Trying to figure out A/C.

[225]

I am trying to figure out how to do my A/C. And I'm kind of at a dead end.

I know that PetCool isn't around anymore, and Climate Right seems kind of sketchy. I don't want a portable A/C that I have to carry along with me, I'd rather it be hard wired in. But I'd hate to take up galley space. So I am looking towards the front of the camper.

I am going with a Grumman 2 design, so putting a wall unit in won't work.

Has anyone used a Climate Right A/C?

I would like to build a compartment on the front that holds the generator/ A/C / battery.

[rowerwet]

many people have done tongue boxes, just remember the A/C and battery will change the balance and axle location. The axle placement may get in the way of your doors.
Also have a design that allows open air flow for the heat emitting end of the A/C, and allows the condensation to drip away without pooling.

[Mojave Bob]

I know that it is frequently done, but to my point of view, the fewer holes in the camper the better, particularly on the front. I had a front-mounted A/C unit on a prior camper, and our experience was that if we found ourselves towing in a driving rain, water would get in, no matter how well we tried to seal/enclose it. Pounding the front of the camper with rain at 55mph will drive water into the tiniest gaps. Nothing quite like arriving at the campground and finding the interior of the camper totally soaked!

We also tried mounting an A/C unit inside, with venting for fresh and exhaust air. It experienced the same problem, albeit to a somewhat lesser degree.

This will vary depending on where you live, but we find that we do most of our camping on the shoulder season, when it isn't super hot. We average one trip a year where we need the A/C. Based on these two factors, we are big fans of our PetCool. It is not so convenient as a built-in one, but I can leave that extra weight home if I don't need it, and my air ducts are safely sealed against water intrusion. I have looked a bit at the ClimateRight website, and they look pretty nice, but I have no experience with them. I did contact them with an inquiry, and Todd Arend contacted me right back, which gave me a good initial impression.

[Vedette]

Watching with anticipation and hope.
Good Roads
Brian & Sandi

[jseyfert3]

I'm planning an underslung mount just forward of the axle, I'll be doing the same for my battery. I can't say how well it will work because I haven't done it yet though. This may not work for everyone, an AC is about a foot tall, I'll have some extra height available due to the 1x4's that support my floor.

[Woodbutcher]

I used a small interior AC. About a hundred bucks at best. It straddles the front wall. Half goes into a headboard and the back half exhausts into the tongue box. The tongue box is attached and sealed to the front wall. I built an air deflector to send the cold air straight up onto the roof and around to my foot end.If you look close you can see the exhaust vent on top of the headboard. Here is a picture that might help.



Here is how it looks finished......



Here is a picture inside the tongue box. Still room for lots of other stuff. When I run the AC I prop the lid open a few inches and it exhausts the heat out. I works real well.

[Shadow Catcher]

The article I did on hacking a Frigidaire is here viewtopic.php?f=30&t=44561It works very well. the hoses can be run through a window or door but the use of marine deck plates have been very secure.

[jstrubberg]

I think Shadow's method is by far the most versatile AC setup out there.

[Shadow Catcher]

And darn cheap, I made a number of missteps that cost me. I have tried to lay it out so you don't make any of them.

[Todah Tear]

Here is an option for sidewall/external mount:









Todah

[rowerwet]

be aware that the inside space of a tear is way to small for a room air conditioner, we have to leave the porthole windows open, plus the normal vents or the a/c short cycles and can't keep us cool enough.

[working on it]

be aware that the inside space of a tear is way to small for a room air conditioner, we have to leave the porthole windows open, plus the normal vents or the a/c short cycles and can't keep us cool enough.

I had that "short cycle" problem with my windowshaker install. I found that the problem (at least for mine) was that the exhaust heat was being held back and causing a thermal overload, and short-cycling. After 3 (or 4) re-configurations, I was able to eliminate the backpressure causing the shutdowns. After much testing, and one camping trip, I found that it worked great, and ran it during two (hot/humid 90+ degree) afternoons, and later all one night (first night, I tested windows/fan usage). Absolutely no short-cycling, and it cooled down to 60 degrees in the heat of day, and I had to turn it all the way down and still relied on my comforter at night. My trailer is totally uninsulated. Granted, my A/C installation is different from most, since I built it to be able to run the rear-mounted A/C with the hatch closed, and went to a lot of trouble to make it work (I should've directed the exhaust straight back, not via a 90 degree bend!), but the internally mounted airconditioner is still feasible if you want it enough.

• mounted high on rear bulkhead for better circulation
• external exhaust vent fully opened
• steel/aluminum ducting w/internal axial fan
• right-angle ducting exposed

[lrrowe]

Quite too high $$wise for me, but here is a commercial version of what our members are doing.

http://cozywinters.com/shop/small-room-ac.html

Bob