Adding an air conditioner

[Deryk the Pirate]

Hello Folks!

Im planning on installing an air conditioner into my "box" thats going to be on the back of my lil vardo. Now I realize its going to be blowing out heat the back side, so Im thinking of adding a large'ish vent on the side of the box, but will that be enough for it to run right? They also draw air from the side vents right?

To give an idea of the box's placement and rough size


The backside box is going to hold my battery and the air conditioner and my galley.

Pics would really be appreciated.

deryk

[dh]

Batteries give off hydrogen while charging. You don't want this hydrogen to be sucked into you AC. Try to vent you box for the AC so it doesn't suck in the hot air it expells out the back. Any time a battery is in a box I like to see a sealed battery box with built in vents for this application. One vent through the floor, one out the top with a hose going toa through the wall vent.

[Shadow Catcher]

Or do a variation on what I did http://tnttt.com/viewtopic.php?t=44561
I like modular design, take what you need leave home what you do not. Yes both the side/top vents need to be open for it to work.

[bdosborn]

Have you worked out what the box will do to your tongue weight? That much weight in the back might make the trailer tow poorly.

Angibs Balance Page

Bruce

[Deryk the Pirate]

Interesting DH, any pics of your sealed batery box? From a bad experience I dont keep the battery chargeing anytime I have ac power...I prefer being able to turn it on and off as needed, a simple 12 volt display to let me know when its getting low works... but a great idea to not have the 2 running at the same time. I was thinking of haveing the battery in a separate compartment from the rest back there.

I was originally thinking of cutting the bulk head and being able to just slide an air conditioner in and out as needed. Ive seen some people make a ductwork to go over the intake and exhuast on the back of the ac but shadow catchers idea in very interesting... something that could be left at home when not needed and if geting a good tongue weight is a problem can always keep it in the cabin and put it under the vardo when its in use.

[Deryk the Pirate]

Slow I envy you, I would rather have the vented propane fireplace I had on my first boat I lived on(smaller model though lol) It drew air from outside for combustion and had an O2 sensor, but I always slept with a hatch open cause it threw out alot of heat and was always paranoid about dyin in my sleep lol, then dealing with an air conditioner.

Here in New Jersey ( where Im stayin till my parents pass on there 76 and 77 and my dad has some health issues, Im also an only child) summers are very humid. Now granted there are lots of times when its nice at night that a fan will work fine. My lil vardo is also going to be my 2nd home for when I go visiting friends. This way I feel to be less of an inconvenience to crash there for the weekend, and often I really like being able to bring my own home with me verses sleepin on a couch in someones living room. Im looking forward to fall and winter camping this year. I have a friend who lives way upstate NY who does an event in february and the people sleep in his barn, I can stay in my vardo and be way more comfortable lol.

deryk

[Shadow Catcher]

SC we live in an area that potentially has a 130+ degree range between winter and summer and plan on traveling in areas that are both hotter and colder. That is why we have both the diesel heater and AC.

[caseydog]

You need to have separate chambers for the inlet side of the condenser, and the hot side, so you don't recirculate hot air.

I built a duct box on the back side of my condensor, which vents through a hig-flow marine vent.

Another marine vent in front of that duct box is vented through another marine vent.



CD

[dh]

Here ya go. Oh, its called a vented battery box, not a sealed battery box, sorry. The top and bottom have a gasket between them, and there is a vent in the bottom to let fresh air in.

[Deryk the Pirate]

ah DH that makes sense... I looked up sealed battery box and a 100 dollars was alot for it...

CD how well does your ac work with only 1 vent to the outside? Any pics of the construction of the box in fron of it to direct the heat out? Did you just but it against the wall and ct a hole for the vent? What about the other side of the ac, is it just pullin fresh air from your galley? Do you leave the hatch up?

thanks

deryk

[dh]

Deryk, the vented boxes can be had for around $35+ depending on size.

CD's got two vents outside, one is flat with slats in front, the second is a downward facing scoop. A bulkhead seperates the in and out. The front should stick into the cabin through a hole. remember, ther front of the AC has in and out vents so the entire frond should be exposed.

[Deryk the Pirate]

dh, the outside intake on the right side would be drawing air from the galley, the left side is vented and the box on the exhaust side is vented to the side as well. I was just wondering if he has any issue with it.

The vented battery box is a great idea and I can vent it on the opposite side of the trailer from the ac unit.

deryk

[dh]

One thing to consider, water will drip out of the back of the AC, this has to be dealt with. I'm venting the back of the AC through a hole in the floor to deal with this problem.

[caseydog]

Deryk, the vented boxes can be had for around $35+ depending on size.

CD's got two vents outside, one is flat with slats in front, the second is a downward facing scoop. A bulkhead seperates the in and out. The front should stick into the cabin through a hole. remember, ther front of the AC has in and out vents so the entire frond should be exposed.

That's basically it. Air inside the sleeping cabin circulates throughout the evaporator coil to chill the inside air.

The back half of the AC unit is compressor and the condenser coil. The condenser coil is cooled by the two vents in the side of the trailer -- both are in the galley area. The condenser fan moves the air through.

The front vent allows fresh air to be drawn into the galley. The reav vent is where hot condenser air is blown out. That is boxed in, so it does not heat up the galley and intake air.



CD

[caseydog]

dh, the outside intake on the right side would be drawing air from the galley, the left side is vented and the box on the exhaust side is vented to the side as well. I was just wondering if he has any issue with it.

The vented battery box is a great idea and I can vent it on the opposite side of the trailer from the ac unit.

deryk

Again, keep in mind there are TWO air circulation patterns, one across the evaporator, which cools your cabin, and one across the condenser, which removes heat from the condenser, which would normally be completely outside if used in the window of a house.

The two circulation paths never cross. Inside air stays inside, and outside air stays outside. The air circulating in my diagram above never enters the sleeping cabin.

On the front side of the AC Unit, there are intake vents on the bottom that suck air in and across the evaporator coil, and vents at the top where the cold air blows out.

If you use a battery box, you will STILL have to separate the intake air from the exhaust air on the condenser side, or you will burn up your AC unit. So, your battery box would have to be divided into two chambers, with vents for both cambers.

Clear as mud?

My setup was made from scraps of lumber and 1/4 plywood, with some heat resistant paint on the inside of the hot side box -- all stuff I already had. Cost? Zero.

CD