Another Hi from FL

[8]

Well, I finally decided to join the crazies. I signed up, posted one picture, and here is my first post.

I have been lurking for months. I first noticed teardrops online when searching for a travel trailer a couple years ago. Last year, the bug started again when I went camping with my 1.5 year old and my pregnant wife. The AC I rigged for the tent worked well, but I wanted something off the ground. Camping in FL in June requires AC.

So, the goal is to have something to camp in that is comfortable, has AC, and is small enough to park in the garage. That last item is the biggest challenge. Currently, the garage will have trouble fitting the box the Harbor Freight trailer comes in.

The picture I posted is of my current best choice build. I've been scribbling out several ideas. I like the vertical space utilization of the Benroy but it's a little too boxy I guess you would call it. I liked the booth layout inside the Lil Diner. I like the way aluminum skin looks especially when it's polished to a mirror. I had my wife pick a trailer shape from the Hall of Fame and she picked Gage's Scotsman. That brought me to the Kenskill shape. It utilizes space pretty well but it still has curves. The design in my gallery is a diner inside a kenskill.

I would have to go with the 5' wide width. I would build wheel wells into the sides with maybe some low profile fenders. I sleep in a king size bed at home. The kids would have to go in a side tent.

I was home sick yesterday when I learned to use Dia, the CAD software, and drew the design. After I was done, I noticed someone had posted a teardrop for sale in the Orlando Craigslist. The price is right, but the design is not for me. (It is still there as I type this) It is the first used teardrop I have spotted locally on Craigslist.

I would have picked up a trailer last week, but I was too sick to make the drive. (damn lung infection) And my 20% off coupon expired the same day. The 1720# trailer is on sale until Monday for $349 without the coupon. Hopefully, I'll get email email with one from them this weekend. They send them to me a lot.

I thought another good use for the teardrop would be day trips to the beach. In Volusia County (Daytona, New Smyrna), you can drive on the beach and I checked and the vehicle restriction that could apply to teardrops is the overall length of the TV and TT. It cannot exceed 33 feet. That could restrict me to taking the car instead of the 19 foot truck depending on my final length. Grilling on the beach is allowed, however alcohol is not. There are some bars on the beach. The TD would give a place to cook and some shade when needed. I wouldn't get AC to work since they don't have outlets in the sand.

[8]

And one more comment. I grew up in NJ so I've seen my share of diners. When I think of what I diner looks like, I think of the metal on the outside.

[BillandMarijo]

8,
Welcome from Pa to the forum. Your plans look good. Hope you have lots of fun with the build. Theres a wealth of knowledge on this site. Its as addictive as the build will be for you.
Good Luck and Enjoy,
Bill and Marijo

[Roly Nelson]

Hello there, 8. That is quite a build project that you have drawn. Only a few teardrops are set up so you can seat 4 inside. I have an AC in my little 4x8 TD and it would probably freeze ice on the windows, if I went off and left it running at a campground. I feel that all of the ducting that you seem to have planned, may not be necessary, since the cool air distribution really isn't a problem in such a small space. After all, those window-mount AC units are designed to cool a whole bedroom in a house.

Be sure to ask questions as your build progresses, take pics and post em and do try to get to a gathering or at least check with some of the local Florida builders, to get some ideas. One look-see is worth a 1000 words.
Roly Oh, and yes, welcome to the forum, you'll love it.

[tinytrailer]

Welcome to the world of Teardrops. I lived in Jersey for 5 years and have seen many of the diners there. I understand they are getting rid of many of them. I now live here in FL. I just don't camp in in the summer, I can't take the heat.

[8]

NJ is the state of diners and malls. I score very high on the "how New Jersey are you" quiz. I spent the first seventeen years of my life there and the next eight years just over the border in PA.

Roly...The ducting at the galley end is just for a fan through the floor directly below. Probably just PVC pipe and some 12 volt muffin fans for when the AC won't work. The ducting in the front end is for the outside AC unit. I don't want to put holes in the skin especially in the front where leak would be tough to stop if towing in the rain. I want the AC outside to cut down a little on the sound of the unit. More importantly, I don't want to have to deal with the hot humid air and water coming out the back. If the AC needs a boost circulating the air, I would use a 110 volt fan. I used dryer hose with the windows shaker in my tent and it didn't need any extra fan boost. Skycraft has plenty of muffin and squirrel cage fans fairly cheap and they are local for me. Their website is http://www.skycraftsurplus.com. I picked up an old DoD surplus "Fallout Shelter" sign there last week for my garage wall.

Some people on the forum have discussed the problem of a 5000 btu window unit AC dropping the temp too fast and it does not remove enough humidity before it cycles off. One solution to that if that is a problem is to run a heater at the same time. The AC then has to work longer and has a chance to remove humidity. This method is used in some buildings such as warehouses and server rooms where humidity has to be controlled.

[Roly Nelson]

OK, just cautioned you to try to keep it simple, since all of that effort may not ever be needed. My AC unit is in the tongue box, cools the tear very nicely, never had a problem with dampness or noise. Follow your dream and build what you think will be best for you and you'll be happy.
Roly

[8]

Hey Roly

That's cool. (no pun intended) I want the feedback. I would not even have considered the lack of humidity removal from using an over sized AC unit if it were not for this forum. And living in FL I know humidity. I run the AC eleven months out of the year in my truck mostly for moisture removal. And in the Summer, both my wife and I have had cans of soda explode from being left on the car seat in the sunshine. (cola in the stereo and air vents isn't easy to clean up)

I like the Summer in FL better than the Summer in NJ and PA. I like my Summer hot and my Winter cold and snowy. I swear the sun is so intense here the bugs don't come out until evening. That's a plus until evening. In the Northeast, I remember as a kid getting gnats in my eyes and mosquito bites all Summer long.

One day I'll make it out to CA. I have only left the Eastern time zone four times in my life. And two of them were business trips.

Oh, and the only teardrops I have seen in person is a Little Guy dealer in Port Orange just south of Daytona Beach. I think he had one of each model LG offers.

[Woody]

I have no problem with a 5200 btu window shaker not dehumidifing my three teardops in South Florida summers. The real trick is to fool the A/C thermostat to think its cooling a larger volume of space. This could be done rather simply by introduction of alittle fresh outside air to the unit when it's running. It won't short cycle the unit so it will be cold but damp inside the teardrop. It will run longer with the introduction of outside air. I have runn these setups for about 6-7 years and have had no problems yet. I would recomend a digital thermostat A/C with remote control verses a mechanical (dial) style thermostat. The digital style will maintain the preset temp while outside ambiemt temps vary throughout the day or night. Mechanical thermostat styles require constant adjustment as outside ambient temps vary throughout the day. The other advantage is in case of a failure of the window unit styles while camping is that they are readily available just about anywhere so replacement camping can be done. You will have to install a condensate drain to compensate for the water in the pan however and drain it outside the trailer. All window shakers are designed to operate with water in there pans. However this is not a good thing for a inside the trailer mounted unit, You don't want it slinging water all around inside the housing creating a moisture probem