TheSamba.com :: View topic - Air Conditioner and Shelter

Thu Jul 17, 2008 10:15 am

Last week My family (myself wife and son) was invited to go camping and the weather forecast was temps in the 90's and humid. So I decided the time was right to try rigging up a window air conditioner on my 82 Westy. I bought a 5000 BTU Haier unit from Target and attached it by using some adjustable straps that I use for holding down my dirt bikes in the truck. To fill thye space between the unit and the van I used some of those foam snakes that kids use in swimming pools for floating, and filled the small spaces in with the foam that was provided with the air conditioner unit.

Although it looked like a real hillbilly rig - it worked, and quite well at that. One of the days it rained really hard for a few hours and only a few drips of water leaked in. It got so cold in the van that I had to set the temp at a setting that was less than mid point on the dial. I had three people come up and check it out - everyone was intrigued. Now I need to make some real brackets and something to substitute for the snakes.

Also I bought a fold up canopy/shelter from Walmart that I setup next to the van. It was $82 and I figured that I would give it a try. It was good that the canvas color was beige to match the color of my van. Surprisingly that worked better than I thought as well. It stood up to the downpour very well and was stable in the high wind with the legs staked into the ground. Also, the height is adjustable and if someone was so inclined, a tarp could be added to connect it to the gutter of the van for leak proof entry into the van. I was not so inclined however.

So for about $200 I improved my camping experience and can now sleep in the hot weather :D Maybe I will do more summer camping now.

Thu Jul 17, 2008 12:12 pm

We have a roll around unit that we brought last summer. I set it behind the passenger seat and put the exhaust out the r/s vent window. I was thinking of taking it apart and burying the components in the cabinets, but have not. There are two people selling on samba two portable AC units for camping. Both seem to have their advantages. http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=90848

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=317678

Thu Jul 17, 2008 12:53 pm

rsxsr wrote: I was thinking of taking it apart and burying the components in the cabinets, but have not.

It would be pretty cool if you could rig something up like that. Kind of the same principle as the propex heater

Thu Jul 17, 2008 1:29 pm

Because of my conversion and since it is only my wife and I, the area over the engine compartment has become storage. I had the idea to exhaust the portable unit out the r/s freshair vent. That way I could leave the unit together. I bought it to run off my generator after a power loss from a hurricane. What has kept me from doing that, is I would need to cut a 5 inch diameter hole into the interior pillar. I have to be sure I really want to do this. The portable AC unit has a drain tray that needs to be emptied periodically. You can adapt a drain hose, but then I need to drill another hole. So for now it is portable. I like the roof rack one with that sits in front of the pop top, but don't like the idea of the extra drag going down the road. The window mount is nice, but you have to lift it into place. You could design some sort of swing system from the roof rack, but then you'd have the drag again. I have to say we laughed ourselves to sleep last summer sleeping with the AC cranking. It almost seemed illegal.

Thu Jul 17, 2008 1:46 pm

hey rsxrs,

Can you post a link to the unit you have? It sounds appealing.....

Thu Jul 17, 2008 1:57 pm

I'd have to look at the one at home. I bought it through biz rate. Look here for the btu, energy efficency etc. http://www.bizrate.com/airconditioners/products__S...sk--3.html

I'll try to look up the actual brand. I bought it a few years ago. It sits in my closet waiting for the next hurricane.

Thu Jul 17, 2008 10:34 pm

I'm not going to throw flower's at myself for designing the Westy luggage rack hung portable AC unit, but I gotta say that it will cool down the interior at 93 degree's outside temps down to high 50's low 60's.

It instantly made summer camping an unbelievable pleasure.

Just sucking the humidity levels down inside the Van was something to behold and enjoy.

Other Van folks are envious, of my comfort level--and wonder why I don't bail outa my Westy or SMB at 6 am--hell--I'm cool as a cucumber--why venture outside of the vehicle so early? :lol:

If you figure out how to attach a window enclosure / boot that will stick to the AC unit as well as the window frame, you'd have it all dialed in.

I made 35 window units for folks this year, and every one of them was overwhelmed with the window units ability to cool down the Van's interior , and maintain the cool in the hottest weather.

It does the job well.

It's possibly the neatest Westy Gizmo I've come up with---and it doesn't take up any precious interior space in the process.

Cool is good--- :wink:

Fri Jul 18, 2008 5:54 am

I have to admit that if it were not for using the AC unit I would not be doing any camping during July and August. Just too miserable without a reliable way to cool off. I am actually looking forward to going again in a few weeks. :D

Fri Jul 18, 2008 6:09 am

This is probably one of those more-trouble-than-it's-worth ideas, but has anybody ever rigged up the stock A/C so they can run it off shore power? Off the top of my head, it seems you would need a motor to run the A/C compressor, some means of disconnecting the compressor from the engine fan belt, a 12v source to run the radiator fan, A/C circulation fans, and the electrics that control the compressor clutch. If this were practical it would make even the Westy A/C useful since the cold air would be in the back bed area (you may need a fan to circulate it into the pop-top area). I guess it would be simpler if you wanted to set it up so you only used the A/C off shore power because you wouldn't have to change out the drive belt arrangement.

Fri Jul 18, 2008 7:47 am

This arrangement would take more time and money than it would be worth--

I don't think the Vanagon AC system puts out 5200 btu's.

Plus the time trying to manuver the Van's system to function beyond the engine would be a nightmare.

How simple is it to hang an AC unit from the luggage rack, flip up a boot to the window frame and plug it in?

It's like a one minute job, to meat locker cool.

Pretty simple and efficiant set up.

Fri Jul 18, 2008 8:25 am

Yeah... you're probably right. Like I said, I figured it was a more-trouble-than-it's-worth idea. It would be pretty slick if it were practical, though. I don't know that I'll ever haul a portable A/C unit camping with me but it would be nice to run the A/C on low at night to cool the van for sleeping. In any case, I rarely camp anywhere with shore power so if it's not something I'll run off batteries or my inverter I just do without.

Fri Jul 18, 2008 9:16 am

Terry, since I plugged your setup for you, Would you sell the rig minus the a/c unit? That would save a lot on shipping I am sure. I imagine it would be adjustable within reason to the current cheap windowshaker bought locally. Also, I'd prefer to have mine on the driver's side. We use the passenger seat while camping, and I use the passenger door to sneak in and out in the middle of the night avoiding the sliding door. Also, the power hookup, water hookup, graywater tank, make the l/s less useful when camping.

Fri Jul 18, 2008 9:29 pm

Here's the problem I've had with making / selling the Ac Mounting hardware & enclosure boot.

I had made a few waaay back when and told folks that they had to be very careful when drilling & pinning the sides of the AC unit to the luggage rack brackets.

Why?

The freon coils are right behind the AC case on both sides and drilling through them would bring total failure mode to their new Ac unit.

It happened three times, two of the guys wanted to be compensated for their damaged unit's--and it was at that point I stopped making the hardware available.

And it wasn't I wanted to be the bad guy--I just didn't want to deal with other folks error's--which was totally out my control.

Like I said , one guy was going to sue me for his damaged AC unit, that he drilled right smack dab into the condensor coils when he was mounting the unit into the bracket's.

I was all done with that availability factor immediatly.

Not to mention a couple of guys not mounting the unit with enough pitch out--the condensation would run back inside of the Van---
My fault again--even though thay were all told exactly how to get them mounted right.

So, with all of this in mind--would you offer something that seems to be a continual headache?

Fri Jul 18, 2008 9:40 pm

Actually rigging the AC to work on shore power isn't all that much trouble. Most aircraft are done that way. It does need a big rectifier for the fan circuits, but a double clutch can be rigged. one for the AC motor and one for the regular ops. The motor need not be huge, about 2 hp, one could be scavenged from a washer or even an ac compressor (some cutting to remove it). A stroll through a Grainger catalog should net most of the components. the biggest issue would be the placement of the AC motor in the engine compartment, which has few viable locations for the mountings.

It would net huge space & weight savings. The heat is not an issue out here, but back east, ugh the humidity.

Fri Jul 18, 2008 10:19 pm

Terry Kay wrote: I gotta say that it will cool down the interior at 93 degree's outside temps down to high 50's low 60's.

Only about 5 degrees warmer than the highest overnight lows we ever get here :lol:

If I lived out east or down south I'd have an ac unit hanging from the passenger window...

Fri Jul 18, 2008 11:25 pm

Boy--here in the "Flat's" where it's 95 degree's all night lomg and 99.9 humidity without raining, the window mount AC unt is a blessing.

The tall corn holds the heat 7 humidity real good, and to turn that heavy, dripping air into cool & comfortable is a miracle.

Plus I need a comforter to cover up with to keep warm enough to get snug as a bug in a rug------

The elimination of the humidity is the bonus plan--
I'm not gasping for air in the morning when the sun turns the inside of the Van into a pressure cooker.

Fri Jul 18, 2008 11:29 pm

Terry Kay wrote: Boy--here in the "Flat's" where it's 95 degree's all night lomg and 99.9 humidity without raining, the window mount AC unt is a blessing.

Certainly!

We were through Oklahoma last fall, mid 70s for an overnight low and a lot of humidity, I didn't sleep much then, at 90+ I'd be heading for a hotel, or looking for a window mount AC to rig up in my vans window.

Sat Jul 19, 2008 4:31 am

Terry, that makes sense. What about making one for the driver's side window? Is it too much trouble to reverse engineer?

Sat Jul 19, 2008 6:28 am

I used the A/C sleeve and luggage rack arrangement for FMBC campout in St Augustine and it was awesome!! LIke others I wound up having to keep it on low or would have been frozen out.
At some point I used a windshield shade to deflect the air more downward. I will stowe the unit inside tho for the drive.

Even with 3 or 4 people inside, both the MaiTai's and peeps were delighted w/ the temp. Combined with the Cathedral like popup effect, "it was marvelous in our eyes!"

For measly 300$<, 85$ sleeve and 198$ for the AC I broadened my camping season to year round!

Sat Jul 19, 2008 7:54 am

<< What about making one for the driver's side window? Is it too much trouble to reverse engineer?

There actually is not much to be reverse engineered.

The AC unit can be fit in either window--the only thing that is different is which side the boot hem will show outside.

Let's say I sew the boot for the L/H window, and you flip the AC unit over to the driver's side door, the hem seam will show outside.

So all that has to be done is sew the hem on the opposite side for the primary driver's window operation.

It's not difficult--just backward's from the usual seam.

If you ever get a wild hair and want to use it in the passenger window--then hem will show outside over there.

That's it---no big deal.

The biggest advantage of the window unit vs the tube & unit in the luggage rack is that if is pouring rain you can drop the top and still run the AC unit to suck the heat & humidity outa the
Van--