Several Westy owners have replaced the 12v Kerstner Air Conditioner with a 120v rooftop air conditioner. The lowest height air conditioner is probably the Coleman Mach 8. Autocamp may have replaced with a Mach 8 (there may be different models so double-check).
In another subforum here, poster Old Crows provided links to changes and upgrades to the Coleman to improve efficiency and reduce noise.
https://sprinter-source.com/forum/showthread.php?p=621107#post621107
Go to that thread to get clickable links.
[Selected Quotes from Old Crows]
Since you have a '14 (like my MY View): You have to check to see if the condenser fan is a "D" model. The OEM is a 6 bladed prop job. The correct replacement is a 3 bladed 'elf ear' job. And should have a label with a "D" specification tag. Much quieter.
There's a gizmo you can get from "Perfect Casitas" (Orbital Machine Works) www.perfectcasita.com . Nice folks. Quality product. It reduces the motor speed on the condenser fan. OTMH, it reduces about RPM 20% on Lo and maybe 40% on HI. Easy three wire hookup.
If you are interested.... I'll give you a link to my MacGuyver of the bonnet to make it quieter.
AND>>>>> you don't need to cobble all the wiring and thermostat....
[From later post:]
Coleman came up with the 'elf ear' fan about mid 2015ish. It was, I believe a cost measure and not a quieting effort but that is the result. As a 14, you probably have the air beater 6 blade model. They had several iterations of the elf ear because they couldn't enginer/maufacture it right. The "D" version is the last and best iteration.
The reduced fan speed doen't affect the heating or cooling, if you follow the 'testing' done by Orbital Machine works who developed the gizmo. The problem is that the OEM set up has an inefficient fan design and the motor RPM is way too high for efficient air movement. The D fan and the 'throttling' of the motor RPM makes it less noisy at the expense of a very small amount of inefficiency. Since it's only on the 'condenser' fan, it should not affect the cooling or heating noticeably. The only think I've observed is that it is now very quiet and no apparent loss of cooling or heating. Also, there's two fans. The condenser one (above) and there's a squirrel cage type for the expansion unit (all enclosed in a plenum).
The write up: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1yH...uU_Hzobvp1xLPF (Yes, I was really Peed having to modify a product to make it work quietly.... as you can tell. I mince no words about the crap Coleman product. Regrettably, it is one of the 'best' out there in terms of power consumption & BTUs. After 'fixing' it... it works quietly.)
Photo Essay: https://drive.google.com/drive/folde...1h?usp=sharing
Addendum: A stand off is supplied with the new fan kit. Presumably it is to keep the fan from striking the bonnet. The bonnet (without the insulation) sags and ends up being supported by the pipes on the compressor. That also contributes to noise and vibration inside the coach. So.... You need to add a chunk of that highly cellular packing foam that comes in packing for electronics and such. It does not compress very well and does not absorb water, etc.. Stick it to the top of the stand off with two sided sticky tape. It just needs to stay in place. If you have the dimensions right you will have to press down on the top of the bonnet to compress it slightly to get the bonnet screws started. When finished, it should be flat or slightly convex from the outside.
Mine came with a black bonnet. Yes. GO FIGURE THAT OUT. Let's put our HVAC unit in a black box on top an RV roof and drive/park anywhere south of the Canadian border so the sun can bake the hell out of it .... and cut the efficiency. I cut a deal with a parts house in Houston for a nice looking 'take off' in white. So, if you can find one... go for white.
Roof is fiberglass. Put down a really thick throw rug (one with rubber grippy stuff on the underside for moving around on the roof) to distribute the pressure from knees/feet.
Last.... if you are at all squeemish about working above ground, this is not the place for you. These things are like boats in the water and any shift in weight causes the house to move about. Never do this in the winds.... (Yes.... the Crow can jump out of a perfectly good airplane - more than once. But, getting on the back of an RV 11' off the ground is about all I can handle....)
In another subforum here, poster Old Crows provided links to changes and upgrades to the Coleman to improve efficiency and reduce noise.
https://sprinter-source.com/forum/showthread.php?p=621107#post621107
Go to that thread to get clickable links.
[Selected Quotes from Old Crows]
Since you have a '14 (like my MY View): You have to check to see if the condenser fan is a "D" model. The OEM is a 6 bladed prop job. The correct replacement is a 3 bladed 'elf ear' job. And should have a label with a "D" specification tag. Much quieter.
There's a gizmo you can get from "Perfect Casitas" (Orbital Machine Works) www.perfectcasita.com . Nice folks. Quality product. It reduces the motor speed on the condenser fan. OTMH, it reduces about RPM 20% on Lo and maybe 40% on HI. Easy three wire hookup.
If you are interested.... I'll give you a link to my MacGuyver of the bonnet to make it quieter.
AND>>>>> you don't need to cobble all the wiring and thermostat....
[From later post:]
Coleman came up with the 'elf ear' fan about mid 2015ish. It was, I believe a cost measure and not a quieting effort but that is the result. As a 14, you probably have the air beater 6 blade model. They had several iterations of the elf ear because they couldn't enginer/maufacture it right. The "D" version is the last and best iteration.
The reduced fan speed doen't affect the heating or cooling, if you follow the 'testing' done by Orbital Machine works who developed the gizmo. The problem is that the OEM set up has an inefficient fan design and the motor RPM is way too high for efficient air movement. The D fan and the 'throttling' of the motor RPM makes it less noisy at the expense of a very small amount of inefficiency. Since it's only on the 'condenser' fan, it should not affect the cooling or heating noticeably. The only think I've observed is that it is now very quiet and no apparent loss of cooling or heating. Also, there's two fans. The condenser one (above) and there's a squirrel cage type for the expansion unit (all enclosed in a plenum).
The write up: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1yH...uU_Hzobvp1xLPF (Yes, I was really Peed having to modify a product to make it work quietly.... as you can tell. I mince no words about the crap Coleman product. Regrettably, it is one of the 'best' out there in terms of power consumption & BTUs. After 'fixing' it... it works quietly.)
Photo Essay: https://drive.google.com/drive/folde...1h?usp=sharing
Addendum: A stand off is supplied with the new fan kit. Presumably it is to keep the fan from striking the bonnet. The bonnet (without the insulation) sags and ends up being supported by the pipes on the compressor. That also contributes to noise and vibration inside the coach. So.... You need to add a chunk of that highly cellular packing foam that comes in packing for electronics and such. It does not compress very well and does not absorb water, etc.. Stick it to the top of the stand off with two sided sticky tape. It just needs to stay in place. If you have the dimensions right you will have to press down on the top of the bonnet to compress it slightly to get the bonnet screws started. When finished, it should be flat or slightly convex from the outside.
Mine came with a black bonnet. Yes. GO FIGURE THAT OUT. Let's put our HVAC unit in a black box on top an RV roof and drive/park anywhere south of the Canadian border so the sun can bake the hell out of it .... and cut the efficiency. I cut a deal with a parts house in Houston for a nice looking 'take off' in white. So, if you can find one... go for white.
Roof is fiberglass. Put down a really thick throw rug (one with rubber grippy stuff on the underside for moving around on the roof) to distribute the pressure from knees/feet.
Last.... if you are at all squeemish about working above ground, this is not the place for you. These things are like boats in the water and any shift in weight causes the house to move about. Never do this in the winds.... (Yes.... the Crow can jump out of a perfectly good airplane - more than once. But, getting on the back of an RV 11' off the ground is about all I can handle....)
