| Ratings | |
|---|---|
| Link to product | |
| Would we buy it again? | Yes |
| Value | High |
| Ease of use | Easy |
If you read our silence is not golden post then you’ll already know that we replaced our Coleman Mach 8 with an Atwood Air Command in the Fall of 2017. This post is to review the major standing out points of the swap and to review the Atwood Air Command after four months of usage. We won’t do a step by step on the installation, as that would be even drier than talking about different coding frameworks.
Installation
There are many things that stand out from the swap of the two units. Overall, the quality of the Atwood Air Command seemed higher on most aspects of unit. Even the little things like having a cord in the right place to hold controls while you wire it up made the installation that much more enjoyable. If your idea of enjoyment is swapping out air conditioners on your travel trailer, that is.
On the outside
Let’s start with just getting the Atwood Air Command onto the roof. It was significantly lighter than the Coleman - needless to say that was good news for our backs. Additionally, the bolts which hold on the unit were grade five (going from memory…) whereas the bolts on the Colman did not have any rating on them and were physically narrower in diameter.
The controls
While not on the top of the list of features for us, the inside part of the unit looks much nicer than the Coleman. It looks a little sleeker and modern, which add a little to the unit. Additionally, the inside unit has the controls on the unit and is not wall-mounted. Initially, we thought that this was a step down from the Coleman, but then realized that the Atwood Air Command came with a remote - which is awesome. The temperature indicator is backlit - eliminating the need for a flashlight when we used to need to adjust the Coleman at night.
How it works
We’ve tested the unit in temperatures ranging from the mid-nineties down to the thirties. In the air conditioner mode, we never were warm and always had the temperature where we wanted. We noticed that the Atwood Air Command held the temperature better and removed more humidity than the Coleman unit.
The model that we purchased was the 15,000 BTU unit, which means that it came with a heat pump. We have never had a heat pump in a camper before, but we have to say that it is just awesome. Unlike heat strips, which we have had in Carrier units in the past, the heat pump does not dry out the air, which is nice. The only time that we have had to turn on our propane heat is when the temperature dropped below the operating range.
Problems
We really have not run into any issues with the Atwood Air Command as of the time of this writing. The only really notable issue was that the documentation for the modes could be a little better. That’s a win in our book.
Overall
From the initial starting of the air conditioner we’ve been delighted with it. When we first started it we had to put a hand to it to check that the air was cold because the compressor is so quiet. On the topic of quiet - we have actually needed to start carrying our kids white noise machines with us because it’s just that quiet.
The power draw on this unit is low. I’m not going to get into the amps too much, because that does not tell a fun story. The fun story is that we can now run the air conditioning with the microwave at the same time on our 30 amp service.
We like the Atwood Air Command a lot and at this time would purchase it agian - as long as we get more years out of it than we did from the Coleman.