My A/C mod - Fiberglass RV
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Old 07-21-2016, 05:29 PM   #1
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Name: Courtney
Trailer: 1982 13ft Scamp purchased on May 2nd
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My A/C mod

We have a 1982 13' Scamp, and have done okay with the Fantastic Fan in all seasons but summer. Before I get a lecture on how A/C isn't needed, let me just say I live in GA and it is steaming hot here in the summer. Hello 99 degrees! Even during "cooler" days and nights there a gazillion percent humidity and my egg gets swampy.

I bought a 5000 btu ClimateRight from Amazon (free shipping and easier returns). Used some Valterra bayonet flanges, some sewer tubing, and some marine vent covers.

I didn't want any additional unnecessary holes in the fiberglass, so I enlarged the unused water inlet and outlet holes.

I thought it came out clean looking, and it certainly kept us cool!

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Old 07-21-2016, 06:03 PM   #2
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Interesting. We are coming "up" to GA in a few weeks. Actually passing through to SC and back. I am sure we will need and be glad we have A/C.
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Old 07-21-2016, 07:29 PM   #3
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Nice job
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Old 07-21-2016, 09:37 PM   #4
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I bet that system is really quiet with all the noise outside the unit, good job. You need a/c here in the East due to the high humidity.
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Old 07-21-2016, 10:05 PM   #5
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Nice install! You need AC down there and we need heaters up here 😀


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Old 07-22-2016, 06:46 AM   #6
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Interesting idea. Nice work.
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Old 07-22-2016, 10:06 AM   #7
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Wow, I never thought of this. My scamp has an LG brand portable ac that vents out the wheel well. Was included in the sale when I bought it, but sadly you lose a lot of space in the camper.



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Old 07-26-2016, 09:57 PM   #8
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Name: Steve Robison
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That's a very nice install Courtney. I built a similar concept out of window A/C that had two dryer vent tubes running to the Scamp, but being a window unit it did not cool the camper at all in an exterior configuration.

Temps here in Ohio reach almost 100 during the day with high humidity but luckily at night it is only in the 70's so a fantastic fan or two is not going to cut it no matter how good everyone says they work.

I ended up building a platform for our 6k btu unit and just install it in a rear jalousie window by removing one of the bottom panes. Now if I turn it up on high I can freeze us out even on a 90 degree day.
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Old 07-26-2016, 10:26 PM   #9
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I have to ask a dumb question-- Where is the thermostat???

Overall, I like it!...if it will keep me 68 deg at night . I agree with someone else...no "kettle drum" affect every time the unit kicks on or off with it external. By "kettle drum", everytime my Coleman roof unit A/C kicks on, it reverberates throughout the Scamp. It wakes me almost everytime until I get use to it.

Thanks for posting your mod! I live in humid Tennessee and I'm an A/C LOVER!

Quote:
Originally Posted by courtney View Post
We have a 1982 13' Scamp, and have done okay with the Fantastic Fan in all seasons but summer. Before I get a lecture on how A/C isn't needed, let me just say I live in GA and it is steaming hot here in the summer. Hello 99 degrees! Even during "cooler" days and nights there a gazillion percent humidity and my egg gets swampy.

I bought a 5000 btu ClimateRight from Amazon (free shipping and easier returns). Used some Valterra bayonet flanges, some sewer tubing, and some marine vent covers.

I didn't want any additional unnecessary holes in the fiberglass, so I enlarged the unused water inlet and outlet holes.

I thought it came out clean looking, and it certainly kept us cool!

Attachment 97643

Attachment 97644

Attachment 97645

Attachment 97646

Attachment 97647




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Old 07-27-2016, 12:03 AM   #10
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Courtney that is a pretty awesome mod you have there, good job! Our 5000 BTU we mounted under Ryan's bunk has worked pretty good until we went to Lake Hartwell a few weeks ago on a site with no shade...worked fine at night and got chilly but we slept in one morning from a late night drive up and by 11 am the temps inside the Boler elevated high enough that it was uncomfortable to sleep anymore.

The glue holding up our headliner failed due to the 90 degree temps so we took it down until we can find a better suitable glue and also with it came down one section of our 3/4" styrofoam roof insulation so the shell was hot to the touch from the inside on the roof. I called Casita today picking their brain on glues and insulation and they told me they don't use a 5000 BTU since the 90's that they now put 8000 btu units in theirs...but since it seems to cool okay except in full sun 90+ degrees I think ours is an insulation issue...anyway let me know how yours works in full sun I would be interested in how cool it stays inside...

Maybe we will see ya'll again soon
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Old 07-27-2016, 11:50 AM   #11
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Darryl, the thermostat works by remote control on the front of the unit. Kind of stupid, since you can't adjust it from the outside. Might rig up something for that.

The unit is quiet. The fan blows constantly and continuously.

5000 btu is all I see us needing. We rarely sleep past 8 and don't hang out in the camper during the day.


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Old 07-27-2016, 12:04 PM   #12
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Too bad it doesnt have one of the remotes that comes with the "digital" type model room A/C's. But once you have it set, you shouldnt have to move it anyway for the most part. So that shouldnt be a deal breaker .

Quote:
Originally Posted by courtney View Post
Darryl, the thermostat works by remote control on the front of the unit. Kind of stupid, since you can't adjust it from the outside. Might rig up something for that.

The unit is quiet. The fan blows constantly and continuously.

5000 btu is all I see us needing. We rarely sleep past 8 and don't hang out in the camper during the day.


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Old 07-27-2016, 12:20 PM   #13
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Name: Steve Robison
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Quote:
Originally Posted by courtney View Post
Darryl, the thermostat works by remote control on the front of the unit. Kind of stupid, since you can't adjust it from the outside. Might rig up something for that.

The unit is quiet. The fan blows constantly and continuously.

5000 btu is all I see us needing. We rarely sleep past 8 and don't hang out in the camper during the day.


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How does it work in full sun with no shade?
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Old 07-28-2016, 03:49 PM   #14
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Haven't really tried it. Not needed for us.


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Old 08-02-2016, 07:27 PM   #15
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Out door activities and AC

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Haven't really tried it. Not needed for us.
Hi Courtney,

A question about AC and activities. I live in North Carolina, this past weekend my kids and some nieces and nephews talked me into a camp trip to one of our local State Parks... mistake on my part. Tent camping in 100F is miserable. With plenty of fluids, we managed it, but that brings me to my question - If you need AC, is it too hot to be in that area of camping for activities, like hiking or biking?

I'm looking at a Scamp and figured the vent fan would suffice, since I will probably go to areas with comfortable temperatures to be outside hiking... so wouldn't a vent fan be enough in a fiberglass trailer?

Sorry if this question is silly. As I see a lot of responses with AC as a must. Curious about folks' experiences and outdoor activities and the need for AC.

Thanks
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Old 08-02-2016, 08:59 PM   #16
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Dave...I'm not Courtney...but let me throw out 2 or 3 points to think about. What IF you decide you want to go camping in the 70-80's?? We did at Mc Farland in Florence, AL this past spring. Humidity is the problem..not necessarily the temp-- for US anyway!

You're in a 13' camper where with two people, the temp rises FAST...more so than your house, or a larger trailer. The average human even sleeping can give off as much as 250-300 BTU's...more if stressed and humidity stresses me out!! Even when it seems cool outside, there's been times we've turned on the A/C to not only bring down the temp...but again... the humidity.

And for me, we've had our two kids with spouses/grand kids to come up- winter OR summer for that matter. Wife and I will at times use our Scamp and the A/C is SUPER handy then.

Not trying to influence anybody but I AM one of those "must have" for A/C's. FWIW, mine also has the heat strip.

Quote:
Originally Posted by BBQdave View Post
Hi Courtney,

A question about AC and activities. I live in North Carolina, this past weekend my kids and some nieces and nephews talked me into a camp trip to one of our local State Parks... mistake on my part. Tent camping in 100F is miserable. With plenty of fluids, we managed it, but that brings me to my question - If you need AC, is it too hot to be in that area of camping for activities, like hiking or biking?

I'm looking at a Scamp and figured the vent fan would suffice, since I will probably go to areas with comfortable temperatures to be outside hiking... so wouldn't a vent fan be enough in a fiberglass trailer?

Sorry if this question is silly. As I see a lot of responses with AC as a must. Curious about folks' experiences and outdoor activities and the need for AC.

Thanks
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Old 08-02-2016, 09:46 PM   #17
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Dehumidifying makes sense

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Originally Posted by Darral T. View Post
...You're in a 13' camper where with two people, the temp rises FAST...more so than your house, or a larger trailer. The average human even sleeping can give off as much as 250-300 BTU's...more if stressed and humidity stresses me out!! Even when it seems cool outside, there's been times we've turned on the A/C to not only bring down the temp...but again... the humidity.
Thanks Darral for the information on a 13' FG camper. Having no experience, I would have thought it not an issue with that size trailer and humidity. Living in NC has taught me the need to dehumidify.

And you are exactly right, often the outside temperature is comfortable, but I have the AC going and a ceiling fan spinning to help with the house - humidity.

What brought the question for me, was a post about Ohio and too hot with a FG camper. I grew up in Ohio, no AC, and I was comfortable. There's always a few days in August, sometimes July, where the humidity gets a little high - most of the time we had a humidifier going in our house, to add moisture. So I was puzzled by the post about the FG camper needing AC in Ohio.

I plan to head north in the Summer, and explore the South in the Winter. Good to know AC is needed, even for Ohio, where I will spend some Summertime camping
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Old 08-02-2016, 10:06 PM   #18
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BBQ Dave, we too like the a/c....being in Georgia and camping in the N GA and TN/NC mountains to the coast of GA/FL anytime between May and September A/C is a welcomed luxury for our little camper for humidity as well as elevated temps in the hotter months. We could do without it but that is one of the reasons we chose to get a camper vs tent camp as I have for many years before.
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Old 08-02-2016, 10:19 PM   #19
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100F not fun in a tent

Quote:
Originally Posted by Johnny M View Post
...we too like the a/c....being in Georgia and camping in the N GA and TN/NC mountains to the coast of GA/FL anytime between May and September A/C is a welcomed luxury for our little camper for humidity as well as elevated temps in the hotter months. We could do without it but that is one of the reasons we chose to get a camper vs tent camp as I have for many years before.
John I hear you. And though I plan to be up North during Summertime, It's possible I may be in those areas you mentioned, during Spring and Summer months - AC makes sense.

I like to hike and bike, so I always plan camp trips for those activities (comfortable temps) and it's not been a problem with the tent. But camp plans change, and it's nice to have a cooling option
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Old 08-03-2016, 01:01 AM   #20
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BBQdave View Post
Living in NC has taught me the need to dehumidify.
What brought the question for me, was a post about Ohio and too hot with a FG camper. I grew up in Ohio, no AC, and I was comfortable. There's always a few days in August, sometimes July, where the humidity gets a little high - most of the time we had a humidifier going in our house, to add moisture. So I was puzzled by the post about the FG camper needing AC in Ohio.
I plan to head north in the Summer, and explore the South in the Winter. Good to know AC is needed, even for Ohio, where I will spend some Summertime camping
My early years were in SW Michigan like you in Ohio. As a little kid we didn't know the humidity was anything but normal. As an adult we know it can be a problem for comfort. From where you're saying you plan to camp and live in NC I can't see why you're even questioning not having AC. To me that's like saying I don't need to carry a spare tire as I may never need it. Never needed a spare in over 50 years, but I had one. The AC on any of the RVs I've had never got used much but I was certainly glad it was there when I did need it. During any long power outage it was sure nice to sleep in the TT with the air running off the generator. OK, that's my 2 cents worth .
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