Replacing the Front A/C on a Casita

[Joe Z]

Thought these pictures might be useful for anyone that is considering replacing the front A/C on a Casita....I did this after seeing another poster doing this job and I Had the Original 1994 A/C out and a new one in in one day......waiting for the caulk to dry and will finish it up today.
First off the closet door above the a/c should be removed and the floor of the closet taken out (it just lifts right up with no screw holding it in) It would have been impossible without taking the closet floor out on mine. The rest of the pictures should explain it all and i hope this helps anyone who is considering this and it was easier than i thought but you have to be a little bit handy.
Oh by the way the original unit i took out i measured for anyone contemplating this.....All measurements are from the inside of the top cross bracket (where a window would come down and hold it in place) to the rear of the A/C.... 15"Deep (front to rear) X 20"wide X 12" to 12.5" High......anything wider will not work but deeper (front to rear) would. you'll see in the final picture that i removed the two right screws in the A/C cross bracket and drilled two new holes to line up with the contour of the closet face.
Joe

Update: I am using a LG Model number LWHD8000RY6 (that i bought last year and exactly the same size as the old original A/C i took out) and the Honda 2000 Generator runs this A/C in econo Mode with a slight rev up on compressor kick in then back to econo. the newer LG's that don't have that model number are too small to fit without alot of modifaication.

[Phil Underwood]

nice pics... thanks ..

[Bob H]

I see the exhaust vent for the hot air comming out of the back of the unit, but how is the unit getting outside air to get to the vents along the top ? Are there vents along the bottom or the sides of the unit as well as the top? Does the cabin air flow back to those vents along the top, or does the floor of the closet seal the backside of the AC from the cabin? Is there a path for any condensation to get out?

I'm guessing you have outside air coming in from underneath, right?

[Joe Z]

I see the exhaust vent for the hot air comming out of the back of the unit, but how is the unit getting outside air to get to the vents along the top ? Are there vents along the bottom or the sides of the unit as well as the top? Does the cabin air flow back to those vents along the top, or does the floor of the closet seal the backside of the AC from the cabin? Is there a path for any condensation to get out?

I'm guessing you have outside air coming in from underneath, right?

Bob
the unit gets fresh air from outside via two vents....one on the side and the other on the bottom and it circulates all the way around the unit underneath the closet floor which does not let air in from the cabin.....
the picture with no a/c shows a white fiberglass box that the exhaust of the a/c gets completely sealed into ....there is a fiberglass lid that gets caulked to the top of that white fiberglass box and that makes it completely separate from the intake fresh air..... also that white box has a steep slope and that is where the water runs down and out the front vent.

when the closet floor goes in it's about two inches above the a/c which is held high by two 2x4's as seen in the picture where one is in right now.....
hope this helps
Joe

[Bob H]

Bob
the unit gets fresh air from outside via two vents....one on the side and the other on the bottom and it circulates all the way around the unit underneath the closet floor which does not let air in from the cabin.....
the picture with no a/c shows a white fiberglass box that the exhaust of the a/c gets completely sealed into ....there is a fiberglass lid that gets caulked to the top of that white fiberglass box and that makes it completely separate from the intake fresh air..... also that white box has a steep slope and that is where the water runs down and out the front vent.

when the closet floor goes in it's about two inches above the a/c which is held high by two 2x4's as seen in the picture where one is in right now.....
hope this helps
Joe

Sure does Joe, I looked closer at that last photo and now see that side vent. I was just surprised to see such a tight fit along the sides, I figured they had to get some air in from the bottom as well. I see the cauking that you had to cut away around the backside too, good seal. The clearence along the top is just like what I got also.

In the homemade closet install in my Scamp, I had to remove a oversized window unit that was crammed in tight to the sides with no outside ventlation at all. The AC was burnt up and the insulation along the closet wall right side had actually burnt due to too much heat from the condenser. That right side where your side vent is located is actually where the hottest part of the A/C is too. That's the side furthest from the compressor, and where the coils have the least amount of heat transfer efficency. I made sure that the unit I installed had at least 1.5" of gap on each side so it could get air, with the most direct path on that right side. My air comes in by the sides and up and over the top. I really like the idea of getting air from underneath, as long as moisture from the road can't migrate. It'd really make the A/C more efficent since the air under the trailer should be much cooler too. I'd just worry about camping in tall grass that might interfere with ventilation. (Just a thought)

Great photos, and great project.

ConwayBob

[Joe Z]

Glad you liked the pictures bob..... the vent underneath has the louvers facing towards the rear so no water gets sucked in and everything was very dry and looks like it never got wet under there.
If i can be of any further help feel free to ask.
Joe