Burro roof a/c placement

[Christi W]

Question of Burro owners -

I noticed in Gina's NEW beautiful Burro, that her roof a/c is centered on her roof over the seam Mine was stuck in the roof vent that is over the stove. It is not a good place Makes it too low where you stand all the time. My repair guy said I could not cut into the seam and put it in the middle, but, Gina's is obviously in the middle. Kurt, did you notice if the seam was cut? Looks like it would have to be to fit tight.

I'd like to move mine, but, I'd like to know what I am getting in to. I'd like a vent back where it should be above the stove Thanks in advance, Christi

[Gina D.]

Did your roof AC come factory installed?

It is odd they would put them in different places if so, or maybe it was an order option "Where do you want the AC?"

[Christi W]

Actually,I'm at least the third owner, so I don't know. It looks like they took the vent out and popped on the "Coleman". It sits at an angle exactly where your roof vent is Not Prretty
Christi

[Frederick L. Simson]

It looks like they took the vent out and popped on the "Coleman".

Sounds like an after-market installation to me. I doubt that anyone in the after-market AC business would go to the trouble of trying to install a vent orafice...

[Kurt & Ann K.]

Christi,
I noticed that it appeared as if the A/C unit had been raised so it sat high enough to straddle the seam. Since we did not have a ladder the view was from ground level. I'm really only guessing, but it appears as if the "shim" or spacer on the street side was not quite tall enough because the A/C unit tilts a little to that side. That might also be possibly due to something as simple as the mounting bolts being tightened unevenly. Having never seen one of the A/C units off an RV I can't pass any judgement on whether it would create any problems if there was a rib or seam which divided the airflow. Gina's new Burro may well have a pair of openings instead of the standard single 14" X 14". A good many stick-built RV's with their thicker roofs utilize the same air conditioners, therefore spacers on the outside to straddle the seam with her thinner fiberglass roof wouldn't appear to be a problem. It occurs to me that an intact seam might function as a brace to provide support for the weight of the A/C. The roof has held the weight for 7+ years and when Gina tested the A/C, cold air came out. I'm inclined to applaud their ingenuity, however it was installed.
Sorry my answer isn't more definitive. Without access to the original installer or actual removal there will have to remain an "element" (kind of an inside joke & pun fully intended) of mystery.
You might check with your service guy again and see what he thinks of the possibility of creating a pair of roof openings instead of a single hole.
Sometimes it's frustrating and difficult to arrive at solid answers to one's "what if's".
Enjoy the process of individualizing your FGRV.
Kurt & Ann K.

[Donna D.]

Looks like a platform of some sort was built for the A/C. And, it does have a gap on the door side.... I borrowed Gina's picture from the OK, here's my new toy!, The McMansion is freed! topic.

[Gina D.]

Well, here is a pic of the inside.

It's somewhat "twisted" is the best I can come up with. Tho it appears warped, it does not leak and does work without making any of the noises you would expect of a fan housing was twisted.

It has sat there for 7 years without incident, as Kurt mentioned, but he forgot to mention that large parts of those years it was under hefty snowload. It was at 8000 feet near the most active Ski area in So. Cal.

[Gina D.]

It could just be the result of Burros rumoured poor attention to quality details in thier last years.

Here is the front door mount from the inside. How you don't notice THAT is beyond me.

(If these are the worst two things I've found, I am still extremely happy. I wouldn't have been if I had found that at the factory)

[Per Walthinsen]

Ours is missing the roof-mounted AC, but there is a definite platform there for it (or another fan/vent). There is no protruding seam on ours for the AC to straddle. I have no idea how these little changes came and went.

The door looks familiar. Ours is a smidgen less extreme, but when I put a framing square to it it was clear that the frame had been put in askew but the door itself was true. When closed, the gap between the door and the frame is closer on the bottom than on the top, making it necessary to put an ugly patch of additional weatherstripping on part of it.

My plan is to take the door and frame off and with the trailer evenly supported remount it with whatever shims and redrillings are necessary to bring the frame flat with the door and at peace (90 degrees) with itself.

Gina's trailer seems to have the inner shells aligned much better in the middle than ours, so I am going to hide the front and rear window frame areas with woodwork. Mostly so that I don't have to be reminded of it all the time. In the end these items do not nullify the Burro's better qualities for me.

[Per Walthinsen]

I should have added that the centerline, hidden by the strip along it, hides where the two interior shells join the outer shells, leaving only the outer shells (single) for several inches. I would have no qualms about adding an AC as far as the load is concerned.

Also, in between the little plywood mounting blocks, there are many opportunities for soaking some fiberglass mats with resin and applying them in the middle, which should strengthen that whole centerline considerably, if one felt iffy about the strength along that line.

[Christi W]

I think I'll stick with the old adage - "if it ain't broke"!! The a/c works, doesn't leak and doesn't wobble. Maybe I'll just think of it as a cocked hat. Thank you all so much. This is the MOST responsive web site on the net I think Christi

[Gina D.]

Here is an amzingly still active link to

A picture from Burros site of the kit trailer

That shows a roof vent right where my AC is.

It don't get more official than that, they intended SOMETHING to be there, and the seam is not there.

Perhaps there is a reinforced "Lip" of some sort that may carry the seam around the install of whatever. Hard to tell from the photo.

[Christi W]

WOW, look at all those little parts I'm sure glad someone else had fun with that. Christi

[Per Walthinsen]

Gina:
That URL, can't get it. Is it "parked?"

[Kurt & Ann K.]

Gina,
Every time I click on a Burro picture I get DIRECTNICPARKING.COM/.
I see the vent lid on the roof, but can't make out detail. It doesn't look as if there is a seam at all, but the picture may have been re-touched. Anyway, your A/C works!

The door is another subject. It should be straightened so it won't drive you bonkers every time you go in or out. Some rather serious tinkering may be required. A good job for a shop which has dealt with a similar or the same problem.
Hopefully this will prove to be a very minor irritation.
Kurt & Ann K.

[Gina D.]

Hmnn..

the link goes straight to two pictures of a 17 foot kit Burro.

I get it just fine, so did Christi

[Gina D.]

I borrowed it.

[Per Walthinsen]

Thanks for the picture. I avoided having to put it together from a kit, otherwise I might still be at it.

I'm with Kurt and Ann on this one. There was a leak under the threshhold which made me take the door off and reseal it, but I didn't realize the poor alignment. It was not difficult to get off, but I had to make a single-purpose curved tool for breaking the frame out by slitting the sealant. Looks like I will have to do it again to fix the misalignment,

I am a bit intrigued by some of the minor changes which seem to have cropped up from one year to the next: the seam/ridge on top, the character line ahead of the rear marker lights, the flat to curved cabinet doors, the apparent change in the way the spare tire is attached, etc. It seems that some of these changes required different molds. Did they have more than one set of molds at a time? I'm stumped.