Mini Split A.C. in their fiver

[jjj]

I was wondering if anyone has put a mini split a.c. in their fiver or trailer and if so how do they like it and how does it work especially if you have 2 rooms like a fifth wheel. I have seen a lot of you tube videos but never heard first hand from anyone. Just curious.

[spoon059]

Awesome wogg,thanks!

[jjj]

WOGG,thanks for the reply and the pictures. Very cool.

[wogg]

spoon059 wrote:
Cool, thanks for posting! I've got a lot of questions since I saw one installed last!

What size unit is that?
Do you know how many amps it pulls when its running?
Does it cool down your camper faster than the roof AC unit did?
With doors open, does the single head distribute cool air all the way front and back?
With doors closed, does it get stuffy in the bedroom?
Have you tried running the overhead ducted vent fan to move air around?

Finally, what did it cost? Head unit, any installation costs, getting the rack made/mounted.

1. It is a 12000 BTU unit. I don't know the amps but it will run on a 2000 watt generator without any problems.
2. It cools down the RV in about 30 min as where the roof top would never get it to a comfortable temp.
3. Like i said I use a floor fan to move the air around and it will keep the entire RV very cool.
4. With the bedroom door closed I do need to run the bedroom A/C on low if it is very hot outside.
5. I don't have the old A/C so there is no fan for the ducted ceiling. If you do have that it would work nicely.
6. The A/C was about $850.00. Depending on how far the head unit is from the condenser you might need to buy a longer line set. I did the install myself with the help of my son-in-law who is a HVAC tech. The rack was put on before I had this A/C planned. It cost $600.00 at a local welding shop.
I hope this helps. If not ask more questions if needed.

[LMHS]

jjj wrote:
The only problem I have is my fiver has 3 rooms, a small rear room, main living then the front bedroom. Not sure how good cool air
flow would work getting to all areas.

You might think about a "room-to-room" fan. We had installed one in a house to pull heat off the exposed stack on a wood stove and blow the air into the bedroom that backed up against the brick woodstove niche. They are fairly common. If you don't want to mess with the wiring for a fan forced, you can easily just make a cutout thru the wall near the ceiling and cover the hole with vent covers on each side of the wall. Vent covers (or floor register vents) come in several shapes and finishes. You can even get pretty decorative ones. It would do the same thing that transoms did, allow air flow when the door to a room was closed. I've seen them mounted on solid and hollow core doors too.

[spoon059]

Cool, thanks for posting! I've got a lot of questions since I saw one installed last!

What size unit is that?
Do you know how many amps it pulls when its running?
Does it cool down your camper faster than the roof AC unit did?
With doors open, does the single head distribute cool air all the way front and back?
With doors closed, does it get stuffy in the bedroom?
Have you tried running the overhead ducted vent fan to move air around?

Finally, what did it cost? Head unit, any installation costs, getting the rack made/mounted.

[wogg]

Picture #1 Is the head Unit mounted on wall above the Kitchen slide and the tube off to the right is the condensation drain. The left tube is the freon and electrical.
Picture #2 is the continuation of the electrical. Goes through cabinet and out back wall.
Picture #3 is the condenser that is mounted to a rack that was mounted to the trailer frame so there would be no vibration to disturb the line set.
I also use a small floor fan to help circulate the air around the trailer. Any other questions, please feel free to ask.

[wogg]

Click For Full-Size Image.
Click For Full-Size Image.
Click For Full-Size Image.

[wogg]

I will take a few pictures and post them next time I get to my trailer.

[jjj]

Wogg, yes please post some pictures. The only problem
I have is my fiver has 3 rooms, a small rear room, main living
then the front bedroom. Not sure how good cool air
flow would work getting to all areas.

[spoon059]

wogg wrote:
We have one in our 5th wheel and it's the best thing EVER! It cools infinitely more efficient than a roof top unit. You can run it on a 2k watt Generator. It's dead silent(I always hated how loud the rooftop units are), so you don't even know it's running. We took 2 different trips to Las Vegas in August at 106 degree weather outside, but it's in the 60's inside (so cold I use a blanket). It took my husband and our son in law about 3 hours to install and within 30 minutes of setup at the campsite the RV is at a comfortable temperature. The only thing we do extra is use a fan to move the air around more evenly.

Now you've done it... post some pictures of where you mounted the base unit, the head unit and the lines please.

What floorplan do you have? How does the air do getting into bedrooms, bathrooms, etc? Have you tried running the rooftop AC on just the fan setting to move the air throughout the coach (even just at nighttime when doors may be closed?)

[spoon059]

StirCrazy wrote:
I always get a chuckel at this statment. if your doing it yourself it is to save paying the money out to some one else. you don't pay that money to yourself when you do a job, so you are saving money. when I change the oil in my car I don't go well, at work I make 48 bucks an hour so I better not change this myself and make sure its done right as it will cost me more... it doesnt cost me one red cent more to do it myself, what it does is keep money in my bank account that other wise I would have had to pay out so yes I save money doing stuff myself.

Yup, and the time spent with children teaching them how to do these things. I finished both bathrooms in my house and my kitchen, just my wife and I. I built a barn in the backyard, built my deck, installed new exterior doors in the house, built a workshop in the carport and refinished our basement after it flooded.

I didn't remotely consider the "cost" of doing it myself, I simply looked at the project and determined if I could complete the project myself, and how much time it would take. I have great pride in the projects that my wife and I were able to complete!

[StirCrazy]

valhalla360 wrote:
If you treat your labor as $1/hr, sure, you can rebuild the entire RV to make it work and it will be cheaper. But put a reasonable price on your labor and it's going to be significantly more than simply dropping a new RV unit in it's place.

I always get a chuckel at this statment. if your doing it yourself it is to save paying the money out to some one else. you don't pay that money to yourself when you do a job, so you are saving money. when I change the oil in my car I don't go well, at work I make 48 bucks an hour so I better not change this myself and make sure its done right as it will cost me more... it doesnt cost me one red cent more to do it myself, what it does is keep money in my bank account that other wise I would have had to pay out so yes I save money doing stuff myself.

[wogg]

We have one in our 5th wheel and it's the best thing EVER! It cools infinitely more efficient than a roof top unit. You can run it on a 2k watt Generator. It's dead silent(I always hated how loud the rooftop units are), so you don't even know it's running. We took 2 different trips to Las Vegas in August at 106 degree weather outside, but it's in the 60's inside (so cold I use a blanket). It took my husband and our son in law about 3 hours to install and within 30 minutes of setup at the campsite the RV is at a comfortable temperature. The only thing we do extra is use a fan to move the air around more evenly.

[Michelle_S]

And most Hew Horizons require a Sport Chassis or F550/5500 series TV because they are HEAVY