OBI Dweller Review and Discussion
- Thread starter gendlert
- Start date
I literally just went and checked out an Opus 15 at a local RV store that is a very related unit to the Dweller 15. It's 95' here today, the RV was in direct Sun on black asphalt, and it was maintaining a pretty comfortable temp inside at about mid 70s.
I noticed it had a roof top AC.
The underbed Dweller location seems like quite the downgrade.
Still, RVs aren't really designed for super extreme conditions such as 120' in direct sunlight. I plan to use mine only when and where night temps are between about 30' to 80'.
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Actually Compac in China should be reading them as they seem to have a real interest in building a great product.
Opi doesn't matter. Your just passing $$ to 2 middlemen, first Opi, then another reseller, the RV store. Neither of which provides any value at all as far as I can tell.
If I lived near a good reseller like ROA and they promised me mods and warranty, I'd pay extra for that. But being in TX, this doesn't apply to me.
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Thanks for that.
I'm in TX and reached out to them to see if by chance I could make a great deal on a left over Dweller 15. They don't show anything online or advertised at this moment. Thanks for the tip.
CowboyKyle
Active member
Has anyone else with a D15 found that the cover plate to the Renogy inverter's end plate is riveted to the body (on the side that is facing the Truma?) I needed to get in there to see if the breaker was tripped and found that only 4 of the 6 screws were in place; the other two were riveted. Seems stupid to me because you need to get into that part of the inverter if the breaker trips. My guess is that there was no space between the Truma case and the inverter so a screw couldn't be accessed, but a rivet seems like the wrong solution for what is in effect an access panel.
DesertMarmot
New member
Cowboy-bot-Kyle, what is the noise level of your new AC unit running on low ?
Are you going to remove the existing heat/AC pump ?
Also, do u have enough solar on your roof to just run the AC ?
I think I’m going to have to take my wife somewhere “hot” to camp before I do this mod. 😉
The CO Mtns just aren’t hot enough yet.
Thank You for all of your updates ! 😊
RJWB
Member
Air-conditioning improvement??? Dweller 15. I'm headed to South Lake Tahoe next week. The forecast shows high of 86° in the shade. I have never liked how the under bunker conditioner did not recycle cold air from inside the cabin. The way it is set up from the factory it's taking non air-conditioned hot air from under the bed and running it through the air conditioner. Even the instructions clearly site not to do this. I do realize there is a small vent on the wall under the bed but was looking for a way to improve the system. I built some duct work with foamboard and cut a hole in the bottom cabinet section so that it's able to draw air in from the cabin. I also cut a piece of cabinetry that was restricting airflow into the air conditioner. The thought of course is to recycle the air and every time it goes to the AC system it gets colder and colder. I don't really have any way to measure success. I'll let you know after my week in Tahoe. The campground has no hookups so if I want to run the air conditioner it will be off the generator. Luckily I won't have to deal with humidity. Humidity is usually about 10% in Tahoe.
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RJWB
Member
Trying to get ready for summertime camping trip, looking for ways to stay cool. I utilized the sail track on the side of the roof of my dweller 15. The pictures show the shade awnings set up in front of my house, once I get to the campground I will be able to utilize stakes and guidelines to set it up properly. You can actually set it up without poles just utilizing rope and stakes. Ultimately my goal is to install a 270° batwing style awning on the back of the dweller 15. Headed to Tahoe for 10 nights. I'll let you know how it goes.
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RJWB
Member
I used 1 inch thick foam board insulation was an R-value of seven on my dweller 15 popout sides. I'm really pleased with how it turned out. The 1 inch thick barely fits but I wanted to get as much insulation as possible. It feels like there could be some sound dampening as well. Had some extra foam board and did the doors to the storage compartments and refrigerator drawer. At some point I'll find some latex paint to improve the look.
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Obsessed2findARuggedHybid
Well-known member
Sounds like you got a good plan going.
At 86 degrees in dry Lake Tahoe area I don't get why you would need AC at all. Just saying
RJWB
Member
Yeah I'm hoping I won't need to run the air conditioner. Of course camping that close to the beach with little to no shade that 86° can feel like 96° very quickly. There's a few folks in the family that would like to take an afternoon nap. No worry at night "warm days and cool nights
CowboyKyle
Active member
There's a lot of stuff people don't "need" to camp, but they choose to have it anyways. You camp for yourself. 🙂 They camp for themselves. Some people get out in the wild, just to survive. Some people get out in the wild and choose to thrive. Different strokes for different folks.
CowboyKyle
Active member
Check out the video below for noise levels. I don't have any footage with it on low, because I almost never run it on low.
I do plan to remove the existing A/C unit, yes. Hoping to install an instant hot water heater.
No, I only have 180w of solar right now and only have room for a planned total of 320w of solar in the future.
Take your wife to any beach in Texas in the summer, or the hill country, or the piney woods of east Texas. June through September. You'll find out real fast.
Dweller Feller
Member
I believe there is a filter for the heat pump too that should probably cleaned occasionally. Which if plugged, would cause issues. Do u have picture of underside of trailer as well? Did u block off return air that was drawing from the outside ? I figured you blocked off outside return air with rigid insulation too. Curious on how well your new modification works. good luck, I hope it works. Did u grab the hidden remote control for the heat pump too ? It’s in the heat pump cabinet.