Northwestern Build - Updated 7/4/2010 - Done!

[mikeschn]

Congrats on your outing... Is it everything you thought it would be?

BTW, I like your gray water tank. I might have to expand on that idea...

Mike...

[High Desert]

WE FINALLY WENT CAMPING!!!! We couldn't be happier with our maiden voyage. There were no breakdowns and no surprises. The only issues we experienced were little things that we expected.

The biggest problem is that the AC doesn't blow very cold. I have to get it ventilated better. It's not blowing cold enough to keep up with hot sumer days.

Spectacular Bill! Congratulations on a job VERY well done!!

[wlivesey]

Thanks everyone. We had a great time and are excited about our future outings. There are still some things that have to be completed/changed but that will happen in due time.

Congrats on your outing... Is it everything you thought it would be?

BTW, I like your gray water tank. I might have to expand on that idea...

Mike...

It's everything and more. The queen bed seems huge, the stove is incredible, the roof vent has so much power it will actually suck the door closed, the fridge is ice cold, tons ot battery power, tons of propane, etc etc etc. The list goes on and on... We are really very happy.

The ONLY problem I have is with the AC. It's just not blowing cold enough. It starts out cold but looses it's cooling power once the unit warms up. It's not ventilated well enough - I just have to figure out a solution. If anybody has a good ventilation idea, I'm all ears. I'm thinking I need to force feed outside air into the unit from outside. I've already got a bathroom exhaust sucking out hot air but that doesn't seem to be enough.

[aggie79]

The ONLY problem I have is with the AC. It's just not blowing cold enough. It starts out cold but looses it's cooling power once the unit warms up. It's not ventilated well enough - I just have to figure out a solution. If anybody has a good ventilation idea, I'm all ears. I'm thinking I need to force feed outside air into the unit from outside. I've already got a bathroom exhaust sucking out hot air but that doesn't seem to be enough.

Bill - I've looked back through your pictures and I can't tell where your "intake" air for your condenser is coming from. It looks like the only place for this air to come from is from inside of your WW. Is it possible to duct air from the outside for this purpose? I know you have the porta-potti to the right. Maybe you could create an opening to the bench to the left and from there to the outside. (I think this is where your batteries are but there appears to be enough room around the inner battery box.) The question though is where this falls on your folding roof.

Anyway, I still love your TTT. So does my wife.

Take care and I know you'll get this solved.

[starleen2]

Hey Bill welcome to the WW club - it looks spectacular

[wlivesey]

Bill - I've looked back through your pictures and I can't tell where your "intake" air for your condenser is coming from. It looks like the only place for this air to come from is from inside of your WW. Is it possible to duct air from the outside for this purpose? I know you have the porta-potti to the right. Maybe you could create an opening to the bench to the left and from there to the outside. (I think this is where your batteries are but there appears to be enough room around the inner battery box.) The question though is where this falls on your folding roof.

Anyway, I still love your TTT. So does my wife.

Take care and I know you'll get this solved.

Hey Tom, the intake for the air conditioner is through the floor. It draws cool air in through a couple of vents in the floor and uses a powered bathroom exhaust fan to blow the hot air back out through the floor as well. I thought about using some of the porta potti area but would like to avoid that if possible. We may build another cabinet over the potti area. If we do that, then I can probably rearrange things a bit, move the AC all the way to the back, and have more ventilation options than just through the floor. You are right about interference with the hatch, it pretty much eliminates any ventilation options on the side of the trailer with the AC mounted where it is. The batteries are on the tongue...

Hey Bill welcome to the WW club - it looks spectacular

Thanks Scott. I'm glad to be a member of such an exclusive club.

[wlivesey]

How many CFM of fresh airflow should I need to cool a 5000 BTU window AC???? I'm sure someone here knows this, or knows how to figure it out...

I picked up a couple of inline duct fans down at the HoDePo. The are rated at 250 CFM. I was thinking about using one for the intake side and one for the exhaust side. After bench testing one of them, it just doesn't seem like it moves that much air.

I bought two of these...
http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10051&langId=-1&catalogId=10053&productId=100067594

[WayneFromMo]

WOW, NICE JOB, WELL DONE :applause:

[wlivesey]

The AC problem is solved. It blows cold and does a nice job cooling off the interior.

I built up a wall to separate the AC intake vents from the exhaust vents. I sealed this area with caulking and then insulated with the foil/bubble wrap insulation. Sorry, no pics of that...


I don't have much room in my AC cabinet but I managed to add a second exhaust fan which gives me a little over 100CFM of exhaust. Yes, its a little loud, but it works perfectly. It's also very well insulated (with the bubble wrap foil stuff) so the noise doesn't seem to bad inside the camper. The fans blow the hot exhaust air out over the wheel well. They are both wired to a to a switch that the AC plugs into. This prevents the AC from running without the fans being on.


So the finished AC install looks like this...




Also, to cover/protect the intake vent holes in the floor - I spotted this paint pan at Home Depot. With a few large holes drilled in the bottom of the pan, I think it will make a great vent cover for under the trailer. No body will ever see it...

[wlivesey]

The upholstery is DONE!!! It's not the best picture - the color is kind of washed out- but I think you'll get the idea.

The backrests shown in the picture go over the table top when the dinette is converted into the bed.



We order the upholstery from http://www.slipcovershop.com. They did a fantastic job, used very high quality material, and shipped the completely custom cushions, to my specifications very quickly. I order the cushions at 9PM, and they shipped the next morning. I don't know how they made them so fast. Incredible... All for just $300 - shipping included.

: If you order anything from them, don't forget to enter coupon code SLSH for a nice discount. It saved me $50.

A link to what we ordered
http://www.slipcovershop.com/product_detail/zippered_cushion_cover_palmetto_tapestry_chenille_floral.asp


Here is a better look at he fabric.

[grizz]

Great feeling when you get to that point.

Well done.

[pete42]

Glad you found a solution to your problem with the AC.
when I read you were venting to the same location as your intake I thought the hot air is being pulled back into the intake.
On some scamp trailers when people built a AC unit into the closet they ran into the same kind of problem untill they figured it out.
great looking trailer and a great job of building it.
Old-pete

[S. Heisley]

That's pretty material and they did a good job on the upholstery. Thanks for sharing.

[Chuckles2153]

Very nice, I like it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[wlivesey]

Well folks, the day has come. I'm officially declaring the Northwestern Build COMPLETE! We took the trailer on a two week trip from Texas, through New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho and Utah. We had a blast and the Northwestern kept up with no problems, no leaks and no complaints.

Ouray, Colorado - 7/3/2010.



Let the modifications begin!!!