2014 Journey roof top A/C noise

[Jim Bob]

This is my first coach with roof top A/C and it seems to be noisy inside and outside. I even had a complaint from a negibhor at a camp ground. Anyone else have a problem?

[cc8375]

Had a similar issue on this coach. Local RV shop corrected the issue under warranty.

[jerichorick]

I don't know about the outside noise. That surprises me. Our units are not that noise outside. But in the living room and galley? Very loud.

Coleman is not the problem. I had some conversation with the manufacture on this very topic. They say Winnebago has a design problem. I believe them.

Take any fan and blow it at a wall in close proximity. It is load! There is not much space in the ceiling for the air to flow. Putting that much air out these relatively small vents is noise in the making. What we have is what we will have.

We run just the back unit when possible. When we are forced to run the front units the TV an our voices MUST get louder. Sad but true.

The weak link of this great coach is the HVAC.

Happy trails, though noisey.

Rick

[poppopc]

Originally Posted by jerichorick

I don't know about the outside noise. That surprises me. Our units are not that noise outside. But in the living room and galley? Very loud.

Coleman is not the problem. I had some conversation with the manufacture on this very topic. They say Winnebago has a design problem. I believe them.

Take any fan and blow it at a wall in close proximity. It is load! There is not much space in the ceiling for the air to flow. Putting that much air out these relatively small vents is noise in the making. What we have is what we will have.

We run just the back unit when possible. When we are forced to run the front units the TV an our voices MUST get louder. Sad but true.

The weak link of this great coach is the HVAC.

Happy trails, though noisey.

Rick

X2 we have a 2013 40u same problem. When in the front run the rear,
And visaversa. Wonder if Winnebago will have a recall?"

[NeilV]

An issue with a new coach warrants a call to the manufactures rep for resolution. Remember that Winnebago for many years had basement air on their upper tier coaches and are just getting back into putting roof mounted systems on these RVs.

Call the toll free number having your VIN number handy and they may already have a fix available for your dealer to implement.

[garykk]

We have two roof heat pumps and actually find them much quieter than the roof ac of our last 5th wheel..ours don't make much noise on the outside, in fact neighboring MHs sometimes drown ours out.
On the inside as said before, most of the noise if from forced air.

[jerichorick]

Originally Posted by poppopc

X2 we have a 2013 40u same problem. When in the front run the rear,
And visaversa. Wonder if Winnebago will have a recall?"

This is not a safety issue but one of design. As another poster wrote, Winnebago used basement air for years. Roof air is a new game for them.

All of us with 2011 on coaches need to contact Winnebago. Here is their web page: Contact

Have your vin and SN handy. Use the email link so a record of your complaint can be 'seen'. I have received several calls from the factory rep with things I have concern about and need to be addressed in future productions.

I would be surprised if our noise issue is an easy fix. It will take a redesign of the roof channels and AC mounting to correct. One solution may be using even larger vents then they chose, and these are larger than the basement AC vents. Only those interested in solving the problem will solve it. We are only motivators.

Happy trails,
Rick

[jerichorick]

Hey folks. Just to let you know. Did a rainy, cold day experiment. I pulled the ceiling output vents out (unscrewed the units). Turned on the HVAC and the noise can be heard coming from the ceiling, before the vents.

The noise is a design issue I am sorry to say and it will be with us until some genius with time and interest decides to find a solution that will cover all of us.

I guess all we can do is love what is great and ignore what we don't like and can't change.

Happy trails are what we make them to be.

Rick

[NeilV]

Why self fix what should be a warrantable issue?

Did the one you saw on the lot make this noise? When you did your walk through before taking delivery did it make this much noise?

It could be something as simple as the rubber mounts on the compressor or fan being cranked to tight to a flex coupling being left out between the roof unit and the ducts or even something as simple as the fan speed being set too high.

[jerichorick]

Originally Posted by NeilV

Why self fix what should be a warrantable issue?

Did the one you saw on the lot make this noise? When you did your walk through before taking delivery did it make this much noise?

It could be something as simple as the rubber mounts on the compressor or fan being cranked to tight to a flex coupling being left out between the roof unit and the ducts or even something as simple as the fan speed being set too high.

Been in several units of this design over the past couple of years. Winnebago or Itasca, roof air is noisy. The air coming out of the vents is pushed too hard for the way it is mounted. I can only imagine the large amount of air from the AC unit being pushed into a tight passage with the air being reflected back to the fan as well as being pushed down the narrow passageways to the vents is the cause of the majority of the noise. A bit of compressor vibration can be heard but it is not overwhelming or unusual.

2011 model year is when Winnebago abandoned basement air, claiming the manufacturer was not supplying it any longer. We were at a Dallas RV show when we first experienced the noise and the force of the air from the vents.

We are tolerating the noise and knew it would be there when we bought this unit in May. We are so pleased with the layout and function of everything else that we chose to live with it. Sometimes it is like trying to stomach the neighbors yapping dog, true, but the neighbors are still good friends.

A simple speed control on the fan would be a great addition. I wish I knew how to do that.

Thanks so much for your input. We all wish it was just that simple.

Happy trails,
Rick

[Hikerdogs]

Before you condemn the unit go up to the roof and inspect the shrouds. The main unit on our 2013 Adventurer was making some excessive noise so I did a rooftop inspection with it running. I found 3 of the 4 bolts holding the shroud on were loose. A quick tightening and the noise was cut in half. The units are still much noisier than the old basement air, but at least now we can hear the television.

[jerichorick]

Originally Posted by Hikerdogs

Before you condemn the unit go up to the roof and inspect the shrouds. The main unit on our 2013 Adventurer was making some excessive noise so I did a rooftop inspection with it running. I found 3 of the 4 bolts holding the shroud on were loose. A quick tightening and the noise was cut in half. The units are still much noisier than the old basement air, but at least now we can hear the television.

Condemnation is not my intent. Living with reality is the issue here. I have had the shrouds off the inspect, all three, and found nothing loose or out of order. The noise is in the way the air is moved. I truly wish it were that simple. The design is the source of the problem. You can't condemn a DC 3 because it is not a jet! The way the AC is designed, from the Winnebago application aspect, is inherently noisy in the 2011's. Did they address this in the 2013's? Maybe they did? I hope so.

Enjoy your lovely coach coach and the quietness of your AC. For us? We will just have to suck it up because we can't afford to ever buy again. We are too old and not getting younger or richer.

Happy trails,
Rick

[Jim Bob]

Originally Posted by jerichorick

Condemnation is not my intent. Living with reality is the issue here. I have had the shrouds off the inspect, all three, and found nothing loose or out of order. The noise is in the way the air is moved. I truly wish it were that simple. The design is the source of the problem. You can't condemn a DC 3 because it is not a jet! The way the AC is designed, from the Winnebago application aspect, is inherently noisy in the 2011's. Did they address this in the 2013's? Maybe they did? I hope so.

Enjoy your lovely coach coach and the quietness of your AC. For us? We will just have to suck it up because we can't afford to ever buy again. We are too old and not getting younger or richer.

Happy trails,
Rick

I started this thread and I am happy to hear all of the feed back from members. That is what makes this forum so helpfull. I too was used to the basement air in my 2000 Horizon and the roof top air is something new to me. I have a 2014 Journey and my units are True Air Max Comfort. My friend has a 2013 36M just like mine but has Coleman units. Wonder why they changed units? Our last trip at TTrails Orlando I had a chance to talk to others and sit in their coaches and their units ran much quieter than mine. Neither were Winnebago coaches so there may be a lot to be said for the design of the vent system. I am in the same boat as you with this being my last coach and I haven't found a way to stop the ageing process either so I will enjoy everything else I love about this coach. It the 14 years we have been camping we have learned there is a trade off in everything when it comes to a coach, none have everything exactly the way we would like it but man is it a great way to enjoy life!! Have fun and enjoy!

[redbaron73]

My newmar had very loud Ac units. They are the 15k penguin heat pumps. The corrective action that newmar took was to relive the front bolts of the mount and place a rubber insulator in its place. This provides more insulation for the noise and reduced it noticeably. Still much louder than I prefer but does not awaken me at night now.

[jerichorick]

Originally Posted by Jim Bob

I started this thread and I am happy to hear all of the feed back from members. That is what makes this forum so helpfull. I too was used to the basement air in my 2000 Horizon and the roof top air is something new to me. I have a 2014 Journey and my units are True Air Max Comfort. My friend has a 2013 36M just like mine but has Coleman units. Wonder why they changed units? Our last trip at TTrails Orlando I had a chance to talk to others and sit in their coaches and their units ran much quieter than mine. Neither were Winnebago coaches so there may be a lot to be said for the design of the vent system. I am in the same boat as you with this being my last coach and I haven't found a way to stop the ageing process either so I will enjoy everything else I love about this coach. It the 14 years we have been camping we have learned there is a trade off in everything when it comes to a coach, none have everything exactly the way we would like it but man is it a great way to enjoy life!! Have fun and enjoy!

We have the Coleman units. When I get a chance I will try working on them. This will probably happen in June when I am with my son in WA. He is real clever and might come up with an idea for us. Do a search in June or July and you may find me posting the process and results. I hope we can get this resolved.

About "fun"? only way to travel! Same back at you.

[Rick FLA]

Ok guy's here is my latest news on the Mach 8 roof top AC from Colman.
Had a long chat with the engineer in Wichita Kansas at the factory (good guy by the way).
With 3 motors running at once fan,compressor and cooling fan for the
compressor some times you get 3 differnt RPM's and it set up a vibration with the
unit. I describe it as a cheep hotel wall unit type vibration you know the kind that wakes
you up at night. It appears that a new Fan blade is avalable for the compressor Cooling that is
3 blade and not 5 that helps this issue. I was told that at this years rally in forest city that a truck load of them
would be available for an up grade campaign. Not being able to make the trip to Forest City this year I wined enough
that I got a good will fix from Winnebago through my dealer (which I very much appreciate ).
This should be done the 1st week of june and I will let you know how it goes.

Good Luck to us all on this one
Rick From FLA 36M 2013

[Jupiter]

Originally Posted by Rick FLA

Ok guy's here is my latest news on the Mach 8 roof top AC from Colman.
Had a long chat with the engineer in Wichita Kansas at the factory (good guy by the way).
With 3 motors running at once fan,compressor and cooling fan for the
compressor some times you get 3 differnt RPM's and it set up a vibration with the
unit. I describe it as a cheep hotel wall unit type vibration you know the kind that wakes
you up at night. It appears that a new Fan blade is avalable for the compressor Cooling that is
3 blade and not 5 that helps this issue. I was told that at this years rally in forest city that a truck load of them
would be available for an up grade campaign. Not being able to make the trip to Forest City this year I wined enough
that I got a good will fix from Winnebago through my dealer (which I very much appreciate ).
This should be done the 1st week of june and I will let you know how it goes.

Good Luck to us all on this one
Rick From FLA 36M 2013

Here's my take on the Coleman noise complaint, which I wholeheartedly agree that the inside and outside noise is my most dissatisfying feature of this great coach. The resonating vibration noise from the compressors isn't that bad (at least in our coach). The primary noise problem is from the high speed fans. On the roof the condenser fan noise is so great that it is unreasonably disruptive mostly to our neighbors. Other manufacturers have figured ways to run condenser fans at a lower rpm essentially by utilizing either a larger fan blade assembly or by utilizing a larger condensing coil and slower fan speed. I've sat on the roof right beside the rooftop units while operating and the loud decibel whoosh of the high speed condenser fan noise is simply incredible! I often wondered why Winnebago would accept this particular product for their coaches when there are much quieter units available.

The fan noise inside the coach is not much better but at least you can often choose to run the rear unit while residing in the front, or visa versa. Oh, and having only two cooling units on the 36M is marginal at best in hot weather.

We won't be attending the Forest City Rally this year, but I'm interested in hearing from folks that have swapped out fan blades. Frankly, I'm skeptical (yet optimistic) that changing from 5 blade to 3 blade while maintaining the same rpm will significantly resolve the outside A/C noise. The fan still has to move the same amount of cubic feet per minute of air to properly condense. I'm hoping some folks post the results of the swap out.

cheers,
Joopy

[grtharris]

I checked my units this morning and my condenser fans have 6 blades.

[motohomer]

I was told about the new blades last year as well. Did not know they were upgradable! Definitely worth looking into. Thanks for the info.

[jerichorick]

Originally Posted by Jupiter

Here's my take on the Coleman noise complaint, which I wholeheartedly agree that the inside and outside noise is my most dissatisfying feature of this great coach. The resonating vibration noise from the compressors isn't that bad (at least in our coach). The primary noise problem is from the high speed fans. On the roof the condenser fan noise is so great that it is unreasonably disruptive mostly to our neighbors. Other manufacturers have figured ways to run condenser fans at a lower rpm essentially by utilizing either a larger fan blade assembly or by utilizing a larger condensing coil and slower fan speed. I've sat on the roof right beside the rooftop units while operating and the loud decibel whoosh of the high speed condenser fan noise is simply incredible! I often wondered why Winnebago would accept this particular product for their coaches when there are much quieter units available.

The fan noise inside the coach is not much better but at least you can often choose to run the rear unit while residing in the front, or visa versa. Oh, and having only two cooling units on the 36M is marginal at best in hot weather.

We won't be attending the Forest City Rally this year, but I'm interested in hearing from folks that have swapped out fan blades. Frankly, I'm skeptical (yet optimistic) that changing from 5 blade to 3 blade while maintaining the same rpm will significantly resolve the outside A/C noise. The fan still has to move the same amount of cubic feet per minute of air to properly condense. I'm hoping some folks post the results of the swap out.

cheers,
Joopy

I so much agree. I looked up the spec of my AC units and found that there is 310 CFM being crammed into that small duct channel per unit. I have three units. The later years reduced this to 300CFM but that did not resolve the 737 tail seat noise. It will be interesting to "hear" how folks react to the fan change.

About staying cool with your rig? I hope you are pulling the sun shades early in the day and cooling the coach off before the temps climb. Make certain that the coils are clean and the fins are open. Your units are not as efficient as mine, if I am reading the specs correctly, and with only 2 units you may not be able to stay as cool as you would like. As much as I am not in favor of trees over RVs, they do bring some shade and that can help.

It is 91* here and I am not having a problem cooling the coach too chilly. I do have a compressor that needs mount adjusting to get rid of some of the noise. Haven't had time yet. Maybe tomorrow in the morning cool.

Happy trails,
Rick Y

PS: Did you lift your units to see if there is weather stripping between the intake and output vents on the units? This was suggested by another poster.