This is copied from me website.
The problem with using a 5000 BTU AC in a teardrop is that it's just way
overpowered for the space so it cools really fast but won't pull out the humidity very well.
My solution was to "detune" the AC by venting away a portion of the cool air and using that air to cool the
outside coils. This causes the AC to run for a much longer time and that allows the humidity to get pulled out.
First the cabin side. I hid the AC in the rear bulkhead between my cabinets.
The room air is pulled in from the underside of the cabinets and the cool
air is pushed out through the top. The two areas are separate so none of
cool air goes back into the air intake. Photos.
Cabin side. You can see the divider that keeps the cool and warm air separate.
The metal duct directs a large portion of the cool air to the outside through a 2" hole.
Here the cover is in place. The vent is held in place with
velcro so I just pull it off to get access to the controls.
The Tabasco part is off a slot machine and is just for decoration.
The rough opening on the galley side.
AC in place. You can see the hole that vents out some of the cool air above the AC.
Here I have dividers in place to separate the cool and warm sides of the AC.
The area to the right and top of the AC is for the cool air intake. The left side is for the warm air outlet.
With the top cover in place. That seals up the cool air part above the AC.
Bottom cover in place. I have the vents installed upside down because
I liked the looks better and it directs the warm air up. I have another Tabasco
piece from a slot machine to decorate the bottom cover, that will be done later.
Test today 09/05/2009 2 hours run time to check for any problems.
Outside temp at start 73.2 Humidity at 71
Outside temp at stop 73.5 Humidity at 70
Inside temp at start 75.2 Humidity at 63
Inside temp at stop 55.2 Humidity at 60
The inside humidity hit a low of 48 at 15 minutes into the test and slowly climbed throughout the test.
Thank you all for the knowledge and support that has empowered me to build a pretty nice trailer (IMO). It has taken a lot longer than I planned but I don't regret one splinter or bloody knuckle that I had along the way. The best part of owning a teardrop is the community that you become a member of and the friends you make along the way.
