7x16 Conversion from Georgia

[flboy]

Hi Martin. Did you get your AC framing done? I hope it is coming along well.

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[m.colley]

Hi Martin. Did you get your AC framing done? I hope it is coming along well.

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Hey Don,
Not yet I haven't. I hope to have my AC this coming week, then I'll start on it. I wanted to have the AC on hand to measure before I started cutting holes. My plumbing is almost finished, I got started cutting the hole for my outside shower box that I'm hacking for my tankless water heater hookup and it started pouring rain. I'll have all the plumbing done before the weekend is over, then it on to the AC, then the bed. If I'm lucky I'll have it all done by first of September.


Martin

[lrrowe]

Hi Martin. Did you get your AC framing done? I hope it is coming along well.

Sent from my SM-N900P using Tapatalk

Hey Don,
Not yet I haven't. I hope to have my AC this coming week, then I'll start on it. I wanted to have the AC on hand to measure before I started cutting holes. My plumbing is almost finished, I got started cutting the hole for my outside shower box that I'm hacking for my tankless water heater hookup and it started pouring rain. I'll have all the plumbing done before the weekend is over, then it on to the AC, then the bed. If I'm lucky I'll have it all done by first of September.


Martin

Martin, that is an interesting comment about waiting for the actual AC unit and measuring it before you start the framing. When I recently moved my AC unit to a false wall and cut the hole, I wondered what kind of modifications will I have to make to it in the future when this unit dies and I have to get a new one. Will the new unit require a larger opening or will I have to fill it in (not likely). For builders like yourself, when if you build cabinet type framing, how are you allowing for this contingency?

[m.colley]

Hey Bob
What I've found out over the years is that most AC's follow a universal (or close to it) size guideline. For example most 5000 BTU AC follow a given size. In my research a 6000 and 8000 from the manufacturer I'm buying from are identical size. Worst case scenario is I'll have to do a picture frame type trim ring to hide gaps.


Martin

[lrrowe]

Thanks Martin, that is good to know.

[flboy]

Thanks Martin, that is good to know.

Bob, I have extra room on my shelf for a larger AC or smaller. The way mine is installed, I may have to cut a few new foam pieces to seal off the inputs and outputs. On the Front Panel (When I build it for this one), I am going to cut it for a close fit on this AC and a replacement is smaller for some reason, then I'll do what Martin is recommending. If it is larger, I will just modify the panel as needed. In all cases, it should be relatively easy.

I'd cut your panel tight for the first AC. You can always cut more off for a larger one... and add trim for a smaller

Martin, I hope you get that AC installed soon. It is a hot one this summer!! I have been firing mine up just to work inside the trailer. It is nice. :-) I wired up the Fridge this week. Now I have cold drinks in there too. Heck, by the end of the weekend, I'll be able to use the toilet...

[m.colley]

Thanks Martin, that is good to know.

Bob, I have extra room on my shelf for a larger AC or smaller. The way mine is installed, I may have to cut a few new foam pieces to seal off the inputs and outputs. On the Front Panel (When I build it for this one), I am going to cut it for a close fit on this AC and a replacement is smaller for some reason, then I'll do what Martin is recommending. If it is larger, I will just modify the panel as needed. In all cases, it should be relatively easy.

I'd cut your panel tight for the first AC. You can always cut more off for a larger one... and add trim for a smaller

Martin, I hope you get that AC installed soon. It is a hot one this summer!! I have been firing mine up just to work inside the trailer. It is nice. :-) I wired up the Fridge this week. Now I have cold drinks in there too. Heck, by the end of the weekend, I'll be able to use the toilet...

Thanks Don, same here. I've managed to be able to work using a squirrel cage fan I salvaged from a old indoor AC air handler and a redneck AC unit ( a cooler with air intake and frozen water bottles). If I could keep the ice frozen long enough I'd seriously think about forgoing the AC unit install for now. Your right about the heat, until this week, when the rain started moving up from down your way, we had 42 straight days of 92+ degree weather, and several 96-99 degree days. Right now we're in the middle of a cold spell. The past several days we're lucky if we hit the mid to high 80's


Martin

[m.colley]

The late afternoon rain storms finally let me get my plumbing and electrical done. The front end is done. I went back thru all my electrical and verified that everything works and that the PD4045 is working, charging batteries etc. Here's a pic or two of what the finished front/Vnose end looks like.





I do have a couple of USB receptacles on the way that will go just above the battery disconnect switch. I plan to use them to charge cell phones and a tablet. Now that the plumbing is done I hope to start the framing for the fold up bed frame and the metal frame work for the AC that I plan to bring home tomorrow.


Martin

[flboy]

Martin, that really looks nice! Great work!

[m.colley]

Here's a couple of pictures of my plumbing setup for my tank-less water heater hookup. I took a outside shower box and mounted it, gutting the shower setup. I installed a couple of faucets meant for hooking up a washing machine.



Inside my hook up looks something like this.


The gate valve will let me shut off the flow of cold water to the tank-less water heater in the event its not hooked up outside. That way I'll still have cold water to the sink faucet if needed. I plan to hang/install the tank-less just above the city/gravity water inlet.


Six foot long hoses will give me plenty of height above the inlet/outlet box. I'm waiting for the water heater before I decide what kind of mount to make for it. I know they advise it to have two inches of space between the backside of it and its mounting surface. I'm thinking I may use two thick pieces of unistrut channel spread across two wall studs to hang it from. We'll figure that out once it gets here.


Martin

[m.colley]

I opened up the ramp today to start my framing for the AC install. I removed the plywood from the inside, and removed the metal from the exterior, exposing the metal framing.

[flboy]

I opened up the ramp today to start my framing for the AC install. I removed the plywood from the inside, and removed the metal from the exterior, exposing the metal framing.

No turning back now... that looks like commitment! Best of luck with that. I look forward to seeing the finished product.

[m.colley]

Hey Don,
I actually got it framed in. I was in the middle of posting pictures and lost my internet connection , guess I'll finish it up now lol.


Martin

[m.colley]

I opened up the ramp today to start my framing for the AC install. I removed the plywood from the inside, and removed the metal from the exterior, exposing the metal framing.

I decided I wanted to do as little cutting as possible so I elected to cut the center 1x1 1/2 and frame in between the left and right metal stud.

I dropped down 5 inches from the bottom of the top framing member and then dropped down again to 21. Since I'm using 16 gauge 1x1 square tubing, that leaves me a 14 inch opening. My AC unit is 13 1/2 inches tall at its deepest point so I have a little wiggle room.
I marked the center point in the opening and cut my two side framing pieces, leaving myself a 19 1/4 inch opening, the AC unit is 18 1/2 inches wide.

I tacked everything in place and then started running beads on all my joints.

And then it was done.


Tomorrow I'll reinstall the metal and inner plywood and cut the opening through both pieces. I'll have to shim the inner plywood around the framing I installed since I was using 1x1 and the factory used 1x 1-1/2 but that's no big deal. Once that's done I'll start on my support rack. I hope to have it finished up by tomorrow evening. Stay tuned.

Martin

[m.colley]

The hole for the AC is done.

I reinstalled the plywood, insulated the insides, pre-drilled some holes for later use and reinstalled the siding.

I installed the 1-1/2x 1-1/2 perforated angle that will be used to support the tray/rack the AC will sit on using the holes I predrilled earlier.
And here it is, ready for me to build the rack and support.



Martin