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Old 02-24-2023, 09:04 AM   #21
Freedom Trucking
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Originally Posted by JRTJH View Post
Looking at your installation, how have you found the heat buildup around the "outside unit" ??? We have a split unit to cool our sunroom on the back of our house. When installing it, the installation manual was "pretty adamant about maintaining sufficient clearances around the unit for proper operation"... That's why I abandoned the idea of adding one to our fifth wheel. I couldn't find any location (other than on the rear bumper) to install the outside unit AND maintain the required clearances.

How did you "conquer" that problem and has it affected your unit's "functional efficiency and ability" ? I'd be very disappointed to spend that kind of money for the unit and do an installation that would essentially prevent "going back to OEM" and then find out that in 1 or 2 seasons, the unit "burned itself up because of inadequate air clearances".....

Here's the required clearances on my unit:
I understood the recommendations from the factory and factored that into my install. Did I maintain the gaps? No but I believe I made up for that in ventilation. The back side of that box had plenty of room along the floor to install an adequate series of 2.5 inch holes that are covered by chicken wire to keep the mice out. The front smaller door is also a vent to the intake side. Both propane compartments have penetrations that pass through to the intake side as well. The front or exhaust side of the unit has a 15"diameter fan that I compensated flow for by going with a 24"x24" louvered vent in the door. When I'm parked I can open the door to increase flow if I feel like it's struggling but so far it hasn't at all. Now I only just installed this so I haven't been able to test cooling as it is still winter. However the heating BTU of this unit is close to 5000. I have been running it constantly since I installed it and I've been able to maintain 60 degrees F on 20 degree F nights. The cooling side should have better performance. Time will tell and if you read my other reply on this post today you'll see the ultimate plan.
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Old 02-24-2023, 09:12 AM   #22
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Given you drive down some muddy/wet roads, are you concerned about stuff getting past the vent on the front? I would definitely consider some mud flaps on your truck. I would also NOT have room for my slide to slip over anything... I put LVT on my floor in the cabin and if I don't put down some slats of 1/8" plywood, the slide will scratch. I would have no problems following the frame as I said, there isn't coroplast on the underside except for under the water tank... never figured that out.
I'm not concerned with moisture or water getting into the area. I actually designed the box with that in mind. The steel box bottom I coated in flex seal, the bottom six inches of the wood is coated in flex seal, everything inside is painted for additional corrosion mitigation and the unit itself is the "outdoor" unit and would be subject to direct rainfall and blowing debris under normal operation. Now the worst it would see is mist. Everything is wash down so I can just use the hose inside the box of I get any buildup.
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Old 02-24-2023, 10:47 AM   #23
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I know how loud a minisplit is. I have a 2 ton unit in my living room and it cools our kitchen dining room and living room nicely. Our unit is an AUX and has a number of fan speeds. Auto, low, med, high and turbo. On turbo, the noise level is barely perceptible and we find turbo a bit much most of the time (pushes cold air really hard.).
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Old 02-24-2023, 11:41 AM   #24
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I know how loud a minisplit is. I have a 2 ton unit in my living room and it cools our kitchen dining room and living room nicely. Our unit is an AUX and has a number of fan speeds. Auto, low, med, high and turbo. On turbo, the noise level is barely perceptible and we find turbo a bit much most of the time (pushes cold air really hard.).
We have a 24x26 room built onto the back of our house that faces south. except for the "wall adjacent to the house" all the walls are glass windows and the ceiling is 14' tall with the southern room wall glass extending to the top. In other words, a tremendous amount of solar gain.

We installed a 18K BTU mini-split much like yours. We've never even considered running the fan on turbo. Usually, we just set the thermostat (hand held "follow me" remote control) for 75F and fan on auto and the room stays cool, regardless of the amount of sunshine that heats the glass. And, I don't think I've ever actually "heard the noise" where it has been a nuisance. It's extremely quiet, our electric bill actually went down to a little over half wnat it was with window units, and there is no way to tie this room into the house central system without it having to run "almost continually" to overcome the heat gain. That would make the house a "meat locker" to keep the room comfortable because of the sun.
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Old 02-24-2023, 06:04 PM   #25
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JRTJH View Post
Looking at your installation, how have you found the heat buildup around the "outside unit" ??? We have a split unit to cool our sunroom on the back of our house. When installing it, the installation manual was "pretty adamant about maintaining sufficient clearances around the unit for proper operation"... That's why I abandoned the idea of adding one to our fifth wheel. I couldn't find any location (other than on the rear bumper) to install the outside unit AND maintain the required clearances.

How did you "conquer" that problem and has it affected your unit's "functional efficiency and ability" ? I'd be very disappointed to spend that kind of money for the unit and do an installation that would essentially prevent "going back to OEM" and then find out that in 1 or 2 seasons, the unit "burned itself up because of inadequate air clearances".....

Here's the required clearances on my unit:
it can cause the unit to run at higher head pressures resulting in less efficiency because it is sucking back in the discharged hot air that normally is accounted for in the clearance specs…similar to installing a regular residential air conditioner under a low deck…the discharge air hits the deck and is pushed back down and is sucked right back in to the coils…like operating the unit on a 120 deg day
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Old 02-24-2023, 06:07 PM   #26
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I'm not concerned with moisture or water getting into the area. I actually designed the box with that in mind. The steel box bottom I coated in flex seal, the bottom six inches of the wood is coated in flex seal, everything inside is painted for additional corrosion mitigation and the unit itself is the "outdoor" unit and would be subject to direct rainfall and blowing debris under normal operation. Now the worst it would see is mist. Everything is wash down so I can just use the hose inside the box of I get any buildup.
why not make a cover for both grills for traveling…that will keep the fan blade from spinning a million miles an hour while driving down the road and keep dirt and moisture out
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Old 02-26-2023, 08:44 AM   #27
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At $19,000....not only no, but H_LL NO!
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Old 02-26-2023, 09:57 AM   #28
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At $19,000....not only no, but H_LL NO!
I was thinking the same thing for my Cougar. Even at a tenth that price ($1900) I'd balk at making an investment with what would be a "minimal return for the money" the way we use our trailer.

Heck, I'm even reluctant to increase from two GC2's to four because it's another $200.... To me, RV's are a big enough "money pit" without adding more ways to spend "major money" on it.

But, it's interesting to see how other people tackle the "boondocking power" issue.
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Old 02-26-2023, 10:01 AM   #29
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I was thinking the same thing for my Cougar. Even at a tenth that price ($1900) I'd balk at making an investment with what would be a "minimal return for the money" the way we use our trailer.

Heck, I'm even reluctant to increase from two GC2's to four because it's another $200.... To me, RV's are a big enough "money pit" without adding more ways to spend "major money" on it.

But, it's interesting to see how other people tackle the "boondocking power" issue.
funny i was looking at new toyhaulers yesterday and got a really low offer for my cougar trade in …My wife was suggesting i mention all the upgrades and i explained they almost never give you a penny more for upgrades..they just give you blue book value ..BUT if you mention the upgrades and try and remove them before the sale they will deduct or walk away..I will sell privately or remove my inverter and GC batteries if i trade
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Old 02-26-2023, 10:09 AM   #30
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I was thinking the same thing for my Cougar. Even at a tenth that price ($1900) I'd balk at making an investment with what would be a "minimal return for the money" the way we use our trailer.

Heck, I'm even reluctant to increase from two GC2's to four because it's another $200.... To me, RV's are a big enough "money pit" without adding more ways to spend "major money" on it.

But, it's interesting to see how other people tackle the "boondocking power" issue.
One thing I have observed on this and other forums is that some folks have more money and a willingness to spend it that others. My wife and I live within a budget and that means the newest and shiniest are not always on the ticket. In fact, being cheap gives me satisfaction. I own a conventional home and have sunk enough dollars into it over the years with upgrades and maintenance don't feel like going that road for our weekend RVing excursions.

Some folks have the funds and desire to spend their money on things i don't but feel that is the great thing about our country. If you want to put money into what you enjoy, God bless you. We have folks on here who recount the expensive boats they have owned. Didn't someone once say the two best days of owning a boat are the day you bought it and the day you sell it? I have had a lifelong passion for motorcycles going back almost 60 years and the amount of money spent on motorcycles over the years could probably have bought me a new 5th wheel. Never wanted to own a boat.
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Old 06-02-2023, 06:06 PM   #31
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Yup, some people like their rigs just how they are and prefer to replace parts. Mostly I'd sell them for a few bucks plus shipping. BTW I now have two air conditioners for sale, blizzard NXT, and one is a heat pump.
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Old 06-02-2023, 06:15 PM   #32
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why not make a cover for both grills for traveling…that will keep the fan blade from spinning a million miles an hour while driving down the road and keep dirt and moisture out
I prefer to arrive and not have to wait for the house to cool down. The AC runs while I'm traveling and during setup.
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Old 06-02-2023, 06:26 PM   #33
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it can cause the unit to run at higher head pressures resulting in less efficiency because it is sucking back in the discharged hot air that normally is accounted for in the clearance specs…similar to installing a regular residential air conditioner under a low deck…the discharge air hits the deck and is pushed back down and is sucked right back in to the coils…like operating the unit on a 120 deg day
The way I designed the flow of the box this won't be an issue. I divided it with plywood and the " intake side" pulls air from underneath and the "exhaust" blows out the front of the box. I have videos up on insta if you want but you have to PM because admins don't allow links or redirection to other sites.
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Old 06-02-2023, 06:39 PM   #34
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Not much of a tech person myself... what is the purpose of thie "independence kit"? You might explain what you are doing as that would be interesting. Thanks.
The purpose is to run this thing full time off grid, no hookup required. I just finished the solar install on the 28th of May 2023 and it's been five days now running the AC, fridge, circulating fan, and all the small drains like motion sensors in the lights nonstop and the batteries never go dead. Without the AC running and the solar turned off the RV could run for roughly six days on the batteries.
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Old 06-02-2023, 06:58 PM   #35
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Originally Posted by JRTJH View Post
Looking at your installation, how have you found the heat buildup around the "outside unit" ??? We have a split unit to cool our sunroom on the back of our house. When installing it, the installation manual was "pretty adamant about maintaining sufficient clearances around the unit for proper operation"... That's why I abandoned the idea of adding one to our fifth wheel. I couldn't find any location (other than on the rear bumper) to install the outside unit AND maintain the required clearances.

How did you "conquer" that problem and has it affected your unit's "functional efficiency and ability" ? I'd be very disappointed to spend that kind of money for the unit and do an installation that would essentially prevent "going back to OEM" and then find out that in 1 or 2 seasons, the unit "burned itself up because of inadequate air clearances".....

Here's the required clearances on my unit:
I haven't had any issues with it at all actually. It rarely pulls more than 500 watts which means the unit is just maintaining temperature and mostly it idles at around 100 watts. If it was struggling it would be running hard and it would show in the wattage.
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Old 06-02-2023, 07:10 PM   #36
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I'm as unsure about stepping down from a 15K BTU rooftop unit to a 9 or 10K BTU split unit as you are. My "Doubt buzzer goes wonkers" when I try to rationalize how stepping down 1/3 of the BTU capacity will improve cooling inside the trailer when the full 15K won't cool it, how the heck can 9K cool it better ?????

As a second unit to help the rooftop A/C, maybe it could improve overall cooling, but from a "rational perspective", so would adding a 9K rooftop unit to the bedroom, which would require a lot less "fabrication"....

That said, the split units are supposed to be more efficient, but to me, sweating while saving electricity isn't the goal... YMMV
Removing the AC units was required for the rest of the install and so far the RV stays a comfortable 69-70F. The shade the following picture provides compensates a LOT for the heat of the sun on the RV. Also the rack is 1" lower than the factory AC units were.
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