A couple of upgrades

[RodneynDawnT]

So, on our 28rbds, we had a slide topper installed for the big slide with the couch and table (didn’t need one for the smaller kitchen slide since it’s under the front awning anyway). We also replaced the dometic ac with an Atwood with heat pump. The Atwood is quieter, cools better, has the quick cool dump vents, which can be opened when needed and, of course, the heat pump.

I’m debating whether I’m going to put the dometic on the front above the bedroom for a second/back up unit or just sell it. In order to put it on the front I will need a customized inside lower unit as the bedroom wall is about an inch or two too close to the roof vent for the inside unit to fit properly.

[Fasttimes]

I've got a 2015 27RBDS and curious why you needed to replace the ac? What is the "heat pump"? Is there not a furnace built into your trailer with vents in the floor for heat? I quieter ac I could understand, our dometic is ridiculously loud.

[RodneynDawnT]

Our ‘16 28rbds is essentially the same camper as yours. The biggest difference I can see is the front cap. Yes, there’s a propane furnace.

A heat pump is an ac that will reverse to provide heat from the ac unit. The Freon flow and function of the evaporator and condenser are reversed in heat pump mode.

As to your question of why, I’ll try to answer in a way that makes sense. One of the reasons I wanted the heat pump is that I will now rarely have to burn the propane I would otherwise buy (but you’d have to camp a lot when it’s cool for that to be the determining factor). Other things include that it’s a very quite and civilized unit when compared to the stock dometic. You can choose cool or heat. Heat will run the heat pump until it gets too cold outside and then switch to the floor furnace or you can choose just the floor furnace. You can choose auto for those fall/spring days when you you might need some of each at different times. It also has a drying mode. You can set it with the wall thermostat or the included remote. It does not share the abrupt camper shaking qualities that the dometic exhibits. One of the reasons that it’s so quiet (and generator friendly) is because the it has separate fan motors for the inside and outside fans, unlike other brands.

Those were all considerations but what got me started down this road was wanting to add a second ac because on the hottest South Mississippi July days, the 15k dometic is at its limits, especially if it’s in the sun. Add to that that the original dometic had to be replaced under warranty after 5 or 6 trips made me lack confidence in the new replacement dometic. Atwood claimed that their 13.5k and 15k air command units were equivalent to 15 and 18k. I’m not sure how true those numbers are but it unquestionably cools noticeably faster than the dometic. A local independent rv tech, who I’ve known a long timeis fond of them, having swapped out his dometics on his boat for them.

So in the end, with all of those considerations, I decided to try the Atwood before adding a second unit over the bedroom. Plus, while my camper has the 50 amp option, the bedroom roof vent is an inch or so too close to the bedroom/den wall to install without altering the inside unit to fit. I can make the alterations but I think I’m going to wait see if I really need too. But if I still think I need a second unit, I have the dometic.

Long answer, I know...

[Fasttimes]

I hear you on the inability of the AC to keep up with the Heat. Here in FL I've had the same experience. The bedroom doesn't get cool enough, have to leave the door open. AC vents sweating. Luckily I do most of my camping in cooler months usually. Interesting to hear about the issues you had under warranty on the Dometic. Hoping I don't come across the same on mine since it's not under warranty. Other than the before mentioned, it seems to be working fine. Sure it loud though. Can barely watch TV with it on. So the Atwood is very quiet in comparison in AC mode?

[larrys]

Sounds like a great upgrade. The stock ac is annoyingly loud.

[norwood12800]

We are looking at a Winnie TT and was wondering about the lack of toppers even as an option. Interesting that the first post I looked at after joining mentioned this item.

[joeclorite]

Bill Plemmons RV in Winston Salem, NC installed a Slide Topper before we picked up out 2108 DS.
I agree that a slide topper is a must have when camping out in the woods.
Never any worrys about any limbs being dragged through the slide seal.

[old_engineer]

Originally Posted by norwood12800

We are looking at a Winnie TT and was wondering about the lack of toppers even as an option. Interesting that the first post I looked at after joining mentioned this item.

I bought and installed a topper on our 2106FBS slide. Winnebago sent me the side drawing so I could locate the aluminum tubing for the mounting hardware. All together it probably took me a couple of unrushed hours to get everything located and installed. I took two days to install. The first day I installed the mounting hardware. I let it sit overnight to let the butyl tape finish oozing out. The next day I cleaned up the butyl and sealed the hidden areas with Geocell. Then the wife and I with a little help from a rubber mallet completed the final installation. It's nice not to have to get up on the roof to sweep away the pine straw before we bring in the slide. To be honest it was a bit more work than I anticipated but not enough to make me consider paying someone to install one in the future.