RecPro / Houghton RV Rooftop Ducted Heat Pump Install

[@TedsGarage]

Update: We’ve spent over a week in areas with over 100F highs. The new ACs work fantastic and have kept us comfortable. Great improvement, both much more powerful and much quieter than our previous units!

[@timmyers3428]

Definitely improvement, +3d doubles the sound level, -3db halves the sound level

[@tedgentscheff6574]

Hey Ted , It’s Ted.. We must have ordered the AC units about the same time.We bought the same for Kevin our 99 ,and our installer put in a little thermostat for the heater so No more 4 button thermostat. I ended up selling that thermostat to a guy that repaired them off of EBay. 😊

[@Seravat7]

Worth knowing that every 3dB is roughly double the previous number, so a 6 decibel difference is four times as loud or quiet. A 10 dB difference is 10x as loud or quiet though.

[@quiet-wolf]

How did you take off the top cover? Were the two screw in the front and two at the top? Or the two at the front are not a screws

[@dmbrew54]

It would be interesting to see a video when you do maintenance on the Houghton unit. Does the whole cover come off or do you unsnap the upper from the lower plastic cover? Also, it looks like the fins only on one end are exposed that would need to be cleaned.

[@AmericanStructures]

Finally getting around to messing with this and about to place my order. My unit is a 2004 Vacationeer and it has 13,500 front and 11,500 rear. I am going soft start with both and do not want to have to customize anything to make them work. Would the 13,500 work in place of the 11,500 unit from factory? Rec Pro has 9,500, 13,500 & 15,000 options.

[@TedsGarage]

The 13,500 unit should work in place of the 11,500 unit, and will offer a bit of extra cooling. Just make sure that your breaker matches the requirements, and then also check to make sure the dimensions match. On the RV I put them on in this video, the stock ones were 13,500 and I upgraded to 15,000 - which helped. I plan on putting these on my Prevost as well. Also, if you don't mind please use the link the description - it helps the channel when you do.

[@brandonstanford5039]

Can you show how you did the wiring?

[@TedsGarage]

I showed it some in the video. There’s not much to it. Since these use wireless remotes all you need is the 120VAC wires, standard household wiring.

[@hnd1776]

What about the furnace? Can you wire the furnace into the controller?

[@TedsGarage]

The RecPro controllers are for their units only. The factory furnace controller stays in place.

[@CdotForbes13]

Thank you for the video!

[@TN-sh4hf]

Hey Ted, great video! I wanted to know how the new Houghton AC unit connected into your existing ducting? I have the same old Dometic AC's and my ducting looks about the same as yours. The only difference is my AC's were plumbed into the ducting with a sheet metal rectangular tunnel that spans across under the AC's to each side and that tunnel was connected to the AC. Do the new Houghton AC's need a Soft Start? How are the New Houghton AC's for controlling humidity? Do you know if they make a low profile 15K deducted unit? Thank you

[@TedsGarage]

Glad you liked the video! There is no direct connection to the ducting for me. The vertical piece that slips into the bottom trim divided the general area with the ducts vs the supply area. You may need to do some minor modifications to your setup to make this work but it’s very simple. No soft start required, it’s built in. You definitely don’t feel like it’s taking a sudden large load. I’ve found it controls humidity just fine but we’ve mostly been in very hot and dry places so far. I believe the don’t make a low profile ducted 15k AC/heat pump unit. For me this really didn’t matter. The “high profile” still isn’t that tall and the performance so far has been great.

[@TN-sh4hf]

Hey Ted, Thank you for your quick reply and the great information. I appreciate it.

[@larrystautzenberger1753]

I noticed you purchased the ducted unit. Did you get better airflow coming through your duct registers vs. your previous unit?

[@TedsGarage]

The airflow isn’t noticeably different between the new units and the old ones.

[@chrisfigueroa3486]

Where you stay in 100f . I live in Arizona and need to add another unit

[@TedsGarage]

We were in Carlsbad NM, it was over 100 every day we were there.

[@chrisfigueroa3486]

@@TedsGarage ok. How did the recpro handle it. I’m looking to purchase just don’t know what one. Because I have to buy a Plenum how ever you say it

[@southerngirlyall6497]

Is that self-leveling sealant you used?

[@TedsGarage]

Yes. I have a link in the description to the sealant I used on this project.

[@droberts4431]

Do these run continuously when on or do they cycle on and off with the temperature settings?

[@TedsGarage]

The compressor will kick on and off with the temperature setting. You can set the fan to either run continuously on whichever speed you prefer, or have it in "auto" mode where it selects the speed and will kick the fan on and off with temperature. Normally we prefer to leave the fan running continuously while sleeping for constant background noise.

[@markyormark7747]

Performance? How many ampere draw at full heat or cooling?

[@TedsGarage]

Recpro states 12-14A at full load depending on heating or cooling. It’s definitely a lower load than the old Dometic rooftop units based on the generator not working as hard. I only ran it the one summer but was happy with the performance. Our first trip took us to places with temps over 100F for a solid week and the units kept the Rv comfortable, much more so than the old ones did/would’ve.