Quick disconnect rear AC

[Manchild]

Greetings, ‘99 E350 7.3 srw Girardin 4 window here.

I pulled the rear ceiling mounted AC a while back. Kept the lines in the wall, just removed the evap and blower on the ceiling. I need the extra ceiling space because I cut the back wall open and fabbed a toy hauler door so I can ride motorcycles into the back of the bus.

Question, are there a type of coupler or union or fitting that could be disconnected by hand that I could attach between the evap and the hi/lo lines from the compressor? There are times when I also have the family with me, in the desert, and AC would be worthwhile. However, it is not worth it for me all of the time, hence the reason for being able to simply pull the ceiling unit (which would be mounted to the wall below a window and above the wheel-well with wing nuts for quick install).

Thoughts? Is anyone aware of a low-profile evap and blower that I could replace the bulky Carrier unit with (would need 12v R134A compatible)? If I could find something that wasn’t as deep, like 6” or slimmer, I could just permanently mount it to the wall above the wheel-well and call it good.

[cadillackid]

you can install a bulkhead evaporator that fits inside the upper wall cavity above the door (if your bus has an space) but cheap they are not.. I have bought quite a bit of bus A/C equipment and they are all pretty expensive.. I collect every bit of take-off A/C i can get from skoolie people foolishly removing it and throwing it away.. (some of it ends up going right back to the people when they call and cry because their 5000 btu window A/C stuffed out the back of the bus doesnt cool it..



now onto a solution.. if you are going to install some type of parked A/C like a minisplit or rooftop camper unit you can set up the infrastructure to run it while on the road.. ie mount a generator underneath or dual alternators to run the A/C unit.. along with tyour dashboard A/C if you put that back together you could keep the bus pretty cool inside being a 4 window..

[Manchild]

Thank you Christopher. Climbing further down the rabbit hole, I’m now considering getting an “under dash” universal evaporator. They’re about half the size of the current unit and push 23,000 btu. I could mount it to the wall and it wouldn’t protrude too much.

Any issues with mounting a ceiling mount evaporator to a wall, with the vents pointed up? The only thing I can think of is making sure the condensate is managed away from the electronics. Anything else?

[cadillackid]

The water drain is the main concern . You can even take that ceiling evaporator and build your own enclosure and duct it out.. ie put it in a cabinet or under a cabinet etc.

[Manchild]

I figured the water would be the main issue. I pulled the original evap apart to see about reconfiguring it, however it is still too bulky for my needs. I decided to order a slimmer unit that was a bit wider, to maintain original output but with a different footprint. Going to put it on the wall and should be able to route the drain line along the evap lines as they all descend out the back corner of the bus.