For those who often live on the road, comfort is one of the most common priorities. It is said that an RV serves as a second home for several families. With your RV, whether you decide to go to the forest, camping site, beach or a snowy area, you still feel entirely comfortable. Because an RV serves as a second home, are you wonder what the best RV air conditioner is? Let’s delve in and find the answer here.
The Characteristics Of The Best RV Air Conditioner
BTU (British Thermal Unit)
The cooling power of an A/C unit is shown through its BTU, standard model tend to possess a BTU of 13,500. In the case you travel through hot locations regularly, you should look for a model with a higher BTU rating. On the other hand, if you intend to use your A/C sparingly, you could get a unit with lower BTU to save some money. The interior space of your RV is also an important factor to consider. To quickly cool the inside of a large recreational vehicle, you would need an air conditioner with a high BTU specification.
Size
It’s not a good idea to go after bulky A/C units because they could make it hard for you to maneuver your vehicle. Machines with large profile often reduce the fuel efficiency of your vehicle due to the increased drag. So if you only use your RV for a short period of time, you should go after compact size air conditioner. They probably don’t have the same cooling power as bigger machines their price and quality are quite competitive. In general, you are advised to select an A/C model with an aerodynamic body and low profile.
Ease Of Installation And Availability Of Part
Of course, you could always get your vehicle to a workshop and let the professionals handle the A/C installation. Nonetheless, if you want to cut down unnecessary expense and take care of everything on your own, pick a model with a straightforward installation. Take into account the machine weight, the wiring along with the part availability. It’s not too hard to install an A/C unit but this is a long-term investment so make sure that you are able to repair and maintain it. The manufacturer post-purchase terms and policies are also something you should keep in mind in case of unit failure.
Type Of A/C
Rooftop, Portable and Under Bench are popular A/C types that you could run into while looking for the best RV AC units. They each have different advantages and disadvantages that make them suitable for different settings. Rooftop models are located on the top of your RV which let you save some room in the vehicle interior. However, these units also increase the vehicle total height and create additional drag though modern designs are able to reduce these issues somewhat. The next A/C type is Portable which utilizes hoses to ventilate the hot air between the room and the unit. Models in the category take up a lot of space and not exactly energy efficient. Finally, Under Bench A/C units are fitted under a bench or inside a component. These units are a good choice for vehicles with lots of built-in devices and have to park in tight spaces.
Heat Pump
If you intend to travel on your RV through the year, A/C units with a heat pump should serve you well. These excellent machines let you stay cool when the temperature is high and keep you warm during the colder months of the year. However, the heat pump is often not an add-on feature, you must buy it as a full unit so the price could get high. In most of the case, it could cost you more than 600$ in order to secure a quality A/C unit with a built-in heat pump.
