New 7'x12' conversion

[jwhite]

I haven't been on here in a while and will update my profile soon but, after using my trailer for 5 years I could not imagine not having the toilet and shower in the trailer mostly because I use it in warmer months and a shower at night feels great and being able to use the toilet at any time.
I shoot it sporting clays shoots and if I am done early I will load up and then take a shower so my drive home is comfortable not hot and sweaty. and it I need to use the restroom I have my own.
I use the portable toilet that is permanent but I put in a pvc drain so I just flush it out with a water hose. my grey water just runs on the ground because I boondock almost every time. if I am parked in public on pavement I use the oil catch pans you buy at walmart they work great and hold 5 gallons.
My experience is to have the generator as far away from the trailer as you can get because of fumes and sound, I have a honda 2000 with a extended run tank.
I haul a golf cart so I leave them on the cart so I just drive it around to the front of the truck and unload it and reload it the same way, recently I have been thinking about buying a larger champion generator that has a wireless remote start so I can start and shut it off without having to go outside. I just need to think about a way to secure in in the back of my truck bed , but you would still need to un hook the trailer and pull the truck as far away from the trailer as you have cord.
and no question the window AC is a must, I started with the portable and went to a 8000btu and I am sure you can get by with less but I love cold AC and it gets cold in no time even in the summer in GA and FL.

[r0ss]

As I said above, we drove down and picked up the trailer last weekend. After, a crazy week we finally got started working on it today.

I pulled down all of the plywood and sealed the seams from the inside with silicone caulking and then covered it with metallic duct tape. Then cut 3/4" foam panel insulation to fit. It would have been nice if the studs had been at least close to regularly spaced, but as they were not I had to measure and cut them all individually. After being in it all day, we decided one window was not going to be enough, so we ordered two more on amazon. One will go in the toilet/shower room and one will go on the drivers side wall, across from the entry door. I Also ordered a Fantastic-vent, Maxx cover and some 12volt led lights and cable. I got about half of the insulation done this afternoon, and I hope to get it finished this week after work. My windows should be here by next weekend.

Here are some pictures. Nothing special. Will post more as I go. http://imgur.com/a/pMkvc

[lrrowe]

Good start. Another consideration is to use some sort of non-metallic tape over the uprights to maybe just a little benefit for reducing the cold or hot temperature being passed on through the metal studs. (Thermal bridging). I know it will not do too much, but every little bit does help.

[r0ss]

Good start. Another consideration is to use some sort of non-metallic tape over the uprights to maybe just a little benefit for reducing the cold or hot temperature being passed on through the metal studs. (Thermal bridging). I know it will not do too much, but every little bit does help.

Thanks Bob, That is a good idea. I was thinking about putting a layer or two of 20mil pvc pipe wrap tape on the uprights/studs before putting the plywood back on on, and then maybe wrapping the roof joists top, and bottom with it. I need to get some window and door expanding foam to fill in some weird voids. I also need to research insulating the door. It has a FRP skin on the inside, so I'm not sure if I want to take it apart.

The factory did a lousy job with fitting the plywood. There were huge gaps and the top, bottom and in between each sheet and to add insult, there was a 1/4 inch+ gap between the edge of the floor and the frame. I don't really want to buy new plywood for the whole thing, so I am probably going to reinstall it, and then skin the wall with the same luan paneling I was planning to use on the ceiling. As for the the gap around the flood, I think I am going to temporarily(or not) cover them with duct tape from the underside and then fill the gaps with some sika-flex caulking.

[lrrowe]

Doesn't that just get to you?
I think I had vg workmanship on mine, but then all the wiring was done with those cheap blue snap on wire connectors.
I should have replaced them.

[r0ss]

I haven't been on here in a while and will update my profile soon but, after using my trailer for 5 years I could not imagine not having the toilet and shower in the trailer mostly because I use it in warmer months and a shower at night feels great and being able to use the toilet at any time.
I shoot it sporting clays shoots and if I am done early I will load up and then take a shower so my drive home is comfortable not hot and sweaty. and it I need to use the restroom I have my own.
I use the portable toilet that is permanent but I put in a pvc drain so I just flush it out with a water hose. my grey water just runs on the ground because I boondock almost every time. if I am parked in public on pavement I use the oil catch pans you buy at walmart they work great and hold 5 gallons.
My experience is to have the generator as far away from the trailer as you can get because of fumes and sound, I have a honda 2000 with a extended run tank.
I haul a golf cart so I leave them on the cart so I just drive it around to the front of the truck and unload it and reload it the same way, recently I have been thinking about buying a larger champion generator that has a wireless remote start so I can start and shut it off without having to go outside. I just need to think about a way to secure in in the back of my truck bed , but you would still need to un hook the trailer and pull the truck as far away from the trailer as you have cord.
and no question the window AC is a must, I started with the portable and went to a 8000btu and I am sure you can get by with less but I love cold AC and it gets cold in no time even in the summer in GA and FL.

does you Honda generator run the 8000btu AC pretty well? I have a 2000watt Yamaha (basically the same thing as you have) that I am planning to use with the trailer. I have been learning towards a 5000btu AC, to save weight and use less power fuel/power, but I don't want to be under powered come August/September. my trailer will be about 100sqft when all is said and done. the 5000btu claims to be able to cool up to 150sqft. I'm thinking with the low insulation values, it might be about maxed out, when parking in the sun in the middle of the day, but should be okay at the rest of the day.

[jwhite]

The generator will run the AC and my golf cart charger at the same time but it's at the limit, I normally run the AC for about a hour before I plug in the golf cart, but if I need to take a shower or run the microwave I have to turn one off.
as for the 5000 AC I went to walmart and bought it then I went to lowes and found the 8000 on sale for not that much more so I kept them both I put in the 8000 and that was perfect cools fast has many setting to choose from and gets really cold, it just so happened that it quit working and I was going camping so I took it out and put in the smaller one in and it was very disappointing compared to the 8000 it worked but not nearly as well.
after I got home I was going to replace it with another 8000, the plug had a rest button and it would keep tripping off, soI decided to replace the plug and that fixed the problem
I would rather have overkill with the AC than not enough. I run it wide open during the day then turn it down to a eco sleep setting at night.

[d_odom]

How did you mount your a/c? I was looking at a small 5000 that would fit between the wall beams. Pictures would be great if available, I was just scared to cut into the beams, thanks for the help

[r0ss]

The generator will run the AC and my golf cart charger at the same time but it's at the limit, I normally run the AC for about a hour before I plug in the golf cart, but if I need to take a shower or run the microwave I have to turn one off.
as for the 5000 AC I went to walmart and bought it then I went to lowes and found the 8000 on sale for not that much more so I kept them both I put in the 8000 and that was perfect cools fast has many setting to choose from and gets really cold, it just so happened that it quit working and I was going camping so I took it out and put in the smaller one in and it was very disappointing compared to the 8000 it worked but not nearly as well.
after I got home I was going to replace it with another 8000, the plug had a rest button and it would keep tripping off, soI decided to replace the plug and that fixed the problem
I would rather have overkill with the AC than not enough. I run it wide open during the day then turn it down to a eco sleep setting at night.

Gotcha, thanks. I rushed ordered a 6000 on amazon yesterday, which claims to cool a room ore then double the size of my trailer. I hope I didn't make a horrible mistake. Fortunately for me, I don't like my house or car too cold. I usually keep the house around 76º in the summer, and I will mostly be using it at night to sleep, so hopefully it will do the trick.

After removing the plywood on the inside, and seeing the way my trailer was framed, I am going to put the ac on the back wall. With the header they installed to support a back door, I have no fears about cutting a upright back there. I am going to cut some pieces of wood to act as a sill and to keep things from shacking around too much when I am cutting things. I will probably just rip a 2z4 down to 7/8" and use some 90º brackets to screw it all together.

[r0ss]

How did you mount your a/c? I was looking at a small 5000 that would fit between the wall beams. Pictures would be great if available, I was just scared to cut into the beams, thanks for the help

I'm looking for a hatch cover for my AC. did you find one? Everything I have seen has been in the 175-200 range. That is a bit hard to bite off...

[d_odom]

I'm not doing a hatch I'm making it more permanent. Will cover it when traveling. I'm putting it in the front left v. I wired mine yesterday will be doing the roof insulation with wood then cool sealing the roof then a/c install. Can camp after that and just do more as I go.

[Augie Dog]

Hey fellas,I have been following your build because I am going to do the same thing y'all are doing. My goal is to essentially "tent camp" only the trailer will act as the tent (no set up). Eliminating rear door, v-nose and having an RV style entrance door installed. I am looking at an 8.5' wide x 18 ' long tandem axle trailer. I will add a toilet, stove, sink, propane quick connect, dining table and bed will be across the rear of trailer. Looking to use all LED lighting with 12 volt solar system but hard wiring an electric box to use at campground in case it's needed. I will install toilet same as a travel trailer but will use an external 30 gal. portable RV waste tank with wheels used for dry camping. Y'all might want to check into a portable A/C standing unit I have seen at Costco and I think Lowes. You would cut a hole in a wall and use a hose from A/C unit hooks up to that for your intake air. I think these are 13.5 BTU units. I have to do some more research on them but just wanted to mention the A/C. I will also add an awning and do most of my cooking outside. Trailer is mainly for sleeping. Good luck with your build!

[m.colley]

How did you mount your a/c? I was looking at a small 5000 that would fit between the wall beams. Pictures would be great if available, I was just scared to cut into the beams, thanks for the help

I'm looking for a hatch cover for my AC. did you find one? Everything I have seen has been in the 175-200 range. That is a bit hard to bite off...

This one might work if sized appropriately, and price is real reasonable. Its actually used to vent a RV fridge. https://www.etrailer.com/Enclosed-Trail ... 4-3PW.html


Martin

[Rocky5000100]

I did the 5000 btu AC unit, out of a small hatch I bought on ebay for $30. It worked great all summer. You can see how I mounted it on page 7/8 of my build:
viewtopic.php?f=42&t=62576&start=90

[Jrst67]

Hi all, im planning the same build. I saw an ac install in a teardrop trailer where a sheet metal diverter was built around the condenser and the air was redirected out the bottom of the trailer. Not optimal but a dryer vent type hose connected to a small wall vent or out the celing vent may be doable.