Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

I have been in touch with cool pet. I got ahold of the I'm-not-the-fellow-to-talk-to, but he tried his best. Here I what I got.... first, they have decided that their unit bouncing on a tear drop would fall into the "we are not going to honor the warranty" category.... and the temp control is like an older car where you set it, and if the day get hotter or colder, you have to fiddle with the knob to manually adjust it. This coupled with moving the unit around has gotten me back to "where do I put a small a/c unit in my tear drop trailer".

The irony is, we sleep with our heads to the rear and like it. We get in the front and can take our shoes off in the 2 feet or so that is carpeted and leave a lot of the foot debris there, instead of on the bed. Also, Gretta gets in there and has her bed in that area. So, I'm kind of at a losss about where to put an a/c unit......

I have thought about putting it in the front, but the tongue weight is already getting up to the high side of where I want it....

For me, the ideal place would be on the floor level, facing to the rear.

I did find a really neat industrial 2,000 btu a/c unit that is 12x12x17" high...... used to cool electrical cabinets.... then I noticed it weighed 85 pounds.... and assume its cost is in direct proportion to its weight (don't know that for sure).....

Usually I get one of those flashes of brilliance with this type of problem, but here, I just keep spinning in circles..... If anyone ever finds something like a 4,000 btu a/c unit, I'd appreciate you letting me know. When I do searches on the net, I keep running into very expensive portable units that seem huge...

And it might cause me to build no. 2........

Arne,,been thar done that,,,looked all over to find a small compac, light A/C that would work,,found a few that might could be adapted but the cost was way out there,,went back to the small window unit,,picked up a new complete unit 5200 btu from home depot,,it was end of the season and I got it for $40.00 bucks,,now I mounted it high in the center of the galley,,and believe it or not it works just dandy,,,right now I have it pulled out and I got a pass thru, place for a small heater,,coffee pot, etc,,I made a screen/plate to cover up the hole if I need it but so far I just leave it open,,

one idea I wish some a/c guru would come up with is to take a window unit,,seperate the outside works from the inside works,,bascially build a unit like what you have in a home,,compressor outside say on tongue and the inside unit built in in the rear cabinet area,,sort of a central a/c unit
it seems to me that if you could split the two components then it would be a matter of making the tubing longer and a little wiring


chip

Chip, can you direct me to any pics you have of your installation? I'd like to see how the outside part is handled to keep the weather out...

I found a 5200 btu at Home Depot for 109.00 with remote so I did not have to get up in the middle of the night to mess with it. I mounted mine low in the galley wall, and it works fine. Let's put this way it is very comfortable in there. remember K.I.S.S, you can look high and low. You are not going to find cheaper A/C than window units. they might be overkill with thye btu's, still you can't beat the price. Just design your opening for easy removal for replacing unit if it goes bad someday

I like the way Engled did his. His unit sits in a pan on the ground under the trailer, with flex duct bringing in the cold air to the cabin. On the interior he's got the register by his feet and a thermostat mounted on the wall. He only takes the AC with him when he knows it's going to be hot.

I like his installation as well. The main concern in Florida is that if it were to rain, it pours, floods, and not wanting to get the unit all messed up. Besides here you pretty much need A/C the majority of the year, so it is easier to have it built in living down here. Hey to each his own.

Chip wrote:
one idea I wish some a/c guru would come up with is to take a window unit,,seperate the outside works from the inside works,,bascially build a unit like what you have in a home,,compressor outside say on tongue and the inside unit built in in the rear cabinet area,,sort of a central a/c unit
it seems to me that if you could split the two components then it would be a matter of making the tubing longer and a little wiring
chip

Chip,
There is such a critter they are called ductless units Most A.C. manufacturers make a version of it. I guess in theory you could cut up a window unit into two parts the only other problem besides the copper lines and wires needing to be extended is that the condenser and the blower share a fan motor, I would think you could just get another small motor to run one fan or the other. Or you might have to replace both due to the fact that the motor is sized to move both fans and if you take one off it might cause problems. It might be something to try if you have the time and money.

I do not think it would be a major stretch for an A/C repair person to help break a window unit into two pieces. Install the cooler wherever you need it with a 12 V fan pushing the cool air; and install the compressor wherever it's convienent.

The next step is to power the compressor side with a small gasoline motor...

To me it would seem like a feasible thing to do however when it comes to a/c or heat if the little box on the wall dont make it do what I am wanting it to do then I call sombody else,,,if there are some piddlers out there that would try one out I would be interested to find out how it works and what is involved in making such a conversion,,,sure would be slick to have central air in a teardrop,,,
next I guess I got to figure out how to reduce tongue weight so a unit could be installed,,

thanks
chip

There sure is a lot of debate about A/C. I must be missing something because I don't see the need for it. I guess if you are camping in Texas or Florida in August it would be nice, but everything I've seen described here appears to run on 110v power company electricity. That means being in a site with commercial power. Okay, I guess, but that's not really camping if you ask me. It's more like tailgaiting.

I suppose one advantage to living in the most beautiful state in the nation, that being Utah, is that there is a natural source of air conditioning at 10,000 feet only 15 minutes from my driveway. And plenty of places to pull down into the trees and actually CAMP without paying a fee or listening to someone else's boom box playing murder and rape music.

I don't have a teardrop yet, but I do have a Coleman tent trailer, and I have never once wished I had A/C while camping. But then I don't live where it's 90 degrees and 90% and rising. Ahh, Utah! Not only is it a dry heat, it's also a dry cool.

I don't know about Utah at all, but living in the deep south A/C becomes a a requirement due to the heat and humidity. In winter living in Florida it can get cool and damp and the mildew problem can take over in a heartbeat in either. But what a trade off the sand ,saltwater, the beach, floating in your pool in the dead of winter, not being colder than your beer and the scantly clad women. A/C depends on where you are, if it is not needed you dont have to turn it on, but it is a nice option to have when it gets hot if you do alot of traveling around the country. I would love to see Utah and the mountains.

Who needs A/C? Not me!



15 minutes from my house

How about another?

The peak in the center is approx. 11,300 feet high. No camping up there, but a view that will make you weep.

Wanna see what it looks like right now? Check out this webcam.

http://www.brianhead.com/webcam.html

Much as I don't want more weight on the tongue of the tear, the a/c will go on the front, just above the tongue.... I'll punch a hole there and put a support bracket on the tongue, so the a/c will be mounted low, and incorporated into a shelf unit..... not the most desireable, but the most doable.....

I will try to balance part of it off with a battery on the back end, plus some other storage....