How to air condition?

[KristyG5]

We're looking at purchasing this beauty...



...And are eager to be able to install some air conditioning. Call me a wimp, but I like my climate control, and looking at tiny trailers was all sparked by how stifling a summer night in our tent was :P

So, we've been looking at the Climate Right, and I believe we'd be able to fit it in that tongue storage box just fine for storage (there's a Coleman propane stove in there now and I believe the width/length are similar). But where to hook up the two hoses? Drilling through any wall is a bit terrifying. What about popping out one of the window panes and replacing it with a piece of wood or some such that has the intake/outtake installed? They're crank-out windows, I imagine getting one off the hinge wouldn't be impossible. And there are two doors too, so it wouldn't hinder getting in and out.

Any other thoughts on installing an air conditioning unit? I've searched the forum for ideas, but maybe I'm doing something wrong there as I'm coming up empty handed.

While we're at it, anyone in the Chicagoland/southern WI/northwestern IN area willing to install one so we don't have to figure this out? Tell me your price :)

Thanks!

[aggie79]

Kristy,

That is a beautiful teardrop! It looks like the builder did a wonderful job.

Regarding the Thermalright, I have the prior model called a Petcool. There have been plenty of discussions about it on this forum. Living in Texas, we don't camp too much in the summer because it is too hot for us. That said, we did camp a few weeks ago. The daytime temps reached mid- to upper-90s. Our Petcool handled the heat quite well.

I have our Petcool in a tongue box like your idea. In addition to the supply and return air ducts, you'll need to make an opening for the condensate drain (at the bottom of the unit) and two openings for the intake and exhaust air to cool the condensor.

Drilling through the walls is not that hard. Cutting the extra openings will take some work. For your situation, I'd be tempted to have an outside unit that you bring with you and hook up to the teardrop when needed. Shadowcatcher did an excellent example for his air conditioning.

If you're hesitant, perhaps the seller - if that is the person that built the teardrop - would be willing to do for you.

Take care,
Tom

[JJKC]

We just took a regular window air unit(long as you have access to power) screwed floor duct boot to the front where the air comes out and took a flexible duct from there to the roof vent.Works great as long as you have some place to store it while you travel. The unit sits outside the teardrop so noise isn't a factor.

JJKC

[KristyG5]

That's pretty much what I was thinking of doing now. A 5000 btu window unit on a sturdy little table, open the window on the side we won't use the door as often, and I can sew a vinyl/waterproof fabric tube with drawstring or elastic ends to fit around the window and around the "inside" part of the air conditioning unit. I could "insulate" the fabric tube too. Are there any obvious holes in this plan or did I solve my own problem? :)

[linuxmanxxx]

With 5k I don't think will be big enough to cool in extreme heat pushing the air that far through a hose. Plus your return air is always hot making that small a unit much less effective.

[bobhenry]

With 5k I don't think will be big enough to cool in extreme heat pushing the air that far through a hose. Plus your return air is always hot making that small a unit much less effective.

Au Contraire

My 5x10 barn has all but 250 cubic feet to cool and I only draw off of the cold air delivery side of my little 5000 btu frigidair AC unit. I do not return the cooled air to the unit I simply draw outside air in to eliminate the possibility of freeze up. We had our summer gathering this weekend and I turned it off Friday night because I was too cold.

[linuxmanxxx]

You have a hard duct config which wouldn't have the loss a cloth duct would have.

[KristyG5]

You have a hard duct config which wouldn't have the loss a cloth duct would have.

I'm envisioning a foot max of "cloth duct." My goal is to have the table bring the unit up to window height, and then only need to bridge the gap that the jalousie window panes create when cranked open. Still think there will be too much loss? What about a reflective outside and insulated inside?

[pmowers]

A 5K air conditioner is supposed to cool roughly 800-1200 cubic feet. I would think that a small teardrop would have a considerably smaller volume. In in the desert heat, we used to cool dark green 64x20 temper tents with cloth ducts running from the ac unit down the middle of the tent. Even allowing for surface area /volume and sun exposure warming your trailer, I would think that your idea for cloth tube to/through the window should work. A potential drawback that I could see is the fact that the airflow through the window would be directly onto you while into the trailer, it might get a little drafty. The cost for the sleeve/tube is minimal,(test with a pillowcase opened on both ends?) so you would not be out much to give it a try, versus the cost of the Climateright system and the attendant cutting, sawing and modifying of the trailer and tonguebox. If it works, you could make the duct out of a piece of Tyvek, it is tough, flexible, easy to sew and inexpensive. If it works, I would suggest something like what JJKC suggested. The advantage to such a system is that you would not have to put holes in that beautiful little tear and you can leave it home when you do not need it.

[KristyG5]

A potential drawback that I could see is the fact that the airflow through the window would be directly onto you while into the trailer, it might get a little drafty.

I was thinking I could fashion a little cardboard vent-deflector-type thingy for helping with that. And I'll sleep on the cold side. I love it cold when I sleep

[JJKC]

You can get 6" insulated round duct at a heating & cooling distributer. We just have a 5000 sitting outside with the duct stuck under the roof vent with a drop cloth over it to seal it up and works great.That way all doors are operate.Like sleeping in a refrigerator(great)

JJKC

[KristyG5]

You can get 6" insulated round duct at a heating & cooling distributer. We just have a 5000 sitting outside with the duct stuck under the roof vent with a drop cloth over it to seal it up and works great.That way all doors are operate.Like sleeping in a refrigerator(great)

JJKC

Have any pictures of this set up? I'm having a hard time picturing a 6" duct and a normal window unit meeting together.

[pmowers]

You could use attach one of these over cold air louvers on the front of the a/c unit to capture the cold air. Then flexible duct to to window or to the roof vent. If you set the a/c unit on the top of the tongue box when using it, the hose run would be fairly short to the roof vent and allow you to use the doors. The hose could go to a box which sat over the open vent. I probably would not worry about the return air and recycling. Here is a link to Shadow Catcher's system which is the inspiration for the one I'm building. http://www.tnttt.com/viewtopic.php?f=30&t=44561&hilit=Hacking+a

[bdosborn]

How about something like this, you wont have to cut any holes in that beautiful tear:



Removable window insert, the window slides into it to keep it in place.


Then do Shadowcatcher's AC mod. The hose and fittings are RV sewer hose, available at most RV stores.

Bruce

[JJKC]

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