Air Conditioner New Diffuser for AC unit

Cary or Craig,

Question, noticed in photos of this listing there is a deflector above air conditioner is this something we can get as an after market add on? Thanks Ron

 

Ron,

Funny you should ask. We just put together a kit for this diffuser. The price is $42 plus shipping.

The new diffuser significantly enhances the efficiency of the A/C unit.

Email us if you are interested in a diffuser.

Cary

 

How does the new a/c diffuser improve efficiency?

 

I am guessing by distributing the air more evenly in the cabin so it can cool down faster. Basically an AC units pulls warm, humid air in (from the cabin), cools it by running it over the condenser coils where the coils absorb the heat and exhaust it out the back. By distributing the air more evenly in the cabin, the cabin air cools down faster (no warm/cold spots) therefore, the air being pulled into the AC requires less work for the AC unit to cool down leading to less cycling of the compressor and thereby more efficiency. Well, that is my guess anyway.

 

We have the diffuser in our 560 as it came standard in our 2016 560 Ultra. It's a piece of artwork as it is a solid piece of maple wood, cut on the CNC machine.

The diffuser works by allowing cool air coming from the outlet to the rest of the cabin, instead of getting immediately sucked up into the warm air intake, the diffuser allows the cold air to move away from the AC unit along the ceiling and evenly cool entire cabin.

Although we don't camp in the heat of Houston during Summer, we were cool on a steamy mid May Campout. We can't wait until mid September when things cool off a bit.

 

My 560 also came with the diffuser. I camped a week ago in Texas heat.....works great, I escaped afternoon heat at 3:30 p.m. and was cool in less than 10 minutes. At night I turned on the AC and fan, went to shower and by the time I got back to trailer (~15 minutes) it was very cool. Great nights sleep in the heat of Texas!

 

Is the diffuser hard to install?

 

Should be an easy install. Basically 3 or 4 screws into the ceiling. Hard part may be the emotional challenge placing screws into ceiling.

 

Easy to install..follow instructions three screws. Less.than 5 minute install...

 

Jean,

You hit the nail/screw on the head! About 2-3 weeks ago, I called CampInn all ready to order the new AC diffuser kit because we were supposed to go camping July 4 weekend in Texas heat........NOT my idea but through a temporary lapse of better judgement I let myself get talked into it back in January when it was least a nice 60 degrees here instead of 98 degrees........but I digress. After Craig explained how simple the install was & I called & relayed the info to DH, he said, "NO deal; I'm NOT screwing holes in the ceiling!" In October we will have owned our 560, "Ellie", for 3 years, and have yet to drill or screw one hole into her......not sure if we'll ever "emotionally" get to the place to do it! :/
Casandra

 

We are currently at the factory, where they rather quickly installed a diffuser for us (but I suspect we could have done that ourselves easily enough). We noticed all the discussion about the diffuser was from 560 owners, so we will be headed back to the hot and humid midwest in a couple of days and will report back on how it works in our 550. The concept certainly sounds like it should be a big improvement.

 

Are you camping at CAMP-INN? Hope all is well!

 

We are finding that our diffuser is making it possible to use less than the highest temperature setting (in low cool mode) to keep things cool with the two of us and the dog inside. I suspect the biggest benefit is that the AC doesn't need to cycle on as often, so it should make it last longer. The heat index is supposed to get up to 110 in the next few days, so that will be the torture test.

 

We've spent the last week in some blistering heat (high 90s, plenty of humidity) and so it looks as though it is time to report back on the new AC diffuser. In short, it seems to be a great investment. Without the diffuser, the AC has worked well for us in 100+ degree heat with low humidity, though it often had to be on the maximum cool setting (7) nearly all the time. Most of this week, with highs in the mid 90s and humidity in the 70s or higher, we have gotten by with the AC set at around 6.3 once it has initially cooled the interior. Even now, with a heat index of 109 at 1:30 in the afternoon, it is quickly bringing the temperature down.

Most of the time we've been able to park in dappled shade, so it is hard to say how it might perform in direct sunlight and with higher temperatures and lower humidity. I suspect by keeping the curtains drawn to reduce UV build up that it would continue to be more than adequate. Hopefully someone camping in those sorts of climate can give their feedback.

I suspect the 560s are the campers with the most to gain from the diffuser. With about 40% more interior space to cool, and potentially sitting two feet farther away from the AC output vents, I'd have to think it would be a night and day difference.

In the 550s, I suspect the principal benefits would be seeing the cabin cool down more quickly and putting less of a load on the AC (and hopefully prolonging its life). But when sitting up in the cabin, you will experience more cool air washing over you. The latter has been a very welcome sensation whenever we come in from this sweltering heat and humidity.

While our unit was installed at the factory, installation would be a snap. There are basically three legs that are designed to straddle the molding above the AC, and each leg is pre-drilled to accept a screw. Just snug the diffuser up against the molding and drive the screws into the ceiling and you are done. And if you want the option of removing the diffuser fairly often, Jenn is test driving a version that is held in place with magnets.

 

Thanks for the feedback. I wonder if the diffuser is standard in new models with the AC option?

 

I suspect that if it is they likely will charge more. I suspect not all 560 owners plan on being in extreme heat, so not everyone may want one.

 

I asked Cary about my trailer (got the A/C option) and he said it was included. I will let Cary confirm.

 

Diffuser is a standard feature for trailers built since late 2015.

 

We have been riding RAGBRIA all this week in Iowa In fact sitting in a nice cool trailer as I am sending this message, current outside temp is 84. We have had temps in the nineties earlier in week and high humidity. The diffuser is working flawlessly. In fact we have had reduce the air on occasion. Previously at times the airconditioner early was not keeping up. The diffuser has solved this issue for us, so would recommend it. Only improvement would be to match the ceiling stain to the diffuser. We have a bamboo ceiling so it would be to have nice darker stain on the diffuser to match...

 

Have a great ride! Be safe and stay cool. I did my 4th last summer. Love RAGBRAI and Iowa!