Access Doors and Air Conditioner for Trillium - Fiberglass RV
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Old 02-21-2017, 03:31 PM   #1
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Name: Cheryl
Trailer: Trillium
British Columbia
Posts: 8
Access Doors and Air Conditioner for Trillium

We want to put an access door on either side of the back of our trailer to access under the benches (we have made the dinette into a permanent bed). Where is the best place to buy the doors from? And is there anything we should look for in a door?

Also, we need to put an air conditioner in and are thinking about putting it under the long bench at the front of the trailer with a screened access door to the outside on the side. We don't want to put the air conditioner in any of the windows. Is this going to provide enough air flow? We also don't want a standing air conditioner as the main floor space is at a premium. We already have a window air conditioner that we could use (but it doesn't fit in the tall cabinet) and we don't have the budget for an RV air conditioner. Any other ideas?
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Old 02-22-2017, 11:52 AM   #2
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Name: Ken
Trailer: Scamp 16
North Dakota
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Problems

Hi Cheryl, your drawing presents several problems. If you place the window AC in the space as shown, you will need to seal off the front half from the half that would normally hang outside the house window. Then you will have to provide an outside access to pull in cool outside air, and another access to discharge the hot air kicked out by the AC unit. You will also have to provide inside air to be pulled into the AC unit and cooled, then pushed into the camper. Another very important thing is draining the water that will condense off the AC unit. This must be drained directly to the outside or it will run on the floor inside the camper and rot your floor. I did a similar installation in a Scamp 16 and I cut two round holes in the floor behind where your AC is sitting and installed two, four inch pvc elbows flush with the floor and facing to the rear under the front of the camper. That way they will not scoop up rain or road debris. Also put screens on them to keep bugs out. Cut another hole beside the AC, with another elbow, and mounted a computer fan on top of the elbow to suck in the outside cooling air for the rear unit. The front half of the AC is sealed with air access only from the inside of the camper so no need for elbows. I also installed a 110 volt outlet under the bench and a remote switch by the bed, so I can turn the AC on and off at night without getting out of bed. Hope this helps.........Ken
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Old 02-22-2017, 02:01 PM   #3
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Name: Dave W
Trailer: Trillium 4500 - 1976, 1978, 1979, 1300 - 1977, and a 1973
Alberta
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I have seen a similar installation of an A/C unit. They had cut a rather large slot in the bottom of the trailer to allow outside air to get to the back of the A/C unit. I like Kens' idea better. Or, as shown on your drawing, a side access door could fill that function, if it had louvers, like a lower vent for a fridge. But, I would still put in some ducts to direct the exhausted hot air out of the access door.

As for access doors, I have seen fridge vents used for that as well. Also I have seen a system that puts a frame around the plug that gets cut out of the fibreglass. There is at least one post on this site that shows this type of install. I will post a link later.
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Old 02-23-2017, 12:14 AM   #4
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Trailer: Trails West Campster 1970
Posts: 17
Thumbs up Access Doors

I ordered my access doors from Interstate RV Metal & Supply in the Portland, Oregon area. They have a form on their website ( www.interstatervmetalandsupply.com ) where you enter your choices of color, finish, keys, radius, hinge placement, etc. They were very nice to work with and once I placed the order, it only took a couple weeks to receive the doors.

I ordered 2 different sizes for my 4500 to accommodate the water and electrical on the driver side and there was nominal difference in pricing. Total cost about $225, which I thought was great considering they were custom. BTW, I wanted to maximize access as you do, so my measurements were 11" H x 20" W and 11" H x 22" wide. I ordered a 3" radius with white insert, uninsulated, Colonial white (looks nice with the cream fiberglass) bottom hinged with 2 keys per long door.

The most difficult part of this project was getting up the nerve to cut the two holes, but it turned out great! Sealed well with butyl tape. One of the best mods ever!
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Old 02-23-2017, 10:00 AM   #5
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I bought a used access door for something like $40 in my local classifieds. I cleaned up the aluminium frame, it looks like new.
I haven't installed it yet, but plan on doing it next spring (trailer is buried up to the windows in snow right now).

I will install the door at the rear to access under the rear bed. I can't put in on the sides like yours because on one side is my fresh water tank and the other side is my hot water heater.

I'm planning to use the cut out part for the door itself, and use a T handle to lock it with pins on each side, garage-door style.

They say measure twice, then cut once. In this case it'll be measure twice again, think about it some more, measure again inside and outside, make sure I don't screw anything up, then.... take a deep breath and do it!
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Old 02-23-2017, 01:43 PM   #6
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Name: Cheryl
Trailer: Trillium
British Columbia
Posts: 8
Thank you!

Thank you so much for your replies!

Ken--Thank you for your detailed information! It makes a lot of sense and will definitely help us figure out how to get the air conditioner correctly installed!

David--Your advise is stellar, as always! I like the idea of using a fridge vent.

Colleen--That sounds like a good deal! Thanks for the info on where and what you ordered and especially the size, as we wondering which size would work best. I'm not sure I can work up the nerve to cut the hole (so I will let hubby take the lead!)

Carl--I like the idea of the T handles on the access doors! Thanks for the input! And we will definitely measure several times and then I will take a deep breath and let my hubby cut :-)
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Old 02-23-2017, 01:58 PM   #7
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Name: David
Trailer: Former 13’Scamp, now Snoozy
Arizona
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Cheryl, I have seen older Casita trailers with this set-up, and they have a vinyl snap-on cover to use while traveling so water does not come in through the air conditioner.
Dave & Paula
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Old 02-23-2017, 02:03 PM   #8
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Name: Cheryl
Trailer: Trillium
British Columbia
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Is this snap on instead of an access door to let the air in? So would it be on the outside of the trailer? Thanks!
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Old 02-23-2017, 03:31 PM   #9
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Trailer: 2008 Scamp 13 S1
Arizona
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Casita still mounts A/C in the lower front curbside corner on new 16' models. They use two vents, one in the front and one on the side, to provide the two-way air movement described by Ken. The front one has a vinyl snap-on cover to keep water out during travel. Under the cover is a metal grille bent to fit the shell.

This picture shows Casita's A/C vent locations:

Name:   Casita AC.jpg
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Size:  29.3 KB

Bottom line, though, is that outside air and cabin air do not mix. Outside air cools the back part of the A/C and goes back out. Cabin air is drawn into the front of the A/C, cooled, and blown back into the cabin.
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Old 02-23-2017, 04:03 PM   #10
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Name: Cheryl
Trailer: Trillium
British Columbia
Posts: 8
Vents

I like that idea. I was hesitant to put any holes in the front but a snap on cover would make that a lot more doable! Thanks!
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Old 03-01-2017, 06:25 PM   #11
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Name: george
Trailer: 1998 burro 17'
Texas
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I bought new hatches for my burro off eBay, lots of sizes, most too large but a few were just right for me, under $50 shipped each. Now to install them
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Old 03-01-2017, 06:58 PM   #12
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Name: Cheryl
Trailer: Trillium
British Columbia
Posts: 8
That sounds like a good deal! I'll have to check out the ones on eBay! Thanks!
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Old 03-27-2017, 10:43 AM   #13
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Name: Bill
Trailer: Trillium
Baltimore, MD
Posts: 21
Can you please post pictures of your outside access doors? We have been thinking of this as well for our 1977 Trillium 4500...
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