Spirit Happy Posted August 16, 2009 Share Posted August 16, 2009 I own a 92 Itasca Spirit. It has a Kohler GenSet and A/C. These function, A/C works well, but the Kohler is obscenely loud. shakes the coach and scares the willies out of my cat, for whom the A/C is a must. I am considering the turbokool to alieviate the noise issues. However since it is essentially a fan driven piece of equipment, I am concerned it maybe equally noisy and in that sense a waste of money. Can anyone compare the two for me and help me decide what to do? thanks SpiritHappy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maineah Posted August 16, 2009 Share Posted August 16, 2009 This may not be your problem but my A/C was way noisy because the gasket was shot and the A/C was laying on the roof. Often people tighten the mounting bolts to cure leaks so it maybe sitting flat on the roof with a squished gasket. They are not very quiet but you should be able to sleep with it on. Is it OK plugged in? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom W Posted August 17, 2009 Share Posted August 17, 2009 I don't know what a Turbocool is but my unit is the same as yours, inside its mainly the fan noise and some gen noise no vibration outside gen is not the quietest, the ac is a 9000 BTU. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spirit Happy Posted August 17, 2009 Author Share Posted August 17, 2009 This may not be your problem but my A/C was way noisy because the gasket was shot and the A/C was laying on the roof. Often people tighten the mounting bolts to cure leaks so it maybe sitting flat on the roof with a squished gasket. They are not very quiet but you should be able to sleep with it on. Is it OK plugged in? The A/C runs fine on shore power, quiet. ITs a dry camp issue. THe gen set in camp is too noisy to run and vibrates the coach. sitting on the couch is mighty interesting! Turbo Kool is a swamp cooler that runs on 12VDC. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maineah Posted August 17, 2009 Share Posted August 17, 2009 The A/C runs fine on shore power, quiet. ITs a dry camp issue. THe gen set in camp is too noisy to run and vibrates the coach. sitting on the couch is mighty interesting! Turbo Kool is a swamp cooler that runs on 12VDC. I don't know too much about the swamp coolers but I would guess it gets it's water from the fresh water tank so you would have to worry about water usage and battery drain to run the pump and fans. The generator sets are pretty well mounted in rubber mounts wonder if you may have a bad mount? It must be running fine or you would not have the power to run the A/C. They all vibrate a bit you definitely know its running but it should not shake the coach. I'm pretty sure shandamac has a swamp cooler you might pm her and see how she likes hers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
McShank Posted August 17, 2009 Share Posted August 17, 2009 I just replaced the rubber mounts on my Kohler generator and it still vibrates the coach quite a bit. These older gens make a lot of noise and vibration especially when compared to the new Microlites. I live in Arizona where the humidity is very low (except July and August) and I added a Turbocool in addition to my rooftop ac. If you don't understand evaps I can tell you that if it is 100 degrees outside with 5 % humidity, dry air forced through a wet foam pad will evaporate the water and the air will turn into about 70 degrees and 40% humidity. I have had these on several other units and they have several advantages and disadvantages. On the plus side they work on 12v so you don't have to plug in or run the gen; I can keep the living area comfortable - not cold - when I am parked and I can run it while driving. It does use up your water but its a simple machine which spins water onto a pad with a cone that is part of the fan. Works on cool/intake or exhaust and does not draw many amps. It is much quieter than an ac, especially on low. However, if you live where the humidity is usually above 30% you may not be happy because it relies on evaporation to cool the air and high humidity can make the inside feel like a sweat box. If you set the fill level according to their instructions water can spill into the interior when you make sharp turns; it set my fill level a little lower. It provides cool/moist air but does not do the job of an ac. It is expensive but the only maintenance is changing the foam pad every year or so. In have a 21' Sunrader and I mounted it in the vent opening in the rear but had to mount it backwards because of interference with the ac, and I installed a little wind deflector from the back/top of the ac to the evap so the intake vent did not get the full force of wind at driving speeds. I think it is great for dry camping or just keeping the back cool while I am traveling around the (dry) Southwest. Seamus McShank Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gulfstream Greg Posted August 17, 2009 Share Posted August 17, 2009 Any of the powered fans make noise, just no way around it. I have two, a fantastic 3 speed and a northern breeze variable speed. My preference is the northern breeze because of the variable speed which can be turned down lower than the fantastic and run quieter. You could also get rid of the present generator and buy a Honda 2000 or 3000, they are quiet! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shandamac Posted August 17, 2009 Share Posted August 17, 2009 S.H. My 2 cents: I agree with Maineah. If your rattling a/c blows cold air, I'd definitely try to replace the gasket first to minimize the vibration and noise that scares the poor kitty before opting for a swamp cooler swap out. Sadie has a Recair evaporative cooler (not by my choice). It's bareable enough if sitting directly under it on a hot dry day/evening with the windows open for extra ventilation, but it is not cold. The moist air is heavy and does not travel throughout the house either. If you add that to an already humid environment (say....most of Oklahoma, Texas....heck, the South in general), you'd find yourself in one sticky, potentially moldy situation. Since most of my trips with Sadie so far have been in the Fall and Winter, I've not been in a hurry to remove the swamp cooler. I've used it only a few times since I got it cleaned out a month or so ago. (I sometimes go out to the motorhome to practice my fiddle or read in peace.) I have to sit right underneath it to feel the cooler air. Another draw back: Once the pump fills the reservoir, the water sits in the reservoir, even if it's not all evaporated out; another potentially moldy monster. Oh, and a swamp cooler adds one more water line to winterize. Eventually, I'll be trading Sadie's out for a roof top vented fan that pulls air in through the windows. Unless your travels take you to mainly desert like air conditions (I guess that might be high altitudes too), then a swamp cooler is not the way to go. Some of the owners on this forum have some really great ideas for building up and insulating between the a/c and the roof. Keep reading past posts, and don't be afraid to ask lots of questions. We love talking about our toys. (Yes....I could rattle on even longer.) Best wishes on your a/c adventure. shanda Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spirit Happy Posted August 18, 2009 Author Share Posted August 18, 2009 Thanks everyone! I do live in the Mojave. The swamp coolers are our friends. My new home has a old noisy one and I am used to the water/humidity it ads. Helps with the cooling when I open all the windows. I know that the cooler is mainly forced air in, windows open to let air out. Thanks for the over fill warning while driving, I was wondering about that. I too want to set it at the back of the coach. The water and power sources are nearby and a reroute would be easier. I was wondering about noise issues when comparing shore power A/C versus the swampcooler. I do intend to use it while driving. The cat has gotten a bit used to that. My Toy is a lot quieter than the old class C we ditched a while back. For the sake of it I will check motor mounts, although the previous owners complained to a repair place, and was told little could be done to alleviate the noise issues with it. The cat loves the A/C on shore power. Guys, who have both, how do they compare? The 12VDC usage isnt that much, and I will eventually go solar too. but that's a few years down the road. once again, thanks for your replies and assistance Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
futar Posted August 18, 2009 Share Posted August 18, 2009 I have both in my present MH. I have been using the roof mounted "swamp" coolers for over 30 years. Being in the Mojave is where it shines. When it's real dry and hot, it's amazing how cold the air comes out. If you're going to travel in a humid climate forget it. One asset of the Turbocool is that you can reverse the fan for venting. The Turbocool has three speeds using from 2.2 to 4.6 amps. Running on a good heavy coach battery has never been an issue for me of running the battery down. On high it's noisy but doesn't compare to a regular air conditioner or a generator. It's a fan noise not a compressor plus fan noise. It can use a fair amount of water. Some MH water pumps have to lug to pump the water up to the roof. I "souped up" my first water pump. I would even consider a separate heavy duty 12v water pump. That way you can get one of those six gallon plastic water jugs and use either or water tanks. I have a six gallon tank behind the drivers seat. I had no dash air on my first Toyhome. I had the cooler mounted on the front roof vent. I had to use flexible ducting to vent it down to the drivers area. There was a technique to this as the built in fan is not high pressure. You can't open the front vents as it will work against the cooler air pressure. If you open slightly the rear bathroom vent or a side window, it will help the flow over the front seating Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom W Posted August 20, 2009 Share Posted August 20, 2009 I have the same unit its noisy but doesn't Vibrate to speak of, I would think looking at the mounts also how its mounted in the box. I had a two cyl welder that had a lot of vibration had the rotor balanced took away most of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.