Installing a Window Air Conditioner through the wall

[eXodus]

Hello my friends,

I'm going to install a small window A/C for my Bedroom, I tried to work with the Roof A/C but this thing is just terrible loud and doesn't cool the bedroom really good (since it's in the middle of the coach) a Single Roof A/C for a 29 feet is nearly maxed out.

Next problem is, I cannot run my roof with my little generator. I think my roof A/C is a 15000 BTU or so..

Through the wall it is. I got a 5000 BTU of craigslist for $20, which works very good and is not to loud. So I'm thinking about how to mount this thing. It's not very heavy, around 40-45 pounds I would guess.
Since my Itasca is made out of the Fiberglass sandwich I've got no studs or nothing else to worry when I/m cutting through the wall.
I will go through the rear wall over my back window inside my overhead compartments. So I won't see the A/C when the doors are closed.

I'm going to take an Aluminum angle metal which will be about 2 feet wide and mount it to the top of the A/C so it has plenty to hold on on both sides of the wall
It will be sitting on the shelf inside the cabinet on some carpet padding to reduce vibrations.

I'm going to seal it on the outside with peel and stick.  Anyone better ideas ? thanks !

Sebastian

[LJ-TJ]

What ever you do get lots and lots of Pictures.

[LJ-TJ]

Just found this. Don't know if there's an idea here for you or not? Hm?

[LJ-TJ]

Ooooops here's two more.

[circleD]

And in the winter time you can leave it in and have a counter or a shelf  . I like that

[DonD]

Put one in da Bus, all steel walls tho'. Used peal and seal outside!

Been through some heavy rain with no leakage.

[eXodus]

thx so far, dond this is like i want to do it. Have you got pics from the outside ?


No winter down here in Florida guys, I need the A/C year round. Just permanently installed

[cosmic]

must be tough. all that sun could be depressing.

[eXodus]

So I did install the the A/C through the wall today.


Was really an easy job after gathering all the materials and tools first, took my exactly one hour and 10 minutes.


[smg id=6985]
[smg id=6980]
[smg id=6981]
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it has the same color as my MH
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inside finished:
[smg id=6984]


I was lucky just where the bottom of my A/C sits at the wall is a metal brace which is holding the cabinet and the window. So the A/C shouldn't fall out it is not only held by the Aluminum L at the top it sits actually on a metal part of the wall.


Now I have to seal it and see how it works in the heat of the afternoon.


Yes Cosmic all the Sunshine is really depressing, you should come down and try it someday just kidding, but it's really interesting, after one day without sun I'm getting really tired and lazy.

[eXodus]

So first test run,

outside approx. 90, the RV parked in full sun, inside over 100 (don't have a meter to display)

Close the Bedroom door and started the Window A/C, it is not most silent model, but hey I did install it to hopefully don't use it a lot and it was only $35. So what.

The Performance:
It took the A/C not even 10 minutes to cool down my 7,5ft x 8 ft Bedroom and started cycling. Very impressed of these small unit.

My roof unit takes about two hours to get the middle of the coach comfortable, the bedroom gets never even as close as cold what this little unit did today !
I would guess the placement of my roof A/C is poor. In the middle alley between the Cabinets and the Shower door. Far away from the livingspace and bedroom. Also a 13500 Unit for a 29 feet with lots of windows is on the edge.

[Oz]

I did see one RVer who replaced the RV air conditioner on the roof with a house type.  They just put a large, curved duct from the front down into the roof of the RV.  I don't remember what BTU the unit was, but it looked to be 10 - 12 K judging by the size and the owner said it worked very well.

[Rickf1985]

I did see one RVer who replaced the RV air conditioner on the roof with a house type.  They just put a large, curved duct from the front down into the roof of the RV.  I don't remember what BTU the unit was, but it looked to be 10 - 12 K judging by the size and the owner said it worked very well.

That sounds like a really good idea for several reasons, the biggest is making it much easier to seal the opening in the roof. Big problem is.............................. How do you get to the controls? And the controls are made to be inside, not out in 60-80 mph winds! Plus those units tend to be pretty heavy so placement would have to be reinforced.

[LJ-TJ]

Not meaning to pee on anybody's parade but I thought we were looking for an alternative to putting the weight of an air conditioner on the roof of our old Winnie's. It seems the akillies heel of these old girls is the roof finally giving up due to the weight of the air conditioner and then allowing the water to run in around the seal??

[eXodus]

Yeah, sagging roof and also you are loosing a roof vent !

Sometimes a roof vent is much more important then an A/C which you don't run a lot.

If my wall A/C works better and cools more of the coach,  I'm considering to remove the roof A/C unit, to prevent roof sagging and reduce drag while driving.

[DonD]

Looking good!!

Now that we've used da bus once we found the little 5k unit worked well on mid 80 days.
We had some windows open incl. the entrance doors but all were screened plus I used a fan on low to help move air.

Da bus is 26 feet, has a white roof and is insulated plus tinted windows.

[Oz]

Not meaning to pee on anybody's parade but I thought we were looking for an alternative to putting the weight of an air conditioner on the roof of our old Winnie's. It seems the akillies heel of these old girls is the roof finally giving up due to the weight of the air conditioner and then allowing the water to run in around the seal??

Not really.  Although those are all great points in favor of going through the wall.  The posts was that the roof ac just didn't cut it the mustard.  The issue was that the bedroom wasn't getting cold at the end of the RV with the ac being in the center.  But that's exactly why longer units were later equipped with 2 roof air conditioners. The downside to having it through the wall, particularly at one end of the coach is that it will be very cold at the source and not as cold at the other end of the RV.  The longer the unit, the more the difference.  So, it's really the same problem in a different configuration.  Running the house type ac from the roof still provides a centralized location of the cold air source, as would going through a side wall in relatively the same area but has more cooling power.  I was just mentioning an alternative I had remembered.

And this is why ducted air conditioning was created.

[eXodus]

thanks don !

I'm still not getting why they use a basement air with ducts instead of going ductless ? split unit. you could have one freon system which could have two or three air handlers in different sections. its not that hard every bigger van has two air handlers.

[eXodus]

so after it's getting hot down here in Florida, I really like the small Window A/C

it cools down the room so much faster.

One downside I discovered so far, the wall vibrates slightly. Which is not a huge problem during day, but if I want to sleep and my head has some vibrations it could be annoying.
Didn't have to try it yet, nights are still cool. But this will change in a bit.

Then I've got the choice - noisy central roof air with low cooling, or good cooling window unit and a vibrating wall at my head.  Lol.

[Rickf1985]

H'ABOUT FACE! :)rotflmao