Custom Air Conditioning Retrofit

[Rockhead]

True as this chart goes with 2 windows 1 door and 8 ft ceilings It does fine for the trailer'. my point in posting shows that the 9500 is almost overkill for a 21. It all comes to a users preference. True calculation's take into account wall thickness,amount of insulation and a couple of other factors that my one working brain cell don’t remember

 

[Centex]

Houghton rooftop (NOT mini-split) installation

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!!

To supplement the instructions provided by Houghton, here's a link to a Houghton installation which should be similar to what you / your cousin are facing:

https://www.escapeforum.org/forums/f8/houghton-a3400-install-21313.html

Since yours is an early 5.0TA ('airplane body') with a vent but no AC you may need add a breaker and run the 120volt AC line from your existing WFCO power center breaker box up to the AC (your trailer may not have those provisions but that should not be a problem for a competent electrical person). The breaker of appropriate amp rating per the Houghton instructions, to fit the WFCO box, should be available at Home Depot (temporarily pull one of the existing breakers and take it to HD to ensure a 'match' for type/configuration).

As mentioned, the thermostat / control is wireless.

Removing the existing vent and cleaning-up the old sealant around the roof opening will be a tedious chore. I urge that Pro Flex RV Sealant be used to seal the new Houghton mounting frame installed in the existing opening, not any other convenient 'Home Depot brand x' caulk or sealant. That new mounting frame should be included with the Houghton unit.

For your particular full-time occupancy in Austin I recommend the larger 13,500 BTU unit.

Just for your consideration, good luck.

 

[Centex]

dehumidification

This recent post about dehumidifiers reminded me of one of the many things I like about the 'rubicon Dave' Fujitsu mini-split modification ...

My trailer is stored outside at my house with shore-power connected, we have no shortage of high-humidity ambient for much of the year. Using the Fujitsu's timer function it's so easy to automatically run the unit a few hours daily in the 'dry mode' to keep humidity / moisture in the trailer under control through the extended periods of humid weather.

Yep, I love this mod, Thanks Again Dave for the groundwork, inspiration, and impetus.

 

[Genebuilder]

I will soon have the opportunity to install AC into a 2022 21C that currently only has a roof mounted vent fan. I have been following this thread with interest and am impressed with the trove of knowledge displayed here.
My original plan was a Houghton, but I may be swayed to go with a Mini-Split.
I’ll be checking in with progress as it happens.

 

[tractors1]

I'd go mini-split; I have installed them in homes and they're so quiet. It'll cost you an overhead cabinet for the indoor unit space, but well worth it in my opinion. Mount the outdoor unit at the rear, it's not very heavy. Cover when traveling. Fujitsu makes a nice 9K btu unit that runs on 110VAC

 

[Genebuilder]

Leaning that way…

 

[hugh]

My concern would be how well a mini split would hold up to bouncing down the road on a trailer. It might not make any difference, but it seems like very different conditions from just dropping it onto a concrete pad that never moves.

I know a handful of people here have installed them without issue, but I don't know if that's a large enough group to know if that's the norm.

 

[Genebuilder]

I wonder if any of the manufacturers have any guidance on static vs. dynamic installations.

 

[tractors1]

My concern would be how well a mini split would hold up to bouncing down the road on a trailer. It might not make any difference, but it seems like very different conditions from just dropping it onto a concrete pad that never moves.

I know a handful of people here have installed them without issue, but I don't know if that's a large enough group to know if that's the norm.

Since they aren't running during travel I think it would be the same effect (or less) than the units experience during shipping.

 

[hugh]

Since they aren't running during travel I think it would be the same effect (or less) than the units experience during shipping.

I wouldn't expect they are designed to withstand a shipping process that is hundreds of days long, which is more or less what they're exposed to bolted on a trailer.

If nothing else, I'd be surprised if the flare fittings held up over time. Those are a common failure point even in things that don't shake around.

 

[hugh]

I wonder if any of the manufacturers have any guidance on static vs. dynamic installations.

Not that it helps much, but the warranties only cover installations done according to the installation guides. And the installation guides only cover static, residential installations. I haven't seen any that cover mobile installs.

That said, it's obviously working for a number of people. It just seems a bit hard to know how far outside the design parameters you are when you bolt one of these things to your trailer.

 

[John in Santa Cruz]

my kid has had a minisplit on the back bumper of his F550 based camera for something like 4-5 years at least.

afaik, its still doing fine.

 

[hugh]

Hmmm, it looks like Pioneer markets their mini splits for use on RV's: Mini Split AC for RVs, Boats and Tiny Homes| Pioneer Mini Split

So I guess that's at least one manufacturer that doesn't think it's a problem. If I remeber correctly, Pioneer is just whitelabel Gree units.

 

[Ron in BC]

If nothing else, I'd be surprised if the flare fittings held up over time. Those are a common failure point even in things that don't shake around.

You must use a different type of flare fitting that I do. I used them on my boats hydraulic steering and engine driven compressor system. The boat shaking and vibrations caused by bone rattling impacts smashing into head seas are far above anything I've experienced in my trailer use. Many years of use and never an issue. Supporting lines so that they can't bounce around and fatigue is important.

Ron

 

[hugh]

You must use a different type of flare fitting that I do. I used them on my boats hydraulic steering and engine driven compressor system. The boat shaking and vibrations caused by bone rattling impacts smashing into head seas are far above anything I've experienced in my trailer use. Many years of use and never an issue. Supporting lines so that they can't bounce around and fatigue is important.

Ron

Dunno, mine haven't failed either, but any HVAC person you talk to always complains about flare fitting failures being the #1 problem on mini splits. Maybe gases are harder to keep in than more viscous fluids?

 

[BobG-ESC]

I see quite a few recommendations for the Houghton AC and mini split and complaints about the Dometic AC but not much about the Colemand Mach 10QC. I have experienced mini splits in cheap motels, Dometic AC on RVs, Coleman Mach 10 13.5k BTU in my own Escape 21 but I have never seen a noise comparison between them.

Hearing aids are an issue for me when it comes to conversations. I cannot tolerate the Dometic, the mini split in motels is ok and the Coleman is not a problem for me. I have not experienced the Houghton AC. I would not trade the Colemand for a mini split or any other air conditioner due to noise because its noise isn't a problem for me. Maybe the mini split would be more efficient and if so, I might consider it as an option for boondocking.

The Colemand Mach 10 13.5k BTU will run on Low Auto setting all night if I am careful on my 12 volt 370 Ah equivalent battery. It is marginal but allows me to camp in the desert until the end of April.

I have tried to find the actual amp usage of the Houghton to compare it to the Coleman 13.5k BTU unit. What I have read makes me think the Houghton uses slightly more amps than the Coleman when the Coleman is set to Low Auto.

I am trying to understand why people are turning to the Houghton and mini splits for noise control (?) when to me, an easier solution is the Coleman that includes a warrantee for the owner and is quiet and more than adequate for cooling an Escape 21 when on low setting.

It would be good to hear from owners of the Coleman Mach10 QC 13.5k BTU unit with reasons why they are not happy with it. A noise study comparison between the options would also be interesting.

 

[Chamberman]

I see quite a few recommendations for the Houghton AC and mini split and complaints about the Dometic AC but not much about the Colemand Mach 10QC. I have experienced mini splits in cheap motels, Dometic AC on RVs, Coleman Mach 10 13.5k BTU in my own Escape 21 but I have never seen a noise comparison between them.

Hearing aids are an issue for me when it comes to conversations. I cannot tolerate the Dometic, the mini split in motels is ok and the Coleman is not a problem for me. I have not experienced the Houghton AC. I would not trade the Colemand for a mini split or any other air conditioner due to noise because its noise isn't a problem for me. Maybe the mini split would be more efficient and if so, I might consider it as an option for boondocking.

The Colemand Mach 10 13.5k BTU will run on Low Auto setting all night if I am careful on my 12 volt 370 Ah equivalent battery. It is marginal but allows me to camp in the desert until the end of April.

I have tried to find the actual amp usage of the Houghton to compare it to the Coleman 13.5k BTU unit. What I have read makes me think the Houghton uses slightly more amps than the Coleman when the Coleman is set to Low Auto.

I am trying to understand why people are turning to the Houghton and mini splits for noise control (?) when to me, an easier solution is the Coleman that includes a warrantee for the owner and is quiet and more than adequate for cooling an Escape 21 when on low setting.

It would be good to hear from owners of the Coleman Mach10 QC 13.5k BTU unit with reasons why they are not happy with it. A noise study comparison between the options would also be interesting.

The Coleman's that ETI installs should be the NDQ models (non-ducted quiet), the QC models are ducted units for large RV's.

Here's the comparison you're looking for.

Coleman Mach 10 NDQ vs Houghton 3400

 

[BobG-ESC]

The Coleman's that ETI installs should be the NDQ models (non-ducted quiet), the QC models are ducted units for large RV's.

Here's the comparison you're looking for.

Coleman Mach 10 NDQ vs Houghton 3400

Thanks for finding the comparison for me. It is interesting. It looks to me like the Houghton (38 dB low setting) is around 22 dB quieter than the Coleman (60 dB low setting). That is a huge difference. Someday I hope to experience a Houghton in someone's Escape trailer. That is a really quiet air conditioner.

 

[dstreight]

FYI/FWIW, Johnny Hung installed a mini-split on his Escape 21 a couple years ago or more. I don't have his contact info but he's on YouTube.

 

[John in Santa Cruz]

careful of dB ratings... you can get HUGE differences in dB depending on how they were measured.