Quote:
Originally Posted by rossvtaylor
Wow, that sounds like a lot of work when you can get a good 9000 BTU mini split for $650 or a 12000 BTU unit for $700. I haven't done what you're suggesting...and it is certainly possible...but for the work and the ducting materials and the loss of efficiency I'm not sure you'd actually save any money in the long run. Skoolie owners, myself included, tend to be really creative folks...but this is an area where I'd urge just going with the mini-split and saving up until that was a possibility.
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Permanent A/C will be name-brand mini-splits with -20 full heat pump capability, should have mentioned this in my OP.
These budget ideas aren't about saving money, they're about having that functionality until I can afford the best, most efficient solution. Once I had the mini-splits installed, I would remove the ducted window A/Cs.
I only have 22 feet of living space after the first row (which is being kept), so I want to have these unit systems outside the living space. I've seen pics and videos of really shabby builds where they put the unit inside in a box three times the volume of the window unit for proper airflow, eating up interior space all because they didn't want to build outside the box and spend a little bit more time and money on a superior solution.
The only real competitor to this is RV roof units, which AFAIK, come with the inefficiency of a window unit and the heat gain of being in direct sun. There is little incentive to make RV roof A/Cs more durable or efficient, being designed for two-season sticks-and-staples RVs.
Compared to huge water tanks (see my other idea thread), hanging a window unit off the existing stamped S-channels seems trivial, as long as you give the unit plenty of support and overbuild for safety margins.
I would build an airbox for the front of the unit, which would normally go inside a room. I could design this to work with or without the mostly cosmetic front grill of the unit, as I've already disconnected the units thermostat module and extended the wires. Then it would be a matter of securing literally a few feet of 4" or 6" ID insulated ducting, hole sawing two holes in the floor, and doing the interior work. I could use a floor register for the outlet and build another airbox for the small furnace filter (this is to prevent the fins getting clogged up with crud and hairs over the 1-2 years I would have this setup). I would install 2-3 units this way unless I chose to go with roof A/C instead.
Installing Window A/Cs under the bus, and ducting cold air thru-floor?
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