The Newman Skoolie!

[cadillackid]

Originally Posted by EastCoastCB

The outdoor unit is around the size of a suitcase. I can think of several ways to fit it on a bus. I've seen em installed on little travel trailers, even.

They are a lot more efficient than rooftops, and MUCH quieter.

Yes they are. but size of a suitcase?? I have 3 of these heating and cooling my house.. modified so I could duct them into the Basement central blower system.. so I still maintain my gas heat and floor registers.. yeah irts pretty elaborate.. but YES these units are extremely quiet and MUCH more efficient than rooftops..

the install on this video is nice on the hitch and all..

I just dont know about their longevity in a mobile environment.. I repair these things on the side.. asd I know how to repair / rebuild the circuits in them.. so ive had them in pieces.. many of them..

the pipes are made out of VERY THIN copper tubes and aluminum fins.. unlike automotive units these have NO FLEX vibration eliminators so all vibrations are passed through to the internal workings..

dont get me wrong I love these units.. Ive had my 3 installed at home since 2009 and run them in both cool and heat.. but ive already replaced the compressor mounts in my 2 smallest ones (12,000 BTU each). .as the rubber mounts detiorated making them noisy and allowing a lot of flex to the hard-piped copper tubing..

if your bus does more camping than it does travelling then I think they are a great fit.. however I wouldnt run them a whole bunch while driving.. you also cannot turn them on an angle or sideways at all if you are trying to basement mount them other than fully upright...

your best bet would be to back-porch mount them using a wall bracket (they make wall brackets with proper clearances for these).. they need plenty of airflow..

they do run nicely on a generator as ive run mine that way before.. they will also run well on a GOOD inverter.. a cheap inverter messes up the VFD that drives the compressor... they toss error codes and shut off..


I have a couple of them in pieces that i use for software DEV at home if anyone wants to see what they look like on the inside...

-Christopher

[Jman6631]

With rainbows under my wheels and unicorns on my wings, about 15 minutes!

[Docsgsxr]

Just remember folks, the split systems are HEAT PUMPS..... They work well in places with higher humidity. Say the midwest all the way to the southeast. In the southwest, say Arizona for instance, they won't do you any good. They work off of evaporation, which we don't have much water in the air to begin with.

I am still flirting with the idea of putting one in my bus because I work all over the country, but I will still need a true air conditioner for the times I am at home or camping anywhere in the southwest.

[Jman6631]

Thanks Docsgsxr!

Stupid question (which I do NOT mind asking): Are the roof top units heat pumps, too?

[cadillackid]

Originally Posted by Docsgsxr

Just remember folks, the split systems are HEAT PUMPS..... They work well in places with higher humidity. Say the midwest all the way to the southeast. In the southwest, say Arizona for instance, they won't do you any good. They work off of evaporation, which we don't have much water in the air to begin with.

I am still flirting with the idea of putting one in my bus because I work all over the country, but I will still need a true air conditioner for the times I am at home or camping anywhere in the southwest.

huh?? these are standard mechanical cooling and heating units driven by a variable speed compressor..

they dont require any humidity to work well.. in fact they work better in DRIER climates..

now for HEAT mode the Heatpump portion works from CONDENSATION more efficiently.. ie water condenses on the OUTDOOR coils giving you a higher C.O.P for heating (at least until you get the coils below freezing.. then you must run the defrost cycle)..

for cooling humidity is the enemy not the helper...

Most rooftops are Cooling only..

a heatpump is simply an A/C reversed in laymans terms..

-Christopher

[Scooternj]

Originally Posted by cadillackid

they dont require any humidity to work well.. in fact they work better in DRIER climates..

Yeah, we had them in Iraq as the HVAC systems *everywhere*. When it's 120 in the shade, walking into 75 degree building is glorious

[Docsgsxr]

Most are typical Ac units, which draw heavier loads on them. Which is why folks who use AC's have a generator, or only use shore power to operate them.

I actually thought about doing this,

install a split system for when I am working in places like Louisiana to Florida, and then getting a smaller 14000 btu floor unit for when I am in the drier climates. that way, it is stowed when I am not using it, and it will vent with an accordion tube out the window when I do. (I used one for 3 days when my home AC lost it's refrigerant in August. I just cooled down my bedroom and me and the little ones "camped out in daddy's room"!

[Docsgsxr]

Originally Posted by cadillackid

huh?? these are standard mechanical cooling and heating units driven by a variable speed compressor..

they dont require any humidity to work well.. in fact they work better in DRIER climates..

now for HEAT mode the Heatpump portion works from CONDENSATION more efficiently.. ie water condenses on the OUTDOOR coils giving you a higher C.O.P for heating (at least until you get the coils below freezing.. then you must run the defrost cycle)..

for cooling humidity is the enemy not the helper...

Most rooftops are Cooling only..

a heatpump is simply an A/C reversed in laymans terms..

-Christopher

Every system I have looked at so far says they do not work well in the arid climates. None of my neighbors or friends in the Phoenix Valley have a heat pump on their home. All the homes here have central AC systems. Some homes do have swamp coolers attached, and every restaurant I see that has a patio to eat at, has a misting system.

[EastCoastCB]

Originally Posted by cadillackid

Yes they are. but size of a suitcase?? I have 3 of these heating and cooling my house.. modified so I could duct them into the Basement central blower system.. so I still maintain my gas heat and floor registers.. yeah irts pretty elaborate.. but YES these units are extremely quiet and MUCH more efficient than rooftops..

the install on this video is nice on the hitch and all..

I just dont know about their longevity in a mobile environment.. I repair these things on the side.. asd I know how to repair / rebuild the circuits in them.. so ive had them in pieces.. many of them..

the pipes are made out of VERY THIN copper tubes and aluminum fins.. unlike automotive units these have NO FLEX vibration eliminators so all vibrations are passed through to the internal workings..

dont get me wrong I love these units.. Ive had my 3 installed at home since 2009 and run them in both cool and heat.. but ive already replaced the compressor mounts in my 2 smallest ones (12,000 BTU each). .as the rubber mounts detiorated making them noisy and allowing a lot of flex to the hard-piped copper tubing..

if your bus does more camping than it does travelling then I think they are a great fit.. however I wouldnt run them a whole bunch while driving.. you also cannot turn them on an angle or sideways at all if you are trying to basement mount them other than fully upright...

your best bet would be to back-porch mount them using a wall bracket (they make wall brackets with proper clearances for these).. they need plenty of airflow..

they do run nicely on a generator as ive run mine that way before.. they will also run well on a GOOD inverter.. a cheap inverter messes up the VFD that drives the compressor... they toss error codes and shut off..


I have a couple of them in pieces that i use for software DEV at home if anyone wants to see what they look like on the inside...

-Christopher

I didn't say "briefcase" I said suitcase. Buses are quite huge, my friend. These take up less space than virtually any alternative.
Properly planned for and executed they're one of the best options for cooling a bus.
How big are the units you're runnng at your house?
Speaking of suitcases, though, I've had this set of luggage my whole life-

[Tango]

I believe there may be some information cross talk between "mini-splits"...and ..."swamp coolers" here. Swamp coolers won't do squat in a humid climate which always made me wonder why they gave them that name, but...they are great in arid climates. Cadillac can probably tell us why.