What would you change? Custom options

[phoenixbound]

You all must have been reading my mind. I have seriously considered a portable (single hose) AC for my 6' x 12'. Any technical reason they wouldn't work? Experience is the best teacher and it sounds like we have several folks that have went this route and it didn't work. I guess simplicity of install attracted me. Just one hole for the hose instead of a much larger hole for a unit. Any other insights?

[CoventryKid]

Haven't had a problem with our portable a/c but then living on the "wet" coast of Canada, we don't have to use it that often. But it worked fine for us last year in the 100+ F heat in Boston and Washington, DC.

I like that portables plug into 15A circuit, and as you say, one 5" hole in the side of the trailer. One downside for a small CTC is where to store it.

Just our experience.

Hope thus helps.

[working on it]

...I didn't intend to turn this into yet another debate over Air Conditioners where we air our "feelings" and defend our decisions at all cost to include "I've heard"s and other Old Wives Tales about removing heat and not humidity...So, you can put that window shaker inside the cabin with you and tell yourself it is quieter than having all that machinery located outside, and that somehow 6000 or 8000 btu is equal to or greater than 13,500 btu, and that after you have done enough mods to deal with the drain water issues and using precious limited floor space, that it was all worth it, or you can do what the big boys do.... McDave

Au contraire, McDave, your statement above is the only contentious opinion in this thread; on my part, all my statements were from personal experience with the types of air conditioning equipment (and I have personal experience with "swamp coolers", as well), not "feelings", "I've heards", or "Old Wives Tales". I was there to witness my grandfather's repeated bad experiences with the portable units, even sleeping in a bedroom where one unit was operating, so that's not an "I've heard", either. And, perhaps I, and maybe flboy, both living in hotter and more humid climes may have more personal experience using A/C than some others, so there really can be no debate, just statements backed by experience. In addition, I have stated, in this thread and many others, that I really like the window units, and perhaps I am more accustomed to the background noise produced by them, and regard that noise as a soothing "white noise", that lulls me to sleep, as it did when I was a child. And now, having been preached to by a "big boy", I'll go back to sleep....

[phoenixbound]

Haven't had a problem with our portable a/c but then living on the "wet" coast of Canada, we don't have to use it that often. But it worked fine for us last year in the 100+ F heat in Boston and Washington, DC.

I like that portables plug into 15A circuit, and as you say, one 5" hole in the side of the trailer. One downside for a small CTC is where to store it.

Just our experience.

Hope thus helps.

Thanks. Good to hear it does work for some. I'm not doing water, bathroom, shower, etc. so I have some room to spare in the nose. Still a ways to go, but good to know for future reference.

[flboy]

@Phoenixbound, My one tube portable system did cool some, but the problem with it was the condensor cooling fan pulls air from the inside of the trailer along with the evaporator return air and creates a slight vacuum which in turn pulls in hot moist air from outside. It just could not keep up in the day and always felt damp much like when an oversized unit short cycles in Florida's hot steamy summers but just not as cool.

Note. In a cooler/dryer place it may have been perfectly acceptable. Theoretically, the two hose version should be much better since it pulls condensor air from outside (the second hose).

I converted the one hose system I had to a two hose system and it was better, but not by enough to satisfy my needs here. It could have been partially due to my mod and hose size, but in any case, I was done experimenting and went with the window unit in my first build and chocked it up to learning. I was lucky to sell it on Craigslist and recover most of what I spent. I got a great deal on it in the first place.

My intitial motivation for the portable was the ease of installing and I could just take it out when not needed. Like most folks I suppose.

I don't want to discourage you from trying it, especially if you already own it, but just keep an open mind it may not meet your needs. We all have different comfort zones, motivations, and preferences so you may think it is good enough. Coventrykid states his works fine for him and his needs and I am absolutely convinced it does for him. That is the real test for any consumer device at the end of the day I'd say.

Good luck.

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[PrecisionLook612]

I appreciate the responses and actually don't mind the a/c debate going on.

I live in AZ but don't plan to camp much where I need A/C. I prefer boondocking to get away from the noise of generators in campgrounds and I don't want to be ruining my own peace and quiet. On occasion though there might be a time we are taking a road trip and we need to camp a night in the heat where A/C is a necessity on the way to cooler temps or extending kayak season at a desert lake. For me picking which a/c isn't a matter of cost as I want to do it right the first time but a matter of convenience and keeping clean lines to the trailer. The rooftop is a no brainer as it works the best but the cons to me are the power requirements and the potential for short cycling. I really only want to have a 2000 watt honda for my generator. I also want to run a good powered fan but If I can get two holes in the roof that is no longer an issue. The window unit solves both those issues as it takes much less power to be running and will run longer to keep things dry but I don't want a window unit hanging out the side or off the front of the trailer. The portable is definitely a compromise but does keep the lines of the trailer clean and can be removed when not needed.

I think for now my best option is to go for two holes in the roof and cross the A/C bridge when I come to it. Worst case I end up with two fans on the roof!

[Iconfabul8]

You might check out Hader's method. It is pretty stealthy.
viewtopic.php?f=42&t=67319&start=105

[PrecisionLook612]

You might check our Hader's method. It is pretty stealthy.
viewtopic.php?f=42&t=67319&start=105

That's a pretty slick setup! I wonder what he did to protect the screens going down the road?

[PrecisionLook612]

Haven't had a problem with our portable a/c but then living on the "wet" coast of Canada, we don't have to use it that often. But it worked fine for us last year in the 100+ F heat in Boston and Washington, DC.

I like that portables plug into 15A circuit, and as you say, one 5" hole in the side of the trailer. One downside for a small CTC is where to store it.

Just our experience.

Hope thus helps.

Thank you. The 15 amp circuit is a huge plus. What portable unit are you running?

[flboy]

I appreciate the responses and actually don't mind the a/c debate going on.

I live in AZ but don't plan to camp much where I need A/C. I prefer boondocking to get away from the noise of generators in campgrounds and I don't want to be ruining my own peace and quiet. On occasion though there might be a time we are taking a road trip and we need to camp a night in the heat where A/C is a necessity on the way to cooler temps or extending kayak season at a desert lake. For me picking which a/c isn't a matter of cost as I want to do it right the first time but a matter of convenience and keeping clean lines to the trailer. The rooftop is a no brainer as it works the best but the cons to me are the power requirements and the potential for short cycling. I really only want to have a 2000 watt honda for my generator. I also want to run a good powered fan but If I can get two holes in the roof that is no longer an issue. The window unit solves both those issues as it takes much less power to be running and will run longer to keep things dry but I don't want a window unit hanging out the side or off the front of the trailer. The portable is definitely a compromise but does keep the lines of the trailer clean and can be removed when not needed.

I think for now my best option is to go for two holes in the roof and cross the A/C bridge when I come to it. Worst case I end up with two fans on the roof!

That sounds like a great plan! Leave your options open.

There is another option to consider in the "mini-split" and I have seen a way a guy stealth mounted one and it was absolutely awesome. He built it up inside the V-Nose (I will see if I can find a pic and post it). I really like the way my setup turned out and it works great, but If I had seen or thought of that idea before I designed mine, and if I could have made the floor plan I needed work, I would have done it. I can now envision the outside portion of the split hid under a front counter top. This guy was very creative. On the mini splits, I have not did the research to make sure it would work off a Honda 2000. I suspect it will if you can get a lower BTU model. They are typically a higher SEER rating than the window units, .. I know the 8,000 BTU window units will for sure. I can even run the window unit with my batteries for a few hours (longer in full sun and the 500W of panels) with my 1,500W Pure Sine Wave Inverter which also runs the fridge 24/7 when camping... . I have tried it and it works for sure. It is a good option for stopping to nap in a rest stop or have lunch inside the trailer. No need to fire up the gen and attract attention. Could also throw it on if you have a pet to stow while you go shopping or in a restaurant to eat. I plan on talking my GSD on the road with me next year so I expect to use that option a lot. I'll go find those pics and edit this with them.



Edit: I could not find good pics but the Minisplit install is in the first part of the footage. This is one of the best I have seen. Check out his water heater setup, plumbing and etc. in the nose in addition to the mini- split condenser. If I ever build again, I will start like this if I coukld figure out the Toy Hauler stuff in the rear to go along with it. He runs this all off solar as well.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ro4HYLXoWqM&t=616s

[CoventryKid]

Thank you. The 15 amp circuit is a huge plus. What portable unit are you running?

A/C was purchased from Walmart Canada in Quebec on our trip back east last year.

[McDave]

Here is an interesting conversation. TOWARDS BOTTOM OF PAGE. Runs off Honda 2000
http://www.irv2.com/forums/f54/looking- ... 27806.html
and the PDF.
https://www.airxcel.com/DesktopModules/ ... h_3_ps.pdf
and a tech sheet?
http://www.rvcomfort.com/rvp/pdf_docume ... _sheet.pdf

McDave

[Padilen]

I opened a can of worms! Sorry.
In my build the ad my issues with my portable are discussed.
But quickly.
8000 btu single hose. Short cycles, when it's able to "keep up" with a fan "returning air" it's only around 10° cooler. The AC brown out made it so my 2000 watt gen would not start compressor. It's a nice remote controlled fan

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[flboy]

There you go again Padilen. :-)

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[featherliteCT1]

My understanding is that the Coleman Mach 8 Cub (9,200 BTU) is the smallest rooftop air conditioner available. However, I do not think it can be started by a 2,000 watt generator. Supposedly, the unit draws 11.7 amps (1400 watts) while the compressor is running which means, I suspect, that it pulls at least 2.5 times the amps at startup. Even with shore power, in my opinion, these units are quite noisy. There is a hush kit that can be purchased to reduce the sound. However, the sound is still too high for my preference.

Below is a link to a YouTube where a guy tested this unit for sound before and after installation of the hush kit. The before and after sound testing starts around the four minute mark.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5VqoYCK7HtE

Next below is a link to the Coleman specs.

https://www.airxcel.com/coleman-mach/pr ... ile/mach-8

As for portable units, I experimented with both a single hose and a dual hose model ... not for me... for all the reasons flboy said.

Hope Iam not beating a dead horse here.