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Post by danrhodes on Jul 28, 2020 6:34:34 GMT -8
I kind of wonder if many of the problems here would have been solved by mounting in the top of the closet. Shorter run to the outside for warm air and you wouldn't need a fan as the cold should circulate as it falls. I agree with Rod though... Fun to watch you work it out and I'm taking notes for my next camper.
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shastatom
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Post by shastatom on Jul 28, 2020 9:59:39 GMT -8
I kind of wonder if many of the problems here would have been solved by mounting in the top of the closet. Shorter run to the outside for warm air and you wouldn't need a fan as the cold should circulate as it falls. I agree with Rod though... Fun to watch you work it out and I'm taking notes for my next camper. I would have liked to mount it high but I don't want the exhaust going into the curbside of the camper. We spend a lot of time out there and why do I want to pump hot air out there. I just didn't see a good way to mount it high on the street side unless I took out some of the cabinet space. I also didn't want that much weight up high in the camper. I like to keep heavy stuff as close to the floor as I can. I guess I have some other ideas for next time. But I still have some more ideas on how to make this one better. Thanks for the comments and I will keep plugging away.
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oakback
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Post by oakback on Aug 4, 2020 4:18:05 GMT -8
Very nice! Some observations from using our window unit ac slideout, which may or may not be helpful:
We just spent a week in the Florida Keys, and have camped in hot weather in Florida many times. We always run our Maxx fan with the lid shut, to help circulate air. We also sometimes use a small tabletop fan (closest to the hottest sleeper).
Modern window units intentionally collect condensation, and the fan dips into it and flings it onto the hot coils to improve cooling efficiency. There is likely a drain plug for this condensation on your unit (ours has one held in place with 2 screws). I've tried using ours with the drain open, and noticed it not cooling as well. But I don't like driving away with water sloshing around in there. So before departure I unscrew the drain cover and let it drain, and crank the tongue jack up to get more out (the drain on ours faces the rear).
When it's very humid, the entire a/c unit can start getting condensation on it, as the metal housing cools down entirely. It was a good idea to waterproof the tray. I towel off our unit before stowing, if I see condensation on it.
The temperature difference across this tiny camper can be surprisingly high. I've noticed that the our windows are the biggest source of heat intrusion (not including an open door). I can feel the heat from windows as I move closer to them. When it's very hot, we never remove our curtains. They're double layered outdoor fabric, and do pretty well at blocking some heat. I've thought about cutting Reflectix window inserts to place in the windows to block more heat (common in modern camper vans).
And as for the main door, if it's open for longer than 2 seconds, it takes so much longer for the camper to cool back down, all the cool air dumps right out. We were camping with our kids, and others' kids all week, and our poor ac was running constantly during the day. Each child was told "close the door!!!" at least a dozen times. Some adults, too.
Two of our friends' campers had their ac freeze up, but ours ran fine all week. And while they had to make a repair appointment and likely pay $1k, if ours failed we could have driven to the closest Walmart or Home Depot and picked up a new one for under $200.
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shastatom
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Post by shastatom on Aug 4, 2020 17:43:39 GMT -8
Those are helpful ideas and I will try some of these ideas as well.
I did make a vent tube out of vinyl so the cold air can be moved out from under the cabinet.
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sawset
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Post by sawset on Aug 5, 2020 5:35:04 GMT -8
I almost forgot, then you put a couple of 98 degree bodies in a 12x6 foot space and they produce heat as well. There's almost 1000BTU right there.
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shastatom
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Post by shastatom on Aug 5, 2020 18:22:22 GMT -8
I almost forgot, then you put a couple of 98 degree bodies in a 12x6 foot space and they produce heat as well. There's almost 1000BTU right there. After I read this more I laugh because this could be taken the wrong way by some people.
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taz
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Post by taz on Mar 30, 2021 14:47:06 GMT -8
I am a fairly new member but from what I see is air circulation. When you have it in a cubby like you do the cold air comes out the top of the window unit and the air from the room is sucked back in in the bottom of the unit.I did the same thing in my camper and had a problem getting it to cool properly. So I sat back and thought about it. Then I put a insulated shelf to separate the top vent and bottom intake and bingo that did the trick. It work well from that point on.
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taz
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Post by taz on Mar 30, 2021 14:53:06 GMT -8
I forgot to say the shelf is removable. It has velcro holding it in place. I attached 2 side rails for the shelf to sit on and add velcro to the top of the rail and to the bottom of the shelf.
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paxtonshasta
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Post by paxtonshasta on Apr 4, 2021 10:22:11 GMT -8
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aslmx
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Post by aslmx on Apr 12, 2021 15:14:44 GMT -8
I went with this way of doing it. We set a small fan in front of the ac and point it straight up. Works like a charm. youtu.be/_ZtcC25WJzo
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