Goshen, Ind.-based Keystone RV is introducing an entirely new air handling system – which it calls Blade – designed to significantly improve air conditioning performance. In initial testing, the company’s innovation lab engineers said they saw an average air flow increase of more than 20 percent.
Recognizing that there was a disconnect between new high-output air conditioners and the systems used to distribute cooled air throughout an RV, Keystone’s Innovation Lab team leveraged core fluid dynamics principles to redesign the system. Elbows and wyes with larger intake openings that taper into the ducting both reduce air turbulence and increase cold air speed throughout the full length of the ductwork.
Blade features a new vent design that uses negative pressure to drive air flow into the cabin. The Blade vent diffuser eliminates hot and cool spots by distributing cold air in a circular pattern and setting up natural convection throughout the coach. Lastly, the Blade system eliminates the reliance on foil tape alone by adding injection molded components at each joint in the system.
“The Keystone Innovation Lab is changing the way RV’s are built. Because this team’s discipline and drive, Keystone buyers not only get great floorplans and features, they get the added assurance of having the most advanced core build thinking in the industry,” said Jeff Runels, Keystone president and CEO.
The new system will be available exclusively in Keystone RV Company products, including Keystone RV’s Cougar, Sprinter, Outback, Fuzion, Impact, Raptor, Carbon, Bullet, Premier, Passport, Springdale, and Hideout; CrossRoads RV’s Sunset Trail, Hampton, Volante, Cruiser Aire, and Zinger; and Dutchmen Manufacturing’s Aspen Trail, Coleman, Coleman Lite, Voltage, Yukon, Astoria, and Atlas.
