Geronimo John

That time limit is pretty consistant with what I learned at Guntersville this past spring. For some owners who still can wax their OTT's, spending a rather large amount of $$ and amortizing it in just three years is not a positive calculation from their perspective. Now if the life of the coating were ten years, for me anyway, that would be a game changer.

I hear you for sure. But as an ole brown shoe engineer I beleive that glittering glossy covers don't often meet well with realities of life. Said differently: There is now no doubt that the Ceibo will work with the remote control systems listed. It matches the IR techonology and that is a given. What it does not say is that the functioning of the system "Will Do No Harm". So the real question that it does not answer is: Was the start/stop impact of the Cielo system cause any harm to the A/C in the process? I would bet a $1 Cielo did not test 175 AC brands and at least 4X that all models of AC's to make the case. Hence my Wait and See approach. Yep, I'm ole school for sure. But I'm not from the "Show Me" state, but love their motto! GJ

IMHO: YES! A master switch and a fuse is recommended. That said, MANY of the OE2's were wired with 4/0 AWG with a 300 amp fuse from the factory. I am running three 100 Amp Battleborns using this set-up with zero issues. Your max load with the 3000W Xantres will likely be less than my 3000W Renogy. I believe the Xantres is more efficient than mine. GJ

Thanks for the post. Under Houghton it shows the below T-Remote. This is the same remote used by their 3400 Houghton (Low Profile Not Ducted: The one several of us are running) as well as their 13.5 KBTU ducted unit (Not low profile).

I share your frustration. The product very cleaverly SOLVES the humidity issues, and gives owners greater flexability in operation of their A/C as well. However, there likely are more than a few reasons for the majority of owners to "wait and see". A big one, as I posted in the previous thread, is not knowing how numerous hard shut down and restart cycles per hour will be tolerated by the existing control boards out there. Or probable warranty impacts on new units. Not being able and willing to mod their unit as some have done with the Houghtons for about $50 in parts. Not wanting to add another complicated device in their lives. Not being able to install the device, or trouble shoot it should it fail. My hope is that manufacturers get the message that they need to provide the remote T-stat and fan control features as standard features. Oh, and in my dream state, design the units to be able to use an internal condensate drain system! Please don't wake me up. GJ

I agree that the small plenum area is a root cause of noise from most RV a/c units. Why? It precludes space for proper turning vanes and insulation as you stated. I also agree that the outside portion of the noise is not a prime concern for newer designed units as we are seeing now on the market. But for the 95%+ of the units that are still out there hammer milling away... their uninsulated and non-vibration isolated designs certainly do make inside livability an issue. While on our month long Florida tour this past October, in Key West we were parked for a week next to an older Casita. Their ancient A/C noise inside our OTT was distracting. I could only imagine what it was like inside their trailer. But then I suspect due to their hearing aids it likely did not impact them at all.....

With our lithium battery voltage ranging up to 14.4 volts (when equalizing) would inclusion of a 12V voltage regulator be advised? Something like was recently posted for the Max Fan by RidenFly? It is rated at 60 watts as well.

Amen to that! Not doing the check and moving Ollie ultimately will make you cry....

I felt the same way with the Houghton. But learned that it appears that over time the remoted thermistor and unit would track actual cabin temperature much closer than I thought. Try selecting a temp and let it run for an hour and then check the accuracy with a reliable thermometer. What I had been doing was making changes to the setting and expecting to see a result soon. Would love to know how they do that.

I found a thermisor with a 10' lead. I used all of it for the route that I ended up using. It got me well away from the unit and out of the airstream of the plenum. Your test is limited by the length of the existing thermisor. None the less if you shield it from the airflow it will increase validity of the effort.

Short version: WOW good news. Why: The Houghton's sense the delta T between the set point and the thermistor reading. For not modified units, the thermistor is in the return air path of the inside the cabin plenum. If in auto mode the fan will run high when there is a large delta T. As the cabin cools it will switch to medium, and then low fan speed. That said, many of us just run the unit on low speed. Either way, the unit would be running on low fan speed when the set point is reached. The Ciello shutting the unit down would do so when the unit is expecting to be shut down. This would be good. The consecuences of such though would be: Loss of the periodic "Stirring" of the cabin air. (A good thing in my opinion as it can be annoying especially when sleeping) No change in the short cycling of the unit due to the thermistor location in the air plenum. This would still require the Mod to relo the thermistor to a location actually in the cabin area several feet from the unit. (In my case I used a 10' long thermistor to place the thermistor at the fore end of the streetside bed. This is a relatively easy mod as compared to the relay mod for fan control. However it does require an unusual way to get there. Not being assured that the control board does not have a problem with repeated full power shut down when cycling. My two cents assuming the Cielo power cycling "does no harm" to the control board: The Houghton would only need the thermistor relo mod. It becomes "Doable" for "handy owners". With the mod, the Houghton and Cielo would provide an ultra quiet reliable unit that also can run in extremely hot conditions (122 degrees F per RecPro web site). It appears to be a game changer for Houghton and RecPro. GJ

My take away from the above is that the current distribution box (Plenum) does not effectively allow good control of airflow in different directions, and that the air flow velocity is excessive out the 1/3 section that does work. I've seen several different inside plenum's and they are pretty all passively turn the air flow and discharge it into the cabin. Noise is directly attributed to that from the over roof section and the noise generated by turbulance in the plenum itself. It would be worth a try to place about 3/8" of washers between the ceiling and the plenum at each securing screw locaton. (You may need longer screws to do this.) Doing so would effectively provide a 3/8" gap all the way around the unit. Some portion of the supply air will exit via that gap. This extra air supply path will (hopefully) slow down the air velocity as the air transits into the cabin. That in theory reduce the noise associated with the current design. GJ

I heard from an inside source a couple of years ago that their Tech guy was doing relay mod. I have not checked back with them since. As far as adapting one to the Cielo, or just doing the two mods at RECPRO or having the factory do so WOULD for sure sell a LOT of units. GJ

The Houghton is a great unit that is rated for 122 degrees F. I recommend it based upon it's performance excellent design. However as of this date, the supplier's web site indicates that the manufacturer still has not addressed the need for a remote thermistor and relay to shut down the fan when the compressor shuts off. There are two published Mods that correct these topics and they work well. But are not recommended for most owners to attempt. Also doing so of course violates the 2-year warranty. As such, I recommend coordination with RecPro for them to accomplish Mods 1 and Mod 2 before delivery and to honor the 2-year warrant. You will need a thermistor with at least a 10-foot lead. See OTT Forum posts on this topic for more info. If they would do so, I believe their Houghton unit would be an outstanding unit for our OE2's. We have used ours for three seasons in temp's over 105 degrees in full sun. Zero problems. GJ

David: Where did you have the Inverter/Converter installed? John

Chris: Yep for sure. Gotta get the refrigerant oil down to the compressor where it will....... lubricate the compressor. On it's side of upside down, the compressor oil mixed with the refergerant will not be doing it's job in the compressor. Same thing is true for our desktop ice maker. The Amazon spec's post the unit size as: Can you confirm these meassurements? Can the unit be stored in the Attic for storage standing up? If yes, would attic removal tilt to get it out of storage likely result in an oil entrapment issue? Your thoughts? thanks GJ

Dave: I agree that only having the scuppers would not do much as there would be no "draw". But as Bill stated, and I also nearly always do is to also open up the bath room vent. This and the air leaks from the Max Fan (When closed) do provide a draw for the scuppers below. Now is that adequate enough? I would respond with a "Maybe, it depends". LOL. The maybe part depends on factors such as: How old is your trailer? Has it off-gassed the offending VOC's to a great extent? What's being cooked or items brought into the trailer that could be adverse to the users? Wind direction and velocity. Construction or Fires in the region generating particulates. Other factors such as distance from an exhaust source, local pollution, etc. It is helpful that our OTT's with their solid surfaces, are easy to clean and those surfaces don't generate much off gassing once cured. But as you stated some individuals need to be more or even extremely cautious and I certainly recognize this as a valid concern. So your approach to the topic is spot on. Experiment if you can and act according to you and your family needs. For those where a HEPA filter would help, having a small HEPA filter such as the below Honeywell that we use during fire smoke events has been very helpful. Another planned benefit is that if we must excape a fire/smoke situtation, the 20 to 50 watt power draw can be plugged into our Ford F-150 400 watt inverter to run the unit in the truck as we get out of the hazard zone. This could be useful for other disaster situtations as well. PS: Be sure to close the outside air vents on the truck A/C should you find yourself in the "Fire Country" scenario.) For travel we wrap our HEPA in a towell and it fits easily into the OTT OE2 Attic area. GJ

It was at this cost that I reacted that a discount was in order to encourage owners to renew them when faded. From $345 to $73 now that's a discount. I want to hire you as my lead negotiator. There are several decals "on the side" and one on the front. I suspect the $345 quote was for a full set on three sides complete inclusive of the "Sort of Niki Swish" down the two long sides. And the $73 was just for the decal over the storage area hatch/water heater. Can you kindly clarify? If the $346 quote was for a flll set on all sides, that seems really reasonable. Or was there a scope change for the labor to be provided? Thanks GJ

JD: You sure don't fool around when doing a project. Congrats! Looking forward to the finished project this summer. GJ

I ASSUME that the cost would be for two. Regardless, a 50% discount would make the advertisement more likely to be replaced over time. Also improves the look of the fleet as it ages. GJ

For sure. That 711 miles from Houston is a bit far. Hopefully we'll hear of other firms that also do great PPF work. I cover many states west and can deviate routs easily with planning time to do so. GJ

On all three of those mountain passes, with a F-150 I DO stop and scan my brake temp's. Not because they were starting into or were in fade mode, but out of an abundance of caution. The Big Horn to DT brake temps were high and a cool down was the smart stop to do. I transverse an 10% gravel road in OK twice a year. With our F-150 I use low range 4WD and lock up the rear axle as well. As you state a larger truck for these roads would be nice for sure. But overall for us the F-150 Super Crew FX4 is overall our best solution. Would love to have a 6.7 diesel with jake brake in the F-150. Just dreaming.... GJ

I have yet to use my city water hookup. Fresh water hookup and boondocking ports are my preference as I control peak pressure to the system with these. The city water hookup is a gamble as the city water pressure can be very high. Sometimes dangerously high to our plumbing. So that's why I don't feel the need to "Feel Lucky"! When winterizing, I also find it more difficult to get the RV antifreeze into the city water hookup unless I remember to "vent" the system: Opening the exterior shower valve and it's handle latch helps just a little. Removing the exterior shower head helps a bit better. Opening an interior cold water valve works even better. GJ

Post deleted. See JD's post above for the real skinny!

Two get backs: A. If I recall that was a DIY of the past. Your pictures certainly demonstrate its usefullness for all owners to seriously consider. Thanks for posting the pic. I do hope that OTT has picked upon the idea as it is a no brainer for them to just do. B. Your picture is also "Gollden" in another way! Love the tank gauges! GJ