Air conditioning alternative

[DonInChatt]

I saw this today on the DIY channel...a dog house air conditioner. I wonder if this could be adapted to an egg and mounted on the tongue rather than on top. Or, put it on the ground outside the trailer with connections through the skin; set it up when needed. A FG egg with the door closed would be more efficiently air conditioned than a wooden dog house, wouldn't it? I know there are some engineers out there who can do the math for us.

http://www.seefido.com/html/dog_hous...onditioner.htm

Thinking outside the box,
Don

[Per Walthinsen]

Don:

I looked at that too but adapted a 5000BTU window unit for my 17 footer. Even so, it takes a a while to cool it down from hot, but it keeps things cool fine after a while.

While I think the unit is a nice setup the capacity is about half what is needed, even for a 13 footer. I believe they are certified for teardrop trailers of moderate size. When I build my teardrop (if I no longer can store my Burro) this is what I will use. The detachable idea might work on this unit since there would be no refrigerant lines to remove, only air ducts.

[Brian B-P]

This unit has come up in discussion a couple of times before:
AC in Scamp 13'/Electrical, Propane ?'s
Mini Air Conditioner?, What's the smallest & easiest?
The second topic is a more general discussion of small A/C alternatives.

Mounting the A/C seems to be a common challenge.

Portable designs and some adaptations of units intended for window use duct the outside air to and from an inside-mounted unit; the PetCool system ducts the inside air to and from an outside-mounted unit. In past discussion, the PetCool has been seen as too expensive and maybe too small. I think that one of our trailers probably does need a lot more capacity than an much smaller wood-framed doghouse.

Built-in home systems split the A/C equipment between inside (usually in the furnace) and outside units with plumbing between them, and there are also split systems with a wall-mounted inside unit (not dependent on a furnace for airflow or mounting): I think that kind of split would be ideal, but I have never seen one under 9,000 BTU/hr (too big). I like the split idea because it gets some of noisy and heavy hardware out of the interior, and could allow the outside unit to be mounted low for handling and structural reasons, while the inside unit is high for effectiveness.

[Nancy]

The stats suggest it works in a 10x10x8 room and is 2,500 BTU. It sure seems like that should be big enough for a small egg. It is 14 1/2 x 12 1/2 x 15 1/2 and weighs 39 lbs.

How would one keep it from being carried away by a thief?

We don't have an a/c. If it is so hot one needs a/c it is too hot to do anything. Would have been nice to have had that last summer crossing the plains on the way to Oregon. We had to check into a motel both ways in Walla Walla, WA because it was over 100 both ways.

Nancy

[Terry G.]

my a/c is mounted in my back window ( it "just" fit width wize) and looking at my excel cost sheet it cost $151.00 from Sears and it has a remote.

and if someone wants to steal it they gota cut it out, but the mounting was simple.
http://www.terry-g.net/u-haul/u-haul.html

[Normand Choiniere]

Stats suggest but reality rules! According to my own experience a 5,000 btu unit is an acceptable minimum for a 13 feet trailer. You are loosing your time and money with a smaller unit.

[Donna D.]

Then too, it depends on what's acceptable cooling. Some folks like the temp to be 70 degrees...others think 80-85 is okay.

But, I'd think for $459.00 a person could come up with something better. I can buy a several room A/C's for that money! Buying a room A/C and putting it on the ground and venting into the trailer is not much different than the dog house air conditioner and I'd think substantially cheaper.

[Brian B-P]

The stats suggest it works in a 10x10x8 room and is 2,500 BTU. It sure seems like that should be big enough for a small egg...

I think the typical room of a building is better-insulated than a typical moulded fiberglass trailer. It is also adjacent to other rooms, rather than have direct outside walls on all sides. In addition, the trailer is packed with people and activity (such as cooking).

Air conditioners in RV applications tend to be larger (in capacity) than those used for the same space in a house.

[Gina D.]

I have had standard room air conditioners modified to do exactly what the doghouse one does.

Because of noise and vibration, a room AC is not appropriate for sound room installations. The AC is suspended from the buildings ceiling joists, comlpetely isolated from the room structure. Then, the intake and output is ducted into the sound room via flex ducting.

It would cost a small fortune to duct in the AC from the offices to a room on the production floor. This method is a cost effective and easy way to accomplish the goal of air in an isolated, and insulated "Island" in a warehouse environment with the noise limitations described above.

[Ria. V]

my a/c is mounted in my back window ( it "just" fit width wize) and looking at my excel cost sheet it cost $151.00 from Sears and it has a remote.

and if someone wants to steal it they gota cut it out, but the mounting was simple.
http://www.terry-g.net/u-haul/u-haul.html

We have a 13ft Boler.. and have been trying to figure out how to put in a/c.. by installing additional roof supports for it to be installed {up the sided ,across the top and down the other side } in the roof vent. but i saw your before & after photos of your tailer, and how you did it in the back... i think this will be alot less work for my husband to make the supports at work and then have to install them.

We'll see i guess.. but the before & after shots are amazing.!!