Progress has been made! I got the mounting bracket made locally and attached. compressor fits perfectly on it. Was able to find a local battery supplier that could get a crown battery at a lower price than I could find online (and obviously without the 100s of dollars of shipping that some places would have charged) - $243 for a type 31 Crown AGM. Now the local welder is welding the protective frame for it, which will be mounted on the tire mount under the tongue. it's coming along pretty well, even if the rest of the trailer modifications have been much slower through the winter! Hope you enjoy the pics
Looking good Troy! That bracket holding the outdoor unit is perfect. With your design you’ll just need to remember to remove the propane tank cover when operating the unit like we do. A reminder sticker on the remote using a label maker is a good idea. Also if you plan to operate the unit in heating mode in really cold weather remember that the outdoor unit has a drain in the base pan that will drip water when the unit goes into defrost mode. Just something you might want to keep in mind as you design your battery mounting since it will be underneath the unit.
Oooh, that looks really interesting. Especially for smaller TTs where a constant 11500BTU causes wild temp swings. Seems like it's not made for the US market, though. 220V and 50Hz. Maybe it'll eventually get adapted and imported like the Houghton one did.
the 13000 BTU model (are those Chinese BTU's ?) is a bit over 1000 watts, so will draw about 80 amps at 12V when its on. that will flatten a 200AH dual battery in a couple hours.
I mentioned this unit years ago (post #198). Got some garbled response from the manufacturer about needing a distributor and I couldn’t locate anyone using it here or abroad. The documentation does indicate a “115V/60Hz” option but I don’t think they are actually manufacturing these units.
Why not install it on the back bumper and move the spare tire up front under the tongue?
Brandon: This is a really long thread that involves three or more installations. Are you referring to my installation on the Escape 19 which was the original install on the thread or Troy's (Lumpofclay) installation on his stick built starting with post #546? We may both have different reasons. The installation I did on the Escape 21 was done as you describe.
Not "converter", but "inverter". The unit uses a motor which is driven by an inverter (it's listed as a "brushless DC motor", which inherently requires an inverter to drive it). The list of available input power sources is shown as:
220-240VAC/50Hz International voltage
115VAC/60Hz North American voltage
208-230VAC/60Hz
DC300V solar voltage
DC48V battery voltage
None of those are 12 volts. With "115VAC/60Hz North American voltage" (which should be 120 V), it's an inverter-type system like those that Dave (rubicon327) has described. One could convert 12 VDC from the battery to any of the supported input power types, including 120 VAC, but that's true of any air conditioner.
Ever since I installed the mini-split I’ve been intrigued with the idea of running it off lithium batteries similar to what Kimberley did on their beautiful trailers in Australia.
Quote:
Originally Posted by sclifrickson
And the Quest for the Holy Grail ensues!
Wanted to update everyone on the status of QUIET A/C on battery. Tested my upgrade today with 400AH Bestgo LiFePO battery, 2000W Xantrex Freedom XC running the 9,000 BTUH Fujitsu mini-split. Battery started at 95% SOC. During the hottest part of the day with outside temperatures from 86-93F and trailer in full sun the mini-split ran for 5 hours before the battery got to 30% SOC. Inside set point of 74F. Highest amp draw was around 104A DC for the first 20 minutes then it cycled between 5A (fan only) and 50-75A (when inverter compressor ramped back up). The system ran perfectly and 5 hours under these conditions exceeded my expectations! Would do even better with a more modest set point, shaded trailer with portable solar panel out in the sun or overnight as ambient temperatures are lower.
Wanted to update everyone on the status of QUIET A/C on battery. Tested my upgrade today with 400AH Bestgo LiFePO battery, 2000W Xantrex Freedom XC running the 9,000 BTUH Fujitsu mini-split. Battery started at 95% SOC. During the hottest part of the day with outside temperatures from 86-93F and trailer in full sun the mini-split ran for 5 hours before the battery got to 30% SOC. Inside set point of 74F. Highest amp draw was around 104A DC for the first 20 minutes then it cycled between 5A (fan only) and 50-75A (when inverter compressor ramped back up). The system ran perfectly and 5 hours under these conditions exceeded my expectations! Would do even better with a more modest set point, shaded trailer with portable solar panel out in the sun or overnight as ambient temperatures are lower.
That's great, Dave! Do you have an estimate of your solar input to the system during that daytime test?
Trailer: 2005 Jayco Jay Feather (rebuild in progress)
Posts: 9
Success!
I've been so busy with finishing the rest of the trailer plus taking multiple camping trips (including from Michigan to Grand Canyon and back) that I haven't given the "final" update. The minisplit that I mounted on my Jayco (ok, junk-co) trailer is working great! Even with non-ideal (ok, cruddy) airflow conditions, this unit has no problem keeping ahead of the heat of Utah or the high humidity of northern Indiana. We're still working on rebranding the trailer as "The Phoenix" and getting the ugly old jayco bird off the sides, but the interior is pretty much done. For those that are unaware, this was a TT that should have been scrapped due to water damage, but I rebuilt the floor and ceiling, and needed the ac unit to be somewhere other than the roof due to storage height issues. Rubicon's tremendous help and advice got me pointed in the right direction. Hope you enjoy the photos! I'll add a couple more to the next msg
I've been so busy with finishing the rest of the trailer plus taking multiple camping trips (including from Michigan to Grand Canyon and back) that I haven't given the "final" update. The minisplit that I mounted on my Jayco (ok, junk-co) trailer is working great! Even with non-ideal (ok, cruddy) airflow conditions, this unit has no problem keeping ahead of the heat of Utah or the high humidity of northern Indiana. We're still working on rebranding the trailer as "The Phoenix" and getting the ugly old jayco bird off the sides, but the interior is pretty much done. For those that are unaware, this was a TT that should have been scrapped due to water damage, but I rebuilt the floor and ceiling, and needed the ac unit to be somewhere other than the roof due to storage height issues. Rubicon's tremendous help and advice got me pointed in the right direction. Hope you enjoy the photos! I'll add a couple more to the next msg
Troy: Glad to hear it is working well and you have been enjoying the trailer after all your hard work! The install looks really nice. I assume you remove the propane tank cover when operating it for better outdoor unit airflow. Our setup is identical and that’s what we do.
First this is the most informative threads re air condition replacement. Second I longed for a Escape 5.0 TA from the get go of starting to go ring. Couldn't stretch my budget far enough for the Escape. Enough wining!
I do own a 2010 Primetime Tracer 205M. The last mod is replace the VERY noisy Domestic 13.5 BTU which has always produced COLD WET air. No matter what I have done to it the performance is the same . . . COLD WET air. Once the temperature is satisfied the compressor drops out reducing the humidity to about 65%, but, will quickly return to the high 80% area. My suspicion is that the current, original AC is over sized. It short cycles after reaching set temp and the continuous run fan blows the water off of the evaporator coil right back into the trailer.
I have researched two attractive options: 1) mini split, 2) a better roof mount. No doubt the min split is the quietest, best air conditioning answer but it is much more work than replacing the current roof mounted unit.
I sent this to RECPRO.COM:
"I am considering to replace the air conditioner on my 2010 Primetime Tracer 205M. The AC, Dometic 13.5 BTU, is original and has always made cold wet air, i.e. very little dehumidification as well as being very loud. The trailer's interior is 140 sq. ft and 1050 cu. ft and one continuous space. The roof is 2 inches thick with a 14" X 14" hole that the current is mounted on. Two of your units, RP-AC2801 and RP-AC3400, look like candidates. Both have dehumidification and dry modes and will no doubt be quieter than the installed Dometic. The installed Dometic is equipped with restive heat strips and it looks like the RP-AC3400 is a near match. A replacement AC with heat mode is not necessary since the trailer has a gas furnance. The big concern is will RP-AC3400 be oversized for the volume of my trailer and short cycle resulting cold wet air like what I have. Would the RP-AC2801 be a better size for my trailer's volume? How do these two units achieve dehumidification after the temperature has been reached? Look forward to your recommendation."
Their reply: "We recommend that you look at the sizes that are listed and compare them. Here is the manual for both so you can look over and compare." Not very helpful to make a correct decision.
Before I sent my email to them I had already read both manuals and neither contain right size specs. Their webpages for the 2800 and 3400 is the only place I have found size application: 2800 = up to 400 sq ft and 3400 = 650 sq ft. BTW both sq ft numbers were updated yesterday from 200 and 400 respectively.
The "up to" spec leads me to think mini split tech is designed into 2800 and 3400. But is it? The manuals do not describe what happens when "DRY" mode is selected. Can both units sense humidity and vary the fan (s) and compressor speed?
Question is: Is either/or the 2800 or the 3400 the right size for my trailer to make dehumidified, 68-70°, comfortable air, quietly (well quieter than an 12 year old Dometic R22 unit).
I should have remembered that given how closely I'm trying to follow your project 
Linear Mode
