Or if your zip code starts with 7....My advice: If you think you might need air conditioning -- then you need air conditioning
Or if your zip code starts with 7....My advice: If you think you might need air conditioning -- then you need air conditioning
We didn't get a/c, although I made sure the 21 was a/c ready. We don't use a/c at home, very seldom use it in the truck, and most of the camping will be in the northern states (at least for the first few years). I also wanted the head room. So far I haven't wanted it or needed it. Between the max fan and some 12v fans it's stayed nice and cool. I can always add it when I retire
We did use the heater on trip home from Chilliwack.
Bill,
Don't come down to my neck of the woods in the summer you will wish for AC. 90 plus degrees and 80 plus humidity yeah.
Cypher
When I have my 5.0TA built it will have no rooftop openings
Carl is right, it's probably a requirement. One of those pesky govt regulations.I do not believe ETI will agree to build a 5.0 without an escape hatch over the bed.
Has anyone looked into a propane a/c unit, could be an alternate to 12v?
One of those pesky government regulations
A useful air conditioner would need about ten times the cooling capacity of an RV refrigerator, so if it used the same design it woukd be very bulky and likely problematic. It would still need significant power for fans - perhaps twice as much as a furnace. If it used a design more like a typical industrial absorption cooling unit it would work better, but would need power for at least one pump.Has anyone looked into a propane a/c unit, could be an alternate to 12v?
When I have my 5.0TA built it will have no rooftop openings...
I do not believe ETI will agree to build a 5.0 without an escape hatch over the bed.
I can believe an escape hatch is required, but I'm sure it is not required to be in the roof. Could an adequately large escape window be fit in one side of the sleeping loft area?Carl is right, it's probably a requirement. One of those pesky govt regulations.
This might be expensive to build. The similar systems used in trucks are 120V AC, and use an inverter (specifically chosen for this purpose, to handle the motor load) to run from the batteries.When I have my 5.0TA built it will have no rooftop openings and a 12 or 24 DC volt aircon...
The general approach makes sense, but looks like much more custom fabrication than required. The common truck cab systems (such as systems from Dometic's truck division) would work. They are often split systems (separate inside and outside units) - even if you don't get a truck system, small split air conditioners intended for home use are available.... with cooling coils forward in the bedroom and aft in the dining area. I will probably build a box that houses the batteries, compressor and condenser and mounts aft above the rear bumper.
A/C would be available, even while boon-docking. You would be able to run the aircon for a couple of hours before bedtime or until the dedicated aircon batteries ran down to a set low charge level, similar to the system truckers use in their sleeper cabs so they don't have to idle.
The hard part would be running the freon tubing unobtrusively and building evaporator registers with quiet enough fans, dual DC volt computer style fans would probably work well.
I think standards require a roof escape hatch. A side emergency exit wouldn't help if the trailer fell over on that side, so I think 2 are required on different surfaces.I can believe an escape hatch is required, but I'm sure it is not required to be in the roof. Could an adequately large escape window be fit in one side of the sleeping loft area?