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Old 08-03-2020, 07:57 PM   #1
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Looking For Good Deal on Rooftop AC (FL)

Anyone got any leads on where to find a good deal on a rooftop AC unit? I've got a roof hatch delete piece I had cut out and I went ahead and had the 14" hole for ac cut in it.
I really need ac for this bus, and my roof hatch leaks horribly so I really need to get rid of it sooner than later.

So that said- any suggestions on where to get a nice rooftop unit for less than $500 I'm all ears.

I'd rather have a 15k but I'm flexible.

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Old 08-03-2020, 08:57 PM   #2
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Call auction houses and see if you can get the number of some scrappers in your area. I've got a lead on a 15k because I happened to be at a farm sale awhile back that sold a scrap 5th wheel camper. It had AC on it and I was able to get the name of the guy who bought it, he buys lots of them.

Maybe you can have someone similar in your area!?!?
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Old 08-03-2020, 10:16 PM   #3
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Call auction houses and see if you can get the number of some scrappers in your area. I've got a lead on a 15k because I happened to be at a farm sale awhile back that sold a scrap 5th wheel camper. It had AC on it and I was able to get the name of the guy who bought it, he buys lots of them.

Maybe you can have someone similar in your area!?!?

He's in Florida where everyone uses AC most of the year. Up here in WI we have lots of people not even bother with it because we only need it maybe 3 months out of the year at most.



Heck, it was a low of 52 degrees yesterday. Perfect weather to get stuff done on my bus roof
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Old 08-03-2020, 11:09 PM   #4
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Most sellers down here want nearly as much for a beat up used one as a new one can be had for.
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Old 08-03-2020, 11:38 PM   #5
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Now I know this isn't what you're looking for, and you'd probably need 2 or 3, and you might have to wait for your ship to come in (I'm talking about the one with the ac's on it.) But I sure like the DC for solar. One less expensive box to worry about. Three or four down the length on a full length bus might be a great set-up. Someone needs to buy one and see how well it works. Then maybe we could buy a container load, and we could all get our 3 or 4 'em cheap.

E-Clima2200 Truck Rooftop Air Conditioning Units - KingClima
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Old 08-03-2020, 11:50 PM   #6
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Heck all you need is a fridge with the hot side coils on the outside.

Or really go redneck:



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Old 08-04-2020, 07:56 AM   #7
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pasrt of the problem EC is this year RVing got very popular. and everyone decided to fix them up and run them.. there's RVs in my storage unit where i keep the busses that i hadnt seen move in 5 years.. flat tires, 15 layers of dirt, all the sudden got cleaned up, new tires, A/C's fixed and off they have been every weekend this summer. all the A/C parts and systems i have are for engine driven systems..



even up here I looked for you and old seemingly ancient (but they claim to work) units are going for $150-200 .. and there arent alot of them. I also think that the ionly time anyone touches their A/C is when it dies.. people dont just upgrade them and sell the old ones like they do house systems ..



there are a lot of RV surplus yards in elkhart indiana.. not sure what it costs to ship one. but possibly theres some better prices?



I suspect once fall rolls around up north and no one is thinking about A/C the prices will come down..
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Old 08-04-2020, 01:30 PM   #8
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I have an older unit that I am removing because I've installed a mini split (best choice I've made so far!), It works but the blower bearings need replaced as they are exhibiting drag. Its also missing the interior fascia but I'm sure that could be sourced.

Anyway, its yours if you want it! We could arrange a pickup, I'm located in Knoxville, TN.
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Old 08-04-2020, 03:00 PM   #9
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pasrt of the problem EC is this year RVing got very popular. and everyone decided to fix them up and run them.. there's RVs in my storage unit where i keep the busses that i hadnt seen move in 5 years.. flat tires, 15 layers of dirt, all the sudden got cleaned up, new tires, A/C's fixed and off they have been every weekend this summer. all the A/C parts and systems i have are for engine driven systems..



even up here I looked for you and old seemingly ancient (but they claim to work) units are going for $150-200 .. and there arent alot of them. I also think that the ionly time anyone touches their A/C is when it dies.. people dont just upgrade them and sell the old ones like they do house systems ..



there are a lot of RV surplus yards in elkhart indiana.. not sure what it costs to ship one. but possibly theres some better prices?



I suspect once fall rolls around up north and no one is thinking about A/C the prices will come down..
Thanks, Chris. I appreciate it. You're totally right. RV-ing and skoolies are about as trendy as it gets right now.
Guess I'll suck it up and buy a new one... Are you familiar with Furrion units, Chris? would love to hear your thoughts on them. https://furrion.com/collections/air-conditioning
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Old 08-04-2020, 03:03 PM   #10
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I have an older unit that I am removing because I've installed a mini split (best choice I've made so far!), It works but the blower bearings need replaced as they are exhibiting drag. Its also missing the interior fascia but I'm sure that could be sourced.

Anyway, its yours if you want it! We could arrange a pickup, I'm located in Knoxville, TN.
Thanks, man. IDK if im good on fixing one, but if I can figure out how to get it here I'll take it. Such a great community here!
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Old 08-04-2020, 05:17 PM   #11
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Thanks, man. IDK if im good on fixing one, but if I can figure out how to get it here I'll take it. Such a great community here!
Just let me know! I don't have much space so I'll probably be taking it to recycling next week.
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Old 08-05-2020, 09:06 AM   #12
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Just let me know! I don't have much space so I'll probably be taking it to recycling next week.
Probably just do that, man. But I genuinely appreciate the offer.

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Old 08-08-2020, 06:55 AM   #13
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I've got some tree work lined up and getting a 2002 S-10 4x4 as payment. I plan to sell the truck and use some of the money for a nice new ac unit.

So- any opinions/experience on which units are the better ones to buy? Planning to go with a Coleman but the Furrion units are tempting.
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Old 08-08-2020, 09:55 AM   #14
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I dont know much about the furrion units.. they are systems. . so make sure before you buy one that yopu are getting the whole thing.. they are a modular type system.. you can duct them, have climate control, manual control, so you need the inside bezels and stuff along with the rooftop part..



my extent with camper A/Cs has been fixing broken ones for people.. (which is 85% just dirty coils or water got into the electrics)... I work on dometics more than any.. but thats also because they get slapped on top of many many RVs..



to anyone who has rooftop units.,,. PLEASE take the time to remove the covers and clean them at least once a year.. if you use them alot clean them twice a year..
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Old 08-08-2020, 09:59 AM   #15
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Good advice.

I like the idea behind the furrion units but it's hard to find any real world experience with them. Furrion does import other things that don't have stellar reviews if you dig. I think if I buy new I'll probably get dometic or Coleman.

Aposedly Atwood makes a dual fan quiet design as well but I haven't researched enough to find out if it's the Atwood/dometic branded ones or something else.
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Old 08-08-2020, 10:11 AM   #16
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I dont know much about the furrion units.. they are systems. . so make sure before you buy one that yopu are getting the whole thing.. they are a modular type system.. you can duct them, have climate control, manual control, so you need the inside bezels and stuff along with the rooftop part..



my extent with camper A/Cs has been fixing broken ones for people.. (which is 85% just dirty coils or water got into the electrics)... I work on dometics more than any.. but thats also because they get slapped on top of many many RVs..



to anyone who has rooftop units.,,. PLEASE take the time to remove the covers and clean them at least once a year.. if you use them alot clean them twice a year..
Yeah, I'll be sure and get the whole kit no matter what I buy.
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Old 08-08-2020, 10:14 AM   #17
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Good advice.

I like the idea behind the furrion units but it's hard to find any real world experience with them. Furrion does import other things that don't have stellar reviews if you dig. I think if I buy new I'll probably get dometic or Coleman.

Aposedly Atwood makes a dual fan quiet design as well but I haven't researched enough to find out if it's the Atwood/dometic branded ones or something else.
How much noise it makes is a bit of a concern. From all the reading I've done it does sound like dometic have some lighter weight components and a higher chance of coming with damage. But that's just what I've gathered from reviews and stuff.
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Old 12-15-2020, 06:02 PM   #18
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Well after thinking about it over the summer I've decided to suck it up and buy a new Ac unit for the roof. Went with an Advent 15k btu. In black, cause black was $30 cheaper than white. Will probably just repaint the shroud if the black stands out too much and bothers me. Going to paint the roof and the rest of the bus white for now.

A new 15k unit with the inside assembly and foam gasket was $702 shipped, fwiw. Best deal I could find for what we were looking for.

Next thing I'm keeping an eye out for is a 4k genset.
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Old 05-08-2021, 02:36 AM   #19
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Well, the above-mentioned truck rooftop AC is absolutely not a perfect solution for bus. As a battery powered truck AC is usually with 2000-3000W cooling capacity, not really cooling enough for a bus application.
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Old 08-09-2021, 02:47 AM   #20
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Honestly speaking, $500 budget is not enough for a 15kw bus AC unit. Taking a 12v battery powered rooftop air conditioner with a cooking capacity of 5000w, the cost would be more than $1000, let alone a 15kw system. For a traditional bus air conditioner, it will have enough cooling capacity, usually the smallest model could be with 25kw, but a much higher price than DC powered ones. I have purchased a battery powered 24V unit at Guchen Industry, hope you would find a better model to fit your bus perfectly --- Guchen Bus Air Conditioner
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