 The above picture shows the side panel behind the installed a/c unit open for ventilation. I just have the vented panel propped open with a paint stick when using the a/c. The previous post showed how I installed the ventilation fans.  |
| Now that the ventilation fans are installed, it's time to permanently install the a/c unit. I centered the unit in the cabinet, tightened the furniture glides on both sides (these are pictured in an earlier post), and installed two pieces of wood across the top (pictured above). The two wood pieces keeps the unit from bouncing up and down. |
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| Now I started working on the trim around the unit to make it look better. I had some scrap metal trim from my Grandmother's house. I put it around the edge of the cabinet. |
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| This is a backed up view of the metal edge trim. |
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| I plan to put a panel around the unit. I needed to install some wood strips in the cabinet to keep the panel from sliding around. I got some scrap pieces of the laminate and plywood I'm planning to use. |
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| I use these scrap pieces to mark where to install the bracing to make sure there's enough space for the panel to slide in. |
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| I cut my plywood and make sure it fits around the unit. |
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| This is a picture of the installed top and right side wood bracing that will be behind the panel. I had to take the right side brace back out and cut a 45 degree cut along the edge so that the panel would slide in easier. |
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| This is the piece of wood that will be behind the left side of the panel. I cut it at a 45 degree angle so the panel would slide in easier. |
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| This is the wood brace for the left side installed inside the cabinet. |
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| I used brass round head screws to attach the wood braces. This is the right side. |
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| I used the same baby blue laminate for the panel that we used for the kitchen counter. I used contact cement to glue the laminate to the piece of plywood. Then trimmed the laminate with a router. |
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| This is the right side wood brace I installed behind the panel. This picture shows the angle I mentioned cutting a couple of pictures back. I still haven't learned how to rearrange the pictures if I post them wrong. |
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| This shows the panel slid into place. It's easier if you remove the front panel of the unit. To get the panel in, you slide one side in between the front cabinet trim and the wood braces installed inside the cabinet. Then, you bend the middle of the panel out and slide the other side in. |
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| I measured and cut three pieces of birch stained and clear coated to match the cabinets. |
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| I used brass round head screws to attach across the panel at the top, middle, and bottom. This gives it more of a built in look and keeps the laminated plywood from bowing and warping. All the empty space behind the panel is needed to vent the hot air away from the unit and out the side of the trailer. To use the a/c unit I turn it on, flip the switch inside the closet (discussed in the ventilating the a/c post) to turn on fans for pulling fresh air in (through the top vent on the exterior side of trailer), open up the exterior panel behind the a/c unit, and turn on the fan installed behind the a/c unit that pulls the hot air out. |
Well done! That looks like the work of a professional AC installer! The wood pieces on each end that hold the AC unit in place look firmly attached. You’ve selected a good place for your AC unit, but if I were you, I would have put it a little higher so that the cold air would be better distributed to the entire area and not just throughout the lower parts of your space.
ReplyDelete-Jamaal Milner
Great job! From the looks of it, your improvised cabinet can securely hold the AC and prevent it from falling to the floor. It's kind of rare to see someone do this; I take my hats off to you! Anyway, I agree with Jamaal. Would you mind telling us why didn't you install the AC a little higher so that the cold air can circulate much better?
ReplyDeleteLila Farris
Thanks for checking out my blog. I'm sorry it's taken me so long to respond to your comments and questions. There were a couple of reasons the unit was installed in that location. The most important being for ventilation to keep the window unit from overheating. I was able to take advantage of an existing compartment door which originally allowed for access to the back of the combo propane / electric fridge to provide the needed ventilation. The part of the window a/c unit which sits on the outside of your house circulates fresh (cool) air in and blows hot air out through the sides, top, and rear of the unit. Since it's outside it has plenty of fresh air to circulate through the unit. But there is no ventilation through the bottom. If I'd installed the unit higher in the cabinet, the a/c unit wouldn't have been able to circulate the hot air out the compartment door to the outside. It would have been trapped above the unit in the cabinet. This will cause the compressor to kick off after about five minutes and never cool the inside of the trailer. If the unit was higher in the cabinet, the back of the unit would have been only a few inches from the back of the cabinet and not open to fresh air from the outside.
ReplyDeleteAnother reason: I felt it would have been to much weight for the framing of the closet if I'd placed both the fridge and the a/c unit higher up. I didn't want to do so much framing and bracing for that much weight in the top of the cabinet. I felt it would be too top heavy.
Originally, I'd installed a shelf above the a/c unit for storing items. This caused the unit to overheat because there wasn't enough space around the top of the unit for ventilation. I don't have any pictures posted of this installation because it didn't work. I had to tweak it and partially redo the installation three times before it worked correctly.
As far as the concerns about circulating the cool air through the trailer, we don't really have any problems. When we first turn on the a/c unit, we usually have a fan pointing toward the front of the trailer to cool that area a little quicker. Once the trailer cools off we take the fan outside. It does get a little cold if your standing directly in front of the vents at the sink, but that would be the case even if it was installed higher in the cabinet. We often go camping when the temperature is reaching upper 90's with a "feel like temperature" of over a hundred and don't have any problem. It keeps the humidity down inside the trailer as well. We never get that damp feeling inside the trailer.
Sorry the post was so long. I hope I didn't confuse you. If you have anymore questions, just let me know.
Good job! :] Now I think I’m not gonna turn down an invitation to chill in that awesome camper van! You definitely did a great job in brainstorming the would-be location of your AC unit. How’s it going now?
ReplyDelete- Launce Newlove