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Old 02-18-2019, 07:36 AM   #21
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Trailer: 2008 Scamp 13 S1
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Portable room AC in camper?

Since your 2019 Scamp has the rear sliding window, it’s not hard to put a small portable window unit there. IMO a temporary installation is best- set it up in camp, take it down to travel, leave it at home when you don’t need it. It’s going to be a lot more efficient than a freestanding unit, and it doesn’t take up valuable floor space

There’s an old thread or two with ideas for an easy-to-set-up mount that covers the window opening and supports the A/C unit. The concept is adaptable to any small 5000 BTU window unit. No holes or permanent alterations to the trailer are required and set-up is a 5-10 minute job. Making the mount is a fairly easy DIY job (2-3 on a 10 point scale). A “Site Search/Google” (bottom of the search menu) on “Scamp window A/C” should turn something up.

If you will need A/C a lot, another option is to have Scamp retrofit a roof A/C unit. Yours already has the necessary fiberglass reinforcement.

I don’t use A/C myself, but having grown up in MD I understand the need if you travel widely or live in the humid eastern half of the country. Do what you need to do.

The ubiquitous use of A/C at home and on the road does carry an environmental cost. It’s something to consider when planning when and where to travel, but I will not presume to make that decision for anyone but myself. “Just stay home” is not helpful. Running a large central A/C at home may well use more energy than running a small A/C in your trailer.
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Old 02-18-2019, 08:48 AM   #22
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Name: RJ
Trailer: 1982 Burro 13'
North Carolina
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Originally Posted by Vicki Hale View Post
Thanks RJ.
Is hers a one hose style?
Yes, single hose. She also has a very small tube exiting through the floor so she doesn't have to worry with emptying the water tray in the bottom of the unit.
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Old 02-18-2019, 10:04 AM   #23
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Name: Mike
Trailer: 2012 Escape 19
Oklahoma
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Originally Posted by Vicki Hale View Post
Thanks Mike.
Do you plan on mounting the outside unit to the trailer frame or hooking it up on site? I looked at those mini-splits but did not know if they could withstand the road travel if on the frame.
This Rollicool is designed to be freestanding. I will transport it in the back of the suv.

My experience of the one-hose portable failing to cool the trailer occurred in Zion NP in July, in mid 90s temps. Best it got inside was 84 degrees, running all afternoon. I sat in front of it so the cold air blew on me, and survived. After supper my bike and I rode the bus to the end of the line and I enjoyed coasting downhill through the park, back to the cg. Cool enough by then.

How much more money for a two hose ac? Why not splurge a bit and be sure of having it cool comfortably?

Ronald, you are in Ontario. What temps are you using your ac in?
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Old 02-18-2019, 01:43 PM   #24
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Name: Jerome
Trailer: 2000 Scamp 13
AR
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Under bed by wire area AC

I mounted a 5000 btu unit on the floor, had to fiddle with it some. Now works great
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Old 02-18-2019, 01:50 PM   #25
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AR
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I forgot to say how quiet it is being under the bed
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Old 02-18-2019, 02:16 PM   #26
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Name: Rob
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I have one of those portable units in the closet of my Love Bug. Works great, exhausts out the back.
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Old 02-18-2019, 06:03 PM   #27
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Name: Vicki
Trailer: 2019 Scamp 13' with 2015 Nissan Frontier V6
Alabama
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Thank you Justus for providing me with the links! You found a lot more threads than I did and I have been reading all of them. I really appreciate your sharing the info with me!
Vicki
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Old 02-18-2019, 06:26 PM   #28
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Name: Vicki
Trailer: 2019 Scamp 13' with 2015 Nissan Frontier V6
Alabama
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Thanks Mike. I was interested in the one hose style only because I could vent it through the small window over the stove. I'm not sure if I could fit 2 hoses through that window. I'll have to look into that.
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Old 02-18-2019, 06:36 PM   #29
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Name: Vicki
Trailer: 2019 Scamp 13' with 2015 Nissan Frontier V6
Alabama
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Thanks Jon. I have been reading all the threads on adding AC and have not ruled out the window ACs. The pic showing the rear window install with the extra thick pipe insulation around the unit looked like a pretty simple install. I am checking AC until weights now to see if it is something I could lift. I'm getting a lot of great ideas from this forum!
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Old 02-18-2019, 08:44 PM   #30
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Name: Gordon
Trailer: 2015 Scamp (16 Std Layout 4) with '15 Toyota Sienna LE Tug
North Carolina
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Glenn Baglo View Post
I don't understand the appeal of sleeping with an A/C unit in a tiny trailer. Why wouldn't one just stay home or go someplace tolerable?
I considered a number of replies to this but concluded that people who are so closed minded cannot, or will not, see beyond their own circumstances.

Still, just maybe one of the replies I drafted will shed enough light to penetrate at least a little. So here it is.

Its not that sleeping with a (loud) air conditioner in a small trailer is all that appealing. It is more the case that it is less appealing to sleep in a small hot and humid trailer when you need to be, or really want to be, where those are the conditions that exist.

One example is when I go to visit my mother who is paralyzed and in a nursing home. I drag my small trailer over 600 miles so that I have personal space to live in for the week or so while I am there. In summer its hot and humid - often so much so that I cannot sleep without my air conditioner. I could spend $120 a night for a hotel room, in which who knows what nefarious activities have gone on. Or I could "just stay home or go someplace tolerable" and tell my mother that my comfort was more important than seeing her.

Any light getting through yet?
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Old 02-18-2019, 08:51 PM   #31
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Any light getting through yet?

So, you don't choose to sleep in a tiny trailer with A/C. You do it because you have to to visit your mother and you can't stay home and visit your mother. I get that.
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Old 02-19-2019, 10:50 AM   #32
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Name: James Y.
Trailer: Companion
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Originally Posted by Vicki Hale View Post
My 13' Scamp did not come with AC. Has anyone ever tried using a portable room AC in their camper? If so, did it work? I am talking about the type of portable AC that is free standing and is vented with tubes out a window.
I found one on Amazon that only uses one tube for venting and thought that might work.
Thanks!
Vicki
We had a portable AC in the camper for a few years but took in out as it used up much of the limited floorspace. We now use fans for sleeping as here in the Midwest it generally cools down at night and we are mainly outside during the day. They use interior air and are quite inefficient. Also, when it rains water is sucked in past the door seal as the portable AC creates a vacuum.
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Old 02-23-2019, 11:36 AM   #33
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Name: Pete
Trailer: Burro Wide Body 17ft.
Nebraska
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We use a 5000 btu window a/c in our 17 ft Burro. It is able to freeze us out. You can buy a little unit like this for $79 in the fall at Walmart. We have a window bracket that slips on the sill when we get to campsite, then we slip the a/c unit on, takes less than a minute. When we leave on the road, we take out a/c unit and window bracket, in that way, there is no stress on the window sill while traveling. It’s so simple, cheap, and oh so effective.
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Old 02-23-2019, 11:55 AM   #34
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Name: Vicki
Trailer: 2019 Scamp 13' with 2015 Nissan Frontier V6
Alabama
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Hi Pete and thank you for your reply!
The window AC seems to be the thing that works best for people so I went to Walmart to "test-lift" the smallest 5K BTU unit to see if I would be able to lift it to window height. I can lift and hold it but the darn thing is just too heavy for me to lift to shoulder height. I'm 63 and just over 5 feet tall so it just wasn't doable for me. Very disappointed! Why are they so darn heavy!!
I'm searching the Internet now to see if anyone makes a lightweight unit.
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Old 02-23-2019, 12:26 PM   #35
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Name: Pete
Trailer: Burro Wide Body 17ft.
Nebraska
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Originally Posted by Vicki Hale View Post
Hi Pete and thank you for your reply!
The window AC seems to be the thing that works best for people so I went to Walmart to "test-lift" the smallest 5K BTU unit to see if I would be able to lift it to window height. I can lift and hold it but the darn thing is just too heavy for me to lift to shoulder height. I'm 63 and just over 5 feet tall so it just wasn't doable for me. Very disappointed! Why are they so darn heavy!!
I'm searching the Internet now to see if anyone makes a lightweight unit.
Most 5000 BTU units are about 40 lbs. I believe that I saw one listed at 37lbs. Vicki, the camping community is a very friendly community and they are more than willing to help a fellow camper for about 30 seconds to lif a window unit in place, or to help remove an a/c unit when you are ready to hit the road. What’s nice about my window a/c is that if I know that the weather is going to be cool, we just leave the unit at home. We just use our Fantastic Fan otherwise.
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Old 02-23-2019, 12:37 PM   #36
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Trailer: 1985 Uhaul VT-16 Vacationer, 1957 Avion R20 & 1977 Argosy 6.0 Minuet
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Here is an A/C Heat system a gentleman from Tennessee set up in his UHaul CT-13 camper.

The A/C unit is a window unit mounted in an aluminum box mounted on the toque of the trailer. The box is vented to provide air flow to the A/C unit. The A/C unit cold air out and hot air return ducting was modified to redirect the airflow to 2 flexible hose connections in the aluminum box. The cold air exit and hot air return are both plumbed out the back of the box with removable flexible hose that connects between the aluminum box and the air duct connections on the trailer.

The cold A/C air connection was ducted into several different locations within the trailer and the hot air return was ducted from a single point at the rear of the trailer back to the front air return connection. The window unit is an inexpensive unit ($125) that worked great with 110 volt shore power. This setup moved the noise outside the trailer and added less that 60 lbs of total weight to the front tongue area of the trailer where the box was mounted. If desired one could get a combo heat/Air unit to provide both hot and cold air. This setup could also be installed above the rear bumper of the trailer if desired. His tow vehicle is a vintage 1/2 ton Chevrolet PU.

A 5000 BTU A/C unit provides plenty of cooling in a small fiberglass trailer. The aluminum box setup is also easily removed from the trailer if desired. The only space you lose behind the cabinetry depends upon the amount of duct work you add. Yes you are perforating the exterior of the trailer shell with water tight connections however "I" think this is a slick setup to add an Air/Heat combination system if desired.
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Old 02-23-2019, 01:14 PM   #37
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Name: david
Trailer: Burro
Florida
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My 1982 13’ Burro had an ingenious AC. It was a 6,000btu standard window unit. Mounted directly on the floor of the trailer under the front bunk in the right corner of the trailer. The unit sat in a metal tray with a drain hose attached to it that ran through the floor. (They have to have a tray and drain tube since the condensate water has to drain from the rear of the unit to somewhere.) The fiberglass bulkhead at the front of the bunk was cut out to fit the AC unit. Behind the unit at the front of the trailer were 2 oval shaped holes cut in the wall of the trailer. One on the front side, the other on the right side behind the AC unit. The cutout oval pieces/plates were saved and rubber gaskets were added to the edges of the plates to make covers for the holes. Rubber straps were used to retain the cover plates and to hold them watertight against the trailer wall when ac not in use. The way the rear area of the AC unit pulled in and exhausted air worked so air came in from the right side hole and exhausted through the front hole. The AC unit was in the trailer when I bought it and was at least 5 or more years old. I used it for another 6 years and it worked perfectly with no problems. Kept my trailer at 70’ in south FLorida camping at 90’ temp and hi humidity. Life saver!!! If you need more info on how it was done contact me and I may be able to find pictures of it.
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Old 02-23-2019, 01:17 PM   #38
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Has anyone seen the Noria window unit? It was suppose to be out last spring. I can find youtube videos but not the website.
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Old 02-23-2019, 02:32 PM   #39
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Window AC

We use a window ac unit to take the evening heat out of our Mity-Lite camp trailer. First unit broke internally from the bumpy ride in the trailer. The replacement unit now rides in the car trunk that has far less vibes. We simply lift the unit into the front pop-up window and use a towel to absorb the condensate for the time the unit operates, maybe 45 minutes or so, or as required in the heat of the greater Salt Lake area. A condensate tray with drain tube is in the plans.
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Old 02-23-2019, 02:34 PM   #40
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Trailer: U-Haul 13 ft ('Lil Eggo')
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Portable AC

I have a LG single hose that I use in a pop up camper - ran a small drain hose through a small hole in a corner - it actually worked relatively well in the main part of the camper which was 12’ long - not so much inside the two bed ends where there is only canvas roofs. We used it at the beach in 90-95 deg. sun. You have to open a window or vent slightly, and use some kind of insulation to wrap around the exhaust pipe as it does tend to get hot and expelled that heat back into the camper. I did not use it in my Uhaul camper as it just took up too much room. It would keep the temp down to 77 deg. which was decent for us during the day, and 72-74 at night. Should do better in a fiberglass camper. For my Uhaul I used a 6000 btu window unit mounted under the front passenger seat and vented out the front. It is set on a raised metal pan to collect condensate and drain out and intake air holes were drilled under and to the sides of the unit in the floor. The exhaust vents out the front through a simple louvered vent, and I made a stainless screw on cover that screws on when I travel to keep the rain out. It also has to have the intake and exhaust separated in the seat area with foam board - I had some Schluter foam tile board leftover from another job - worked quite well. There are several here that have done the same in scamps, etc in the front closet. I’ll post a few pics of the inside and the outside vent and cover. Works quite well, but is also QUITE a bit more work and has to be measured and worked out carefully before you buy so it fits well. Not for the inexperienced rehabber. Mine just barely fit the space, but works remarkably well - I crack my ceiling vent slightly to pull the old air into the camper easier. If you want to try the portable, you should be able to pick up one relatively inexpensively to try and if it doesn’t work out use it somewhere else or resell.
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