As you can see from the other mods on our site, we have had trouble with our Coleman Mach 10 heat pump that came with our Winnebago View. We previously had done a mod to quiet down the airflow noise and also improve its distribution performance, a mod to add a refrigerant port to the “closed system” from the factory, and a mod to quiet down the drone from the compressor. All of these mods worked great, and we were happy with the improvements they brought to our enjoyment of the coach.

But, after two refrigerant leaks with successful repairs, a third refrigerant leak was the straw that broke the camel’s back. The HVAC company that installed the refrigerant port lost interest in helping us after the third strike, so we were forced to find a new heat pump … and not a Coleman Mach 10.

The heat pump failed while we were on the road during a very early spring trip, when we really could have used the heat function from the heat pump. We managed for the month we were at destination, but on the way home we called up the mobile RV tech we had used in the past in Western Canada and requested that he find us a new unit. We had noticed that Lichtsinn in Forest City was supporting the Houghton RecPro A3800 as a replacement unit on Views and Navions, so after some research from our technician and good news on its Canadian availability, we gave the go-ahead to order one and have it installed.

Houghton RecPro A3800 Heat Pump

The unit was at the shop when we pulled into town out in Alberta, and the installation took less than two hours. I was not permitted to view the installation, so I can’t tell you much about the details – but the tech reported that it was as straightforward on a View as it had been on the other RVs that he had installed them on. (I’m glad I left some working room on the roof for heat pump maintenance - I did not have to remove any solar panels during the installation process!)

The A3800 is operated by a remote control, so there is no control wiring to worry about. The Airxcel wall box in the View stays as is, and functions to control the propane furnace as its only job. The thermometer continues to function, which is pretty handy.

Here are the specs for the 15,000 BTU A3800:

The A3800 has a three speed fan, that continues to run as the compressor cycles on and off around the set point temperature. The three speeds allow for a great choice in air distribution, and provide for an extremely quiet operation. Compared to the Coleman Mach 10, the compressor noise is almost indistinguishable, and the airflow is whisper quiet. So quiet in fact, that when it was first demonstrated to us after installation, we were amazed that the compressor was actually running. We could discern the sound of airflow, but did not know the compressor was doing its thing. Amazingly quiet.

During operation of the heat side of the heat pump, the fan does not stay running as the compressor cycles on and off around the set point temperature. For me, this makes for broken sleep during night operations – the only negative we have found so far with the A3800.

The remote control is very easy to operate, and the temperature set point and operating mode is displayed on the coach plenum unit within easy view of the table seating positions. The form fit of the coach plenum unit was nearly identical to the old Mach 10 coach unit - I can see some minor depressions in the ceiling, but no one else would even notice:

The division between ceiling ducts and the plenum flood dump is pretty solid. There are no air leaks on the face plate when the ceiling duct distribution is selected, and no appreciable change in the already very quiet air flow. I will not have to modify the air flow distribution as I did on our Coleman Mach 10.

We mounted the remote control in the holster it came with, in the dining area:

To stop the controller from rattling around, I added some foam cabinet cushion buttons to keep it snug:

If anyone needs the name of a top notch mobile RV tech out in southern Alberta, let me know and I can pass on coordinates.

So far this mod is working out great for us. Really great.


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