A/C installation

[Parsleypower]

I am installing a A/C unit in a 1993 Starcraft Starflite. It's a small PUP. Can anyone tell me if I have to put a roof brace in? The A/C is a Carrier AirV. It's about 110 LBS with the ceiling unit.

[austinado16]

I'd suggest calling StarcraftRV at (260)593-2550 and ask the folks in their technical dept.  Really nice people and very helpful.  I'm guessing that at 110lbs, sitting in one concentrated area, it's going to need a brace spanning side-to-side.  One in front of the a/c unit and one to the rear of the a/c unit.

[Parsleypower]

Thanks abunch. I've had the unit for about 2 months now and have been debating on wether to try it or not. Do you know if I can just screw some metal brackets into the ceiling to brace it?

[austinado16]

I don't know, so contact the folks at Starcraft.  They may even have the backets you need.

Maybe someone here with a similar year or roof design, and a/c, can give you some real specifics.

Oh...and GO TEAM STARCRAFT :U

[Parsleypower]

I don't know, so contact the folks at Starcraft.  They may even have the backets you need.

Maybe someone here with a similar year or roof design, and a/c, can give you some real specifics.

Oh...and GO TEAM STARCRAFT :U

O.K. Thanks again. I appreciate the insight! I'm new on this forum so thanks for reponding to me.

[Haroki]

FWIW, I have a Lonestar S and I know that they would want to install gas cylinders to help in raising the lid. I don't know about the weight/roof issue for your unit however.

I'm also thinking about throwing one on mine too. What's the smallest you've been able to find? Coleman Cub(?) is the smallest one I've found. 9200 btu and a 8.6 amp draw.

I'm trying to find a smaller one though, cuz I already have a 1000W Honda generator that just fits in one of the rear exterior cubbyholes, and it wouldn't run that.

I DO have a small window a/c that I tried out with the gen, 5200 btu and 4.5 amp draw, and that worked, although I will say that the gen had a tough time starting up the compressor. But i found something calles a "Super Boost" here:  http://arnoldservice.com/air_conditioning_parts.htm   that sounds like it might help. I need to talk to the dude first.

Of course the other options are to get a bigger gen, like a Champion 3500W that can be found on Craigslist for $250... or cut up the folding part of the rear wall and put it there - which I'm loathe to do cuz I'd have to put it in and pull it out every time I set up camp.

Any clue if a small rooftop is made?

I'm planning a trip from Cali to Montana in 2 months, and plan to drag my aluminum boat along and do some trout fishing along the way. So I could put the gen there instead of storing it in the camper while on the road.

[Parsleypower]

In my search I found a 5K BTU unit. I'm sorry i can't remember where. I went with the carrier AirV 13.5 BTU. The weight was about the same either way so i figured I'd get the big one. It's 90 LBs and 20 LB ceiling unit. I don't run a gen so power wasn't a concern. I'm still figureing out how to do a support. I spoke to Starcraft and they verified I do need it. They said I had to drill holes in the sidewall of the roof and bolt it on. Does that sound right?

[Haroki]

I guess so if they say so, LOL. I think the roof in mine is already prepped for it, since an a/c was an option. It's a 2005 model. Like I said, they would want to add a gas cylinder to mine to take the strain off the crank up mechanism though.

No clue as to the  maker on that a/c then? Cuz I've been Googling every combo i could think of and have come up empty.

5000 btu would be PERFECT since I have no intent on camping in the desert during the summer.

I mostly dry camp at fishing lakes, so no power there to run an a/c. Hence the need for a small a/c unit. Or a bigger generator, LOL...

In my search I found a 5K BTU unit. I'm sorry i can't remember where. I went with the carrier AirV 13.5 BTU. The weight was about the same either way so i figured I'd get the big one. It's 90 LBs and 20 LB ceiling unit. I don't run a gen so power wasn't a concern. I'm still figureing out how to do a support. I spoke to Starcraft and they verified I do need it. They said I had to drill holes in the sidewall of the roof and bolt it on. Does that sound right?

[austinado16]

In my search I found a 5K BTU unit. I'm sorry i can't remember where. I went with the carrier AirV 13.5 BTU. The weight was about the same either way so i figured I'd get the big one. It's 90 LBs and 20 LB ceiling unit. I don't run a gen so power wasn't a concern. I'm still figureing out how to do a support. I spoke to Starcraft and they verified I do need it. They said I had to drill holes in the sidewall of the roof and bolt it on. Does that sound right?

Think in terms of: "Installing 2 ceiling joists"  So their load is carried by the side walls of the roof.

If they (StarcraftRV) didn't have some to sell you.....maybe you could give them the inside dimension of your ceiling and they could go find a pair that would be either perfect, or very close.

Otherwise, consider something like aluminum "I" beam or "C" channel, which would be super light, but very strong.  You would bolt an "L" section of aluminum to the inside of the roof side wall, and then cut your "I" or "C" beam to fit exactly between your 2 brackets. The knotch the beam to sit onto the "L" and bolt to the "L".  The top of the beam would be touching the ceiling, of course.

Paint to match prior to installation, run your electrical conduit along the beam, for a clean look.

The only thing to consider is: will the 2 beams be so low that you'll hit your head on them?

That's just an idea off the top of my head.  Maybe someone hear with an A/C'd PUP can post a photo of their supports?

[Haroki]

Ok, I see that Dometic Brisk Air has a 7100 btu a/c.

But I still don't think my 1000w gen would start it. So I'm still insearch of a 5000 btu rooftop a/c. Has anyone seen a downsized rooftop?

I really think this would be ok in a camper, since there's so little interior volume to cool. My office at one of my jobs was an old 20' travel trailer, and it had the window removed and a 5000 btu window unit stuck in there, and you could make ice cream in there even on a 105 degree day.

But I'm thinking I may be outta luck, and will need to get a bigger gen, and figure a way to carry it on my boat trailer.

[Parsleypower]

Yeah, That's the only one I can find now also. I think the one I saw was on ebay, but I don't even see it there now. Heck maybe it was a window unit I saw. I've looked at so many they are all running together. Lookslike a bigger gen is the way to go.

[Parsleypower]

Think in terms of: "Installing 2 ceiling joists"  So their load is carried by the side walls of the roof.

If they (StarcraftRV) didn't have some to sell you.....maybe you could give them the inside dimension of your ceiling and they could go find a pair that would be either perfect, or very close.

Otherwise, consider something like aluminum "I" beam or "C" channel, which would be super light, but very strong.  You would bolt an "L" section of aluminum to the inside of the roof side wall, and then cut your "I" or "C" beam to fit exactly between your 2 brackets. The knotch the beam to sit onto the "L" and bolt to the "L".  The top of the beam would be touching the ceiling, of course.

Paint to match prior to installation, run your electrical conduit along the beam, for a clean look.

The only thing to consider is: will the 2 beams be so low that you'll hit your head on them?

That's just an idea off the top of my head.  Maybe someone hear with an A/C'd PUP can post a photo of their supports?

O.K. thanks. It just breaks my heart to drill holes in the camper. LOL

[Haroki]

Yeah, That's the only one I can find now also. I think the one I saw was on ebay, but I don't even see it there now. Heck maybe it was a window unit I saw. I've looked at so many they are all running together. Lookslike a bigger gen is the way to go.

Yeah, the gen is looking like the way to go. C'mon Craigslist!

Hey, don't forget about the lift cylinders for your rig. Otherwise you might strip the lift mechanism.

I totally agree about the drilling comment too. It raises all kinds of worries about leaks, compromising structural integrity/cracking, etc.

[wavery]

You can't compare an A/C unit installed in a room to an A/C unit installed in a PU camper.......not even close.

The PU is no where close to a sealed environment. It takes about 2-3 times as much A/C to cool a PU than it does to cool an equivalent size room.

If your PU is a 10' box, the total cu ft (fully opened) is around 800. That's about the same cu ft as a 10'x 10' room in a house. A 5,000BTU A/C unit will easily cool that room but it will take a minimum of 10,000BTU to adequately cool a 10' PU and 13,500BTU to cool a 12' PU. Even then, it will be a real struggle in 100 degree temps.

Check out this link where I installed a 10,000BTU in our hard sided PU:
http://www.arveeclub.com/showthread.php?t=66464&page=4&pp=10&highlight=air+conditioner+install

That AC cools our PU OK. I've never had it in 100 degree temps and I think that it may be a struggle. Our PU seals up as well as a hard side TT. A canvas PU is much harder (to impossible) to seal and the canvas PU has zero insulation from the heat.

A 1000W generator will not run any A/C unit that I am aware of.

[Haroki]

Thanks for the info.

I doubt that I'd go anywhere there's 100 temps though, LOL. I'd rather go places that survival isn't an issue. I typically go to mountain lakes where the temps are never that high. It's just for this trip to Montana that concerns me. No telling what I'll run in to.

I'd put the cu ft at closer to 500 though. Certainly not as much as a 10x10 room.

It looks like it doesn't matter though, cuz there aren't any 5000 btu a/c that I can see. And since they all cost and weigh about the same anyways, I'll probably get the Coleman Cub that 9200 btu, since I will not cut up my camper for something as silly as an window mount a/c.

My Honda 1000w gen ran the 5000 btu a/c just fine in my work "office". I tried it out one day, and it ran all afternoon without a hitch. It only drew 480 watts on high. Starting was the issue.I had to take it off of economy mode to keep from kicking the breaker in it.

You can't compare an A/C unit installed in a room to an A/C unit installed in a PU camper.......not even close.

The PU is no where close to a sealed environment. It takes about 2-3 times as much A/C to cool a PU than it does to cool an equivalent size room.

If your PU is a 10' box, the total cu ft (fully opened) is around 800. That's about the same cu ft as a 10'x 10' room in a house. A 5,000BTU A/C unit will easily cool that room but it will take a minimum of 10,000BTU to adequately cool a 10' PU and 13,500BTU to cool a 12' PU. Even then, it will be a real struggle in 100 degree temps.

Check out this link where I installed a 10,000BTU in our hard sided PU:
http://www.arveeclub.com/showthread.php?t=66464&page=4&pp=10&highlight=air+conditioner+install

That AC cools our PU OK. I've never had it in 100 degree temps and I think that it may be a struggle. Our PU seals up as well as a hard side TT. A canvas PU is much harder (to impossible) to seal and the canvas PU has zero insulation from the heat.

A 1000W generator will not run any A/C unit that I am aware of.