moving air conditioning

[tailor]

I purchased a 92 Carpenter p30 and trying to plan before I actually do anything.

It has a rear air conditioner that doesn't reach the front of the bus. Has anyone moved a rear unit to the front? And how difficult would it be.

Thanks is advance.

Steve

 

[PNW_Steve]

Hey Tailor,

Can you tell us where the condenser is mounted and how the lines are run?

I am FAR from an A/C wizard but do have a basic understanding of operation. As far as I can see, if you don't run into issues rerouting the refrigerant lines, you should be able to move it.

The project would likely involve some special tools and knowledge. You will probably need to look to a local A/C professional unless you want to buy the gear to work on it.

Hopefully one of our more knowledgeable members will chime in here.

 

[EastCoastCB]

Chris is our resident AC guru.

 

[tailor]

The condenser is just behind the driver, appears to be about 3'-4' wide. Not sure of routing, bus is at mechanics and will pick it up next week, I'll check then. Thanks

 

[BowserJournal]

AC

I am removing both front and rear AC units off mine and replacing with conventional roof mounted RV AC units.

 

[Kubla]

Your best bet is to run a duct to the front of the bus, be the cheapest route

 

[PNW_Steve]

I am removing both front and rear AC units off mine and replacing with conventional roof mounted RV AC units.

That is exactly what I did with my last bus...... Live and learn.....

My new bus did not come with over the road air. I am looking at options to add it as 24k Btu was NOT enough to keep the drivers area cool when driving in warm weather.

 

[tailor]

Not sure how. The rear air conditioner runs the entire width of the bus, with multiple forward facing vents. Was hoping to move it to the front and add a rooftop unit for stationary use.

Of course insulation should make a difference.

Also we're in Phoenix, so it does get a bit warm. We drove back from Bakersfield without air (10, heat doesn't bother me, but my wife said she wasn't getting back on the bus if it wasn't cool.

 

[Jolly Roger-SKO]

Your best bet is to run a duct to the front of the bus, be the cheapest route

Use a fan to move the air forward.mif it's not your likings.,if your compressor is up front then shortening the line length will make it happier and last longer. Finding a path for the new position of piping and wiring is your biggest challenge.
Moving ne unit up front that has a problem with keeping up with the front might have a problem keeping up with the back?
What are you gonna do for parked AC? My family has no problem with 1049 while we are on the road.

 

[cadillackid]

I have the same setup.. and in really hot weather I get warm.. I built custon dash Air for my DEV bus... my bluebird. I have researched several things..

first off make sure that rear unit is working as it should.. in my case mine appeared to "work". but I could tell it wasnt right.. I found over 8 ounces of extra oil and dye and stop leak crap in my system from when the schools had obviously kept recharging it..

I cleaned the coils (inside and out)evacuated, flushed, re-oiled, and recharged it to spec and my vent temperatues dropped 20-25 degrees lower than what they were.. so I actually get COLD air and not just cool air now..

dirty coild in and out are very common and will make a unit not work.. (esp a carrier or trans/air) because they suck the air over the inside coils instead of blow it.

you CAN move that unit to the front of the bus.. it will take some work.. those units are hung through the roof... so you'll have holes to plug.. you also have to route the freon lines in and bring them up to the front of the inside unit.. .. many of those units are set up so the linesets come into them from inside the bus walls.. and the drain lines go out as well.. you dont have to conceal the lines.. most of them are done that way..

the biuggest caveat is banging your head on the thing if you mount it across the front of the bus.. ..

im guessing its a unit with 2 blowers and 4 vents across the panel? you can cut out.the plastic of the cover and run ducts.. it shoiuld work just fine as long as you use large enough and something smooth.. (flexible ducting will tend to restrict the airflow).. the plastic pieces like are used to hide freon lines actually make pretty good ducting.. and can be bought in many sizes..

diversitech makes the parts that i use for this purpose in my DEV bus..

https://www.diversitech.com/category/cat_id/224

-Christopher

 

[tailor]

Christopher, thanks for your tips and lead to diversitech. Quick question, can you test the system without adding Freon. The guys at the school garage said these units. Never worked that well, that's why I was thinking of moving it.

 

[cadillackid]

these units worked fine when new and when they are properly serviced.. most schools dont really maintain them right.. dirty coils, freon leaks patched with stop leak and way too much UV dye.

you can put gauges on it like any A/C to test the amount of freon.. and you czan also discover issues this way like clogged coils, bad fans, etc. will show up in irregular pressure readings. a good physical cleaning of the inside and outside coils is a great place to start. and to make sure all of the inside and outside fans are working as well...

if this is a Trans/Air unit it very well may have a sight glass in the liquid line.. it will look like a little window in a pipe that goes across the vent in the bus skirt.. afyter the A/C runs for a few minutes on a day thats 80 or above that should be mostly clear.. no bubbles or foam..

-Christopher

 

[tailor]

Thanks for all the help