Roadlotus

Hi everyone, I still have the fresh jet and it does work fine. And yes, in auto the fan will keep going with the compressor going off and on, which is a nice thing I guess. I have decided to wait on trying to find a 12 V or heat pump but it's still a long-term goal. I think when I get maintenance done this spring, I will take it to the tech who likes the 12 V and really explore whether it's a viable to run that line or not. Not sure I want to be the first one to try this:) I'm hoping someone else gives it a shot before me. And I still like the idea of a true inverter rather than the traditional AC. Feel free to reach out if you have any questions. It does fit in perfectly to the existing slot that the penguin had. -Mary (roadlotus)

Hi SeaDawg, that's a good question. I think the fresh jet is basically fine. The decibels at the low speed are quite comfortable and I can run it for a few hours on solar. I had both of my hips replaced last year so I didn't use the trailer at all. When I did my traveling right after it was installed, they messed up the installation so that it dripped inside the trailer. I managed through leveling, but it was actually an issue with the install. They corrected that when I got back and then I didn't really travel much after that. I just took the trailer in for overall maintenance and upon return, I got a strange sound from the AC. It was working before I took it in, so I thought maybe they did something during maintenance. And the housing was not sitting quite right. So I took it back and they took the housing off and were able to hear the sound again and said it was the compressor. i'm just a couple months out of the two-year warranty, but I am within my overall trailer warranty that I bought with the trailer (separate from OTT) While they were checking to see if the warranty covered it, I did some investigation about moving over to a 12 V which would give me more time on solar. I'd like to be a little less dependent on electricity and I will be going to Montana to study with a teacher I see annually and I won't have hookups for almost 2 weeks on the land. But as was noted, I probably won't need AC much at all, and I will have my solar. I'm still downsizing my life and hoping to have some real time in the trailer in 2026. So I'm thinking ahead about efficiency and future proofing. The idea of running directly off the battery seems great. Although ideally the mini split seems like the best long-term plan. So the fresh jet is fine. I think most of my problems have been with the shop I've been working with 🙂 I'm going to change that, but I needed to use them for the truma recall. When they realigned the housing top of the AC, I took the trailer home and I have not heard the noise since. So I will probably just stay with what I have, but I am intrigued with this question and I'm very curious going forward. And what better place to explore this question than the experts here in the forums. I'm sure that's more information than you wanted, but I appreciate the question 🙂 -Mary

I've texted the installer for his thoughts. I wish I had more feedback from Mike at OTT. I don't want to infer too much either way, He did not shut down the idea and was willing to talk to the installer. Beyond that I want to be careful about implying anything. Maybe someone at OTT will see this thread and chime in?

Thank you everyone. I agree about MT and will be travelling through some heat to get there. (NV and AZ). I am thinking long-term mainly. I did call Jason and he referred me to Mike, who said he'd be happy to talk to the person doing the mod, and agrees it could be tricky. But I didn't hear much push back from him. So I'll keep researching, and I think the 12 volt is still on the short list - tho the Greenland looks interesting. It's pretty heavy (150 lbs). I think either would be a good mod. Guess no one has tried either yet. I think I was the first on the freshjet, and tho I was grounded due to two surgeries last year, I look forward to more travel now. I also appreciate that the OTT Service answered my call! cheers, Mary

Thank you! I sent your response to the tech and also the Turbro info. I'll call Oliver tomorrow. I figured wiring would be the hitch so thank you for the response

Hi Everyone, (2022, #1284 Road Lotus) First, yes, I am the one who traded the Penguin for the Dometic Fresh Jet - a definate improvement. And yes, now 2 years later I'm interested in lowering the decibels even further while increasing efficiency. I had a possible compressor issue with the Fresh Jet and started looking at minisplits and 12 volt units. I don't see as much progress for the minisplit for a rooftop unit, but there are a number of cool 12-volts. I found an RV shop that also likes them and has installed several and recommend the outequip (https://share.google/spwjdojULsQUUI5zf) which does look (and sound) awesome. I'm going to be off grid in Montana later in August and debating the switch. My biggest question is how hard will it be for the tech to get wiring to the battery? Is that especially have in the Elite II? Have anyone tried this mod? I have the full lithium solar package and this looks like a worthy update to extend my cooling power. Thanks in advance! Mary

@dewdev Yes, it is taller than the original Dometic

@dewdev and @rangered, I am using the existing cover inside. So nothing was changed out except the rooftop unit. And my understanding was they did use two gaskets when installing. I know I am using the existing condensation lines because I can see it going out them.

@dewdev, I had mine installed by an RV shop. According to them, no modification was needed on the entry hole and the condensation lines are the same. I did not relocate anything as far as the temperature box. I am using the existing dometic thermostat. @rangered did his own installation and can provide more details on that. He also got a lower db reading than me. I was using my phone to measure, and it looks like he has an actual db meter. I hope that’s helpful 🙂

@SeaDawg I am glad the video was helpful. My info is below and I will add that to my signature. I was just running it to share the sound level with someone else who asked. But I did run the AC for a couple hours when I was traveling last month and it dropped the battery about 20%. I have the lithium pro package which is 630 amp hours and 340 watt panels with a 3000 w inverter.

I just did a db reading from my Freshjet and it was 62 average right under the unit running it on solar. I alsi did a video for reference. IMG_2501.mov

Hi Ron, you are correct. I could not get past the noise:) I am glad any info I share is helpful!

hi Ron, I have the lithium pro package which is 630 amp hours and 340 watt panels with a 3000 w inverter.

note: I thought I had submitted this days ago, but evidently it did not go through. Hi Jim, You would use the existing air distribution face plate and thermostat that you already have. And yes, it runs through the same condensation lines. The only thing you are changing is the top unit. I also discovered yesterday that I can run the AC with my lithium batteries. A couple of hours dropped it about 20%. So it’s not long-term but it was very helpful. Sincerely, Mary aka RoadLotus

@rangeredso glad to hear it went well! I am enjoying mine, too. I did trip a breaker when I tried to use regular household current. I have an electrician who lives nearby and he set me up with a 30 amp outlet using an old air conditioner outlet that was already outside. We tested the incoming amperage and the maximum that was coming through was just under 20 A.