Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

With the urging of my dad who has one of those huge RV/coaches I've decided to go the petcool route.

Can some of you folks that have installed them help us out with some things? We haven't ordered it yet, but we're discussing the hows of the install based on pics and some assumptions we're making.

We plan to install in the galley. We are okay with losing space. In Texas, air conditioning is more important than pots and pans.

Venting:
We assume we need an intake and an exhaust.

On SteveT's (SonnetPro's) build he used boat bilge vents to send the exhaust. Do I need to duct the side to the vent or just put the petcool close to the wall? My dad is thinking if i put it right against the wall, that might be all that is needed.

For intake, do we need another vent somewhere? If so, can someone provide details or pics? Does the air get sucked in at the back where the coils are or on the side at the roundish vent/fan? At night the galley will be closed, of course.

Knobs - did you guys extend the knobs somehow so you could control the petcool from inside? Just put a little door to slide open and use the existing knobs?

Thanks,

Lynn!
I don't think you need to "install it".
The installations I've seen just set the unit near the camper, ducting the air in/out of the tear with flexable hose, like dryer venting. you would need to build a suitable ducting system into the cabin.
You could carry the unit in your tow vehicle, set it up as needed!

lcurrie wrote:With the urging of my dad who has one of those huge RV/coaches I've decided to go the petcool route.

Can some of you folks that have installed them help us out with some things? We haven't ordered it yet, but we're discussing the hows of the install based on pics and some assumptions we're making.

We plan to install in the galley. We are okay with losing space. In Texas, air conditioning is more important than pots and pans.

Venting:
We assume we need an intake and an exhaust.

On SteveT's (SonnetPro's) build he used boat bilge vents to send the exhaust. Do I need to duct the side to the vent or just put the petcool close to the wall? My dad is thinking if i put it right against the wall, that might be all that is needed.

For intake, do we need another vent somewhere? If so, can someone provide details or pics? Does the air get sucked in at the back where the coils are or on the side at the roundish vent/fan? At night the galley will be closed, of course.

Knobs - did you guys extend the knobs somehow so you could control the petcool from inside? Just put a little door to slide open and use the existing knobs?

Thanks,

I put it against the wall. I used some 2" foam to make a gasket.

You could put in a intake vent, But I didn't. I just leave the galley open about an inch. It intakes fron the rear and exhausts out of the side. It only needed 1 sq ft to vent so 2 6"x12" bilge vents were perfect.

I operate it from the inside by a 4"x6" door I cut in the bulkhead, I did have to take the front off and move the lower control to be above the top one. It wasn't a problem as there was plenty of room.

To get the intake ond output to the cabin through the bulkhead I used some 2" rubber couplings that is used to join 2 pipes together. (Lowes) If you are going to run the vent to the top of the cabinets like I did, make sure you get 2" pool cleaning hose I made the mistake of using 1 1/2 and it made the unit whistle cause there wasn't enough output.

Thanks for the info. I think i'm going to put an extra vent in outside of the gasketing so i don't have to leave the galley open. Do you think i would need to do anything special or could i just put one near where it's installed?

With the boat bilge vents do you have any problems with water coming in in a rainstorm?

Thanks for the details on the couplings and the vent dimensions for the other parts. With the exception of the intake vent, i'm going to use your install for inspiration for how to do mine.

Thanks,

I couldn't bring myself to cut holes in my trailer so I made an insert for the window.





Bruce

lcurrie wrote:Thanks for the info. I think i'm going to put an extra vent in outside of the gasketing so i don't have to leave the galley open. Do you think i would need to do anything special or could i just put one near where it's installed?

With the boat bilge vents do you have any problems with water coming in in a rainstorm?

Thanks for the details on the couplings and the vent dimensions for the other parts. With the exception of the intake vent, i'm going to use your install for inspiration for how to do mine.

Thanks,

I wouldn't put it too close to the exhaust or you will suck in the heated air and it wouldn't do any good.
I don't get any water in through the bilge vent's they are louvered down so it can't rain in and they are above the fender so it cannot splash up.
The vents in my cabinets are Porshe vents I found on ebay. They have 2" hose fittings on the ends.
When it comes into the wire raceway the 2" goes in to a 3" pipe with 2 2" comeing off of it. It's a home made plenum.

Any suggestions where to put the intake so it isn't close to the exhaust? How far away do you think it needs to be? Can it be on the other side of the TD?

The supply and exhaust don't have to be that far apart. Mine are right next to each other and it seems to work fine. I wouldn't mind having more distance between the two but it works well enough that I haven't done anything about it.
Bruce

good to know! Thanks for the info, guys!

Just to show options for you and others to see-look in my album for pics. I used 2 1/2 woodworking vaccum duct from Woodcraft and 50 amp service boxes to duct my A/C to the tear. I did cheat and got my brother design a circuit thats wired to an internal thermostat to start/kill power to an outside plug-so I don't have to fuss with going outside all the time(that piece of my install won't be of much help to most folks, he used an industrial circuit board to accomplish it).

Being able to leave the unit at home clinched my decision on the petkool, I'm not likley to camp in July or August anyway sleeping in the heat is not the only problem-just being outside is brutal enough in these latitudes.

Mc

rmcelroy -

Do those hoses fit over the connectors supplied with the PetCool? I am looking to run ductwork from the rear, just under the back of the tear, up through the battery cabinet, then into the cabin with 90-degree turns. That way, as you say, we can leave 'em at home when we don't need 'em. I also want to be able to cap the entry points under the tear to deter critters.

Marvin

I used 3" RV sewer hoses on mine. I think I got the idea from Mexican Kai. They have all the fittings and caps you might need at your local RV place. I had to put a 3" fitting over the existing outlets on the front of the Petcool. Here's a closeup of the 45' fittings I used on the window insert. I used the same kind of fittings on the Petcool. The hoses just twist on and off.


Bruce

Would it be most beneficial to use insulated hose?

Et Cetera wrote:Would it be most beneficial to use insulated hose?

YES! I was wishing I had some way to insulate them when we were in 100+ weather in Nevada. I was cooling the outside more than I would have liked and it took forever to cool the Trailer down after it had heatsoaked all day long.
Bruce

Tearfan
No they do not, I started adapting the duct work to dust collection tubes on the front of the petcool. I glued pieces of "veranda" plastic wood to the front of the A/C and applied dust collection fittings to it. I used a poly U glue and the plastic wood so I figured eveything would be waterproof.

Pics in my album might help. I have also considered insulating the duct. I should have broght them in lower to shorten the length.

Mc