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07-19-2022, 07:57 PM
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#1
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Mini-Skoolie
Join Date: Feb 2019
Posts: 38
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Ac unit, block off?
Hello everyone! Curious if anyone knows of some sort of ac unit block off plate? I want to get ride of the factory Coleman rooftops and go with a minitsplit. Is there a product available for this, or am I looking at doing it myself?? Thanks in advance !
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07-19-2022, 11:51 PM
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#2
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Bus Crazy
Join Date: May 2018
Location: topeka kansas
Posts: 1,771
Year: 1954
Coachwork: wayne
Chassis: old f500- new 2005 f-450
Engine: cummins 12 valve
Rated Cap: 20? five rows of 4?
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nope
You get to make patch panels to cover the holes.
william
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07-20-2022, 08:27 AM
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#3
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Bus Nut
Join Date: Apr 2018
Location: New Orleans
Posts: 632
Year: 2001
Coachwork: Thomas
Engine: 3126b 210hp
Rated Cap: 48
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There are lots of examples of roof patching on this site. Mostly ppl covering up those leaky emergency roof hatches. Also endless discussions on sealants available. I like butyl tape, B-100, and 3M 4200. Haha, usually 2 of the three for overkill. [emoji3]
I like overkill!!
[emoji3522]Dave
Oh, silicone sux.
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07-20-2022, 09:03 AM
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#4
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Mini-Skoolie
Join Date: Feb 2019
Posts: 38
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Thanks for the responses. Looks like I'm going to get a little crafty with this one. Cool, I'll search for some past patch threads. I'm just looking for some ideas. Also. Any recommendations on brand of mini split?
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07-20-2022, 09:33 AM
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#5
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Bus Crazy
Join Date: Oct 2020
Location: Florida
Posts: 1,558
Coachwork: Integrated Coach Corp.
Chassis: RE-300 42ft
Engine: 466ci
Rated Cap: 90
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Compiled KnowledgeBase
Quote:
Originally Posted by TravelingTales
Thanks for the responses. Looks like I'm going to get a little crafty with this one. Cool, I'll search for some past patch threads. I'm just looking for some ideas. Also. Any recommendations on brand of mini split?
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---------------------
I copied the more robust sealing methods from other skoolie.net builders & documented what I did within this thread: convert-hatch-to-ac-and-roof-patch
It's full of detailed descriptions & photos of installing watertight seals on roof patches using rivets & seam sealer.
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07-20-2022, 10:28 AM
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#6
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Bus Crazy
Join Date: Apr 2020
Location: Northern California (Sacramento)
Posts: 1,424
Year: 1999
Coachwork: El Dorado Fiberglass
Chassis: Ford E450
Engine: V10 Gas
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TravelingTales
Hello everyone! Curious if anyone knows of some sort of ac unit block off plate? I want to get ride of the factory Coleman rooftops and go with a minitsplit. Is there a product available for this, or am I looking at doing it myself?? Thanks in advance !
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I'm curious why you want to take out the factory air.
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07-25-2022, 12:07 PM
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#7
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Mini-Skoolie
Join Date: Feb 2019
Posts: 38
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Rucker
I'm curious why you want to take out the factory air.
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Both units unfortunately have just gotten agged and are not working properly. We have a mini split now and plan to do the installation this weekend. One big reason for wanting to go with a mini split is it has ac and heat. Not to mention it will be so much quieter than the original units. Right now we have a new ge rooftop unit and it is lounder than the original units.
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07-25-2022, 12:09 PM
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#8
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Mini-Skoolie
Join Date: Feb 2019
Posts: 38
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DeMac
---------------------
I copied the more robust sealing methods from other skoolie.net builders & documented what I did within this thread: convert-hatch-to-ac-and-roof-patch
It's full of detailed descriptions & photos of installing watertight seals on roof patches using rivets & seam sealer.
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Thanks you for the post and link. This really cleared up some thought for me. I tend to always overthink projects lol 😎
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07-25-2022, 02:39 PM
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#9
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Bus Geek
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Columbus Ohio
Posts: 18,758
Year: 1991
Coachwork: Carpenter
Chassis: International 3800
Engine: DTA360 / MT643
Rated Cap: 7 Row Handicap
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Rucker
I'm curious why you want to take out the factory air.
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his bus was retrofitted with coleman Camper style A/Cs, they werent engine driven road air units.. so they likely wouldnt have kept the bus super cool on the highway anyway.. a minisplit is am uch better option for electric A/C when it comes to efficiency and being quiet.. they arent a good substitute for good road A/C but as a parked-A/C id prefer minisplit over standard old rooftop
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07-25-2022, 06:18 PM
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#10
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Bus Crazy
Join Date: Apr 2020
Location: Northern California (Sacramento)
Posts: 1,424
Year: 1999
Coachwork: El Dorado Fiberglass
Chassis: Ford E450
Engine: V10 Gas
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cadillackid
his bus was retrofitted with coleman Camper style A/Cs, they werent engine driven road air units.. so they likely wouldnt have kept the bus super cool on the highway anyway.. a minisplit is am uch better option for electric A/C when it comes to efficiency and being quiet.. they arent a good substitute for good road A/C but as a parked-A/C id prefer minisplit over standard old rooftop
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Ah, understood, truly.
When I first got into this conversion thing I rented an RV to get a feel for the experience. We rented a rig out of Reno, and headed across Rt 50 and the Nevada desert in late July. The dash AC did no good in the back, so we cranked up the Onan and ran the ceiling AC unit as we drove down the road.
Quite the experience. The ceiling unit was about the same decibels as standing near the prop of a small airplane. The unit did a perfect job of cooling us down if we stood directly under the vent with upturned faces.
Good AC on the road is the first thing I wrote down on my list of must-haves-and we lucked out when we bought our bus, which has reasonable dash AC and a super-cold unit in the the back.
My mini-split does a far better job than any two of those rooftop AC units-totally agreed on that.
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07-25-2022, 06:54 PM
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#11
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Bus Geek
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Columbus Ohio
Posts: 18,758
Year: 1991
Coachwork: Carpenter
Chassis: International 3800
Engine: DTA360 / MT643
Rated Cap: 7 Row Handicap
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Rucker
Ah, understood, truly.
When I first got into this conversion thing I rented an RV to get a feel for the experience. We rented a rig out of Reno, and headed across Rt 50 and the Nevada desert in late July. The dash AC did no good in the back, so we cranked up the Onan and ran the ceiling AC unit as we drove down the road.
Quite the experience. The ceiling unit was about the same decibels as standing near the prop of a small airplane. The unit did a perfect job of cooling us down if we stood directly under the vent with upturned faces.
Good AC on the road is the first thing I wrote down on my list of must-haves-and we lucked out when we bought our bus, which has reasonable dash AC and a super-cold unit in the the back.
My mini-split does a far better job than any two of those rooftop AC units-totally agreed on that.
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everyone on this forum knows how i feel about destroying factory A/C.. you know This year it finally got hot enough outside that I had only one person this spring ask me to help them remove their factory bus A/C systems..
I told them to hang loose.. wait for that first hot day then go drive on the freeway.. westbound into the afternoon sun with that system shut off... (after all every skoolie seems to want ot explore the west and southwest) somewhere around memorial day he called me back and said he wouldnt be needing me to pull out the factory A/C.. that he'd convinced his wife they really do want it...
there are some who truly can yank it out and be fine.. there was a guy here a couple years ago that planned only to use his bus as a snow-ski lodge / transport.. im pretty sure taking out the A/C on his bus didnt cause any issues..
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07-27-2022, 09:50 PM
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#12
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Skoolie
Join Date: Dec 2019
Location: Union Bridge Maryland
Posts: 103
Year: 2002
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The AC holes are usually 14"x14" which means a stock roof vent will fit in . That's what I did when I put my split system in. Hope that helps
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08-08-2022, 11:05 AM
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#13
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Mini-Skoolie
Join Date: Feb 2019
Posts: 38
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I am done installing our mini split system and we love it! The noise is reduced to almost nothing and the air is so crispy. We decided to block out old holes off with moon lights and we also love that. I'm going to make a cover that pulls over and blocks the light when we don't want it. So far though we are loving this new stage of life of our bus. Mini split life!!! Lol
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08-08-2022, 11:06 AM
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#14
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Mini-Skoolie
Join Date: Feb 2019
Posts: 38
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Outside unit
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08-08-2022, 12:05 PM
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#15
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Bus Geek
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Columbus Ohio
Posts: 18,758
Year: 1991
Coachwork: Carpenter
Chassis: International 3800
Engine: DTA360 / MT643
Rated Cap: 7 Row Handicap
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in my opinion minisplits are the way to go for stationary A/C.. ive been running them in my house for close to 14 years (in ducted form.. I dont like the wall thingie in a house)... and they are much more comfortable and way more efficient than the 4-year-old regular central air unit they replaced. I finally have to replace one as it was smacked by lightning and in china-fashion the circuit boards are no longer available.. a newer version of the board exists but the connections dont match.. so name-brand unit is replacing it but still going to stay inverter-split
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