I finally got my bus! wait till you see it.... but what do i do about this A/C?

[JDOnTheGo]

Caley?? Is it?

It seems to me that assumptions are being made here. It might help if you clarified a few things. Are you planing to spend considerable time in this bus in the hot part of AZ during the hot part of the year (Phoenix/Tucson in June/July) or are you talking about somewhere further north like Flagstaff? If the latter, the advice to insulate might be a bit overstated. That said; new/better insulation is always a good thing. Whether or not it is a requirement for survival depends on several things and is debatable.

[gypsyfiredance]

Originally Posted by Drew Bru

THIS. That metal ceiling gets HOT in the full sun, and it radiates to the whole inside of the bus. It's amazing, actually.....kinda like a rolling Dutch Oven.

I've been debating whether or not to just insulate floors and walls, but keep seeing posts like this. I've been convinced I need to insulate all the way around since most of my travels will be out west.

[Drew Bru]

Originally Posted by gypsyfiredance

I've been debating whether or not to just insulate floors and walls, but keep seeing posts like this. I've been convinced I need to insulate all the way around since most of my travels will be out west.

We did the floor and walls but left the ceiling intact. We have all of our windows, the back door, and two Maxxfans for ventilation. Our bus is parked 2/3 in the sun with the back 1/3 in the shade. The roof of the bus is painted off-white.


What we've noticed is that with the sun beating down the interior ceiling where the ribs are gets incredibly hot while the rest of the ceiling stays just warm. The shaded part in the back obviously doesn't heat up much at all.


We're going to be creating our own shade on the roof with solar panels and a deck. We're also adding a scant 1/2" insulation with an interior ceiling, more to help keep in the heat in the winter and cut down on any condensation from the ribs. We haven't gotten to those projects yet so I can't say how much they'll help but it sounds good in theory.


I made insulated shades for all of our windows, between those and the ventilation the bus has been staying 4-5 degrees hotter than the outside temp when in full sun and steady to the outside temp in the shaded part. I think that once we're carrying around our own shade (in the form of the solar panels and roof deck) the inside temp won't be more than the outside temp.


Kristen

[Jolly Roger bus 223]

The installed AC only works if the bus is running. Road AC and works best at higher road/engine RPM.
A stationary AC without the bus motor running is a whole different objective to set up?
Starting with choosing what will do the job in a tin can with the door open and then what it takes to power it.
In my opinion????
Parking in the ultimate spot with a good solar system and a quiet genny back up that could run off of the busses diesel/gas tank or separate tank just for it but another fuel level to maintain?

[gypsyfiredance]

Originally Posted by Drew Bru

We did the floor and walls but left the ceiling intact. We have all of our windows, the back door, and two Maxxfans for ventilation. Our bus is parked 2/3 in the sun with the back 1/3 in the shade. The roof of the bus is painted off-white.


What we've noticed is that with the sun beating down the interior ceiling where the ribs are gets incredibly hot while the rest of the ceiling stays just warm. The shaded part in the back obviously doesn't heat up much at all.


We're going to be creating our own shade on the roof with solar panels and a deck. We're also adding a scant 1/2" insulation with an interior ceiling, more to help keep in the heat in the winter and cut down on any condensation from the ribs. We haven't gotten to those projects yet so I can't say how much they'll help but it sounds good in theory.


I made insulated shades for all of our windows, between those and the ventilation the bus has been staying 4-5 degrees hotter than the outside temp when in full sun and steady to the outside temp in the shaded part. I think that once we're carrying around our own shade (in the form of the solar panels and roof deck) the inside temp won't be more than the outside temp.


Kristen

Great ideas! I'll keep those in mind. Keep us all posted if the deck idea works as shade...that would be awesome to have a nice deck up top to view an awesome landscape and sunset!

[golfersmurf57]

Here's another thought on that bulky AC. Consider relocating to the rear and add ducting to bend it forward down the sides! Only have to make hoses and mount the evap section. You'll only be sacrificing upper rear view room on the back glass. Just a thought. I'm going with a edgemark 14 k btu portable for stationary cooling. That and the R10 or better insulation should keep this thing dear cooler chilly.