The other day I removed our 12-year-old OEM Coleman Mach 3 air conditioner and installed a new Furrion Chill 14.5K BTU unit from Lippert. The Furrion replacement model comes in black or white. 14.5K or 15.5K BTU and includes a conversion kit. The conversion kit contains metal spacers, bolts, and an electrical harness.
With the conversion kit, I can reuse my existing Coleman Mach 3 controller board, air box, OEM ceiling ducting, and thermostat. This makes the replacement process fast and super easy to do. I just needed to remove the old unit by taking out four screws and four long bolts and unplugging the control board box.
The hardest part of the job is getting the old AC down and the new AC onto the roof. They weigh in the neighborhood of 85 lbs, so helpers are strongly recommended. To get it up, I left it in the shipping box for protection of the new AC. A friend and I used my Werner folding step ladder and placed it on the slide-out roof. From the slide-out roof, I pushed the box onto one of my solar panels on the main roof next to where I was installing the new AC.
As for the old AC, I took the shroud and some metal covers off to get good grab holds and reduce the weight to about 75 lbs. and lifted it over onto the slide-out roof onto a piece of cardboard to protect the slide rubber roof. I then grabbed it and lowered it to two waiting helpers on the ground below. We all wore work gloves as the AC uncovered has some sharp metal edges.
After removal, I thoroughly cleaned the RV rubber roof under the old AC and resealed the output ducting with new metal duct tape.
Then I cut open the shipping box around the Furrion air conditioner, moved it over, and positioned it over the existing roof hole. I reattached the interior metal frame using the supplied conversion kit and tightened the bolts to clamp the AC down. Then I installed the controller box, plugged it in, and screwed the air box cover back in place.
So far, the new Furrion AC is performing well. Improved cooling performance with noticeably quieter operation than the old Coleman. I’ll use it for a few hot weeks in August, then come back with a full review video. Stay tuned.
Furrion Chill Air Conditioner Installation Video
Furrion Chill Air Conditioner Review Video
In this video, I return after nearly a month of real-world usage of the new Furrion Chill AC unit I installed last month. We had a decent stretch of hot weather in August with highs up around 85 – 90F. The AC was put through its paces, cooling our rig, and did a great job. Overall I’m pleased with the operation and performance of the new Furrion AC. It was about 20% quieter than the old Coleman Mach, with improved cooling performance.
The Furrion is easier to take apart for cleaning, maintenance, and any repairs that may be required. The only negative I can see is how much plastic is in the design. Because of this, I have concerns about the long-term durability versus the old Coleman’s mostly metal construction. Time will tell, I guess.
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