Don & Christi's 6 x 10 Cargo Conversion

[notoriouskelly]

Sorry about the delay, Don.

My trailer is on hold til I get it by welder Monday.

Thanks for the cooler tips- mine is identical and I see how the air goes in the front.
I may do something similar.

[pmowers]

Don,
If you are still looking for a cover for the floor exhaust, I came across this this morning, and thought that it might just fit the bill. I think that I have seen it listed locally as well. It would normally be closed when the a/c is off, then the flap opens when the exhaust starts up.

http://www.amazon.com/Lambro-143W-Under-Eave-Vent/dp/B000H5PTSG/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1342196632&sr=8-2&keywords=soffit+vent

Sorry to hear about your tin.I ordered some e-track rings with free shipping from OR, and deckplate covers from FL with shipping charges at the same time. The rings were here in 3 days, the plates took 8, although the supplier was 2000 miles closer. It doesn't sound right that FedEx hasn't updated the tracking for over a week, unless it is one of those FedEx to US Snail deals, then I am not surprised. Have you had the BORG (big orange retail giant) put a trace on the package?

[d30gaijin]

Below are pics of the modifications made to the portable a/c unit we bought for our CT, all plumbed up and operating. The weather didn't really cooperate today. I wanted to test out the mods in 100 degree weather like we have been having the last few days, but I at least have a valid comparison of the improvements the modifications made more comparable to the first time I tried the a/c unit as a single hose unit. That first time I tried the portable unit in the CT as it was bought, a single hose a/c unit, it was an 89 degree day in Boise and the a/c cooled the CT to 79 degrees running on high fan speed, less so at lower fan speeds (the unit has a three speed fan). Today it only topped out at 91 degrees. Still, the "Big Daddio's" cake pan and standard 4" dryer vent parts for an intake hose modification works. The portable a/c unit with mods had no trouble keeping the inside of the CT between 74 and 75 degrees (depending upon how often I was in and out of the CT checking temp . I only ran it today on the middle fan speed setting. I didn't try it on the high speed setting, figured I would save that for a 100 degree day. The nice thing about the way it is set up with the dual hoses is that both are quick-disconnect, which will make it very simple to disconnect both hoses, stow them away, and strap the portable a/c unit to the wall for travel. Same with setting it up for use; unstrap it from the CT wall, roll it into position, connect the inlet & exhaust hoses, plug the electric in and we have a/c. I realize that a window type a/c unit would have cost less and probably performed better but it goes against what we want, that being stealth. So far, we have very few side wall penetrations, none I feel are major to attract unwanted attention to our CT. Major penetrations are either through the roof (roof vent) or through the floor (a/c). I know others feel differently, and I applaud them, but some of the places we go we feel stealth is very important... like stopping and spending the night at Wal-Mart or at a roadside rest stop. We'd prefer that other folks think it is just some people maybe moving stuff using a CT.

I went underneath the CT to measure how much separation I could get between the exhaust duct I had previously installed and where the 4" intake location could/should be. I came up with 18" separation to avoid a frame rail but also not put the inlet over the CT axle, which might cause problems fabricating a cap or door to cover the inlet. I was a little worried about the separation distance because I didn't want the inlet to be sucking in hot exhaust air. That doesn't appear to be a problem.

As a side note, I don't know what the 3/4" plywood that makes up our CT floor is but it is some very tough stuff. When I was cutting the square hole for the exhaust I first drilled all four corners with a 1/2" drill then used a Ryobi jig saw with laser guide and a brand new blade to cut through the floor from corner hole to corner hole. There were spots along the cuts where I though I had ran into a nail or something imbedded in the wood. It happened several times on the cuts and I had to wait and wait for the saw to finally cut through whatever it was. When I finally finished the cut I could see nothing that appeared to be imbedded and thought, 'What the heck?" Today while making the 4" cut in the floor for the inlet using a new Milwaukee 4" hole saw I thought the drill was going to break my arm or wrist. It kept grabbing and stopping. I'd have to back off, change the angle slightly and try the cut again, it would go for a bit then grab again, completely stopping a very heavy duty 18v Bosch 1/2" chuck "Brute Tough" cordless drill motor. While cutting, as the 4" hole saw blade heated, I could distinctly smell an ABS plastic or fiberglass smell. Like I said, the 4" hole saw blade is new. I made one cut previously and that was through the thin aluminum of the "Big Daddio's" cake pan. Whatever that floor wood is it is tough stuff and I am glad.

Don

[d30gaijin]

Don,
If you are still looking for a cover for the floor exhaust, I came across this this morning, and thought that it might just fit the bill. I think that I have seen it listed locally as well. It would normally be closed when the a/c is off, then the flap opens when the exhaust starts up.

http://www.amazon.com/Lambro-143W-Under-Eave-Vent/dp/B000H5PTSG/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1342196632&sr=8-2&keywords=soffit+vent

Sorry to hear about your tin.I ordered some e-track rings with free shipping from OR, and deckplate covers from FL with shipping charges at the same time. The rings were here in 3 days, the plates took 8, although the supplier was 2000 miles closer. It doesn't sound right that FedEx hasn't updated the tracking for over a week, unless it is one of those FedEx to US Snail deals, then I am not surprised. Have you had the BORG (big orange retail giant) put a trace on the package?

Pat,

Thanks for the link but I have a cover for the exhaust, sort of, but it isn't water tight. Be that as it may, the exhaust outlet the a/c unit came with is an oblong shape and won't accept a standard dryer or eave vent. I will need to make something to fit the shape, a water tight door of sorts. The air inlet penetration though the floor is standard 4" dryer but it is the reverse flow of most dryers so I cannot use such a flap setup because the flow is in the wrong direction of a standard dyer i.e., they blow air out and I am pulling air in.

Good news!!! The tin for the galley back splash area finally arrived today, in good shape. I hope to install it over this weekend. Will post pics once it is done.

Don

[d30gaijin]

Sorry about the delay, Don.

My trailer is on hold til I get it by welder Monday.

Thanks for the cooler tips- mine is identical and I see how the air goes in the front.
I may do something similar.

Notorious,

Bummer about your CT being on hold but will hope the welder does you right.

On the a/c unit, actually the major air goes in and comes out the back side. The front side takes in only a limited amount of air to filter and is of little consequence, not something to worry about. It is the back side you'll need to deal with, unless your a/c unit is different from mine in that respect.

Don

[notoriouskelly]

Thanks for flagging that, Don.

The front will hold a paper towel but the rear seems to have stronger draw, so now I know where to concentrate.

[d30gaijin]

Thanks for flagging that, Don.

The front will hold a paper towel but the rear seems to have stronger draw, so now I know where to concentrate.

Kelly,

An update on the portable a/c unit mods: As I write this it is 98 degrees at my house. The CT is sitting in my driveway in full sun. I turned the modified a/c unit on about three hours ago and it is maintaining an internal CT temp of 76 degrees on the highest fan speed setting, very comfortable inside. I think I can say that the few bucks I spent on the mods to the portable a/c unit are paying off. Based on my first test of the portable a/c as a single hose unit it was only able to drop the internal temp of the CT 10 degrees from 89 outside to 79 inside, not good enough. Projected out that would likely be a drop of only 10 degrees i.e., in 99 degree outside temps I could only expect 89 inside the CT? Not acceptable.

Last year we bought a used roof top RV 13.5K BTU a/c unit but when we got it home it seemed so huge to go atop our 6x10 CT. We sold it yesterday morning for what we paid for it via a local Craigslist ad. I was sweating bullets because I had not yet hooked up and tried out the modified portable a/c unit yet to see how it might perform. I took a big chance on that sale if the modified portable didn't do the job, but then again, regardless how the portable performed at least I can run it off our Honda EU2000i generator and get some cooling anywhere we camp, not so for the RV roof top a/c unit, which requires a much bigger generator, or a pair of Honda EU2000i generators interconnected. Thankfully the modified portable a/c unit does perform.

Don

[d30gaijin]

Deleted, it was a double post. Weird in that I don't know how I did that.

[bigbendhiker]

Don,

Congratulations on "engineering" your A/C to get your trailer down to comfortable temperatures. Very creative work.

Looking forward to seeing pictures of your tin back splash installation.

Enjoying your build - thanks for sharing.

[flboy]

Nice work Don... I was thinking about doing the same thing but was not sure how I would isolate the intake to a hose.. and your cake pan Idea is absolutely great!! I am going to do the same modification. Thanks for the idea.

[notoriouskelly]

I drained my A/C unit this morning; the past two days have been the most humid I've seen in Montana.
This morning 98% humidity on my weather station with no rain, so I've been keeping unit on.

I can see I'll install a drain tube to use in trailer so I don't have to manually empty the water.

re: generator- yes, a key factor in choosing which A/C to use was one that would run on my generator.

Good job on ditchin the rooftop at cost!

[flboy]

I drained my A/C unit this morning; the past two days have been the most humid I've seen in Montana.
This morning 98% humidity on my weather station with no rain, so I've been keeping unit on.

I can see I'll install a drain tube to use in trailer so I don't have to manually empty the water.

re: generator- yes, a key factor in choosing which A/C to use was one that would run on my generator.

Good job on ditchin the rooftop at cost!

Living in Florida, my AC would shut off almost every hour to two hours due to the humidity. I had to install a drain (drilled hole in floor to put drip hose through) to make it practical..

[d30gaijin]

I drained my A/C unit this morning; the past two days have been the most humid I've seen in Montana.
This morning 98% humidity on my weather station with no rain, so I've been keeping unit on.

I can see I'll install a drain tube to use in trailer so I don't have to manually empty the water.

re: generator- yes, a key factor in choosing which A/C to use was one that would run on my generator.

Good job on ditchin the rooftop at cost!

Living in Florida, my AC would shut off almost every hour to two hours due to the humidity. I had to install a drain (drilled hole in floor to put drip hose through) to make it practical..

flboy,

I m glad you brought that up, draining the condensate. I was wondering about that because I found out the hard way what the valve on the lower back of the a/c unit is for. After running the a/c the first time around I unscrewed the cap and water ran allover the CT floor. That's when I figured out what the drain was for (it was poorly described in the instruction manual as to what to do with regards to it). I too think a drain hose permanently attached and a hole for same drilled through the CT floor is the way to go. I really don't want to deal with trying to drain water on a daily, or more often, basis.

Thank you for the tip.

Don

[pmowers]

Glad to hear that the ac is working great. The temperatures all over have been really bad for working in metal boxes. I bet it will be a lot more comfortable putting in the backsplash now.The cake pan idea is really smart thinking, and has got me thinking about the size of the my window shaker.

Reading over the manuals for my Delonghi 1 hose system, it appears that the condensation is evaporated and blown out with the hot exhaust air. The drain is not normally needed. If that's the case, it sounds like a lot of hot moist air is going to be discharged under the trailer floor, possibly causing problems with the plywood, or rusting the frame. Not sure if that is the same on your system, or what it means in practical terms, but thought that I would mention it.

[d30gaijin]

Today I tackled installing the galley backsplash lacquered hammered finish tin. It went easier than I expected but then, as I have said, I tend to be a bit better working with metal than wood. On the right side in the pics below I need to do a bit more fitting work to get the crease/bend straighter but thats just a bit if wood block and mallet work to sharpen the bend to match the sharpness of the far left bend. Like most things with our build, it ain't perfect but it looks good from a distance... and since most of you are seeing it from hundreds, if not thousands, of miles away... well I reckon that's a suitable distance . Once installed I am not 100% certain I like the look but hey, it's installed, it's in there, it's functional, and it ain't coming out.

Now I need to do something about the underside of the overhead galley cabinet i.e., above the galley stove as a fire prevention measure. As it is now, the underside of the overhead galley cabinet is bare plywood. It's not visible unless you duck your head and look under the upper cabinet but it would be nice to have a fire resistant reflective metal up there. I'm thinking I can look for a flat scrap of galvinized tin or some sheet aluminum and cut it to fit, after I make a pattern. It doesn't have to match anything since it is not normally seen, it just has to act as a barrier to flame contact with the upper cabinet plywood.

I dumped the white plastic electrical outlet covers in favor of some nice pewter finished metal covers from Home Depot. $3 each. They, in our opinion, look much better against the tin than the glaring white covers. Eventually I will replace the white 120v ac electrical receptacles with gray receptacles.

I need some sort of flexible moulding to go around where the tin meets the formica counter top to finish it off. I know I have seen some sort of flexible moulding in trailers, moulding that appears to be a form of rubber, plastic, or such, with an adhesive backing that sticks it into place but couldn't find any at Home Depot. Will do some on-line searching but if anyone knows of a source they'd like to pass on it would be greatly appreciated.

Don