The Newman Skoolie!

[Jman6631]

I thought about putting the AC anywhere else including the basement and I keep coming back to the RTU. All I have to do is sacrifice a little height on the rear half, and it's really not that much of a sacrifice. If it allows for the RTU AC AND solar in the future then I see the asymmetry as a net gain.

Are you still interested in the AC unit from the shuttle I'm seeing on Saturday?

[Jman6631]

Had a really productive weekend. Got up at O dark thirty yesterday to drive 6.5 hrs. to Huntington, WV to pickup my new-to-me windows and doors. I can still hardly believe my good fortune in finding an entire set that will be so absolutely perfect for my build-out.

I got there before noon and the seller was already hard at it removing some of the screws. He had all the tools and a great attitude in helping me remove them all and safely pack them. In total I got 7-36x36, 1-36x42, 2-22x24, 4-12x36 and one ~22x24 trapezoidal window that will probably go in the bathroom. For doors I also got 1-48x72 double door and the rear 38x60 door. I forwent the all glass bifold entry door as I have no conceivable place to use it.

It was a spectacular day in some of the prettiest country you'll find. West Virginia sure does get a bad rap. In my book it is every bit as beautiful as Vermont or Connecticut. I wish they'd market it better because it sure does have amazing scenery.

It took us ~3 hours to remove them and pack them, and I was back on the road again and home by 11pm. After we finished he showed me a spectacular 1976 black Smokey and the Bandit Trans Am that took my breath away that he and his boys spent three years rebuilding. I swear this thing could have just rolled off the movie screen!

What a day, what an adventure and what a great outcome. I have all the windows I'll need for a truly great looking window solution, plus two excellent storage compartment doors from the 48x72 dbl door. Those are piano hinged the full height, and the two full length bar locks are going to make securing them a snap.

Today I also picked up a cheap no-gas mig welder for $50. I know, I know, stop your snickering...you purists will never be satisfied! What I know is that it works and for $50 I'll take the chance that it will do what I need it to do. Wish me luck...

Tomorrow I head out for a week in Florida, the first of nine out of ten weeks of travel (sheesh!), so I'm not sure when I'll actually get to the roof raise. But I can at least proceed now with the confidence of knowing I have the windows to do it right.

Here they are stored...not much to look at but you get the idea:



Here's the Chinese special which I'm already calling the widowmaker!



Take care until next time you hosers!

[Robin97396]

Nice looking windows. Everybody was booing me for getting junk yard windows like yours. True they are only single pane, but they have bug screens and they're tinted. They look pretty far removed from standard bus windows.

I'd like to figure out a way to put in a nice secure skylight that didn't leak.

[Jman6631]

Booing you? Seriously? That's just harsh...

I really do like the look of the stock windows but have been convinced by the old salts on this site that to do it right you should remove the crap and replace them already with something better. I was slow to come into agreement with them but now I can see the light. These are very high quality windows and would have been thousands new.

These are single pane too, which doesn't bother me in the least. What I like is that they are really good quality, are tinted, and they have sliders at the top (but no screens...grrrrr). These are going to offer some seriously awesome views of the rainbows and unicorns once we're underway. I dunno...I think it was the right move...

[Robin97396]

It's a lot of work to put windows in. Once was enough so I'm just fine with the school bus windows. Besides, nobody seems to be able to flatten out that drip edge over the windows that always says school bus. I guess put an awning on both sides.

Unicorns? You must be driving overseas.

[EastCoastCB]

Originally Posted by cadillackid

im lost as to why the roof raise has to be assymetrical for a rooftop unit. wouldnt the A/C just be sitting ontop of any roofline your create? there is very little protrusion into the interior on a rooftop RV unit.

as much as I love mini split units, the outdoor units are large.. they run on R-410A which isnt designed for the extreme temperatures you put a bus through day after day.. (its pressures run roughly twice as much as R-134A).. and the flair fittings have a tendency to leak on stationary units... let alone bouncing them around...

-Christopher

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.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IHDT5ZEpKkw

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

[EastCoastCB]

Originally Posted by Robin97396

It's a lot of work to put windows in. Once was enough so I'm just fine with the school bus windows. Besides, nobody seems to be able to flatten out that drip edge over the windows that always says school bus. I guess put an awning on both sides.

Unicorns? You must be driving overseas.

My Amtran has one long, smooth drip rail. Looks really good.
I hate that the Bluebirds have the individually flared out drip things over each window. I couldn't get over that, aesthetically.

Plenty of unicorns in Scotland... its their official national animal.

[Jman6631]

Oh I don't care about the drip edge. Once the roof is raised and the windows are in and she's painted I prolly won't even notice it. For me and for this project, with two 13 y.o. girls learning to do all these things and be tired and miserable at the end of the day in the name of persistence it's totally and completely worth it.

For these sizes I know it will be a challenge. I'll have to remove the stock supports and install new rough openings in five places not to mention the oddball that's going in the bathroom. It'll be worth it in the end by far.

Thanks EastCoastCB!

I've seen those small split units installed on a thread here and took note. His was installed under the deck behind the left rear wheels. It was a short run to the interior diverter and seemed to work great.

If I don't go with an RTU then this is the system I'll do. In fact I picked up some heavy 2x2 steel angle off craigslist for just this possibility. Thanks a lot for the video, that sucker really is quiet and for ~$500 I agree you can't beat it. Wow...

Oh I'd definitely love to take her to Scotland! Been way too long.....

[EastCoastCB]

Originally Posted by Jman6631

Oh I don't care about the drip edge. Once the roof is raised and the windows are in and she's painted I prolly won't even notice it. For me and for this project, with two 13 y.o. girls learning to do all these things and be tired and miserable at the end of the day in the name of persistence it's totally and completely worth it.

For these sizes I know it will be a challenge. I'll have to remove the stock supports and install new rough openings in five places not to mention the oddball that's going in the bathroom. It'll be worth it in the end by far.

Thanks EastCoastCB!

I've seen those small split units installed on a thread here and took note. His was installed under the deck behind the left rear wheels. It was a short run to the interior diverter and seemed to work great.

If I don't go with an RTU then this is the system I'll do. In fact I picked up some heavy 2x2 steel angle off craigslist for just this possibility. Thanks a lot for the video, that sucker really is quiet and for ~$500 I agree you can't beat it. Wow...

Oh I'd definitely love to take her to Scotland! Been way too long.....

My sweet Roxy is from Scotland. Glasgow actually. Man, what a ROUGH city.

[Robin97396]

So how long does it take to drive to Scotland?

[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.