Mach 8 air conditioner silencing project

[WizWid]

For those of you that dont follow along on the Casita Forums...

The Mach 8 A/C units that have been fitted to Casitas for nearly 2 years are reported to be too "loud"
We got curious to see if we could make some simple fixes to make it more acceptable.
We made several experiments and the executive summary of our finding is as follows

Noise solution proposal
Based on our experiments we have decided that the best bang-for-the buck will come from

1. Replacing the original fan with a “Series D” fan
2. Reducing the speed of the new fan to
   1. “50% of range” on Hi Cool
   2. “25% of range” on Lo Cool
3. Replacing the plastic fan grille with a wire grille (design TBD)

Full report with explanations is over on our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/Orbital-Mac...0833/timeline/

If you are interested - swing over there and read it.

Cheers,

Jim

[trumpetguy]

I fixed mine. Replaced it with an Atwood and love it. He. He.

[Joe Romas]

Originally Posted by trumpetguy

I fixed mine. Replaced it with an Atwood and love it. He. He.

That was an expensive but complete fix

Your post, since you have an Oliver, points out that Casita owners are not the only ones burdened with jet powered Mach 8 units

Joe

[WizWid]

Well we finally got there with our fix.
For the final test we got a friendly local to do an install from our instructions.
All went well so we put the first batch up for sale last night and they went very fast.

Purely anecdotal - but on that install we measured the noise before the fix at about 63 dbA on lo. (he already had the "quiet" 3 blade fan fitted) After the fix we measured about 53 dBA on hi and about 48 dBA on lo. I say about because the background noise was hovering between 48 and 49 dBA. So it was really nice and quiet. The sound meter was untouched on its tripod so no cheating...

Second batch of kits are on sale now if anybody is interested.
Mach 8 hush kits

Cheers,
jim

[WizWid]

Well the second batch is now all gone - cant make them fast enough.
We started an email-us approach for future installs at Bluebonnet but that is getting out of hand.
So if you want us to install for you at Bluebonnet please pre-order the kit directly from the website - that way I have a better paper trail.

Mach 8 hush kits

Choose "Delivery to Bluebonnet" as the shipping option to avoid per-item charges...

Cheers,
Jim

[Retiredguy]

I changed my AC choice on our new Casita which is being built soon from the Mach 8 to the Mach 1 because of:
1 - The noise complaints.
2 - The need for a larger generator than the Honda 2000

Casita is telling me that the noise problem has been fixed on the newest Mach 8's and that the Mach 1's are unreliable. They also say the Honda 2000 is sufficient to run the Mach 8. Can anyone confirm or deny these statements?

[Randy P.]

Question 1 is subjective. I have the Mach 8 and find the noise level to be acceptable and I prefer the low profile.

In regard to Question 2, it is reported that the Mach 8 runs just fine with the Honda 2000.

[Retiredguy]

Thanks Randy.

[WizWid]

In case there are any Mach 8 owners out there that are still unhappy with the noise... Here is your chance to possibly win a Free Hush kit.

Interested?.

What we are looking for are short videos that show how easy the install is and the noise difference between before and after.
We never seem to get around to making these things.
So we thought - why not bribe our customers to do it for us.

Rules are simple - video the noise your A/C makes now, you installing the kit, then the noise it makes after (from the same place - no cheating).
Upload the video to YouTube somewhere and send us the link.
Best one (in our humble opinion) gets their money back on the kit.

Deadline for submission is March 31 2016.
Simple eh? What are you waiting for.

Cheers,
Jim

[bsedwebt]

I installed the hush kit - took about an hour including finding tools, ladder, etc... and I am by no means an expert. Now I have the best of both worlds - low profile a/c and it is quiet! It is unbelievable! You would have to hear it in person to believe it! The finished product is of very good quality and the instructions were spot on. Thanks Jim for your hard work and dedication on this issue as well as your attention to detail - not only on this project but all I have bought - top notch!

[WizWid]

We keep getting reports of broken "B" or "C" fan blades.
This is happening to newbies and old-timers.
They break at the most inconvenient time and often inflict some collateral damage.

If you have a Mach 8 A/C please check the part number on the fan blade.
It needs to be a "D"
Even if you dont buy a hush kit from us you must change the blade.

Part number needs to be 1472D5041

Thanks,
Jim

[Retiredguy]

FYI, We picked up our new Casita 17' Spirit Deluxe on May 23rd. The Mach 1 AC unit that I asked to be installed is 2" taller than the Mach 8, hardly a deal breaker since the trailer wouldn't fit in the garage anyway.

The AC works so well that we've never had it on high and kept it on low, usually with the adjustable temperature control not maxed out for cold. This was at outside temperatures in the 90's and even a few days at 103 degrees on our three week trip back from Texas to California.

The unit is very quiet and can barely be heard when standing next to the trailer. Several other campers came up and commented on the Casita during our trip, even asking to see inside. One said they were surprised that the AC was so quiet. It is louder inside, but the T.V. is still audible, and our main concern was disturbing other campers. It's nice to not have to worry about that, or to have to do a modification to compensate for defects in the design of the Mach 8.

[Randy P.]

The Mach 1 is actually over 5" taller than the Mach 8 (13.5" vs. 8.25") and only the first run units required any modification. Coleman provided me the D blade free of charge and it's worked very well with no complaints. The noise level is comparable to other AC units I've heard although I'll take your word that the Mach I is quieter. I much prefer the low profile unit and I'm sorry but I don't want to look like I'm transporting a bail of hay on top of my camper

[Retiredguy]

I'll take my bail of hay and call it a quiet hay ride, and chock it up "To each his own". As you mentioned, I was mistaken about the difference in height, I was going by memory and just rechecked. It wouldn't matter at any rate since the over 8' height of the Casita with the Mach 8 is still too tall for my standard 2 car garage.

The other factor is that I didn't need to climb up on the top of my trailer, take apart my AC and retrofit a D fan blade. Different strokes, just responding to the voluminous number of complaints lodged in the past by owners of the Mach 8.

[Randy P.]

Hey, no sweat retiredguy

The important thing is to get out, relax and enjoy ourselves. We're fortunate to have options to suit our particular preferences.

Luckily I didn't have to climb on the roof to change the blade. You can reach it from the side and it only took a few minutes to do.

[Schnakita]

I hated the jet engine noise and embarrassment in the campgrounds so much that I ordered the kit! I surprised hubby with it yesterday and said "look what we are doing this weekend"🤗 I'm going to be a happy camper!
Casita needs to fix this! Bad advertisement for this great little camper when it's a deafening nuisance to all within earshot!

[Donna D.]

I don't know why Casita continues with the Coleman brand, especially the Mach 8 due to noise and the Mach 1 due to height. Escape has mounted the Dometic now for years. It's quiet and certainly has a lower profile.

[Retiredguy]

The YouTube videos that were posted by Casita owners at rallies demonstrating the noise level of the mach 8 were enough to convince me. I'm happy to see that Jim has developed a solution for a retrofit and that Coleman has acknowledged that there's a problem and has decided to send out replacement blades. In corresponding with an expert who will remain nameless my questions about the advisability of going with the Mach 8 and doing the retrofit, rather than the Mach 1 were answered with "Even after the fix, it will still be a Mach 8".