Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

MK...here is another alternative that was posted quite some time ago... http://home.alltel.net/engled/td/may23.html ..to control the remote mounted AC you could do as Kai(mexican tear) has done, which is to use a common wall mount "T"stat connected to a relay to control the A/C plug (like glassices suggested) or you can get 120vac "T"stat that is commonly used in greenhouses and animal habitats like this one
madjack

Julie
If you go with the removable A/C or mounted inside A/C. I'm with Madjack and Keith on the design of the Plenum and ductwork that both pictures show. It is simple ( no modifications unless you want inside controls ) and easy to replace the A/C when it is at it end.



Pat

MJ, Kai is running a petcool in his tear. Haven't heard from them lately, I wonder how they are doing?

i am not planning on ac but my brother in law has a motor home with a small roof mounted RV ac unit. replaces the vent hood. it is quite a bit bigger but not considerable. i have looked at it and it "could " be mounted in place of the vent hood fan. would this not solve the problems of t-stat control, and having to lug something in the trunk, and having to set it up. if you have 120 v great run it. if no 120v hook up just run the fan off 12 v. "B-N-L" is mounted in a standard 14" hole on the roof of his RV.

Thanks folks, but I was piddling with the Jewel Box yesterday , and am going to stick with the original idea .... I had only thought about changing since the new boyfriend had concerns about it , and it got me thinking but I put it in place yesterday and let it run a while, and such and realize the ease of just leaving it there and not having to pull it out of the car, etc.

Thanks ! maybe this thread will help someone else too. Like usual, you all are the BEST!!!

julie

asianflava wrote:MJ, Kai is running a petcool in his tear. Haven't heard from them lately, I wonder how they are doing?

Rocky...haven't seen/heard form him for awhile now and yes he uses a petcool but controls power to the 120vac outlet with a relay and a wall mount "T"stat...the little 120vac unit I linked to will probably be simpler for the electrically challenged..
madjack

madjack wrote:... or you can get 120vac "T"stat that is commonly used in greenhouses and animal habitats like this one
madjack

Good idea!! We use those in our shelters here at work for a fan control.

I really haven put a lot of thought in "how" the A/C will be controlled. I figured I worry about that when I got to it.

Mk

diverguy wrote:i am not planning on ac but my brother in law has a motor home with a small roof mounted RV ac unit. replaces the vent hood. it is quite a bit bigger but not considerable. i have looked at it and it "could " be mounted in place of the vent hood fan. would this not solve the problems of t-stat control, and having to lug something in the trunk, and having to set it up. if you have 120 v great run it. if no 120v hook up just run the fan off 12 v. "B-N-L" is mounted in a standard 14" hole on the roof of his RV.

If you can steal HIS, great:

Otherwise, those units cost a fortune, and that's why most of us don't install them. (Champagne tastes...beer pockets.)

We're talking hundreds of bucks compared to like 80.

The disadvantages of roof mounts:

Higher Cost, More Weight, and the fact you would be using about 10x the cooling power you need for the size of a tear.

The front grill on the unit in the picture is the return air and needs to be connected to the trailer as well, otherwise you will be cooling (and drying, since the AC does both) outside air and using it once then making it leak out of the trailer any way it can. Your TTT will be trying to inflate like a balloon and this back pressure will limit the cooling you will get as will the hot, damp air the system is continiously taking in. To use the unit's ability, you might want to put an opening in the side of the trailer and slide the front of the AC into it. I'm looking into a system similar to what you have but "in reverse". Look up "portable air conditioner" on the web and you will find AC units which pipe the hot air out of the trailer rather than the cold air inside. These come in one and two pipe systems (two is less common but is more efficient - consider a one pipe if you want to use the hole you already have cut). These units have a higher capacity than the window unit you show, but are also more expensive. For your best comfort, look for one which has a dehumification function, since the oversized unit will cool the air down so quickly, that it won't run long enough to dry the air out.
Questions? e-mail me at [email protected]

Mary K wrote:Julie, I found these pics when I first joined the forum. I do not remember who's it is, but I plan to copy them. Hope this helps.

Mk

Hi there I have to say I must disagree with bearfromobx. I have the exact set up you have pictured. It started out this way as a last minute a/c with the thought of making changes later. After using the unit all summer in temps of up to +37 c or should I say 100 plus in ferinheight it worked great. We did keep the roof vent open slightly to exhaust the hot air and equalize the pressure. The humidity was high outside and there were no humidity issues inside. I have no doubt this is an inefficient way to use the unit but as far as keeping the sleeping area cool and comfortable it was great. I may move the thermostat control and switch inside at some point but as it stands it works fine and is simple and easy to operate

streetrod23 wrote:Hi there I have to say I must disagree with bearfromobx. I have the exact set up you have pictured. It started out this way as a last minute a/c with the thought of making changes later. After using the unit all summer in temps of up to +37 c or should I say 100 plus in ferinheight it worked great. We did keep the roof vent open slightly to exhaust the hot air and equalize the pressure. The humidity was high outside and there were no humidity issues inside. I have no doubt this is an inefficient way to use the unit but as far as keeping the sleeping area cool and comfortable it was great. I may move the thermostat control and switch inside at some point but as it stands it works fine and is simple and easy to operate

And another old thread rises from the ashes!

Yeah I agree with 'ol Street rod here and can say I've camped in plenty of 100+ degree heat with my inefficient method of supplying "cold air with no recirculation" through pure thermodynamic attrition and am quite happy with the results.

Granted my conditions haven't been over 108 degrees or 98% humidity though. YMMV.