I am looking to move up to a class A and really like the Winnebago products. I have only heard one negative remark and that is the basement air is noisy and blows dust if you are sitting outside. Is this a problem and should it even be a factor when considering a Winnie. OH, is there a problem finding techs to work on the basement air?

Thanks,

JD

Yes, it is somewhat noisy - inside and out - but certainly no worse than roof air units.

As far as the dust - I've never noticed it. If it's a problem for you, you could always sprinkle the area under the AC with water to knock the dust down.

Service - no problem there, my dealer has fixed the only problem we've had with no drama.

Upsides: They make the unit look cleaner by not having the AC units on top. Also, they work just like residential central air / heat. The heat pump function is nice when you're plugged in to shore power - you don't use any propane, and they'll keep you comfortable until the outside temps fall below about 40.

Downside is they take up a basement bay.

I have always had roof mounted air. This is my 1st coach with basement air.
Noise-----is less, I dont have to turn the volumm of the tv up as I did with an overhead AC running about 3-4 feet from my head. far more effecient, this is the 1st coach I have had that actually cools right up to that hot front window.
I have never had dust blowing. The air comes down at the rear and I can see some tall grass move around some,but I think that story of dust is exaggerated.
Ican feel some running of the air when lying in bed. a small vibration. My wife says no problem and I agree. The heat pump add on is really nice.
After having had both my preference is for Basement air by a long shot.
Maintenance?? It just keeps on a running.

I have to agree with Ron. We had a 2000 Horizon with basement A/C. The new coach has roof air. I have hearing problems and any ambient noise makes it extremely hard for me to hear what is being said. With the basement air we could sit in the LR and have a conversation. Now it is hard to hear what is being said. On the positives side of foor air, it is much easier to get it worked on than the basement. If the #1 compressor with the basement goes out, you are essentially w/o air as it must run before #2 kicks in. Not the case with roof.
All in all, we still liked the basement air much better.

JD
I had to post a 2nd reply here. On maintenance I did not reply as I thought only in terms of breakdown maintenance.
So what I HAVE done in owner maintenance is air filter maintenance.
above air is not that hard. You remove the sponge like filter, wash it and replace it.
Certainly an easy task.
With basement air, I lift the bed up. Pull out a residential type air filter and slide a new one in. Actualy much less time than removing,cleaning the sponge filter on 2 above airs.
BUT- You have to drive to Home Depot or such to purchase the replacement filter for the basement air. I had to drive to 2 locations before I found the correct size. I bought 2.
Next time its a no brainer for me.
So In actual owner maintenance I would have to call it a draw, considering the fact that there is no running around time looking for a filter for the next owner maintenance.

I've had both. Neither would be a deal breaker, one way or the other. But, I like the roof. In my humble opinion, it is quieter. I can zone the coach in terms of temp and noise by turning either unit on or off. Roof frees up a huge amount of basement area. And, with basement air, if it breaks, you are toast. With roof, I have a backup. I did like the heat pump function of the basement air.

Again, these are just opinions and it would not be the deciding factor to purchase/not purchase. Both are good.

We love our basement air! Noise is minimal and owners of other rigs always complement the low noise level.

We are on our second Winnebago with basement AC after a couple 5ers with roof air. Basement works great, is much quieter that the roof airs (inside the coach and outside), no condensation runs down the outside of the coach and the filter change is a breeze (one cheap household type filter vs. a bunch of little 4" round sponge filters in each ceiling intake that you have to washout).

Finally, one more important item -- if you have more than one AC unit and are running on a 30 amp line, the Winnie with basement AC will allow both compressors to run while you will only run one roof air at a time. This difference was really driven home last year at a rally we were at in Idaho in 110 degree weather. We were very cool and comfortable while a friend in a very expensive triple roof air system cooked since he could only run 1 of the 3.

As far as maintenance goes -- other than changing filters, we have never had a problem.

We are very happy with our basement air/heat pump.

I agree with above comments on low noise level. The only times we notice dust is when running the generator and air while driving into an RV park with dusty dirt roads -- it will dust your toad in a hurry! When we enter such a park, the DW gets up and turns off the air. As for maintenance, I have had blower motors replaced. Finding a certified maintenance tech is as simple as checking on the RVP website for service locations. Those with "uf" listed under their contact info work on basement ac units. There are some techs who can service it but are not on the list, but I prefer to know for sure if I have the choice!

quote:

Finally, one more important item -- if you have more than one AC unit and are running on a 30 amp line, the Winnie with basement AC will allow both compressors to run while you will only run one roof air at a time. This difference was really driven home last year at a rally we were at in Idaho in 110 degree weather. We were very cool and comfortable while a friend in a very expensive triple roof air system cooked since he could only run 1 of the 3.

Our '08 Sightseer runs both on 30 amp. Now, you won't run microwave etc. And, they are as quiet as the basement...maybe they did some mods from past years. I do miss the heat pump function for mildly cool nights, BUT, I'd pick either, they are both good systems.