Installing A/C through the wall advice wanted

[BigMike]

Hi Group

I am in the process of repairing damage to the floor in the wardrobe closet where a window air conditioner had been installed previously. The condensation dripped onto the floor, thus damaging it from water. I would like to put an A/C back in that location but I want advice on how others overcame the condensation issue. I know I want to install a drip tray with a hose that will allow the condensation to drip on the ground under the unit.

I have searched the site but have not found what I was looking for. Perhaps I did not look hard enough. If anyone has done this or can direct me to a thread, I would greatly appreciate it.

I know many of the new compact RV's have these units installed with success so I know it is doable.

Any advice or suggestions would be welcome.

Thanks in advance
Michael

[Jay B.]

I installed an a/c unit in the bottom of the closet of my 13' Scamp when doing my remodel. Here are the pictures of the install:

https://picasaweb.google.com/1127553...ImBuNyD7oSB1gE#

Created the drain pan by cutting pieces from a fiberglass sheet and putting it together with fiberglass. Made the drain tube really long so I could run it out the floor and over to the other side of the trailer so we didn't step into the condensation puddle.

[BigMike]

Originally Posted by Jay B.

I installed an a/c unit in the bottom of the closet of my 13' Scamp when doing my remodel. Here are the pictures of the install:

https://picasaweb.google.com/1127553...ImBuNyD7oSB1gE#

Created the drain pan by cutting pieces from a fiberglass sheet and putting it together with fiberglass. Made the drain tube really long so I could run it out the floor and over to the other side of the trailer so we didn't step into the condensation puddle.

That is great Jay!

Thanks for the speedy reply. I especially like the catch pan you fabricated with the long drain hose. I was going to do the same so I would not have a puddle by the door. What you did was obviously a labor of love. I will be using some of your ideas. Though my A/C unit is a bit different than yours, the principle remains the same. My unit came with a very large louvered vent already but I did tape a piece of screen over the inside to thwart an invasion of insects seeking shelter inside during the construction phase. I will be improving the mounting of the screen as this part of the build progresses.

Thank you
Michel

[Bill K]

Two things come to mind, don't restrict the air flow to much with screen and make sure you have a way of cleaning that long drain hose. ( They do like to plug up )

Bill K

Originally Posted by BigMike

That is great Jay!

Thanks for the speedy reply. I especially like the catch pan you fabricated with the long drain hose. I was going to do the same so I would not have a puddle by the door. What you did was obviously a labor of love. I will be using some of your ideas. Though my A/C unit is a bit different than yours, the principle remains the same. My unit came with a very large louvered vent already but I did tape a piece of screen over the inside to thwart an invasion of insects seeking shelter inside during the construction phase. I will be improving the mounting of the screen as this part of the build progresses.

Thank you
Michel

[Jay B.]

Drain hose is accessable and already have a wire that will run the length of it should (when) it gets clogged. To insure that enough air was getting in, I installed an inline fan that draws plenty of air to supply the unit. The last picture shows a switch below the a/c unit. This supplies power to both the air conditioner and the inline fan. No way to run one without the other so it always gets enough air.

[Bill Reilly]

Mike:
I didn't have an air conditioner in the Trillium that I purchased so I had to find a place to put one. I opted for the rear wall under the dinette. Despite some early warnings about lack of air flow, it has worked out very well.
I made a wooden cover for it and hinged it from the rear bumper. I had to weld on a new spare tire bracket to accomodate this.
I plan to make a mould and produce a fibreglass cover for this unit sometime this fall or next winter
I have many other photos of this modification. If you (or anyone else ) is interested, let me know and I'll upload them onto Picasa.

The Picasa link:

picasaweb.google.com/billreilleh Click on AC Cover

Bill Reilly

[BigMike]

Originally Posted by Bill Reilly

Mike:
I didn't have an air conditioner in the Trillium that I purchased so I had to find a place to put one. I opted for the rear wall under the dinette. Despite some early warnings about lack of air flow, it has worked out very well.
I made a wooden cover for it and hinged it from the rear bumper. I had to weld on a new spare tire bracket to accomodate this.
I plan to make a mould and produce a fibreglass cover for this unit sometime this fall or next winter
I have many other photos of this modification. If you (or anyone else ) is interested, let me know and I'll upload them onto Picasa.

The Picasa link:

picasaweb.google.com/billreilleh Click on AC Cover

Bill Reilly

Hi Bill

That's what I like about this forum. So many crafty people helping each other out.

I am formulating a plan in my mind to create an intake manifold that would draw air in from outside through a vent that a previous owner installed. Though it is patched, at least I won't have to cut a hole. I am thinking about using some silver flexible dryer vent hose (4 in)

Here are some pics of the louvered aluminum cover with screen taped over it temporarily, and the dryer vent outside. The hole inside is patched with something with blue stripes on it. I also included a couple of pics of my finished floor repair. I don't like the fumes from the fiberglass resin at all.

[Bill Reilly]

Mike:

I sent you an incorrect web address re my AC pictures . It should have been:

picasaweb.google.com/billreillyeh

I left the 'y' out of reilly ! ( Can't even spelll my own name correctly ! )

Sorry about that ----

Bill Reilly

[BigMike]

Originally Posted by Bill Reilly

Mike:

I sent you an incorrect web address re my AC pictures . It should have been:

picasaweb.google.com/billreillyeh

I left the 'y' out of reilly ! ( Can't even spelll my own name correctly ! )

Sorry about that ----

Bill Reilly

That is a nifty set up Bill. I am rethinking my approach. Since I will only use the A/C on rare occasions, I may put it on a drawer shelf and extend it out when I need it and avoid all of the drip pan, air intake duct work altogether.

There is a craigslist posting for a unit like yours in Flint Michigan. I think he is asking $3500.00 but I am sure he will take less if someone actually goes to look at it and makes an offer. I hope I don't get scolded for posting this here. I am not selling it, only sharing info on a similar unit.

1979 TRILLIUM JUBILEE FIBERGLASS CAMPER - LIKE SCAMP / BOLER / TRADES? - $3500 (BEST OFFER / TRADES / FLINT)

Date: 2011-05-08, 9:22PM EDT
Reply to: see below [Errors when replying to ads?]

May take something in trade that I can use, "plus cash". Here is a rare 1979 Trillium Jubilee fiberglass camper. It is small and compact. It is pretty much all original with the acception of an extra wood cabinet built above the fridge. Has gas/electric fridge but needs repair, has gas furnace which I am going to try to get working this week. Has roof vent, front couch that turns into double bunks,rear dinette that turns into a bed,sink,stove, 110 to 12 volt convertor, 12 volt and 110 volt lighting and more. Pretty good tires, spare is shot, I plan on getting a better spare tire mounted for the buyer this week. Needs TLC. Grab this rare camper before its gone! MAKE AN OFFER AFTER YOU SEE IT. It could be yours! Please phone 810-210-3737. Thanks!

Location: BEST OFFER / TRADES / FLINT
it's NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests


PostingID: 2369957932

[Bill Reilly]

Mike:

I saw that ad and was really tempted. The price seems right and the pictures that I have seen seem to show a pretty good unit.

I am really pleased with my Jubilee. Another time I might consider going after another one.

Bill Reilly

[CindyL]

Big Mike:

We cut a hole in the back of our Burro, right above the couch platform, built a platform for the window air conditioner to balance on behind the Burro wall. The platform was supported by a bracket connected to the bumper.
We then cut apart a cooler. When the air conditioner was not in use, we used bungie cords to hold the cooler on, so it looked like a cooler attached to the back of the Burro. We drove with the cooler on too.

I can post pix if you want.

CindyL

[BigMike]

Originally Posted by CindyL

Big Mike:

We cut a hole in the back of our Burro, right above the couch platform, built a platform for the window air conditioner to balance on behind the Burro wall. The platform was supported by a bracket connected to the bumper.
We then cut apart a cooler. When the air conditioner was not in use, we used bungie cords to hold the cooler on, so it looked like a cooler attached to the back of the Burro. We drove with the cooler on too.

I can post pix if you want.

CindyL

Cindy

If it's not too much trouble, I would love to see some pictures. Goodness you guys are clever on this forum.

[CindyL]

These are not necessarily in chronological order. Be aware that many people on this forum would have a cow about doing this too.

CindyL

[CindyL]

Well, clearly they are not in chronological order. We painted the red cooler blue to match our decor.

Here are the rest. And oops about the sideways one. I can change it, but am leaving for supper in a few.

CindyL

[BigMike]

Originally Posted by CindyL

Well, clearly they are not in chronological order. We painted the red cooler blue to match our decor.

Here are the rest. And oops about the sideways one. I can change it, but am leaving for supper in a few.

CindyL

Cindy

That is too cool. I like it when you can come up with simple, inexpensive solutions that are nothing less that art. The creativity of the folks here astound me. If you haven't seen it yet, go look at the Mario paint job. You guys are amazing.

[CindyL]

Thank you! I dreamed it up. Hubby engineered it and was sneaky about it. When I suggested the cooler idea, he gave no response. Next day, he was cutting up a cooler.

I just wanted something that looked natural. Hubby even had someone ask for a cold one from the cooler when we stayed at Yellowstone.

The down side is that it takes up a little foot room on the bed.

CindyL

[BigMike]

Originally Posted by CindyL

Big Mike:

We cut a hole in the back of our Burro, right above the couch platform, built a platform for the window air conditioner to balance on behind the Burro wall. The platform was supported by a bracket connected to the bumper.
We then cut apart a cooler. When the air conditioner was not in use, we used bungie cords to hold the cooler on, so it looked like a cooler attached to the back of the Burro. We drove with the cooler on too.

I can post pix if you want.

CindyL

Dear Cindy

After I let the 3 way fridge run all night on 110, it was not even chilled slightly. As I was finished removing the cabinet and the old 3-way, I began to get an idea from yours. I cut the working components from the back of the fridge with my wife's jig saw, without damaging the lines for the refrigerant. (Yes, it was her jig saw. She asked for it specifically for her birthday 2 years ago.) I now have a box, open on both ends with a very sturdy plastic flange that is very heavily insulated. I can now fabricate a drip pan and a flange mount for the other end of this box. The plastic lining from the fridge will do well in a wet environment and the insulation should decrease some of the inside noise. Thanks for sharing your idea as it morphed into a simpler solution for me. Fabrication is a bit down the road since I ended up removing all but one of the cabinets. Since I have gone this far, I am probably going to paint it inside and out before reassembly. I am going to use stainless steel button head bolts for reassembly. Of course it goes without saying that I will use never seize on the bolts when the time comes. The big deal for me was if I ever want to take the cabinets out again, I can have one person on the outside with an allen head wrench and remove them without damaging either the fiberglass and new paint, and I won't have to buy new acorn head rivets each time.

Thank you very much!
Michael

P.S. In case anyone is wondering, the working parts of the back of the fridge went to a scrapper that reclaims the refrigerant.

[Peter_Crowl]

Big Props Cindy!
If you're going to have an AC extended outside the body the Cooler Cover is a brilliant idea.

[ScottG]

go to youtube and there is a video on there showing how someone put an AC unit in their Scamp , this may give you some ideas. thanks

[BigMike]

Originally Posted by BigMike

Hi Bill

That's what I like about this forum. So many crafty people helping each other out.

I am formulating a plan in my mind to create an intake manifold that would draw air in from outside through a vent that a previous owner installed. Though it is patched, at least I won't have to cut a hole. I am thinking about using some silver flexible dryer vent hose (4 in)

Here are some pics of the louvered aluminum cover with screen taped over it temporarily, and the dryer vent outside. The hole inside is patched with something with blue stripes on it. I also included a couple of pics of my finished floor repair. I don't like the fumes from the fiberglass resin at all.

Hi Group!

It has been almost a month since I posted this. I wanted to update my progress. I now have the A/C installed and it works well. Here are some pictures of how I did it. The first one is the shelf/drain tray. I put a pretty good pitch on it and cut two triangles of plywood with a 45 degree cut to direct the condensation to the drain hole.

The second shot is how I isolated the exhaust/wet side and the intake.

The third shot is from the inside of the air intake chamber with the flanges I used for the duct work. I bought these at Home Depot and they are quick disconnects for dryer vents so you can clean out the duct. I cut the tabs off and mounted them through the side of the closet.

The fourth shot shows the duct connected to the outside flanges. I opted for two air intakes because I just did not think that one four inch duct would provide enough air flow. I am not even sure that two will be enough but it seems to work well enough.

The last shot shows the unit from the outside. It is rough right now but after I get everything else done on it, I will go back and clean up the exterior. I'm trying to find it in my budget to repaint this year.