Modstock wrote:Before I built our cabinets, we had the a.c. through the wall and just cracked the hatch .
Worked awesome, but after going through 3 a.c. units. In a few years.
I took em apart and all 3 had broken a.c. lines because of the bouncy trailer ride. Tried different ways of mounting (hard and boxing in with foam)
Fed up, im now using a fan....
*Mine hasn't broken yet, but I do have a powerful fan already in place, as part of my system, so it wouldn't be catastrophic in sub-100 degree heat (I've slept in worse conditions).
*I've used several brands and sizes of window A/C units over the years, and only two have failed on me, both Frigidaire 10k BTU units, one from a bad fan bearing (it was left uncovered in place, and the 4 months of inactivity rusted it), and the other from a busted freon line. Both were manufactured in 2009-2010. Their successor ran perfectly for 6 years before it was put in storage, after we got the new central HVAC home (there are now 3 units in storage, 2 x 10k, and an 8k unit), just in case we decide to air condition my wife's storage shed in the future.
*True, they were stationary window-mounted in homes, not subject to bouncy rides, but they were well-made (USA) in the 60's and 70's (Fedders, Friedrich, Sears Kenmore) and were still running after we moved on. My latest batch were made elsewhere, and except for the two failures, had run for years without trouble. Our smallest household unit was an 8k LG, and since it was the only drip-free (or least the least) I've used, I bought a 5k BTU model LG for my TTT. So far, it has withstood many severe bumps in the road (including one that damaged a couple of 10-ply LT tires on the tow vehicle), though solidly mounted in the rear wall of the trailer.
*Other reasons for my choice of the LG lw5012j unit was its' small size (17 5/16" x 11 5/32" x 12 27/32"), light weight (37.5 lbs), and mechanical controls (no batteries to go bad on the remote). It was the smallest footprint available, which I wanted, in case I would ever need to replace it with a another, different sized unit, I could enlarge the cut-out (rather than filling-in the gap around a smaller unit). I'm prepared to replace it, as it would still be good value at $125 for many years of usage.
As a former drag-racer, I'm used to the fact that mechanical items do fail, and I have replacement parts always in mind! *The newest window units may not be as durable (made in China) as their grandfather's from the 60-70's (USA-made) I used, but what is these days? What brands did you buy that failed? Perhaps your trailer may need shocks or softer springs? Many others have use hard-mounted window units without failures, so maybe it was just bad luck (rule of three).