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Old 07-11-2017, 08:34 AM   #1
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Name: Daryl
Trailer: Boler
MANITOBA
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New Old Guy from Manitoba

Hi.
just purchased a 17 ft. Boler in great original shape. Looking forward to doing some camping in it in the near future, first trip will be in a couple weeks tugging it through the mountains in BC.
Currently giving it a real good clean up, & mechanical inspection and repairs in anticipation of really big hills.

When we get back in a couple weeks I want to retrofit a AC unit to it. Thinking of one of those 2 piece units where the condenser unit is separate from the evaporator . If any one hasome input on unit suggestions or install ideas, I'm all ears
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Old 07-11-2017, 10:25 AM   #2
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Name: KAY
Trailer: SCAMP
Missouri
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Welcome to the forum and congrats on your new playhouse. I'm still trying to figure out how to put an air conditioner through a framed-pane jalousie window, so no help from me.
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Old 07-11-2017, 10:43 AM   #3
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Google DriveBC for road conditions.
Currently there are many road closures due to forest fires. Hope that's not the case in two weeks, but conditions aren't improving.
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Old 07-11-2017, 11:59 AM   #4
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Name: Tom
Trailer: Sprinter 'til I buy
Denver, CO
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Ductless Air Conditioner

Ductless Air Conditioner is the industry term I believe. I have seen discussion of them here. I believe they are very common in asia. I did not succeed in finding the threads here. You may want to drop ductless and just search A/C posts. I recall the outdoor portion was mounted on the hitch. -A good way to keep the height down. Good luck.

PS, Thank you Kay - likeair2me. Try mini split.

PPS, Here's some threads. There are undoubtedly more. I found these just searching "split".
http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f...its-80173.html
http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f...7-a-75999.html
http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f...ces-79339.html

For best results: Search here the term "mini split" with quotation marks.
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Old 07-11-2017, 12:01 PM   #5
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Mini split is the term you are looking for.
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Old 07-11-2017, 12:46 PM   #6
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Name: Daryl
Trailer: Boler
MANITOBA
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Thanks for the welcome here . I appreciate it.
thankyou for the travel tip Glen. I will certainly watch the latest on the fire conditions.

Yes, those are the AC units I've heard about. Does anyone here know someone who has actually installed one in a trailer???.
I had purchased a brand new roof top unit thinking the roof on these Bolers would be plenty strong to hold it. After climbing up on a ladder to inspect what would be involved in the installation, I soon found that there is no roof structure to these trailers to carry a roof top AC. A person would need to do some major restructuring so the unit wouldn't sag the roof excessively or possibly break it.

I guess I now have some major researching ahead of me in these 2 mini split units.
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Old 07-11-2017, 12:56 PM   #7
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https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q...BCCC&FORM=VIRE

This guy did it, but I have no idea how it held up. There is a mini split being sold in Europe that has a flexible line set of tubing, that is not a permanent installation. You pop the blower portion through a window and the condenser hangs outside. Of course, it's not available on this continent.
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Old 07-11-2017, 02:59 PM   #8
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Daryl,

Dave (Rubicon327) on the Escape Forum installed a Mitsubishi mini split system in his Escape 19 and it looks like it was made for it. Its a very long thread with tons of information on what's involved and required, but the install section starts around page 11 or 12.

The bottom line is, it's very doable, but not for the faint of heart, and not without some expertise. I recommend reading the entire thread, as it paints a picture from idea to completion. This is a superb mod in every respect, and Dave now has an AC system that's whisper quiet.

http://www.escapeforum.org/forums/showthread.php?t=8249

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Old 07-11-2017, 03:41 PM   #9
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You could come to the Manitoba Rally (see upcoming events on the right hand side of this page) and there will be an air conditioner guy there.....
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Old 07-12-2017, 12:57 PM   #10
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Name: Daryl
Trailer: Boler
MANITOBA
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Thanks for the great responses guys. I've been doing alot of reading here in the last day and the more I read, the more I'm thinking this is a real good system to go with on a RV. Google has come in very handy on this.
Installation or fabrication wont be an issue for me, as I enjoy a good challenge and have a good selection of tools to get the job done properly.
Seems that a 9000 BTU is the smallest unit available in these. Way more than a 17 foot Boler requires so it may cycle on and off more than it should with the only downfall of not pulling out as much humidity out of the air, but it will definately be cool.

Now I gotta fiqure out which unit I want to go with. I don't want to spend big $$$$ on this but I also don't want something that has a very short lifespan.
The below are a couple units I've found so far.


. 9000 BTU Ductless Mini Split Air Conditioner with AC Heat Pump by Senville | eBay

https://www.highseer.com/review/prod...4/category/38/

Daryl
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Old 07-12-2017, 11:35 PM   #11
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Name: Jan
Trailer: boler
British Columbia
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another welcome from BC yes things aren't great here but so far fires are mainly up north. Good luck on your trip. BTW we have a dual split in our house, its the only way to go
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Old 07-13-2017, 08:11 AM   #12
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Name: Daryl
Trailer: Boler
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bob in Mb View Post
You could come to the Manitoba Rally (see upcoming events on the right hand side of this page) and there will be an air conditioner guy there.....
Thankyou Bob. I have seen these on the local news here in years past and do have plans of attending. Looks like it is a great thing to attend. I am going to be in Minnesota that weekend tho attending the races in Brainerd.

Thankyou Jan. My trip plans are to go through Tumber Ridge and head south from there. Probably staying close to the BC Alberta border


rbryan.
Thankyou for the link to that. It's a great read with alot of good info. Ya, I read it all.....lol
Doing an install such as this won't be an issue for me as I am very versed in building, fabricating and such in many different mechanical facets.

My eventual tow vehicle for this trailer will be a 1955 ford f100 that will be chopped, slammed, with the cab extended longer, independant suspension, air ride and many of todays conveniences incorporated into it. I am doing all the work myself. This is ther main reason I have decided on going with one of these very cool little trailers
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Old 07-13-2017, 08:43 AM   #13
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Mini splits tend to be much more efficient than window or rooftop units, plus they heat too. Probably much quieter as well. Finding one small enough for a small trailer may be a problem.
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Old 07-13-2017, 09:55 AM   #14
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Name: Daryl
Trailer: Boler
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Quote:
Originally Posted by John Linck View Post
Mini splits tend to be much more efficient than window or rooftop units, plus they heat too. Probably much quieter as well. Finding one small enough for a small trailer may be a problem.
From the research I've done so far, the smallest 115 Volt unit with an inverter is 9000 BTU. I am not really needing the heat pump part of one of these and would be happy to find one as a cooling unit only. The Propane heater works awesome in this thing.
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Old 07-13-2017, 11:02 AM   #15
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Name: Tom
Trailer: Sprinter 'til I buy
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A heat pump is an A/C running in reverse.

It is worth pointing out that many (or all) mini splits are heat pumps. Imagine an air conditioner running in reverse so that the cold air is exhaust. They are used in mild climates and are a reasonable alternative to the resistance heat some rooftop A/Cs provide. If it gets really cold, heat pumps lose their effectiveness. In residential situations, resistance coils are the Plan B backup. A mini split could provide an alternative to installing an RV furnace. The air they put out is not as warm.
It doesn't cost much to design a mini split so that it will run in reverse. For that reason my guess is that you are unlikely to find a mini split that is not also a heat pump, and if you did, it would not cost much less.
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Old 07-13-2017, 02:06 PM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by John Linck View Post
Mini splits tend to be much more efficient than window or rooftop units, plus they heat too. Probably much quieter as well. Finding one small enough for a small trailer may be a problem.
Many smaller mini split units will fit in a Casita, a Scamp, an Escape, and many others. The two issues are fabrication of a suitable interior mounting location if the cabinets dont exist or can't accommodate it, and space on the tongue for the compressor/fan unit.

As far as noise, there's no "probably" to it. They are dramatically quieter, so much so that it can be hard to hear them running when you're in the back of the trailer.

Fabrication and HVAC are the two skills needed, but otherwise they are practical and work extremely well.
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