Custom Air Conditioning Retrofit

[Tford]

And the factory Dometic is off!!

[Rockhead]

Yup same way we did ours but with an electric winch. Looking forward to the finished pictures

[Tford]

It’ll just be another maxxfan…..

[Rockhead]

Lol didn’t see split unit you installed very nice

[Tford]

Did you keep your furnace and put in a new thermostat for it?

[Rockhead]

Yep just a simple contact thermostat from Home Depot. Cost about 25 bucks.

[John in Santa Cruz]

I used this thermostat when my original one got flakey


while I'm only controlling my furnace with it, it can be configured to control an AC also. it does use 2 AA batteries, they last 2-3 years and give you a month or so of 'low battery' warning. I think its a Honeywell ‎TH5110D or something, but mine is at least 5 years old, so there's probably a new model.

this is the wiring for heater-only...

[scottarue]

I have not read every response to this thread, so forgive me if I am being redundant, but Johnny Hung has done a LOT of modifications, adding a minisplit is just one of them. You might get some ideas about what he did in this youtube video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aEmWZViNs3c

[rubicon327]

Some were worried about the durability of a mini-split system designed for stationary use being used on a travel trailer with all the movement and bumps going down the road. Here to report that 7 years later there have been no issues. System installed in 2016 is still working well. I did notice that the rubber isolation pads on my mounts have degraded so they need replacement but that is no fault of the system. Also no news is good news and I can only assume that the system I installed on Jake's (viator36) 21C in 2019 is also working well. Both of these systems utilize Fujitsu model 9RL2.

[Centex]

Thanks for that encouraging update!

[viator36]

I want to confirm what Dave said above about the mini split system he installed on my 21C. It has been working well and is doing satisfying quiet a/c and heat pump work on my current trip now.


I needed a refrigerant recharge back in May this year after my 6-month 16k mi trip last year to Alaska and Yukon, including towing my 21C on the Dempster Hway to Inuvik to see the Arctic Ocean in Tuktoyaktuk. On hindsight I should have left my 21C in Dawson City and only driven my truck to Inuvik and Tuk but live and learn. Someone on the forum mentioned that even if when all the joint nuts are tight and not leaking when the unit is stationary heavy bumping on the road could cause split second micro leaks and over time these micro leaks add up. I tend to agree this is the most likely cause of my unit refrigerant leaking after last year's journey.

[shlm2umac]

Hi, actually I won’t be the one installing an AC unit. It’ll be my cousin who has some electrical skill training, so I can wait until I arrive in Texas early April and don’t have to have the extra weight driving my 5th wheel there. Can anyone point me to installation procedures and whether I’ll have to have my cousin wire a separate thermostat if I purchase a Houghton 13.5 as many on this forum are recommending? My 5.0 is pre-wired for AC. Thank you! Almost ready to hit the road. Yay!!

[Rockhead]

The houghton is controlled by a remote thermostat and not a wired one. When I replaced our AC with a 9500 houghton which almost freezes us out if we wanted too in our 21. I replaced the dometic with a simple contact thermostat from Lowe’. Cost 19.99 at the time.others replaced with digital one or ones you can control thru Bluetooth.

[shlm2umac]

I have a 5th wheel which is probably smaller than your trailer. It appears that you live in Texas where I’m going. It gets very hot. I’ve been told 13.5 is the best for that kind of heat. Your thoughts? Also; would it be better to just buy the Dometic to make my cousins job easier? I’m noticing folks having problems with wiring and I’m wondering if that’s because the Houghton wasn’t designed with the Escape in mind. I don’t care about noise so much I don’t think. . Thanks.

[brroberts]

The amount of BTU’s for cooling has been debated here several times before. There seems to be no consensus. We have a 13,500 Coleman NDQ that has only twice been turned to high for a fairly short time. We typically just run it on low. We typically do not camp in July.

[Rockhead]

We went a 9500 as it is more than ample to keep our 21 cool. This past summer when it was 105 outside, I pulled it out and let it sit for about 30 mins. Went inside (felt like an oven) ranked up the AC. It cooled down the 21 down to 74 in 15 mins. It got down to 71 before I put the trailer barn in the trailer barn. Several have gone with the larger units for the heat strip option you can get with them. We didn’t care for it. There are tables how many BTUs one needs to heat and cool an area. The 9500 is almost overkill for our 21. It all comes down to preference. Any of the Houghton are a great choice for a replacement. Love how quiet it is. The dometic woke us up at times when it cycled up. Not with the houghton. You will enjoy whatever size you choose for your 5.0.

[shlm2umac]

I’m sorry. I failed to mention I’ll be living in my 5th wheel indefinitely. Moving to Texas to come help take care of my dad.

[Rockhead]

Here’s the BTU chart

[Rockhead]

Square footage of a 21 is right at 134 sq ft. A 50 is a little less hope this helps

[brroberts]

Those charts are generic, and even though my folks trailer is under 400 sq ft and located in SE Texas, a single 13.5 unit will not keep their RV under 80 when it’s hot out. They have added a smaller second unit. The Escapes are much smaller, but just pointing out a generic chart is not one size fits all.