buyer beware

[Pete Masterson]

Chassis AC is one of the first items to fail on most BBs -- not
because they are inherently "bad" but simply because of the tendency
of the units to eventually develop a slow leak, and then they lose
the refrigerant. This is true of most automobive ACs ... and one
instruction in my automobile's owner's manual is to run the AC at
least once a month to help keep seals tight. RVs, by their nature,
tend to sit for long periods without use -- and it's also difficult
to remember to run the AC during the colder months of the year.

The system size and generally long runs of tubing also require a
somewhat larger 'charge' of coolant than smaller automobile AC units.
So, the various costs and difficulties of keeping the chassis AC
working often conspire to have owners simply 'let it go...' rather
than spend the money to bring it back to life.

One additional complexity is the legal status of freon -- the newest
units require R134a and the old kind is no longer available. So, an
additional extra cost is required to convert the unit to the new
refrigerant -- more expense and less cooling power than the original.

In contrast, you simply need to start the generator and you can then
run the roof ACs as you go down the road. Since the roof ACs are more
like home-type window units (self-contained with fewer fittings and
hoses to leak refrigerant) they are much easier to keep serviced and
operational -- and are much less expensive to completely replace, if
desired. They also do not require any horsepower from the engine --
and especially on the earlier 'birds, that's an important
consideration as well.

While my 'bird is much newer than those you're evaluating, consider
the costs: Fortunately, the previous owner already paid to convert it
to R134a ... but by the time I purchased it, all the refrigerant had
"left" the system. (The coach sat for about 6 months, unused.) The
refrigerant, installed by an AC service provider, cost over $300 for
the amount used. (Do it yourself might have cost less, but I don't
have the tools or knowledge to do the work.) There were other labor
charges for inspecting and testing the system to insure that there
were no leaks. Since this work was done as part of a radiator re-
core, I don't have the full cost separated out of the bill ... but I
expect that the AC service might have come to a total of $500 by
itself. While I appreciate the chassis AC, I'm not sure that the
expense was entirely "worth it."

Pete Masterson
'95 Blue Bird Wanderlodge WBDA 42
aeonix1@...
On the road at Lockhart Texas



On May 5, 2007, at 5:49 AM, bubblerboy64 wrote:

> <snip>Why is it that
> none of these older FC coaches have functioning engine driven AC?
> With all else "good" about BB why would these AC's be bad pretty
> across the board? And wouldn't it be relatively easy to "rig up"
> modern automotive compressors and such to replace the originals?
> Again thanks much JEH
>
>
>