| Author | Message | ||
| captain ron (Captain_ron)
Rating: N/A |
I just bought a portable a/c the type you run the vent out the tube to a window. it's a 9,000 I hope it works as it's gonna be hot out in sturgis. it also is a heater and dehumidifier. I paid $369.00 for it. just plugged it in about an hour ago so I'll see how it does or if I need to return it. | ||
| John Feld (Deacon)
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I have used one for two years now and love it, I hooked up a garden hose to drain it as it removes around 5 gallons of water overnight. John F. | ||
| Steve Zona (Highwayrunner)
Rating: N/A |
Hope it works as I have just ordered the twelve thousand btu model of maybe the same unit. the one I ordered is a heat pump as well, keep us posted please. and where did you vent it? steve and Cindi Z 82/9 | ||
| Pete/RTS Daytona (Pete_rtsdaytona)
Rating: N/A |
Pep Boys #WA-9010E SUNPENTOWN 9000 BTU Portable Air Conditioner with Remote Reg. $399.99 ----> $329.98 #WA-1220E 12,000 BTU Air Conditioner with remote Reg. $499.99 -----> $399.98 | ||
| Pete/RTS Daytona (Pete_rtsdaytona)
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Hi Ron OOOOOOOOPS I'm sorry about my post about the PEPBOY prices - I didn't realize until after I posted that my Local Price here in Daytona was cheaper - So don't take offense - still a great deal any way you cut it Pete | ||
| Steve Zona (Highwayrunner)
Rating: N/A |
still haven't said where you vented it, and where are you placing the drain line for the dehumidifier. are you going straight down into and through the bay to under the bus? or going through the wall? Steve Z | ||
| John Feld (Deacon)
Rating: N/A |
I placed the unit behind the drivers seat faceing right, cut a hole in the floor and vente into the screened bay below, ran th drain hose through the floor and the bay to the bottom floor so it drips out under the floor. John F. | ||
| Bob Vandawalker (Rav221)
Rating: N/A |
I just installed a Dometic Roof Unit, how do these compare for power usage? They are about $100 or so cheaper to purchase. Could they go into a well vented cabinet or closet? | ||
| WEC 4104 Rating: N/A |
I'm wondering something similar to Bob .. What's the chances of building the unit in somewhere? My 4104 has a single 13K Btu Coleman roof unit over the front living quarters. Sure would be nice to add a little extra cooling in the back (9K BTU should be fine) The back bedroom has decent sized cabinets where the back roof line curves down to the rear windows. I have been resisting adding a normal roof unit because I hate to give up the Fantastic fan/vent unit mounted directly over the bed. Being able to power it off the bus alternator (through inverter) would be really nice. These thing sine wave / square wave sensitive? Heck, maybe I could run the drain down to mist my radiator! Always somethin' to ponder. WEC4104 | ||
| David (Davidinwilmnc)
Rating: N/A |
Are you guys using the portable A/C's with two hose/vents? Otherwise, you run interior (conditioned) air over the condenser. This doesn't mean it won't cool, but you'll be pulling in hot, humid air to replace the air you're blowing out. BTW, the new low profile Carrier roof A/C's are only about 7" tall and don't look too bad. My 15K Carrier heat pump will cool my MC-8 to the mid 70's when it's in the low 90's. This bus has all its windows on one side and all but one on the other (it's taking forever to get things done to it!). This is with it sitting mostly in the sun. They may not look good, but they do cool well. | ||
| Jim (Jim_in_california)
Rating: N/A |
Right now RV Doctor George in Sacramento is framing the steel walls of the rear garage of my truck conversion, which started life with an open flatbed car hauler deck on the rear 1/3rd. 1/2 of the back wall is going to be a dropdown ramp for my motorcycle; the remainder of the rear wall isn't anything special. For $150 at Sears I scored a 5,700btu window-mount AC; a custom framed mount is being set in that back wall to hold it, to allow cooling the garage/workshop if I'm back there reloading ammo or wrenching on the bike or something. It's small enough that it can probably be powered by a Honda EU2000i which I'm considering as a secondary genset to my 4kw Onan. Air conditioning units of any sort are happier with pure sine inverter power. The "portable with a hose" sort of critters are OK except that they take a fair amount of internal room, which is why despite it being kinda "redneck looking" I'm putting a wall-mount flush to my back wall. I already have a conventional 13,500 rooftop A/C in my existing living area. I should be able to run both that and the rear unit off the Onan, though I doubt I'd want to often unless I had guests up front while I'm working in the rear. | ||
| John MC9 Rating: N/A |
Don't forget to duct tape it into place. | ||
| Jim (Jim_in_california)
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Cute. | ||
| Brian Brown (Blue_velvet)
Rating: N/A |
I'm pondering getting one of these babies for the driver (ME!), since our front roof-top unit is about five feet behind me. And the front of the bus can turn into an oven with all the glass and little leaks. I'm thinking about using the existing forced-air furnace hole in the side of the bus for the exhaust hose. Anyone used one while driving? Keep us posted, CR. BB | ||
| Bob Vandawalker (Rav221)
Rating: N/A |
Jim, With a standard window air conditioner, if not totally through an exterior wall how will handle ventilation. These units normally require exterior ventilation on the sides. There is also the issue with condensation discharge. Just curious, I had considered this and was talked out of it.. Bob | ||
| David (Davidinwilmnc)
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The post by WEC above mentions a window unit in the rear. Does anybody know how well they work there? One could be mounted so the inside section is built into a cabinet and the outside with a flush grill over it. I'm thinking of something along the lines of what motels use where nothing hangs outside. I guess the part that concerns me is that it would be a whole lot harder to patch the rear than the roof (if I decided I didn't want it there) and potential rain leaks. How thick is the stock rear wall on an MC-8 anyway? | ||
| John MC9 Rating: N/A |
Jim- Yeeee-Haaa ! Ok, seriously.... My bus came with a Welch auxiliary air conditioner. It sits in the rear wall, looking exactly like a household window air conditioner. It powered from any available pulley engine pulley (ours uses the radiator fan assy). It wouldn't be all that difficult to make a two piece unit (like the Welch) out of a household unit and put the bulk of the "hot" components in an area that's more easily vented. The Welch is about 10x what you paid, but they can be found used from any bus grave yard. The Welch can (and does) cool the entire bus. If it's smaller compressor can be run from a 120v motor or not, is something I've been looking to find out. I may experiment with it if I ever have the time.. | ||
| Jerry Liebler (Jerry_liebler)
Rating: N/A |
Gentlemen, I'm kinda a rebel & don't like the look of roof units. I'm using portable Ac units and a window AC unit. I have two Sunpentown WA1010H portable heat pumps AND a Sears 10,000 BTU window unit. I"ve used the portables for over a year now and I'm a bit disapointed in their capacity. I have one portable behind the driver's seat with the hot air and condensate run out the side of the bus. This unit has outside air ducted to the condensor inlet through the floor. It does keep the driver cool. I'm curently not using the second portable. I have the window unit mounted above the engine with it's condensor air ducted in from the vents on both sides of the rear cap. It's hot air and condensate goes straight back out a hole in the rear cap. This unit is 'integrated' into a cabinet I've built in the rear. The rear unit works outstangingly, cooling most of the bus in fact and it draws just 8.5 amps. I believe the cooling BTU ratings on the portables are between optomistic and damn lies, probably because there are no standards or regulations. I estimate my portables actually deliver 7000 BTU/h despite their 10,000 rating. But my portables only draw 6 amps each. I'm curous why window units aren't used as basement units, you need ducts anyway. I might just switch to a window unit in the area formerly occupied by the bus condensor & fan & duct it to the living area. Regards Jerry 4107 1120 | ||
| captain ron (Captain_ron)
Rating: N/A |
I'm returning mine. my bus went from 89 degrees to 92 degrees after 4 hours of it running. | ||
| gusc Rating: N/A |
captron, Please post a link for the ACs you bought and returned. I have no idea what these things look like and am curious. I assume they are 110v? Thanks. | ||
| David (Davidinwilmnc)
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Gusc, go to ebay and search for portable air conditioner and you'll see many. How about the mini-split units? The 110 volt units are available in 9- and 12,000 btu sizes. They might work nicely for those that don't want the roof top units and don't want to go to the trouble of ductwork for a basement unit. I'm thinking those might be the way to go. There should be a way to mount one above the windshield for the driver, if you have a raised roof. | ||
| James Maxwell (Jmaxwell)
Rating: N/A |
Ron: During the Summer months, the proper setting is COOL; not heat. | ||
| Stephen Fessenden (Sffess)
Rating: N/A |
It is often said how easy it is to service or replace roof air units. I have to agree, since I have CruisAir basement units and have trouble getting them serviced on the road. But it always seemed to me the simplist would be mounting trays built into the wall at various places for multiple 5000 to 7000 BTU window units. Obviously they would not hang out the side of the bus, but they could be installed so that proper air exchange and drainage were accomplished. More AC noise but that can be a blessing in a noisey camping spot. My local hardware store has had 5000 BTU units on sale for $99. That would be 30,000 BTUs for the cost of one roof air. | ||
| John MC9 Rating: N/A |
Most of the home units are not designed for the vibrations of mobile usage. Make sure you provide plenty of support for the entire AC frame, or you may suffer broken copper lines, etc. To those that are using them: How do you prevent the condensation from dripping in, rather than out, when not on level ground? | ||
| Mike (Busone)
Rating: N/A |
I really doubt that the copper lines would fail. Many people use household refergerators without failure. In fact my grandfather-in-law has been using one since the early 1980s. The windows units dont have long lengths of copper lines to vibrate and put stress on the joints. As far as condensation. On our last house we had a wall unit that would drip on our patio. I got tired of the mildew on the concrete. I drilled a small hold in the bottom of the condensate pan and attached a tube. Then I ran the tube to the edge of the patio. Considering the condensate pan was 1" deep you would have to have lots of water draining very slowly and be parked on one heck of a slope to have a leak. | ||
| niles steckbauer (Niles500)
Rating: N/A |
They don't call 'em 'window shakers' for nuttin | ||
| John MC9 Rating: N/A |
Mike- The frame. The frame has to be supported. The fridge sits on the floor and the frame is on solid footing. In a home, the window air doesn't get jostled around or bounced. If the frame (case) is flexed too many times, I think you'll have some undesirable problems. If I were to use one, I'm make sure the frame/case is well supported so that it will not flex. Hell, even RV roof airs have to sit flat/solid, or the tubes will eventually crack. | ||
| Mike (Busone)
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John, I agree 100% they do need a solid mount. I think if they are properly mounted they will hold up just fine. | ||
| Jim (Jim_in_california)
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It's going to be surrounded by 2" square steel tube, part of the structural frame, and bolted in place. No problemo. | ||
| John MC9 Rating: N/A |
Jim- Sounds good to me! There were a few guys here, that had remanufactured home window units into two-piece units. I'm surprised none have typed up. But if you have the room for the bulk, then it'd be easier your way, anyway. No fuss; no bother and it'd be a chinch to replace. | ||
| Brian Brown (Blue_velvet)
Rating: N/A |
Following David's advice, I Googled "mini-split air conditioning" and found some good leads there. This is probably the best solution for driver's air in my rig. It's a shame these cost so much more than comparable window units, though. They're still cheaper than doing an automotive-type system, and avoids the long Freon runs to a compressor at the engine. I guess I'll save my pennies and sweat a bit longer. BB | ||
| David (Davidinwilmnc)
Rating: N/A |
Brian, look on eBay for these too. Search for 'ductless air conditioner'. They're on there for about $525 for a 1-ton a/c; a heat pump is more. I'd love one for my MC-8. It looks like a -9 on the outside, but has the layered front caps so the inside is just as low as an older -8. At some point, I'll see about changing all that so an A/C can go there. Another place to check is www.danhard.com. They have lots of aftermarket heat and air units for buses, trucks, emergency vehicles, etc. Download their catalog and check out 70-2030 and 50-2000. I'm not so far along in my conversion to really worry about the driver being cool (I've only driven it once). Being hot-natured and living it the hot and humid South, this will be an issue for next summer. Currently, my factory air works fine, so I'm going to use that 'til it dies. | ||
| John MC9 Rating: N/A |
Didn't Sean mention on another thread, about having his driver's air run by a refrigerator compressor? I can't find it doing a search here.... What size electric motor would be needed to operate a conventional automotive compressor? It would seem that the combination could fit well in the driver's side compartment. | ||
| Jim (Jim_in_california)
Rating: N/A |
One note about the window unit I'm using: at 5700btu it's on the small side, which should reduce the "bouncing stresses" from road travel. It's only being used to cool the rear garage area. It's a Kenmore with a remote control so I can mount it high on the back wall away from, say, curious kid's fingers or whatever. I don't think a bigger window-type would be very practical...too much momentum bouncing up and down. This one was very power efficient, too, and only $150 on sale  . | ||
| Jim (Jim_in_california)
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Oh, one other detail: doing this keeps my entire back roof area clear for solar panel arrays. Right now I'm putting four 170w BPs back there, I want room available for the max number of those (six) I can support with a 12v battery bank and MX-60 controller. I could have scored a used rooftop unit for a bit more but...this will fit my needs better. Fortunately the garage walls are being framed up and welded right now, so having scored the A/C now they'll be able to custom build for it for only about $60 more. | ||
| John MC9 Rating: N/A |
There's no reason a window unit can't sit on the floor and have the rear against the wall. Hell, just build it into the cabinet base. You could duct the air to the top, if you wanted to and it'd be quieter sitting on the floor. | ||
| Jim (Jim_in_california)
Rating: N/A |
Yeah but I don't want it eating up shop bench space. OK, my garage will be about 9ft long, 7.5ft wide. The motorcycle will go one side, the opposite wall will have a workbench the whole length with a washer-dryer underneath at one end (Majestic) and various cabinets/storage under the bench. If I put the A/C low against the back wall I've shortened the underbench area PLUS I need airflow in front. Instead, setting up the A/C high on the back wall and above the bench, bench space isn't hosed and airflow is much better. The rear ramp door will be 42" wide and on the side where the bike goes. The rear wall where the bench ends will be plain (non-ramped) and will hold the A/C. | ||
| ChuckMC9 (Chucks)
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Saw this on an MC8 awhile back - just behind driver. Looks a little sloppy, but trim could be improved.  | ||
| John MC9 Rating: N/A |
A slide-out rabbit hutch? | ||
| Brian Brown (Blue_velvet)
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Chuck, DooD! A window A/C... hmm. Heck, for $88 Wally World vs. $500 or more + shipping something heavy, I could deal with sloppy. Looks like he's got a shutter system or something for off-season. Maybe the black dot lower left is for condensate. Hey, me likes! Gotta love bootstrap bussin' ingenuity. Thanks! BB | ||
| Brian (Bigbusguy)
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Im putting 1 or 2 window units in my rear cap on my 4905 I just getting to the going to buy one a wally world. And trying to make it all fit. Just not come up with a good looking louvers to hide the AC. I dont want the look of the MCI 2 posts up. Brian 4905 Klamath Falls Oregon | ||
| ChuckMC9 (Chucks)
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Here's another one, for the cockpit, but this one came from the web somewhere. Heck it might be one of yours...  | ||
| R.C.Bishop
Rating: N/A |
Wonder how thae above handles the exhaust? Surely not out the front????? RCB '64 Crown Supercoach (HWC) | ||
| Richard Bowyer (Drivingmisslazy)
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Out the front would probably be great since that is typically a low pressure area. I saw an Eagle up in the northwest with a condensor coil mounted in the spare tire area with the fans behind the condensor coil blowing forward. He indicated that it seemed to work great. As I recall he did all the cooking for the group. Someone will probably know who I mean if they went to the NW bus bash this past month. Richard | ||
| R.C.Bishop
Rating: N/A |
Of course, that is if one is standing still, right? Frankly I had considered doing it, but just did not want to cut away that much flooring from the front of the coach. Also concerned about dirt etc, coming in thru the opening. Interesting prospect. RCB | ||
| Richard Bowyer (Drivingmisslazy)
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NO!!. That is driving down the road.At least according to experiments conducted by Gene Rochester and posted a few years ago. Also the owner of the Eagle in the NW used this unit for a drivers air while driving. It was facing forward with a small opening above the front bumper I believe. Someone on this board must know this guy. He carries a full size restaurant griddle to cook everybodys breakfast/dinner on and has a Jack Russel dog that plays basketball. Richard | ||
| R.C.Bishop
Rating: N/A |
Great information, Richard, Thanx. I'll check the archives and maybe we can figure something out. But, how about "cold feet"? RCB |