Truma Aventa eco

[IL_Travelers]

Tonight I was watching “Traveling Robert” on his YouTube channel. (He has some interesting trips on his show IMHO.)    In this episode he took delivery of his new Winnebago TT, “Minitini III.”   I suspect Winnebago may be supplying the trailer gratis for marketing purposes; however, that is totally unsubstantiated. 

The exciting thing to me about this program is that he had Truma representatives inside the new RV showcasing their new Aventa eco RV air conditioner.  Robert was video recording the show while standing right next to the unit as it was running, and AC noise was not noticeable in the recording!
The Truma Aventa eco is a 13,500 btu unit, according to the Truma website. They are available only on select coaches now, but it appears they will be made available as an after market item at some point. 

I want one!

[katanapilot]

It's great news that the manufacturers are now offering U.S. spec models of units that have been available outside the U.S.

Happy to see some competition for Dometic and their inefficient, noisy units.

Retrofit is not difficult and it would be great if Oliver started offering one of the currently available quiet units. 

I am thrilled with the reduction in noise level, improved cooling and de-humidification and lower current draw of our Houghton/Rec-Pro 13.5k BTU heat pump. It's not perfect and there are a couple of things I would love to see (remote thermostat, connection to condensate drain) - but it's a huge improvement over the Dometic Penguin.

[SeaDawg]

Here's a link to the video @IL_Travelers discussed. Robert's minitini has some equipment that may not be available yet on Winnebago. The US version Aventa eco ac is not listed on Truma North America's website, yet. 

To save you the time of watching Robert's entirely too long video, skip over to 38:00 to see and hear the Truma ac in action. It is very quiet, at least as quiet as my RecPro, maybe moreso. Robert's running his on a 320 ah lithium battery (lithionics.), along with a 10 cubic ft 12v fridge.

I'll look forward to its release here in the US. Since Oliver already partners with Truma on the water heater, this could be a good match. (Though it will likely be quite expensive.)

 

[IL_Travelers]

Thank you, SeaDawg, for posting the video!  (I need to learn how to do that.)  

I'm sure you are correct about the high price of these units.  However, if the price : value relationship holds true, I am betting the Truma AC will please me just as much as the Truma hot water heater does that I ordered in R-Villa.  

For now, we will continue using our noise-canceling headphones as we eagerly await Aventa's arrival.

[SeaDawg]

@IL_Travelers, Truma has one of its service and sales centers in Elkhart. You may want to give them a call. When their Varioheat first became available, I think it wasn't listed on their website either. (It still has only a brief mention.) When I checked with the service manager in Lakeland, they had the Vario, and their shop rate for installation was quite reasonable.  The unit itself was rather pricey, but an alternative I'd consider if and when our trusty suburban furnace ever dies. 

Like our recpro, the Truma adu (indoor unit) looked quite sleek and slim in the video. We picked up over an inch, maybe two, of headroom with the Recpro.

[bhncb]

I just received another new product announcement from Truma. For those interested, here is the link provided.

[SeaDawg]

Thanks for the link, @bhncb.

Some really interesting and solid info there. Lower power consumption,  and quiet. 

Almost worth going to the Hershey show next month to see it. It looks really nice, too. I would love to see the interior unit available in white, but the grey would look nice in an Ollie,  too.

 

[John E Davies]

I think this would be a great choice if it isn’t $2000+. Truma stuff is expensive and not easy to work on, and with a limited number of shops that can fix them. Parts are grossly overpriced, if you can even find a USA source, this one is in Oz…. ($0.74 conversion rate). https://www.caravansplus.com.au/appliances/hot-water-systems/truma-parts/aquago/

This sounds like an improved Air Command design, that is still a viable option for folks wanting to replace any AC. Mine has worked flawlessly for five seasons, it was installed at the factory back when they did stuff like that… oh wait, I did have a repair, drat, I forgot…  the remote battery died and I had to install a new button cell this spring. That was $3 down the drain. 😬

John Davies

Spokane WA

[Galway Girl]

I had a link sent to me from Truma to their AC announcement. (Guess I'm on a mailing list.)

Link to Truma AC page:  https://go.truma.net/aventaThe graph (down below)  is of current consumptions and makes it look like it's much quieter than the competitors at first glance...but what's being graphed is Current.   Sound levels are in the notes for each portion of the graph.  

 

 

 

Looking only at noise levels vs. fans speed you would see this chart.  

They didn't state which competitor they are comparing to...

Just passing along what I found.

Craig

 

[bhncb]

5 hours ago, SeaDawg said:

Almost worth going to the Hershey show next month to see it.

I am a bit surprised that Truma would publish technical numbers in a marketing document that show little to no comparative advantage. While anything better would be a huge improvement over the Penguin II, the fact that they're A/C mode only, and will surely carry the typical Truma cost premium/tariff, puts these at a significant disadvantage beside the Houghton units.  Maybe this is why they are only being made "available on select new RVs" from partener OEMs and are "currently not offered on the aftermarket" for retros by/for us folks.

From an OEMs perspective, the Aventa features are sure to gain them points with the RV buyer, where a higher per unit cost  is just passed on and buried. Beyond the sale, the end user costs of admission associated with Truma products are of little concern to the OEM.

Absent a heat mode, the Aventa is of no interest to me as a replacement unit and Truma's marketing strategy just further stymies desirability. But, if I were in the market and Oliver offered a completely integrated hot water/heating/cooling solution, I'd bite. (provided the hot water component included recirculation of course) I really like the Aquago Comfort as far as it goes. If the A/C and heating products perform as well, Truma quality alone is worth the price to me.