Haughton roof top A/C from Recpro

[1nolaguy]

After considerable research on Dometic, Airxcell,Furion and other manufacturers of A/C and Heat Pumps to replace my 17 year old Duo-therms I decided to go with Houghton A3800s. These are available in the US from Advanced RV (installed only) and RecPro. I ordered them from RecPro on March 31 and they were delivered via FedEx at our location in central Fl on 4/4. Packaging was exceptional and units arrived in 3 boxes (2 roof top units and a third box with the two internal units for the ceiling as well as the remotes). These units are so quiet on low and medium fan I had to afix a tissue to the ceiling vent to make sure they were moving air. On high fan they can be heard but TV and conversation at regular levels are fine. Not much louder than my central air at home. Recpro CS was helpful before and during the sale (ordering process) and provided good electronic service from the time the units are shipped until they arrived to me.

I recommend RecPro service and the Houghton HP are well beyond my expectations, at least so far....

 

[Bill C]

I'm assuming you use the remote control instead of your old all thermostat, correct?

If someone has an Aqua Hot system will it work with it?

Thanks,

Bill

 

[1nolaguy]

The Haughton is a stand alone unit. It is in no way connected to the thermostat. In my case I still have the thermostat connected to the furnace and the control box from the old Dometic, just in case I need it. 

I am still working out some kinks with the Houghton and it took a bit but RecPro has been helpful in sorting this out. In the beginning there seemed to be no true control of the temp. I finally figured this out with there help and some experimenting.

For everyone who is interested in the details keep reading:

1) We are use to using fans in conjunction with A/C (long story for another time). As a result we have a 20" fan on the dresser opposite the bed that was directed to blow on us and toward the ceiling. I incorrectly though the thermostatic control was in the remote, IT IS NOT. There is a temperature sensor in the a/c roof return that is attached to the evaporator coil. It reads the temp of the return air and controls the fan and compressor. The dresser fan was directing cold air from the discharge vents back into the return air, lowering the temp of the return air and shutting then system down prematurely. It is recommended that if you have a ducted system you close the dump dampers and just distribute the cold air through the ducts.

2) On some models shipped to the US the temp regulator is clipped into the fins of the evaporator coil, similar to how temp control is done in a Norcold fridge. Tech support advise that when this is a problem the temp reader should be removed from the coil and zip-tied to the electrical cord exposed to return air. I am attaching a link for a video on this. I believe they may have made a change now at the manufacturing level but just in case it is here if you need it.

3) I mistakenly thought there was an option for continuous fan (3 speeds) or auto. Actually, in cool, heat and dehumidify the unit runs in auto fan mode continuously, If you set the cooling fan on Medium it will run on Medium until the temp sensor reads the set temp and then drop to low, where it will stay until the temp turns on the compressor again. In fan only mode you can set the fan to run as desired (L,M,H,Auto).

4) Units are controlled at the remote or ceiling unit. You can turn on/ off the ceiling display at the remote. We find the ceiling display too bright in the bedroom at night, The other serves as a great night light in the leaving area.

5) As previously noted, this unit is quiet. On low fan I had to tape a tissue on a vent to make sure it was running. I still highly recommend this as a replacement should you need one. After you figure out the idiosyncrasies and fine tune it to meet your needs it is a great product.

[Greg G]

I am considering these for my 2006 Navigator.  Can you give any more details on how you are able to use the aqua hot furnace without it all being tied together?

 Thanks Greg