Truma AC - Unbalanced Air Flow

[BBL]

I was out checking things in the trailer yesterday and had the AC running.  I noticed that airflow favors the curb side of the trailer.  If you are looking at the AC from the front of the trailer (you are facing aft) there are two distinct "sides" to the AC unit. You can vary the direction of flow on each side and front/back ratio.

When I hold my hand up to the AC, there is clearly more air coming out of the curb side that the street side. 

Is this a normal occurrence with the TRUMA?  I would think it would be much more balanced.

Brian

[Rivernerd]

38 minutes ago, Brian and Brandelyne said:

Is this a normal occurrence with the TRUMA?  I would think it would be much more balanced.

Have you tried adjusting the directional vanes, and the "front vs. rear" slide switch in the bottom middle of the unit?  That slide switch can divert air flow either all forward, all aft, or a combination of the two.  And, the rotating directional vanes can move air flow side to side.

[BBL]

Yes, front back, side to side. Air is still stronger on one side. 
 

Thanks for the tip. 
 

BL

[Patriot]

@Brian and Brandelyne

I will be checking air flow in our new Truma after the install next week while at Oliver and will post up if I learn anything helpful.

Thanks for the info.

Patriot🇺🇸

[BBL]

41 minutes ago, Patriot said:

I will be checking Air Flow in our new Truma install next week while at Oliver and will post up if I learn anything helpful.

Thank you Patriot!

BL

[BBL]

On 5/3/2023 at 3:22 PM, Patriot said:

I will be checking air flow in our new Truma after the install next week while at Oliver and will post up if I learn anything helpful.

 

@Patriot Have you had a chance to check the airflow from your Truma AC?  Does it flow equally on both port and starboard sides?

Just want to ensure it is "ops normal" - probably is but want to be sure since I will be stopping by Hohenwald before the rally.

Thanks - 

Brian

[Patriot]

16 hours ago, Brian and Brandelyne said:

@Patriot Have you had a chance to check the airflow from your Truma AC?  Does it flow equally on both port and starboard sides?

Just want to ensure it is "ops normal" - probably is but want to be sure since I will be stopping by Hohenwald before the rally.

Thanks - 

Brian

@Brian and Brandelyne

As promised, I did check the air flow and the air flow is equal on both sides. 

Patriot🇺🇸

 

[BBL]

7 hours ago, Patriot said:

the air flow is equal on both sides.

Thank you so much! I will put that on my list of things to review with OTT.

Safe travels!

Brian

[Patriot]

On 5/10/2023 at 10:16 AM, Brian and Brandelyne said:

Thank you so much! I will put that on my list of things to review with OTT.

Safe travels!

Brian

@Brian and Brandelyne
What did Oliver do to address the air flow problem? This info would be helpful to other Truma owners if they experience a similar issue?

Thanks!

Patriot🇺🇸

[BBL]

They found that a piece of foam had come loose and was partially blocking the air flow and causing the noise I reported.  This happened during installation and was not noticed on pre-delivery check.  I spoke to Dave, the Truma rep that was at the rally, and he said it is not uncommon for those foam blocks to get dislodged during installation but there is a step to check them prior to installing the interior face plate/panel.

It's all good now, have not had any issues since.

I just look forward to the day Truma decides to update the CP Plus to include the de-humidification mode.  Not very "user friendly" to have to use the remote AND the CP Plus to get it to work.

Brian

[Steve Morris]

On 6/2/2023 at 1:00 PM, Brian and Brandelyne said:

I just look forward to the day Truma decides to update the CP Plus to include the de-humidification mode.  Not very "user friendly" to have to use the remote AND the CP Plus to get it to work.

Is this documented somewhere? I’ve only skimmed the manual, and didn’t think there was a dehumidify mode. Thanks!

[BBL]

@Steve Morris Steve - not that I know of. I told the Truma rep, Dave, at the rally what I had found with respect to using the remote AND the CP Plus and he confirmed, you can only set the de-humidification mode using the remote.

I have since put in a ticket with Truma to potentially add this feature to the CP Plus. Some there were surprised to learn you could not do this but they confirmed it, called me back and said they would open a ticket. As I explained to them, we go to the added expense of getting all Truma components and so we could use them from ONE panel and find that all features are not available. 

I also told them their remote was NOT user friendly, had a poor display and eats batteries for breakfast. They did not disagree with my statements.

What I normally do, is set my a/c via the CP Plus then go to the remote, slide down the cover and hit the "Raindrop" button. You have to ensure that you see both the "Snowflake" and the "Raindrop" on the screen. You also have to be pointed directly at the A/C and watch the green light. If you have doubts that it "took" the command, there is a re-transmit button on the remote that will send the setting again (it looks like a wifi signal).

Hope this helps!

Cheers,

Brian

[Steve Morris]

Thank you,  Brian!!

[Patriot]

On 6/3/2023 at 4:07 PM, Brian and Brandelyne said:

@Steve Morris Steve - not that I know of. I told the Truma rep, Dave, at the rally what I had found with respect to using the remote AND the CP Plus and he confirmed, you can only set the de-humidification mode using the remote.

I have since put in a ticket with Truma to potentially add this feature to the CP Plus. Some there were surprised to learn you could not do this but they confirmed it, called me back and said they would open a ticket. As I explained to them, we go to the added expense of getting all Truma components and so we could use them from ONE panel and find that all features are not available. 

I also told them their remote was NOT user friendly, had a poor display and eats batteries for breakfast. They did not disagree with my statements.

What I normally do, is set my a/c via the CP Plus then go to the remote, slide down the cover and hit the "Raindrop" button. You have to ensure that you see both the "Snowflake" and the "Raindrop" on the screen. You also have to be pointed directly at the A/C and watch the green light. If you have doubts that it "took" the command, there is a re-transmit button on the remote that will send the setting again (it looks like a wifi signal).

Hope this helps!

Cheers,

Brian

We have found the dehumidify mode works really well! And we also have learned that running our Truma on low it gets colder than a meat locker. We prefer cooler sleeping temps. I don’t see us ever running it in high.🥶

With the (IR function) of the remote it does require it to be directly pointed at the sensor for sure. We learned from the Truma tech at the rally that it’s important to touch the send button on the remote when you touch a different setting.

Ahhh the learning curves of the new Truma! The more you learn the better it gets!

One thing for sure, it keeps the interior very cool at a very quiet sound decibel. Sleep mode is even quieter if that’s possible.

Patriot🇺🇸

[rich.dev]

9 hours ago, Patriot said:

Sleep mode is even quieter if that’s possible.

Patriot, I don’t notice a difference between “low” and “sleep mode”, is yours actually quieter on sleep mode? 

[Patriot]

1 minute ago, rich.dev said:

Patriot, I don’t notice a difference between “low” and “sleep mode”, is yours actually quieter on sleep mode? 

Great question. I think it just cycles less giving the impression it’s quieter when it’s in this low power mode or sleep mode.
Or maybe just not having the Penguin noise banger it’s just so much quieter. A really worthy upgrade for sure.

Patriot🇺🇸

[rich.dev]

20 minutes ago, Patriot said:

I think it just cycles less giving the impression it’s quieter when it’s in this low power mode or sleep mode.

Ah yes. On our previous 4 trailers with fan (AC or heat) set to auto, it would actually turn off completely when the programmed temperature was reached, a bummer it’s not the same with the truma running all the time, the auto setting is only to switch between heat/cold! 

[Patriot]

30 minutes ago, rich.dev said:

Ah yes. On our previous 4 trailers with fan (AC or heat) set to auto, it would actually turn off completely when the programmed temperature was reached, a bummer it’s not the same with the truma running all the time, the auto setting is only to switch between heat/cold! 

Yes, I guess there are trade offs for sure. We are really enjoying the Truma and how quickly it will cool our Ollie down. I ordered a custom made cover for the Truma as I could not find one anywhere on line. It’s due in mid week. I will post up a pic for fitment when it arrives. 
The design of the rear vents on the Truma are 💯 bird nest condo move in friendly. 😄 Here in Western NC we need to keep it covered when ever we are not traveling. 

Patriot🇺🇸

 

 

[Ollie-Haus]

The thing I notice the most between the low setting and the night mode is the compressor seems to start softer and run at a lower level. The low rumble sound of the compressor is much reduced in the night mode. Honestly once the camper is cooled to a comfortable level, the night mode seems to be very effective at maintaining the temperature and humidity level we like throughout the day. 

Also based on my experimenting with my generator and running the AC, the Truma on night mode never draws more than 1800 watts on the Gen's onboard meter and seems to have very little serge when the compressor cycles on. I really like these design characteristics. I am a little jealous of the those who have switched from the Dometic unit as I have nothing to compare to. Oh the dilemma of only knowing luxury! 😆 

[Ollie-Haus]

On 6/4/2023 at 9:33 PM, Patriot said:With the (IR function) of the remote it does require it to be directly pointed at the sensor for sure. We learned from the Truma tech at the rally that it’s important to touch the send button on the remote when you touch a different setting.

Ahhh the learning curves of the new Truma! The more you learn the better it gets!

With the (IR function) of the remote it does require it to be directly pointed at the sensor for sure. We learned from the Truma tech at the rally that it’s important to touch the send button on the remote when you touch a different setting.

Regarding the remote controls for both the Truma AC and the Fantastic Fan, I wanted to mount the remote holders in a location that was easy to reach, especially while working in the kitchen, that you can operate while in the wall mount without removing them. This location works perfectly every time and is easily reached while working at the sink/stove. I mounted them with two sided tape. 

[Patriot]

5 hours ago, Ollie-Haus said:

Regarding the remote controls for both the Truma AC and the Fantastic Fan, I wanted to mount the remote holders in a location that was easy to reach, especially while working in the kitchen, that you can operate while in the wall mount without removing them. This location works perfectly every time and is easily reached while working at the sink/stove. I mounted them with two sided tape. 
 

Neat install! 
The Truma rep at the Rally mentioned to us that we needed to point the IR remote directly at the little round flashing IR receiver on the Truma for it to receive the signal. So the Truma IR remote does not need to be pointed directly at the unit?  Good stuff! @Ollie-Haus

[Guest Paul and Santina]

On 6/5/2023 at 7:14 AM, Patriot said:

I ordered a custom made cover for the Truma as I could not find one anywhere on line. It’s due in mid week. I will post up a pic for fitment when it arrives. 
The design of the rear vents on the Truma are 💯 bird nest condo move in friendly. 😄 Here in Western NC we need to keep it covered when ever we are not traveling. 

Oliver’s replacing our Dometic A/C with the Truma this week 🤗. Thanks for the info about how inviting the Truma is for bird nesting. I found a lovely Carolina Wren nest in my Dometic just a few days after parking our Ollie near some trees, and decided to screen in the large intake holes. Do you think there’s any way to fit a screen on the “bird nesting” holes on the Truma?

[Patriot]

21 minutes ago, Paul and Santina said:

Oliver’s replacing our Dometic A/C with the Truma this week 🤗. Thanks for the info about how inviting the Truma is for bird nesting. I found a lovely Carolina Wren nest in my Dometic just a few days after parking our Ollie near some trees, and decided to screen in the large intake holes. Do you think there’s any way to fit a screen on the “bird nesting” holes on the Truma?

Ah those industrious Carolina Wrens strike again! 😄

Congrats on your new Truma, you’re gonna love it. I gave some thought about screening the holes. The Truma base is molded or formed with a robust tough black styrofoam material likely for weight reduction. Not saying you can’t mod a screen as anything is possible. There are multiple air intakes and it would be an ambitious undertaking to screen all areas in my observation.
With the Truma under a 2 year factory warranty I opted not to modify the air intake holes with any mesh screening that could possibly reduce air intake and potentially void the warranty. The custom cover is easy on and easy off. 

Patriot🇺🇸

[Ollie-Haus]

4 hours ago, Patriot said:

Neat install! 
The Truma rep at the Rally mentioned to us that we needed to point the IR remote directly at the little round flashing IR receiver on the Truma for it to receive the signal. So the Truma IR remote does not need to be pointed directly at the unit?  Good stuff! @Ollie-Haus

It likely needs to "see" the signal from the remote, but I found the remote works fine in this mounted position. The shape of the fiberglass probably works to reflect the signal in a way that both the fan and AC respond when you just push a button while mounted in the holder. Easy to reach and remove the remote if you want it in hand for any reason as well.

[Patriot]

4 minutes ago, Ollie-Haus said:

It likely needs to "see" the signal from the remote, but I found the remote works fine in this mounted position. The shape of the fiberglass probably works to reflect the signal in a way that both the fan and AC respond when you just push a button while mounted in the holder. Easy to reach and remove the remote if you want it in hand for any reason as well.

I like it! A little smoke and mirror action with the IR! 😅