[VAC] New air conditioner experience

[Randy Unter <runter@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I just went through a recent experience replacing the original a/c on my
'66 Overlander I wanted to share with you. I had the original a/c with
the shaft through the center of the roof of the coach with the condenser
mounted on the inside ceiling. Anyway, it went, so I first went to my
a/s dealer who said it couldn't be fixed; their service techs all looked
at it as an antique. So I went to Camping World for one of their $610
Dometic Penguin's. Not to be, to their credit they wouldn't cut a hole
in the skin to create the 14" x 14" mounting square. So off I went back
to the local Airstream dealer who quoted me a price of $1200 plus for
the same, certified install. Turns out the dealer wouldn't cut a hole
either after checking with a/s, so we settled on replacing the center
14" hatch over the galley with the new a/c. My Overlander has two 14"
hatches plus one double, so loosing one wasn't a problem.  Next came the
wiring problem. The dealer asked if I wanted the interior panels removed
to rewire the a/c to the new location. I didn't want them messing with
the interior since it is like new, so I suggested a surface mount wire
race to the a/c location. To make the long story short, this is what I
learned, especially for those who have never had a/c installed.
1. If a 14" square hatch exists, it will probably work for the a/c,
since there are struts on either side. Check with a/s to verify.
2. Go to Camping World or any other quality RV a/c installer and have
the a/c unit installed in the 14" hatch. I wound up rewiring the new a/c
after it over heated and had my electrician recheck all my wiring at
home/in the a/s. The wiring job done by the dealer was amateur at best.
I pulled a new 12/2 wire directly from the box at the rear, behind the
overhead storage lockers to the a/c. Only a small section of wire along
the galley bulk head is visable which I plan to cover.
3. In retrospect this job shouldn't have cost $1500, but about $800-900.
I did upgrade to the remote thermostat model for $770 which accounts
for  some of the added cost.  The unit now works great, better than the
original, and I can  have this unit serviced anywhere. Also, I now have
plenty of room for solar panels where the original a/c existed. That's
my consolation.

Randy Unter
'66 Overlander
Denver