Hi, All hope someone may be able to help.I have just purchased new caravan,(second hand) and it has frostair 1700 by truma(2003),However Not quite sure if it is cooling good enough and i suspect that it may need re gas.the refrigeration come on but it is cool but not cold it is only small caravan so it is plenty big enough or is it a case that 1700 not that good.thanks Alan.
Frostair 1700 cooling
- Thread starter alan_374453100
- Start date
Are the outlet vents up high, near the ceiling?
Some that have been DIY fitted have the vents at near floor level and will never cool successfully.
Cold air falls and hot air rises remember!!
Some that have been DIY fitted have the vents at near floor level and will never cool successfully.
Cold air falls and hot air rises remember!!
HI rod, yes floor level but looking around there no ware else they could go,will have ot find a way of raising them . thanks for quick reply .
Hello Alan,
Often people have a much exaggerated expectation of what Air Con can do in a caravan.
The proper installation can make a big difference, but you must also be aware of the actual capacity of these units.
Whilst I have seen some of the Frostair units, I do not know specifically the the cooling power of the 1700, but I will assume the number relates to the cooling power in Watts. Lets put this into perspective:-
Most AC units in cars are rated at about 5kW and the passenger space is about 4 cubic Metres That gives about 1.25kW per m3.
The Frostair unit is 1.7kW and the volume of a two berth caravan is typically about 15m3 that gives about 0.113kW per m3 or about one tenth the cooling capacity by volume.
There are other factors which will improve on that a bit mainly due to the level of wall and roof insulation, but against it is the surface area.
Let us be generous and and say its about 0.25 the power compared to a car.
It just isn't going to cool the whole caravan down in the same way that an AC system in a car does.
what you have to do is to decide where you want the cool air, and direct the outlets to that area.
I found that arranging ducts to blow cool air at high level to the main seating area provided a cool movement of air when seated. This was the best we could do with the limited power available to run the AC.
You raise the question of whether the unit needs to be re-gassed, Only an refrigeration engineer could give you a definitive answer to that, but if it has lost its gas, it needs to be checked for leaks.
The Frostair is probably only 1.7kW.
The passenger space in a car is typically in the region of about 4 cubic metres, where as the volume of a caravan is about 12m3.
Often people have a much exaggerated expectation of what Air Con can do in a caravan.
The proper installation can make a big difference, but you must also be aware of the actual capacity of these units.
Whilst I have seen some of the Frostair units, I do not know specifically the the cooling power of the 1700, but I will assume the number relates to the cooling power in Watts. Lets put this into perspective:-
Most AC units in cars are rated at about 5kW and the passenger space is about 4 cubic Metres That gives about 1.25kW per m3.
The Frostair unit is 1.7kW and the volume of a two berth caravan is typically about 15m3 that gives about 0.113kW per m3 or about one tenth the cooling capacity by volume.
There are other factors which will improve on that a bit mainly due to the level of wall and roof insulation, but against it is the surface area.
Let us be generous and and say its about 0.25 the power compared to a car.
It just isn't going to cool the whole caravan down in the same way that an AC system in a car does.
what you have to do is to decide where you want the cool air, and direct the outlets to that area.
I found that arranging ducts to blow cool air at high level to the main seating area provided a cool movement of air when seated. This was the best we could do with the limited power available to run the AC.
You raise the question of whether the unit needs to be re-gassed, Only an refrigeration engineer could give you a definitive answer to that, but if it has lost its gas, it needs to be checked for leaks.
The Frostair is probably only 1.7kW.
The passenger space in a car is typically in the region of about 4 cubic metres, where as the volume of a caravan is about 12m3.
Damian
Moderator
The MAXIMUM cooling capacity of the 1700 is 1.7kW.
The operating limits are +16C to +40C.
Under an ambient temperature of +16C there is a cut off which prevents the compressor running.
There are, as has been said, wildly exaggerated claims of performance of Air Con in caravans.
It will never equal that of a car system, and unless the windows and doors are kept closed all the time the unit is on, then the efficiency will be next to useless.
The operating limits are +16C to +40C.
Under an ambient temperature of +16C there is a cut off which prevents the compressor running.
There are, as has been said, wildly exaggerated claims of performance of Air Con in caravans.
It will never equal that of a car system, and unless the windows and doors are kept closed all the time the unit is on, then the efficiency will be next to useless.
The Frostair 1700 is designed for motorhomes up to 5.5 metres in length, the 2300 for larger units.
It is important that the outlets are at ceiling level and that the proper insulated ducting is used, not the ducting used for heating.
Methods of installing high level ducts can be found on the internet but it is usually via the wardrobe.
It is also essential to carry out the maintenance schedule such as filter changes.
In my 5.5 metre(internal) caravan I use a Dometic B2200 roof mounted unit which is very good, but when pitched in full sun I find it helps to close all roof and window blinds.
It is important that the outlets are at ceiling level and that the proper insulated ducting is used, not the ducting used for heating.
Methods of installing high level ducts can be found on the internet but it is usually via the wardrobe.
It is also essential to carry out the maintenance schedule such as filter changes.
In my 5.5 metre(internal) caravan I use a Dometic B2200 roof mounted unit which is very good, but when pitched in full sun I find it helps to close all roof and window blinds.
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