So Cool

We never knew how much we could love the sound of our #2 air conditioner/heat pump compressor coming on.

It's really cool!

You see, until yesterday it had been dead for nearly a year. And, trying to cool a 40-foot motorhome on a warm day with just one compressor doesn't work so well. Or, actually, at all. But, today we are back in business!

After a full-filled adventure touring more small Iowa farm towns than we care to count, we arrived in Lincoln, Nebraska, to a lovely campground recommended by friends. With a cloudless sky, the temperature was in the mid-80s. The western sun was beating on our Imax window. The temperature inside had climbed above 80. We knew exactly what to do.

We cranked it!

We set the thermostat south of 75 and listened. Our uber-dependable #1 compressor came on in flash, as it always has. Coolish air began to flow from the air ducts. About two minutes later we heard a long-forgotten sound. The #2 compressor kicked on.

Halleluiah!

With both compressors humming, the breeze coming from the ducts was down right chilly. Within a half hour, the inside temperature had dropped to a very pleasant 74 degrees.

We're so happy!

In all our giddiness, we want to take a moment to explain a couple of things.

First, we want to answer Mike and Sandy's question about the manufacturer of our heat pump: RVP. I'm not really sure what the letters stand for, but I think it's the RV Products division of AirXCel. This Wichita-based company has been making Coleman Mach RV air conditioners for 45 years. We're so grateful that this fine Kansas company honored our two-year warranty on their product, even after two-and-a-half years. They are definitely good folks!

Second, for many years - until 2010 or 2011 - Winnebago put RVP "basement air" units in most, if not all, of its Class A coaches. What makes basement air different from most RVs is there aren't any compressors on the roof. They aren't exposed to sun, hail, wind and the like. With no compressors on the roof, there's no water dripping off the roof either. The inside ceilings are higher, which is important when the average height of the people in your rolling home is about 6 feet. The whole thing is quieter. After all, it's tucked away in the basement. Of course, because the heat pump is located in the basement, it does take up the space of a Class A basement bay. (In our case, it's a fair tradeoff, provided the whole thing is working.) This thing residing in the basement is actually basically a small residential heat pump, and it's nothing like most RV rooftop air conditioners/heat pumps. So, not everybody can work on them. Actually, some Winnie owners have had success by calling residential heating and air conditioning service companies. There are definitely tradeoffs.

When Winnebago introduced its first units with "roof air" a couple of years ago, the Winnie community was buzzing. Rumors filled the online forums. They declared that RVP was going out of business. Others said they were no longer supplying parts. Still others actually started having roof air units installed on their Winnies. It was all pretty crazy.

Through all of this, we think the trademark Winnie basement air has gotten a bad rap. The folks on line are quick to declare these units as poorly designed and inefficient.

We beg to differ.

Having owned a couple of Winnies with basement air, there's at least one thing we know. When the basement air is working, it rocks! When we shopped for our first moose on a 105-degree day in central California, we remember how quickly the basement air cooled things down on the lot. Our salesman joked how easy it was to spot a Winnebago in an RV lot on a warm day: It was the one all the salesmen were sitting in. We would certainly agree.

Here's another thing we've learned about basement air. When it's not working, it's kinda hard to tell. Since all the business is happening in the basement, and controlled with the flip of one switch, it can be tough to know if both compressors are firing. As was our case, we operated for the longest time thinking things were operating as designed. It sure seemed like it, anyway. When the outside temperatures climbed and the inside temperatures didn't keep up, it was easy to just blame it on an inefficient system.

And, that's just plain wrong.

For our Winnebago friends, we have a word of advice. If your basement air isn't keeping up, please have it checked out by a skilled, reputable dealer. This brilliantly designed system actually works quite well in most situations. Now, if you find yourself in blazing sun on a 120-degree day, chances are it won't be able to keep up. But, short of that, if you're firing on both compressors, you should be good. There's no reason to have somebody start carving up your roof to install an extra air conditioning unit. Really.

And, about those rumors about RVP going out of business, they're not. About those rumors that they're not supplying parts, they are. In our case, they were willing to manufacturer a part they're no longer supplying. It took awhile, but we got it. When we talked to the good people at RVP, they couldn't have been nicer. They said they wanted to take care of their customers. By taking care of our issues after our warranty expired, they literally put their money where their mouth is.

As a couple of folks happily chilling in the mid-70s, it's all so cool!