Air conditioner noise level

[Shepstone]

Hi guys, new poster here. The wife and I are looking at a 2021 Solitude 380FL tomorrow, we’ve been looking at pics, reviews and YouTube videos, so we are up to speed on the general layout and workings of the units but what has us concerned is that the AC’s aren’t true whisper quiet ducted like we have on our Open Range. It seems strange to see the big AC grills exposed on a high end unit like this. I suffer from chronic Tinnitus and can’t take a lot of constant loud noise. So my question is just how loud are these units? It’s still too cold up here in Ontario for the dealer to demonstrate them, and it’s unlikely that I can convince him to hook up to a 50 amp outlet anyway. Thanks!

 

[NB Canada]

Can’t see an issue with running the ac. They can hook up power I am sure
If not the ac at least the fans in the ac


2021 Imagine 2400 BH
2018 GMC Sierra 4x4 crew

 

[CoChris-MGRV]

Hi guys, new poster here. The wife and I are looking at a 2021 Solitude 380FL tomorrow, we’ve been looking at pics, reviews and YouTube videos, so we are up to speed on the general layout and workings of the units but what has us concerned is that the AC’s aren’t true whisper quiet ducted like we have on our Open Range. It seems strange to see the big AC grills exposed on a high end unit like this. I suffer from chronic Tinnitus and can’t take a lot of constant loud noise. So my question is just how loud are these units? It’s still too cold up here in Ontario for the dealer to demonstrate them, and it’s unlikely that I can convince him to hook up to a 50 amp outlet anyway. Thanks!

First, welcome to the forums. It is a great place with lots of helpful and knowledgeable people.

In answer to your question, they are partially ducted. The grills are the return air. The cold air outlet is normally ducted through the "race track" ducting in the ceiling. I say normally because some models/locations (bedroom) can have the cold air dump directly from the AC to the room by opening the dump vent for faster cool down. Some models/location have the dump vents blocked for more efficient cooling. In either case, with the race track duct you can use one AC (say the bedroom) to cool off the other end of the trailer (say the living area). The AC units are on separate thermostats. We often run the bedroom AC during the day and run the main AC at night. If it is fairly warm/hot out I will usually set the two ACs about 2~4 degrees different, and use one as "primary" and the other as secondary. Swapping which is which between day and night.

Only you can answer what is to loud or an annoying frequency for you. You should not run the AC at low temp. I have been told it is hard on the compressor motor. However, there should be no problem running the circulating fan at any temperature, and it uses much less current (i.e. easy to run on a simple 15A circuit). In our unit, almost all of the noise is from the fan. I find our AC (two Coleman Mach15 AC units) are not objectionable, my wife an I can easily have a conversation in the same room as a running unit, but they are not silent either. One thing to note; with the pandemic, many components are in short supply and all of the manufactures are substituting what they can get. If you order a unit, you many get a different brand or model of AC (or any other component) from what you see in a unit on the lot.

Hope this helps

Chris

 

[RV Sailor]

I’ve never been in any type of RV or sailboat where the air conditioner was a silent as a house. You may have to change your expectations. Some may be due to the duct size.

That being said, some are louder than others. As was said it’s the fan you hearing. Some of the Ouse is also the resistance of the air forced into the very small ducts.

 

[livinthelife]

Hi guys, new poster here. The wife and I are looking at a 2021 Solitude 380FL tomorrow, we’ve been looking at pics, reviews and YouTube videos, so we are up to speed on the general layout and workings of the units but what has us concerned is that the AC’s aren’t true whisper quiet ducted like we have on our Open Range. It seems strange to see the big AC grills exposed on a high end unit like this. I suffer from chronic Tinnitus and can’t take a lot of constant loud noise. So my question is just how loud are these units? It’s still too cold up here in Ontario for the dealer to demonstrate them, and it’s unlikely that I can convince him to hook up to a 50 amp outlet anyway. Thanks!

I don't know how many AC units that rig has, but we have two (yes, even on our little 5th wheel). That way we can run the one in the bedroom while we're in the living room, and vice versa. Makes it much easier to watch TV without the AC in the living room running.

 

[Shepstone]

I am comparing our current Open Range fifth wheel to the previous one which was a 2015 cougar 28sgs (lemon) the ac noise level between the 2 was night and day. It just surprised me that I would see an exposed ac like the cougar had in a beautiful rig like a GD Solitude.

 

[huntr70]

I am comparing our current Open Range fifth wheel to the previous one which was a 2015 cougar 28sgs (lemon) the ac noise level between the 2 was night and day. It just surprised me that I would see an exposed ac like the cougar had in a beautiful rig like a GD Solitude.

It's because you lose a lot of efficiency with remote ducted returns like you have now. Up to 20%. There us only 5 to 8 decibels difference between what you have now and the racetrack ducted system with Coleman air units that the Solitude uses.

 

[mntbikejack]

Your opinion may be different but we think they are quiet. Especially when the cold air dumps are closed so they use the ducting. If I was at the RV now I would let you know the dB level with an app on my phone. Perhaps someone who is at their RV could do that for you.

 

[zinman]

Hi guys, new poster here. The wife and I are looking at a 2021 Solitude 380FL tomorrow, we’ve been looking at pics, reviews and YouTube videos, so we are up to speed on the general layout and workings of the units but what has us concerned is that the AC’s aren’t true whisper quiet ducted like we have on our Open Range. It seems strange to see the big AC grills exposed on a high end unit like this. I suffer from chronic Tinnitus and can’t take a lot of constant loud noise. So my question is just how loud are these units? It’s still too cold up here in Ontario for the dealer to demonstrate them, and it’s unlikely that I can convince him to hook up to a 50 amp outlet anyway. Thanks!

[MENTION=38184]Shepstone[/MENTION] We have the 2020 Solitude 372WB and find the air-conditioning noise totally tolerable compared to our prior RV units. I can actually sleep in the bedroom with the air running on low cool. I could never do that with our prior rv units. Is it house quiet? No, but then none are. Overall I think you will be happy with your choice. Grand Design makes a good product IMHO. Safe travels!

 

[AZMike]

I've heard (no pun intended) that the Furrion units are quieter than others. Ours has a Furrion, and we are pleased with the low noise level, but we are comparing to our prior older trailers with mostly ductless units.

 

[boyscout]

Hi guys, new poster here. The wife and I are looking at a 2021 Solitude 380FL tomorrow, we’ve been looking at pics, reviews and YouTube videos, so we are up to speed on the general layout and workings of the units but what has us concerned is that the AC’s aren’t true whisper quiet ducted like we have on our Open Range. It seems strange to see the big AC grills exposed on a high end unit like this. I suffer from chronic Tinnitus and can’t take a lot of constant loud noise. So my question is just how loud are these units? It’s still too cold up here in Ontario for the dealer to demonstrate them, and it’s unlikely that I can convince him to hook up to a 50 amp outlet anyway. Thanks!

We find them both noisy, especially the main AC in the living area, but our "noisy" could be someone else's "quiet". Quite a few times we've opted to open windows and endure warmer temps in the trailer so we could turn off the roaring AC.

I recently did an inexpensive and easy mod to both ACs. The mod is based on a commercial product, and that commercial product is promoted in this video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ryWU-yZ-X4

Here's one of the videos devoted to a home-brew version of that commercial product, built with a bit of styrofoam sheeting, that does much the same thing as the commercial product for a fraction of the price.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Vhv_b-1zAk

(That isn't the video I watched, so there are others.)

I did the modification on two air conditioners in about three hours. I did it in the fall long after we needed AC, so I've only run them for about ten minutes after completing the work and only on fan. However the mod VERY significantly reduced the noise of both units, and it seems to have significantly increased the airflow from the racetrack vents in the ceiling. Others who have done this claim increases of 20%-40% in AC output but they haven't mentioned the noise decrease. I'm expecting to be pleased with this mod when we get back into air conditioning weather.

On another subject entirely...

I'm an Ontarian too. If your dealer is located near Orillia, I strongly advise you to prepare for and insist upon doing a VERY thorough pre-delivery inspection before you pay for your trailer. The dealer will present you with a long multi-page list of inspection items, every one neatly checked off, and ask you to sign it to confirm that you accept that the dealer has done that required inspection. Don't sign it.

From experience, I advise you to ask that the trailer be set up in a full-hookup situation (including 50-amp power) before you arrive to pick it up. Take the dealer's PDI list and check every one of the items yourself. Take some backup PDI lists with you - you can find many on the internet.

It will take hours to do the inspection. If you don't have a pretty good idea of what to look for, take someone with you who does. You may find, as we have twice with that dealer, that an AMAZING number of items "slipped by" during the dealer's claimed PDI. In the first six months we owned our current trailer it was on the dealer's lot for FIVE MONTHS getting "service" from them.

If we had instead found those problems before we paid for the trailer, it's a safe bet that they would have been much more interested in getting them fixed quickly and well.

Good luck.

 

[Shepstone]

I think we probably have the same dealer, there’s something ‘lazy’ about them.. Good advice thanks. I’m also checking out the sound reducing devices that you have described.

 

[GeoffnCheri]

AC noise is very subjective. Do I think the AC units on our 303 are loud...Yes. We tend to open the dump valves to initially cool the unit down. Once the rig is cooled, we utilize the bedroom AC ducted to the front when we are in the living area and vice versa when in the bedroom. No noise to speak of with the doors closed and keeps the rig cool.