air conditioning????

[rpc101]

Hey everyone, just wanted to ask if anyone has an AC unit in their boler and if so how/what did you put in. I don't really want to lose a precious window for a window unit. Would like to not cut or drill through the shell either. Have heard about portable AC units that vent out with a hose similar to a dryer. Air conditioning is a must since I live in south central kansas and our summers are extremely hot and humid!! Any help would be appreciated.

[Donna D.]

Ryan, there are many different ways to accomplish the same thing. The only thing I can tell you is if the roof wasn't built to hold the weight, don't put a roof A/C up.. or you're liable to end up with a big skylight when the A/C hits the floor.

Losing a window is a concern. But, remember... you only need to have a window A/C when needed and they're cheap to replace (in the grand scheme of things). The other times you can leave it at home. Which is a plus. You can put it in the bottom of a closet, cut a hole through the hull in the front or rear... if that's your need. It's more about what you want to do. Stand alone portable A/Cs don't really work.... if that's what you're asking.

[jkmboler]

Try this: http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f...den-55026.html

Not my idea, but looks like a good one!

[PaulOWindsor]

http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f...ing-53049.html

[Daniel A.]

All I can say is if I were in your temps with the humidity I'd want something.

My Bigfoot 17 has a 9200 btu and lives in temps mid 80s to low 90s no humidity desert climate.
I would think that you could get away with a 5000 BTU unit to take the edge off.

[Carol H]

Originally Posted by Donna D.

The only thing I can tell you is if the roof wasn't built to hold the weight, don't put a roof A/C up.. or you're liable to end up with a big skylight when the A/C hits the floor.

Donna's advise as always is good! If your Boler didnt come with a roof ac and most 13' didn't, then you should assume that it can not take the weight of a roof A/C without a fair bit of work on your part to straighten the roof structure.

[ShawnKK]

I can tell yo what I am going to do. I am installing a mini split system like they do in stick homes. I ordered it today so I haven't installed it yet. I am going to put the outside unit on the tongue cut a 3 inch slot in the FG either in front or under the bottom and run it up the inside wall behind the cabinets. It is a 9000 btu system. I ordered a off brand because no one has done it before so I don't want to spend big bucks just to have it fail. But I don't see it failing. If I just brace the front I shouldn't have a problem. If you can picture it in your head you can see where I am coming from. I mean for 460 bucks shipped to my front door and it don't work I can always use it in the house or garage. But why wouldn't it work? And it wont be loud as window units or roof units and take less energy. I wanted the dc inverter ones but it wasn't worth the extra money for me as of now. But if you want to run one off a small generator you should look into it.

[Grant J.]

I have a 1979 17ft boler and it is getting a dometic low profile 1100 on the roof where the back vent is (or was) had to have extra bracing put in place.Also have a fantastic fan in the front vent.This project took several years to get off the ground and by having some very good RV repair guys who were willing to take this on.I am not that Handy at this sort of work so I was willing to pay someone to do it.

[ericw]

I had similar concerns to yours. I have a scamp that was not rated to have it on the roof. I had heard enough to know that putting it on the roof was a bad idea if it wasn't made to take the weight. I also did not want to cut into the outside fiberglass. I also did not want to take it into and out of the window since I have some back issues and don't want to make it any worse. Therefore I did the hidden AC installation referred to above. It probably is not for everyone, but it works well for me. Closet installations have also been done several times as well.

Good luck and let me know if you have questions.

[RogerDat]

At one point someone posted pictures that showed an extra "ridge" built into the roof to support the AC. It would take something like a FG rib to handle the extra weight.

The folks who put AC unit in through the back, under the dinette or in through the front had the rear bumper or tungue to support it. Nice touch was getting unit with a remote so you don't have to climb under or over the dinette/bed to adjust the AC.

Closet installs can be very stock looking but do require some thought to getting proper air flow for the cooling (condenser) side of the AC unit, and providing a drain for the water that condenses on the cold (evaporator) side and needs a place to drip out. That well done closet install that looks and works like factory takes some effort and thought. My hats off to those that have done it.

[Grant J.]

Just got back from a 3 week road trip and loved the air that was installed in the boler, the best part was being able to block out the noise of other campers and to get relief from the humidity.The guys who installed it also built a T brace for it when we are on the road for added support we just put it up every time we head out.