AC question

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Sailorkane

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Sep 30, 2015
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Tampa, Florida
I have 2003 Journey with basement AC.  Like it, but we're headed for Vegas this summer and want extra ac in the aft cabin.  We already have a 120V portable AC we use in our garage.  Output of the portable ac is a flexible tube about 6" in diameter, ending in an oval collar that fits in a window.  Our aft cabin doesn't seem to have a good window for this:  there is only the slideout window and the emergency escape window.  Thinking of putting the portable in the aft closet and cutting an oval slot somewhere for the collar.  Either in the closet floor, which has access to the engine.  Or maybe even aft closet wall.  Anyone have any insight?  Bad idea?  Good idea?  Its not in the cards right now to add a roof mount ac unit in the aft cabin. 
 

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Living in an RV in Las Vegas in the summer is a really dumb idea. You won't last a week. Not only is it in the 100s all day, but at night it is in the 90s. Sleeping is impossible. November through April are the only months you can live there comfortably. Your electricity bill will be though the roof.
 
It will work but not to full capacity. I did this as a temporary fix when my basement unit broke. The air that is exhausted is drawn in from inside the motor home which in turn sucks it inside through various openings (of which there are plenty) from outside.
It marganily works is the best I can say.
 
I have used a portable a couple of times in my coach, once to supplement the basement unit when we were in temps of 116+ during the Texas summer from hell a few years ago, and once when the basement unit was out of commission. I exhausted it out the driver side window, creating a piece out of luan plywood that the exhaust tubing attached to and blocked the rest of the opening. As already stated, the performance was pretty marginal.

As for the holes, I would avoid cutting a hole downward into the engine area as that would create a place where engine heat and fumes could enter the MH while driving.  One through the rear wall might be ok, but you need to be sure you aren't cutting into anything on the other side of the wall (like the duct-work from the basement ac unit to the roof). The finished hole would be hidden behind the rear cap and not visible from the outside. Again, you would want some way to seal it when driving to avoid fumes, etc entering the passenger area.

My coach has a dryer vent out the side wall, seems to me that would be the easiest to accomplish. On my coach where the washer/dryer is already in the aft area, I might look at seeing if I could somehow tap into the dryer vent OR create an adapter that would allow me to vent it through an existing roof vent.
 
Thanks for the dryer vent idea.  I have a place for a W/D and don't have one installed.  I'll look for the vent.
I don't want to try to defend being in Vegas for the summer.  Unfortunately, that is when I need to be there.  I stayed there in a TT a couple years ago.  It was hot, but quite acceptable.  Daytime temps are high, often 100-115.  During the day, I'll be in an air conditioned casino. Nighttime it drops to 75 average in June.  Cost was $17/nite, electricity included.  The World Series of Poker is there at that time.  I lasted 7 weeks in 2014.  The Journey A/C is more effective than the TT that I had at that time.
Our portable is also marginal in the garage.  The duct gets hot and radiates heat back into the garage.  Having the duct short is key.  Our basement unit works fine now, this is just a helper.
 
As mentioned, those portables exhaust allot of hot air through uninsulated hoses. But the big problem is you are drawing hot air right back in.

Suggest you get ahead of the curve and never let the interior get heat soaked or you will never catch back up. If you don't have the foil faced window insulation, get some, expecially for the front window. Our summers here get over 100 for days at a time and I've not had problems keeping the interior cool as long as I don't let it heat up in the first place.
 
We were in southern Arizona in June (in full sun) several years ago and the ambient air temps were in the 100s and I measured an inside wall with an IR gun at 95*. That's what I call heat soaked  :D. Once the walls are that hot, it's all over unless you have at least three tons of air conditioning (in a ~40 footer, slides, dark full body paint.)
 
Yeah, its a tough one.  We have full body paint, but its a lighter color.  And tons of awnings.  And a couple of the spots in the park we like have shade.
 
John Canfield said:
We were in southern Arizona in June (in full sun) several years ago and the ambient air temps were in the 100s and I measured an inside wall with an IR gun at 95*. That's what I call heat soaked  :D. Once the walls are that hot, it's all over unless you have at least three tons of air conditioning (in a ~40 footer, slides, dark full body paint.)
Click to expand...

How much of a ton is a standard 15000 AC?  3/4?
 
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