Pending sale-can I have a rooftop a/c installed? - Fiberglass RV
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Old 11-18-2014, 07:15 AM   #1
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Name: carleen
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Pending sale-can I have a rooftop a/c installed?

I finally found a uhaul to buy (1985 with bunk beds), but there's a problem, it looked like it has a rooftop a/c but does not (picture attached).

The current owner says that a previous owner replaced the a/c with a fan.

Can you take a uhaul trailer to an rv repair/installation shop and have a standard rooftop a/c put in?

Installing it ourselves is not an option, we've had a few too many husband/wife projects

Thank you for any help/tips you can provide.
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Old 11-18-2014, 07:19 AM   #2
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Something that small may not need it!! It could make it too cold.
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Old 11-18-2014, 08:47 AM   #3
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Try sleeping in it in the middle of July/August down here in the humid south! Wouldnt have my 13' Scamp without A/C. People dont seem to understand, they DO have thermostats.

Carlene:
On Scamp trailers, they have to be "prepped" for A/C. Meaning, there's extra-strengthing fiberglass added to the roof during construction. Without this, the heavy units can cause the roof to sag. What some people do is add wooden strips to the interior. Stain/Poly-u them to make them look like part of the interior. But that can be rather extensive upgrading if you're not a "Handy" person. Also, you have to consider running your 120 wire to it as well. Again, Scamp runs this under the ratfur if it is "prepped".

Yours looks like a U-Haul and I seriously doubt it being prepped. There's several mods where people build "cavities" into the trailers into which they install $100 Wally-World models. MUCH cheaper and easier option. But you MUST provided adequate ventillation. This is one area though since you do have a 13' that works for you-- doesnt take much to cool it so it doesnt have to run all the time thus over-heating in a small cavity area.

Just some ideas to think about...

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Something that small may not need it!! It could make it too cold.
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Old 11-18-2014, 09:23 AM   #4
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If the A/C had been professionally installed the necessary supports may already be there.
I have a Coleman Polar Cub 9200 BTU on my 17 foot trailer the same unit Scamp uses on their 13 footer.

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Old 11-18-2014, 09:28 AM   #5
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Just took another look at the pic and it "appears" that there's quite an area around the vent that's on top of the trailer. Sorta makes me to wonder IF the trailer originally had an A/C?
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Old 11-18-2014, 09:35 AM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by carleene View Post
I finally found a uhaul to buy (1985 with bunk beds), but there's a problem, it looked like it has a rooftop a/c but does not (picture attached).

The current owner says that a previous owner replaced the a/c with a fan.

Can you take a uhaul trailer to an rv repair/installation shop and have a standard rooftop a/c put in?

Installing it ourselves is not an option, we've had a few too many husband/wife projects

Thank you for any help/tips you can provide.
The standard opening (cutout) for a rooftop A/C is the same !4"X!4" as the fan. the vertical seam on the U-Haul might require some additional gasket material for install.
Problem is the fan is nice to have in addition to the A/C! Another hole may be necessary or the installation of a small window unit. Frigidaire makes a very small unit at a good price.
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Old 11-18-2014, 10:54 AM   #7
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If there was an AC previously the wiring and thermostat should still be present (or at least the thermostat mounting spot.) If so, should be an easy "drop in" aside from the gasketing/seals and not too spendy......

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Old 11-18-2014, 11:00 AM   #8
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Unless it was a "custom" mount, I doubt the 13' will have had a wall-mounted thermostat. Only for the furnace. Mine is a 2010 13' Scamp (didnt get a furnace) and the roof mount has it's own thermostat controls- just like the cheaper window units.

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If there was an AC previously the wiring and thermostat should still be present (or at least the thermostat mounting spot.) If so, should be an easy "drop in" aside from the gasketing/seals and not too spendy......

Charlie Y
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Old 11-18-2014, 11:26 AM   #9
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How can I tell if this roof has a/c supports from factory?

Thank you for the dialog on this, great comments and info.

The owner did say that what was previously there was the type of a/c that you fill with water, sounded like what I've heard called a "swamp cooler"?

Do you think that for this original "a/c" they would have installed supports? I wonder how I could tell if there are factory supports in the roof.

Noted the comment that there could still be some wiring from the original a/c.
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Old 11-18-2014, 11:42 AM   #10
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It may be worthwhile to do a little research. As I stated before, I noticed what looks like a "raised" area around the vent in the picture of your (or potentially yours) trailer. So, again, you may want to do some "Google"ing on swamp coolers for U-Haul trailers etc and you may be surprised at what you find. IF, you could luck up and identify what was used, then you may could trace the weight down and that would be an excellent starting point. You can go to Coleman and Dometic sites and look at their A/C's and get their weights as well. I have the Coleman Polar Cub 9200 btu and it weighs (and I have the heat unit) 96 lbs. The "Footprint" for it to sit on is actually about 20" x 20" max with a 14" square hole opening.

One other thing to consider, can your current wiring/panel box handle another 15A breaker for the A/C installation? And just a thought, you may could CHECK this panel and see if there was- by chance- a breaker that could already be there. That would help tell you if the wiring is available. If not, is there room in the box for one to be added?

Quote:
Originally Posted by carleene View Post
Thank you for the dialog on this, great comments and info.

The owner did say that what was previously there was the type of a/c that you fill with water, sounded like what I've heard called a "swamp cooler"?

Do you think that for this original "a/c" they would have installed supports? I wonder how I could tell if there are factory supports in the roof.

Noted the comment that there could still be some wiring from the original a/c.
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Old 11-18-2014, 12:49 PM   #11
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U-Hauls did have swamp coolers. They also had a/c but yours most likely had the swamp cooler. What some people don't understand is that the seam runs down the middle of the trailer and that would make the roof stronger as well. Is it strong enough to hold the A/C, I don't know. Living in Dayton Ohio where they were made didn't help me get any answer at the U-Haul store where they were made so chances are going to a U-haul to see if they know will not help. I hope the computer search helps.
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Old 11-18-2014, 01:00 PM   #12
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When I had my Lazy Daze motor home it had the roof top Swamp cooler. They were really light weight unlike an air conditioner. The swamp cooler ran on 12 volts DC. I swapped it out for an air conditioner and had to run new 120 volt AC power for the air conditioner from the power distribution panel to the air conditioner. This may also need upgrading your incoming line to your trailer to 30 amp service if you choose to run other 120 volt items at the same time as running your AC. So I would also check what your incoming supply cord and distribution panel is rated.
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Old 11-18-2014, 01:02 PM   #13
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I can't find a weight on the Uhaul cooler but I did find this. He stated his cooler weight was 36 lbs. There was a person trying to give a cooler away on this site but ended up selling it on ebay. He might still know how heavy it was to ship. Stay Cool with TurboKOOL - Advanced RV Evaporative Coolers
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Old 11-18-2014, 01:06 PM   #14
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This is from 2012. http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f...ler-50716.html
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Old 11-18-2014, 01:44 PM   #15
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First of all, check out the UHaulCamper group on Facebook. Most of the UHaul owners are now using that site almost exclusively for maintenance and repair questions. You can request membership and get a pretty quick response from the group moderators (my wife is one!).

Regarding the CT13, I don't believe that any of them came with the swamp cooler. That was typically found on the larger unit, the 16' VT. If it was there, it may have been added later. In any case, it is very doubtful that any added support was put in place.

The smallest ACs are really too heavy for the roof of the CT without additional support. The support might be a pole from the inside kitchen counter to the roof or some type of weight distribution bracing across the inner ceiling. Otherwise, you run a big risk of having the roof sag. You may also need to put in an additional circuit and breaker for the electrical load.

Other CT owners have put AC units through the back window and under the front seat. The front seat option is more aesthetically pleasing but either would work. The rear window option will require some support from the rear bumper to the AC unit to help hold it up. Some owners put it in the window permanently and others install and remove the unit with every trip. You can find lots of help with this issue on the UHaulCamper page!

Best of luck! If you can get this great little camper for a reasonable price, you can work out the AC problem. Have fun UHaulin'!
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Old 11-18-2014, 02:37 PM   #16
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Kevin is correct about the issue of putting AC on the roof of a CT in that it requires some significant modification. That being said , I have seen at least a dozen pictures of the modification and have personally inspected how it was done on one. The roof needs to be stiffened between the inner walls to transfer the weight to both "shells" it also took advantage of the solar panel for additional support. An additional electrical circuit is also necessary in any option. If you are going to "farm" it out it will likely cost several thousand $ to go on the roof. The mod I would explore is a vented one. Hate cutting a hole in the shell or hanging one out the back window but that is just me. When you get on the Facebook site search for the A/C threads to see what was done. I do have pictures of a roof mount if you would like to see them.


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Old 11-18-2014, 02:49 PM   #17
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Basically Swamp Coolers only work when the humidity is well below 50%. So if you camp in areas of low humidity/high temps it may help. But, remember, all of the water that goes into the swamp cooler will eventually get dumped into your trailer as higher humidity air. It's basically a desery use item.
The list of satisfied RV Swamp cooler users is a very thin book.



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Old 11-18-2014, 04:44 PM   #18
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Ours had the swamp cooler but was missing the pump and tank that were originally under the right front storage compartment. I replaced it with a fantastic fan and eventually gave away the swamp cooler. It wasn't very heavy, nowhere near the weight of an A/C unit but it was big. There are instructions in the Uhaul repair manual about installing a swamp cooler so they may have been added sometime after the campers were built. There were old screw holes in the roof that were obviously from an original vent of some kind prior to the swamp cooler. I wouldn't recommend a rooftop A/C being installed.
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Old 11-22-2014, 08:23 AM   #19
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Name: carleen
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Thank you all for great input. I've learned a lot about uhauls and a/cs.

We were going to buy the one we found in spite of no a/c, but waited til the weekend because it was out of town.

Rookie mistake, I guess...someone bought it yesterday. Still searching (sadly).

Carleen
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Old 11-22-2014, 10:16 AM   #20
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Yep, Basic Rule #1


We bought a Scamp less than 3 hours after the ad appeared and a Lil'Bigfoot less than 6 hours after it was listed. In both cases they had a waiting line of buyers.


If it's still available three days after being listed it's either overpriced, has condition or title problems, or is geographically disadvantaged.


The corollary is:
"You Snooze, You Looze"



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