review: Rollicool A/C mini-split

[Mike Magee]

It is possible that the Rollicool was defective. Anything is possible.

Dano, you say I was in a 'rather hot scenario'. Was it really? It was about 86 degrees outside, and the AC could only reduce the trailer temp from 89 to 83. If anything, the small amount the door was cracked open to accomodate the hose might have had a very tiny impact at a 3 degee differential.

At any rate, no way to repeat the test. I returned the unit to WM two days later.

My Hauley only has two tiny windows near the front, and neither is large enough to take a window AC unit. I may try a dual hose portable, and vent the hoses out a window... but there is not enough room to work around it whem loading and unloading, so the AC would only be good for camping.

[Doctor Harold]

Originally Posted by Mike Magee

It is possible that the Rollicool was defective. Anything is possible.

Even if it was defective, it got past quality control and was shipped. That's enough for me to avoid Rollicool. Too many businesses now days are letting the end customer be their quality control.

As Dano suggested, a thermometer registering temperature at the evaporator would be useful in future checks. I used to service air conditioners on cars and didn't check to see how well the AC cooled the cabin, but looked for a temp of 40 degrees at the evaporator with the blower on maximum.

Is 40 degrees at the evaporator reasonable for the AC used in a trailer? I would think so. Much higher and it will take forever to cool the trailer, much lower and it will freeze up and then you get no cooling at all.

Harold

[maura]

Originally Posted by Mike Magee

I ordered and received a Rollibot Rollicool 10,000 BTU mini-split air conditioner unit last week from Walmart. This looked really promising for use with my Hauley, to keep cool while working inside it as well as while camping in it during the hot months. Today reached 86 degrees F so I unpacked it and set it up. The indoor and outdoor units each have a convenient carry handle, and they are connected by a hose-cord assembly that's plenty long. I placed the outdoor unit in a shaded spot. I set the indoor unit inside the rear door and fixed it so the door was only open a fairly small crack, figuring that for a quick test at this temp it woudn't matter much if a little air escaped since I need this to work when it's 100+ degrees outside.

When I started it up, no cooling could be felt for about the first 5 minutes but after that it began to put out cool air (maybe the coolant had to circulate and mix awhile?). The built-in thermostat/thermometer readout said it was 90 degrees inside the Hauley at the start of the trial. After about a half hour the readout had dropped to 83 degrees, but this was near the rear of the Hauley. The front of the trailer was noticeably warmer than the rear at this point.

Unfortunately, even though I kept the Rollicool running for over an hour, 83 degrees was as low as it got! It never got comfortably cool inside the trailer. This A/C seems to cool more like a 3000 or 4000 BTU unit than a 10K. I'm disappointed, so I packed it back in the box and plan to return it to WM.

I hope this review is helpful to anyone who may be considering purchase of one of these.

Since warm air rises, Try placing a small fan to direct the cool air upward. You might also try opening a vent (Fantastic Fan or such) for a short time to allow warm air to escape.

[Mike Magee]

Harold, from my feeling of the cooled air on my hand and face, even after the unit had run for an hour, it did not feel anywhere near as cool as that which comes out of my truck vents after a few minute of running.

Maura, the Rollicool expelled its cooled air through a top vent toward the ceiling. I had it sitting on a small table, too. But even after an hour I had to stand next to the unit to feel much coolness... the other end of the trailer remained noticeably warmer throughout the test.

[Doctor Harold]

Originally Posted by Mike Magee

Harold, from my feeling of the cooled air on my hand and face, even after the unit had run for an hour, it did not feel anywhere near as cool as that which comes out of my truck vents after a few minute of running.

You would have known if it was working properly. Sending it back was the right move.

Harold

[Bobbie Mayer]

Originally Posted by Pete J

We just slip on the window bracket and then slide in window ac when we get to campsite, while towing, we just slip of bracket and ac. It takes only a minute, less stress on sill while traveling. Our end of season sale at Walmart cost us $79 for the little 5000 btu a/c. It will freeze us out in 100 degree temps. We didn’t have to modify or cut holes in trailer, simple, simple!

What kind of bracket are you using? Do you have a picture?

[Defenestrator]

Looking around online, the reviews on the Rollicool are pretty brutal. The compressor/condenser side apparently has some significant heat build-up issues. Cracking the door open didn't help, but there's a good chance it got heat-soaked after half an hour or so and just wasn't doing much good.