poptop <span class="highlight">caravan</span>

Caravan roof top air conditioners are notorious for their less than efficient operation, noise and power hungry to operate.

If it is possible I would be looking to see if you can manage to install a domestic split wall unit. The majority of new units are inverter type using much less power and being far superior in their operation/efficiency.

A roof top unit is going to make the roof much more difficult to lift plus you may need to reinforce the roof top to carry the extra weight.

We fitted a Dometic air con to our 17 ft Millard (1997 model) pop top.Had to put braces across the roof. Made it bit heavier to lift, but doable. Hope that helps you.
Cheers.
John

Here is another option for you to look at - Truma Saphire Underbunk Aircon.

This would be an easier install as there is no flexible connections needed.

Our first van was a 16' Jayco Poptop and it had a split system with the compressor in the corner cupboard and the head unit in an overhead cupboard.

Like all or most caravan air conditioners, they tend to be using old technology and are nowhere near as efficient as the domestic units.

A friend of ours had a rooftop A/C fitted to his poptop caravan. The roof was so heavy then that they had to use props to hold up the roof until he got the gas struts regassed with more gas until they were strong enough to lift and support the roof by themselves. Before that, he had to use a broom to lift the roof because of limited access over the double bed.

As stated above, a domestic A/C unit is much more efficient and quieter, but the big problem is "Where do you mount the Inside unit?" Also, I am a bit unsure about the long-term life of the domestic unit - are they up to vibrations involved in travel? They are still gassed under pressure whilst travelling, even though they are not being used at the time.

The units which go under the bed are my preferred option at present. When I tested one, I thought it was noisy, so I opted for the Ibis split system. In retrospect, that is just as noisy. I have to advise the local Dept of Civil Aviation that I am turning it on in case they think an unidentified aircraft is passing through their patch. Our A/C is noisy inside the van, but when the temperature outside is 38 Deg C, the noise is better than the heat.

Hi, 2 months ago I would have agreed that roof A/C's are noisy. We recently replaced our old unit with a new Dometic Harrier Inverter model and very pleased with the result.
cheers
Jon

We had a 1986 Jayco pop top in 2005 had a split system fitted by removing the rear window they are super quiet and the compressor was mounted below it on the vans rear bumper with a few mods.
We had no problems when travelling done half the country and several other long distance trips all on road.