleman Mach AC+heatpump units. One is out, the other one is going out. The RV shop near me has been calling around, and apparently due to shortages, the manufacturer has cancelled the Mach 8 with heat pumps and the 10 is on serious backorder (months if ever).
They're suggesting I just replace them with AC only units and use the built in coach furnace for heat when needed.
I'm wanting to get opinions on if this makes sense or not.
We live in TX, so we don't get cold often .. and I don't mind using a couple small space heaters for the 3 weeks a year we might (doubtful) camp in. But, is there anything else I'm missing here as the advantage of a heat pump that I would be losing?

Old Scout · 07-21-2022, 10:23 AM

Combination AC / heat pumps are nice to have in moderate weather but given the current issues with the "supply chain," think I would opt of a 15k AC only replacement and move on. There are some suitable temp replacements like split air or window units with in/out venting but who knows how long it will be before things return to "normal"--no time soon I suspect.

Mudfrog · 07-21-2022, 10:33 AM

I love the efficiency of the heat pump in our home. But because we don't live in our motorhome, I feel it would be a waste of money having it there since we don't live in it. There are other alternatives such as using the furnace, installing an optional heat strip in the ac unit, and/or using portable heaters.

I'd get a 15k btu if it's available.

DavidEM · 07-21-2022, 11:15 AM

If you are paying for your power (instead of using an RV park's free power), then a heat pump is a better solution. It produces 2-3 times more heat per KW than a simple electric heat strip in an A/C unit. It will also be cheaper for most people than using the propane furnace.

But if power is free, you can use the A/C heat strip.

David

aquaboy · 07-21-2022, 12:47 PM

yes, serious shortage on 15k AC units. when one of mine went out I had to accept a 13.5k unit or wait for undetermined amount of time. seems to be working ok, i tested it last week in texas with full sun and at 102 degrees i was at about 78 degrees in the hottest part of day with no shade. Forget the heat pump, we use the fireplace and thats enough or if not a little ceramic heater is so much quieter than heat pump! I live in houston area

VolDawg · 07-21-2022, 12:57 PM

We live in TN and camp a little in the cold season. Our A/C units do not have heat pumps, so we rely on our 2 furnace's to stay warm. No issues staying warm.

At some point I'll need to replace my A/C units. One is original and 22 years old but still works perfectly. When that time comes I plan to replace with A/C only units, no heat pumps since we do well with furnace heat.

vito.a · 07-21-2022, 01:22 PM

PPL motorhomes is one of the largest dealers in the US. They have a few Coleman Mach 15 heat pumps in stock and they are on sale. They will drop ship direct to you.
https://www.pplmotorhomes.com/parts/...ditioner_63150

A side note. Coleman has had a large number of A/C failures. This may be an excellent opportunity to switch brands.

ArtJoyce · 07-21-2022, 01:44 PM

We don't use our heat pump much. It makes too much noise. Also, I feel HP's greatly reduces the life of the unit because it run so much trying to heat. They move a lot, but it feels colder so I turn up the temp.

If I had a propane furnace I would skip the heat pump.

avid108 · 07-21-2022, 02:22 PM

The onboard propane tank on our motorhome is small and will only last about 3 days if using the furnace full time, so we do use our heat pump quite a bit. It will help heat the entire coach faster than just ceramic space heaters.

However, at less than 40 degrees, the heat pump (Dometic) may or may not come on, and when that happens, we use ceramic space heaters almost exclusively.

We live in our RV, but we only use the propane furnace if it is extremely cold.

ArtJoyce · 07-21-2022, 04:32 PM

With a small propane tank. I would be running my HP much more.

We moved from the 1500w space heaters to having 4 of the small personal office heaters (400-500w) with builtin digital thermostats. They hang on the electrical outlets. But now the different areas have a heat source controlled by a local thermostat.

wildcatter · 07-21-2022, 04:56 PM

You can probably order 1 with out the heat pump and add it later. I just bought a dometic penguin 2 with heat pump from unitedrv.com, I would try them. They have the mach coleman and you can add the heat pump

Bykerboy · 07-22-2022, 04:18 AM

I recently replaced both of my 22 year old Dometic AC units with included heat pump. The 15 K units were readily available on Amazon about a month ago.

ransil · 07-22-2022, 04:38 AM

the mach 10 do not have a condensate pump , i opted for a 15k AC only unit for my replacement to keep the condensate pump to drain water thru the pipes vs on the roof.

DRM901 · 07-22-2022, 06:25 AM

At the end of last year, I finally got my ordered Mach 8 heat pump, with condensate pump - after a 6 month wait. I just got on the wait list for another one.

If you are OK with a taller one, I've seen the Mach 10 & 15 available. Or an AC only unit.

You can't, after the fact, convert an AC unit into a heat pump. It would require cutting the cooling lines and installing a reversing valve.

We use the heat pump when we are camping in spring & fall weather here in north TX & southern OK. I'll use the AquaHot furnace with only the electric element on at night, since that is very quiet.

It is a nice option to have available to you. However, I would never get anything other that the 15k BTU. Shoot, if I could figure out a way to install the larger ones, that are 220v, I'd do it.

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