AC Hacking a Figidaire 5000 BTU

[Shadow Catcher]

One of the things I have enjoyed with this thread is seeing the variations on a theme. One of the aspects of those with teardrops has been the willingness to share ideas and the shear inventiveness
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[Tom&Shelly]

We decided to mount our ClimateRight AC/heater in the front of our teardrop, instead of setting it up outside, or having it partially acoustically isolated in a tongue box. The bulkhead between us and the front storage, where the AC/heater lives, is about an inch and a half sandwich of thin plywood over foam, as is the shelf between the space behind the headboard and the front storage compartment. Inside the tear, we hear very little noise from the AC/heater itself, just the sound of the air blowing out of the vent by our heads. This despite the fact we learned it works better not connecting the return hose (for AC or heat), so we left that hole open to the front storage. (BTW, we keep that front compartment door open for AC, but found it works much better--in fact is essential--to close it for heat.)



The AC/heater came with plastic legs, which I replaced with strips of wood and a quarter inch of rubber cut from a floor mat. The wood overhangs so I could screw it into the floor.




We're real happy with the way that turned out.

Tom

[Shadow Catcher]

One potential problem I see is what happens during rain, or when you drive into town?

[Tom&Shelly]

One potential problem I see is what happens during rain, or when you drive into town?

We only run the AC when we are in the teardrop. When we leave camp we close and lock the doors.

Rain hasn't been a real problem. The other things in the utility/storage compartment are towing and camping gear that tolerate wetness. Mostly though, the few times we've needed AC when it was raining, there was little wind. When we were in windy thunderstorms, the temps were such that we didn't need AC. The only problem was convincing Shelly to go out and close the door in the middle of the night when the conditions changed!

Tom

[Pixeltim]

We decided to mount our ClimateRight AC/heater in the front of our teardrop, instead of setting it up outside, or having it partially acoustically isolated in a tongue box. The bulkhead between us and the front storage, where the AC/heater lives, is about an inch and a half sandwich of thin plywood over foam, as is the shelf between the space behind the headboard and the front storage compartment. Inside the tear, we hear very little noise from the AC/heater itself, just the sound of the air blowing out of the vent by our heads. This despite the fact we learned it works better not connecting the return hose (for AC or heat), so we left that hole open to the front storage. (BTW, we keep that front compartment door open for AC, but found it works much better--in fact is essential--to close it for heat.)



The AC/heater came with plastic legs, which I replaced with strips of wood and a quarter inch of rubber cut from a floor mat. The wood overhangs so I could screw it into the floor.




We're real happy with the way that turned out.

Tom

If only those were still available.

[Shadow Catcher]

Yes it would appear the Climateright is still no longer available, on the way to look however this came up Dometic Freshwell 3000 Under Bench Air Conditioner
Please note: This is the replacement model for the Dometic HB2500 Under Bench Air Conditioner.

Combining a lightweight and superbly compact design with high quality engineering which makes it the most powerful air conditioner in its class, the Dometic Freshwell 3000 Under Bench Air Conditioner is designed specifically for use in motorhomes.

The Dometic Freshwell 3000 Under Bench Air Conditioner uses an energy efficient heat pump system for both heating and cooling and provides non-disruptive quiet air circulation.

Dometic Freshwell 3000 Under Bench Air Conditioner features
Cooling capacity: 2500 watts
Heating capacity (heat pump + heating element): up to 3000 watts
Soft start
Suitable for vehicles up to 8m in length
Very quiet air circulation
Adjustable air distribution
Dimensions (W x H x D): 628 x 286 x 400 mm
Weight: 21 kg
Will work with Dometic DC-KIT-3
Suitable Ducting Diametre 60mm