RV Airflow

[andrewssteve]

Installation notes:

I've had my two GD units that I ordered from the dealer for $55+ sitting in a box for a couple of months. Finally got time to install them. Did one yesterday, second one today. I have to tell you, these installs were the hardest projects I've ever attempted on any RV I've owned.

Can't believe no one else has reported problems. Simply stated, the RV Airflow unit is just not designed to account for anything but a perfectly positioned AC unit. And the AC units are NOT perfectly positioned.

First problem was my GD-installed ducts were extending into the plenum by a quarter to half an inch. The RV Airflow unit just wouldn't fit without cutting off the "lips" with an oscillating tool. After I did that, I had to re-seal the duct to rough-opening gap with tape -- of course.

The 2nd issue is the mounting bolts that connect the AC ceiling retainer to the AC unit itself may not be completely vertical if the AC was not installed EXACTLY in the center of the roof cutout. Neither of my AC units was mounted exactly in the center of the roof cutout, so none of the mounting bolts were completely vertical.

But the RV Airflow has perfectly square (in three planes) holes that receive the the AC mounting bolts -- and the holes are so small there's almost no wiggle room to angle the bolt in the RV Airflow hole so that it connects with the receiver threads on the AC unit.

I got all the mounting bolts into their receivers on the first unit I installed after about two hours.

The second install had *seriously* out of vertical mounting bolts. Rather that move the AC unit and fix the sloppy GD work, I used a drill and oscillating tool to enlarge the holes in the RV Airflow unit so I could get the bolts tilted to the correct angle. Took about an hour -- because this time I was experienced and understood what and why RV Airflow had done such a poor job of providing for the installation of their unit.

YMMV. Good luck with your's.

-Steve

[BubbaChris]

I added two of them to my 369RL one week before we took a 2+ week long trip to Glacier, Yellowstone, Tetons. Made a huge difference in airflow and especially sound. Watching TV in the living area right below the rear AC wasn't nearly as bad after installing them.
Now the down side....at the end of our trip we had an incident with a nasty RR crossing and caused quite a bit of damage to the back wall and suspension of the 369. We made it to a GD dealer in Billings and long story short we traded it in on a 2020 382WB. I have zero idea if the AC units in this coach have them installed already or not, haven't had time to open them up and look. But they are much quieter than the models in my 369

So sorry about the incident requiring a new rig.

Fastest way to learn if there is an RV Airflow device in an air conditioning unit is to open the dump valve while the AC is running. If you don't get any air coming out of the dump valve, the RV Airflow IS in there and is redirecting all of the air into the racetrack ducts. If the dump valve works as normal, then that unit is a candidate for the RV Airflow.

Best regards,
Chris

[Redapple63]

Installation notes:

I've had my two GD units that I ordered from the dealer for $55+ sitting in a box for a couple of months. Finally got time to install them. Did one yesterday, second one today. I have to tell you, these installs were the hardest projects I've ever attempted on any RV I've owned.

Can't believe no one else has reported problems. Simply stated, the RV Airflow unit is just not designed to account for anything but a perfectly positioned AC unit. And the AC units are NOT perfectly positioned.

First problem was my GD-installed ducts were extending into the plenum by a quarter to half an inch. The RV Airflow unit just wouldn't fit without cutting off the "lips" with an oscillating tool. After I did that, I had to re-seal the duct to rough-opening gap with tape -- of course.

The 2nd issue is the mounting bolts that connect the AC ceiling retainer to the AC unit itself may not be completely vertical if the AC was not installed EXACTLY in the center of the roof cutout. Neither of my AC units was mounted exactly in the center of the roof cutout, so none of the mounting bolts were completely vertical.

But the RV Airflow has perfectly square (in three planes) holes that receive the the AC mounting bolts -- and the holes are so small there's almost no wiggle room to angle the bolt in the RV Airflow hole so that it connects with the receiver threads on the AC unit.

I got all the mounting bolts into their receivers on the first unit I installed after about two hours.

The second install had *seriously* out of vertical mounting bolts. Rather that move the AC unit and fix the sloppy GD work, I used a drill and oscillating tool to enlarge the holes in the RV Airflow unit so I could get the bolts tilted to the correct angle. Took about an hour -- because this time I was experienced and understood what and why RV Airflow had done such a poor job of providing for the installation of their unit.

YMMV. Good luck with your's.

-Steve

Hi Steve,

I am very sorry you had such a tough time doing the install. I do believe the intent of RV Airflow is to actually move the AC unit if it is not centered in the opening. This is very common. When you remove the four bolts, that is in fact what holds the AC in place and it becomes very easy to move around as needed.

I also agree that many have reported lots of challenges with the ducting in the ceiling. Sometimes the ducts are off location or partially blocked, others as in your case inset from the opening.

I had to move my living room AC unit to line up. Now that they are installed enjoy the benefits!

[andrewssteve]

...

I do believe the intent of RV Airflow is to actually move the AC unit if it is not centered in the opening. This is very common.

...

Interesting comment. I did a lot of searching and watching videos before I did my install, and there was not one comment indicating that the AC unit might have to be moved before the install could succeed. Not to mention the need to remove old lap sealant around the AC unit on the roof and order and wait for delivery of a couple new tubes of Alpha 1021 sealant. And climb up on the roof and man-handle the AC unit and, and, and.

The multiple sources I found indicated the RV Airflow install was a 15 minute job -- tops. Not!

-Steve

[Jerryr]

Interesting comment. I did a lot of searching and watching videos before I did my install, and there was not one comment indicating that the AC unit might have to be moved before the install could succeed. Not to mention the need to remove old lap sealant around the AC unit on the roof and order and wait for delivery of a couple new tubes of Alpha 1021 sealant. And climb up on the roof and man-handle the AC unit and, and, and.

The multiple sources I found indicated the RV Airflow install was a 15 minute job -- tops. Not!

-Steve

My AC unit is not sealed with lap sealant. It’s just sealed with the foam seals attached to the bottom of the AC unit. Then torquing the 4 bolts to 40 inch pounds pulls the AC down to compress the foam seals to make it water tight. No lap sealant. That’s INCH-pounds, not FT-pounds. I was surprised how much it took to set the torque properly.

Moving it to center it in the hole is rather simple. From inside the trailer, after removing the 4 bolts, just lift up the AC by pushing it up and reposition it centered in the roof hole.

I used a new unused sharp box knife to trim back about 1/8” of the duct. It was soft and it cut very easily. Then re-taped it to the box walls with AC aluminum duct tape.

[andrewssteve]

...

Moving it to center it in the hole is rather simple. From inside the trailer, after removing the 4 bolts, just lift up the AC by pushing it up and reposition it centered in the roof hole.

I used a new unused sharp box knife to trim back about 1/8” of the duct. It was soft and it cut very easily. Then re-taped it to the box walls with AC aluminum duct tape.

Ok. You guys win. It would have been pretty simple if I knew what I was doing. Clearly, I didn't have a clue. I'm just glad this one's done.

-Steve

[geotex1]

Interesting comment. I did a lot of searching and watching videos before I did my install, and there was not one comment indicating that the AC unit might have to be moved before the install could succeed. Not to mention the need to remove old lap sealant around the AC unit on the roof and order and wait for delivery of a couple new tubes of Alpha 1021 sealant. And climb up on the roof and man-handle the AC unit and, and, and.

The multiple sources I found indicated the RV Airflow install was a 15 minute job -- tops. Not!

-Steve

Just to be the wise guy, all those resources are well and sometimes good. However, good old fashioned instruction sheets should always be the first consultation, and you will find it clearly indicated in them you might need to shift the unit a bit...

At least you didn't have a blockage in the racetrack like I did. Fortunately, GD helped diagnose the issue when I had to take our rig in for re-roofing and repaired the racetrack for us.

[BobLandry]

If you had to remove sealant round the unit, then there were probably other things wrong with the installation and it's understandable why you has issues. The only seal around the base of the unit is the foam gasket.

[andrewssteve]

...

However, good old fashioned instruction sheets should always be the first consultation, and you will find it clearly indicated in them you might need to shift the unit a bit...

When you get your unit from GD thru the dealer like I did, you don't get instructions. . .

[Captcolour]

RV Airflow at the national rally mentioned they are working on a new product that should reduce noise further. I didn't get any more details about how long and how much. I don't have them in my 2021 Solitude (build date 7/20), but will wait to see if a quieter option becomes available over the next 6 months before purchasing.