17' Series Installing rooftop aircon

[Brougham]

We've got the cabinet mounted Heron in our 2011 17-56 OB and it's pretty pathetic. Due to the location, it only really cools the fridge opposite and doesnt get down to the bed ends. Plus the loss of the cabinet space and the area under one of the dining seats.

We'd like to install a rooftop such as the Truma to the van - any issues anyone know of?
They came as an option, so i assume nothing needs to be done to the roof to handle it?

Also, anyone care to comment on the effectiveness of the Truma in a 17" Expanda?
I noticed it's only suitable between 4deg (no heating under that) and only up to 40deg - that might be an issue, often over 40deg up in exmouth and north west WA.
Is there a better alternative that doesnt weigh too much? The new Harrier inverter looks great, but it's 15ks more than the Truma (45kg vs 33kg), or the Freshjet 3200 (37kg).

Thanks in advance

 

[bigcol]

hiya mate, I had the heron taken out of my Van when they built it in 2013
had the Truma fitted to the roof
at the time they did say they needed to reinforce the roof for the aircon to sit on.............
that being said, you can get a H patten mounting made up to sit on the roof, and the air con on top of that

you will also need to get stronger struts for the roof, because of the weight

as to the cooling, not really had a problem as such
but heating , yes is a bugger
we have a 5 bar oil heater in the Van for winter

 

[DaveR]

The vans roof is strengthen for the A/C in the factory, so as said, you'll need to make a frame to support the weight.
My cooling was good in 40 plus degree heat, outside the limits, but did it well. I added a heap of shade to keep the sun of the Van which helped.
As for the bed ends, in the extreme heat of the day, we closed the curtains and forgot about them as it was too much for the A/C.
In lower, but still warm outside temps, it coped well with the bed ends. Having the adjustable vents works well and the air flows well into the front bed from the A/C, but not the rear, the fan is needed to help with that.

 

[Brougham]

Damn. those frames are ugly as hell and will mean removing/reinstalling the solar panel.

 

[DaveR]

You may be surprised how easy it is to pull out the internal ceiling panels. Try the retro fit of a frame inside the ceiling, as you'll need the wiring also.

 

[Brougham]

I’ll go have a chat with my local caravan repair guy, he might be able to recommend what to do. Thanks.