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Old 07-16-2016, 06:10 AM   #41
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I'm just thinking about that weight and the stress it may be exerting on the rest of the cabinets as well as the exterior shell? Hopefully it will work after being towed for a couple of thousand miles. Great initiative and good luck.
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Old 07-16-2016, 07:58 AM   #42
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I'm just thinking about that weight and the stress it may be exerting on the rest of the cabinets as well as the exterior shell? Hopefully it will work after being towed for a couple of thousand miles. Great initiative and good luck.

Just what I was thinking. If you haven't already you might look into reinforcing the cabinet to shell mount as well as the strength of the cabinet bottom.
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Old 07-16-2016, 08:06 AM   #43
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Is there any need for air circulation in the cabinet space? I assume that the intake and exhaust are entirely exposed.

How about the remaining space - any creative idea for making use of that? Maybe a drop-down rack for something...
No circulation is needed as part of unit operation as the cabinet isn't acting like a plenum. The return is on the top and starts to get blocked only slightly at the back of the unit due to the shell curvature, but not enough to be worried about. I was thinking more along the lines of not wanting dead space at the sides of the unit for risk of condensation during certain times of the year.

I need to think more about this. A convenient way to leverage the side spaces would be nice, but I thought little doors would look funny
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Old 07-16-2016, 08:23 AM   #44
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I'm just thinking about that weight and the stress it may be exerting on the rest of the cabinets as well as the exterior shell? Hopefully it will work after being towed for a couple of thousand miles. Great initiative and good luck.
It shouldn't be an issue. The stock configuration is only a shelf at the front anyway. The cabinet was an added option during the build. It is still very solid and the indoor unit is only 16 lbs.

...and for the majority out there that likely haven't dissected a cabinet in their trailer I can tell you they are very solidly constructed. I even had a Sawzall on it at one point.
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Old 07-16-2016, 08:38 AM   #45
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Those ETI elves are a crafty crew; their foreman goes by the nom de guerre Elfis
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Old 07-16-2016, 11:45 AM   #46
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Just for giggles I checked the db level in the trailer with the Dometic, 65ish on low, 68/70ish on high.
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Old 07-16-2016, 12:17 PM   #47
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Just for giggles I checked the db level in the trailer with the Dometic, 65ish on low, 68/70ish on high.
Compare that to 23 on quiet and 43 on high with two other intermediate speeds on the indoor unit and you know why I'm doing all this! Outdoor unit is 47 but you won't hear that in the trailer. You could sleep next to the outdoor unit on the mini-split and it is quieter than the Dometic overhead.
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Old 07-16-2016, 12:53 PM   #48
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Compare that to 23 on quiet and 43 on high with two other intermediate speeds on the indoor unit and you know why I'm doing all this! Outdoor unit is 47 but you won't hear that in the trailer. You could sleep next to the outdoor unit on the mini-split and it is quieter than the Dometic overhead.
sometimes that loud AC might come in handy, drowns out the sound of the bear trying to paw his way thru the door or window...

interesting project though...looking forward to pics!
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Old 07-16-2016, 01:15 PM   #49
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Good work so far and an interesting mod. I'm very interested to see the outside setup and the plumbing.
We typically try to stay in 70 degrees, so AC running has not been a big problem in our trailers to date. On the new 19 with the integrated digital thermostat and the fan shutting off when it reaches temperature even less noticeable. As we move closer to retirement hopefully we should be more capable of sustaining 70 degree environments.
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Old 07-16-2016, 01:18 PM   #50
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Good work so far and an interesting mod. I'm very interested to see the outside setup and the plumbing.
We typically try to stay in 70 degrees, so AC running has not been a big problem in our trailers to date. On the new 19 with the integrated digital thermostat and the fan shutting off when it reaches temperature even less noticeable. As we move closer to retirement hopefully we should be more capable of sustaining 70 degree environments.
Here you go.....Cross-country road trip at a constant 70 degrees | FlowingData
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Old 07-16-2016, 01:48 PM   #51
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From the link: "The trip starts in Texas, meanders northeast, makes its way all the way up to Alaska, and then back down. It would take a little over five months."

Umm, no, it would take 12 months - as the chart annotates.
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Old 07-16-2016, 02:05 PM   #52
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From the link: "The trip starts in Texas, meanders northeast, makes its way all the way up to Alaska, and then back down. It would take a little over five months."

Umm, no, it would take 12 months - as the chart annotates.
I suppose it would be five months of driving days, with seven months of stationary days interspersed to stay in synch with the seasons.

With that overall pace, I can't imagine wanting to rush across the continent in June and July as would be required by the plan, but it's an amusing idea.
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Old 07-16-2016, 02:54 PM   #53
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If I tried that trip it'd have to have spikes off it to Massachusetts every month for grandkids birthdays and such, wonder how much that would add to the trip.
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Old 07-16-2016, 02:57 PM   #54
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interesting trip...looking at that map, wondering what is the northern most point IN Canada that any of you Escapees have been... especially to the central or eastern part?..map looks like a lot of potentially undiscovered camping in Canada...with road access probably being the barrier..
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Old 07-16-2016, 03:12 PM   #55
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Thanks, Jim I've logged that in my future trip planning. Now that is a trip that would be most interesting to experience. I'd have to get one of Robert's Loggers to log the temperatures to see if it really works.
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Old 07-16-2016, 03:12 PM   #56
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Great job with the custom air conditioning. I like the idea of it being quite. I have never had A/C on a trailer, but I sure have heard other folk's running. I will be getting A/C on my 5.0, but don't see how a fit like this would work for me.
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Old 07-16-2016, 03:15 PM   #57
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Great job with the custom air conditioning. I like the idea of it being quite. I have never had A/C on a trailer, but I sure have heard other folk's running. I will be getting A/C on my 5.0, but don't see how a fit like this would work for me.
Yep, it would take some rethinking for sure. Not saying that it's possible, but the only place it could 'possibly' go on a 5er is at the rear over the dinette.
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Old 07-16-2016, 03:35 PM   #58
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Yep, it would take some rethinking for sure. Not saying that it's possible, but the only place it could 'possibly' go on a 5er is at the rear over the dinette.
That would be the easy part, just a reverse of what rubicon did. The tough part is figuring out a place for the condensing unit. Not to keen on having it hanging off the back.
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Old 07-16-2016, 03:51 PM   #59
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The many times I have been in the BC interior during the month of July, temps of 70 degrees would have been considered a cold day. Temps in the 90 to 100 were not uncommon.
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Old 07-16-2016, 04:28 PM   #60
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That would be the easy part, just a reverse of what rubicon did. The tough part is figuring out a place for the condensing unit. Not to keen on having it hanging off the back.
I thought that's what the 1Up was for, 2 bikes and an air conditioner.
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