Air Conditioner Location Ideas

[redbicycle]

I had a similar concern from other posts here. I thought about using these before I decided to go with an external AC carried on my TV

https://www.amazon.com/Rubber-Absorber- ... pons&psc=1


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[working on it]

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).

[Patrick Star]

I ended up getting a through the wall unit

The Artic King 8K BTU

Gonna try and frame it in tomorrow as my interior is almost complete and maybe paint the interior Thursday

I have seen campers online that use a vented cover over them, and people prop them open when in use, the caveman camper I'm building... the guy that drafted the plans did have that cover

Also... on old style campers, over the windows there is like an aluminum cover over the top. The name slips me, but I want one over my AC opening

Again, thanks for all your help as camper building isn't really my strong area, I'm more of a restorer these days. In fact I just restored 2 Honda ATCs (got 2 more to do and a 2 dirt bikes to do) and this camper is gonna be my escape pod to the Natl Forest, about 375ish miles north, and in the mean time it will be my weekend beach camper on the Padre Island Natl Seashore, which is 20 miles from my driveway

I've actually paid for this entire camper build with plasma donations, lol 410 a month adds up!

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[Chasein70]

Blood plasma?!?!?!?!?!?!?

I use a through the wall unit. It works the best. Mount it up high if you can

[Patrick Star]

Blood plasma?!?!?!?!?!?!?

I use a through the wall unit. It works the best. Mount it up high if you can

Lol and you just thought you were motivated to build a camper. Yea we are power paying bills and I have no money to spend. It sucks, but keeps my projects going and in turn keeps me sane

Here's the through the wall I got, about to try and frame it in now

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[Chasein70]

What size trailer are you building and let us know how that AC works out. I have a 10,000BTU in my 14x7x7 but haven't tried it in the heat yet

[featherliteCT1]

Patrick Star,

Do you know if a 2000 watt generator will start and run your air conditioner?

[Shadow Catcher]

The advantages are that it is very quiet and can be left home and was inexpensive to make.
http://www.tnttt.com/viewtopic.php?f=30&t=44561

[Atomic77]

That should get the job done! My 17 x 7.5 x 9 has a 5000 btu and works great. Have you seen the 2020 T@B models? They have removed the AC from up on the walls near the ceiling and are now mounting them down on the floor... like mine.

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[Patrick Star]

Patrick Star,

Do you know if a 2000 watt generator will start and run your air conditioner?

I've heard they will from the boondocking van living YouTube community, but my friend tells me I need at least a 3500 watt one or 5k watt one is even better. At a 2k watt though you'd be running near capacity


I got lucky on the generator... I picked up a brand new Generac GP7500E at pawn shop for 452 bucks out the door. I couldn't believe it. I just happened to catch this big layaway sale last November

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[Patrick Star]

The advantages are that it is very quiet and can be left home and was inexpensive to make.
http://www.tnttt.com/viewtopic.php?f=30&t=44561

Nice!

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[noseoil]

We ran out of room when building for ours, a compromise was reached (Alice said she wouldn't go camping without air conditioning, Tucson heat, so...) There wasn't enough room to have a good installation & permanent mount, so I had to improvise with the location. It's over the pillows & mounts with a sliding mount. There's a close-out panel in front, which needs to be removed when sleeping & the AC protrudes into the sleeping area when driving. A few screws & the AC slides forward. 1/4" spring pins lock for driving or for sleeping & it works very well.

We level the trailer with its jacks, because we need to keep any condensation out of the "drip area" when it's running, so any water drips onto the tongue box. We have yet to actually make condensation when we camp (too dry), but the bottom panel has a slight ramp forward, so the AC unit is canted forward 1/4" for drainage if there's rain. A face frame weather strip seals out moisture & bugs when it's in the forward position.

[twisted lines]

Not mine but a new one for sale in my area; I should climb around in so I knew a little more about it.

Inside.JPG (72.2 KiB) Viewed 1269 times

Outside.JPG (68.2 KiB) Viewed 1269 times

[bdosborn]

I put my A/C on drawer slides. Open the exterior baggage door and slide it out. Easy peasy.





There are computer fans that circulate the air around the cabin when its cooling.

Bruce

[nemoskull]

mine is getting built in to the nose with intake and exhaust built it as well. will be using a mister system. pics.
intake is the hole in the front, vent will be up top.
the idea here is to be able to run the ac from battery power with no setup.