It's the lowest 15,000 BTU AC they make (seven inches). Since ours is an off-road popup with larger tires, higher off the ground, we were concerned about getting it in and out of the garage with an AC on top. So we went for the lowest profile unit on market.
2008 Starcraft 13 RT
'09 F150 Lariat 5.4L V8 SCrew, 3.73 LS, Max Tow Pkg, Trailer Brk Contrlr, Moonroof, Reverse sensors, Razor Red
DH, DF'98, DF'00, DF'04, DF'04
Photo - DF'04, The Crash Man
Campfido
I have the Starcraft 34 rt which is similar to yours. Can you provide some more detail on the install? Which unit did you purchased? How does the electrical get routed to the designated plug? What did you use to cut the hole?
sangerlover wrote: Campfido
I have the Starcraft 34 rt which is similar to yours. Can you provide some more detail on the install? Which unit did you purchased? How does the electrical get routed to the designated plug? What did you use to cut the hole?
Thanks
Jeff,
I've put some photos up on photobucket describing what DH did to install the AC. This is Carrier's low profile (7 inches), 15,000 BTU AC we ordered from PPL - highly recommend them!). We used stick-on channel you can pick up from any of the big box home improvement centers (sold for hiding cords, cables, etc).
Here's the link (doesn't seem to work too well in Netscape)
Let me know if the link isn't working. I've never posted an album before. If you have problems, there should be a link to the album, upper left titled PUP AC Installation you can click on.
Jackie
* This post was
edited 06/30/09 05:09pm by campfido *
sangerlover wrote: Campfido
I have the Starcraft 34 rt which is similar to yours. Can you provide some more detail on the install? Which unit did you purchased? How does the electrical get routed to the designated plug? What did you use to cut the hole?
Thanks
Jeff,
I've put some photos up on photobucket describing what DH did to install the AC. This is Carrier's low profile (7 inches), 15,000 BTU AC we ordered from PPL - highly recommend them!). We used stick-on channel you can pick up from any of the big box home improvement centers (sold for hiding cords, cables, etc).
Here's the link (doesn't seem to work too well in Netscape)
To summarize, we could see an outline on the roof where the support structure for the A/C was built by the factory.
I cut a 14"x14" hole in the middle of that. First I drilled a hole in each corner, then used a saber saw to cut between them. I left a little bit attached on each of the 4 cuts, then taped the cuts so the piece would not fall out, then finished the cuts. Then it's easy to remove the cut out section.
The roof seems to be a very thin layer of fiberglass on top, a foam core, and then a ceiling of a thin wood layer covered with a paper-like layer. It's very easy to drill through and cut.
The support structure is wooden, and you can see some of that in some of the pictures.
We just bought a 25' 12 gauge extension cord from Lowe's and used that for power. Lowe's and Home Depot both carry cord covers, and we used that to cover up the extension cord - see the pictures. We cut off the receptacle end of the extension cord to wire it to the A/C unit. We actually use about 15' of extension cord - we ended up cutting off about 10' or so. You'll have to determine the correct length yourself for your own trailer.
Oh, one more thing. I used a Dremel rotary tool to smooth the edges on the outer layer of fiberglass on the roof to prevent any stress fractures from propagating. All that means is that it's a smooth, even curve, with no sharp corners on the fiberglass cuts. The drill was not as smooth as I would have liked, but the Dremel was able to smooth it out very well.
VERY NICE installation!. Like you, we went with a low profile Carrier in order to clear the garage door. It looks identical to our 2 year old unit.
We have camped in Orlando, On the Gulf Beach, and other hot humid places and that unit will keep you dry and cool.
The only problem I have had is the slide in filters clogged up a lot sooner than I anticipated. The result was a loss of airflow over the coil and resulted in a lot of dripping through the control panel. It happened twice before I remembered (way back when) training in AC. It took about 3 minutes to clean the filters and back in biz.
I have gone 2 weeks of camping with virtually no clogging of the filter and other times it clogs in 1 week. It all depends upon the area and climate you are in. I have gotten in the habit of sliding them out every 3-4 days. That might take a whopping 30 seconds to do. Keep those clean and you'll love that unit.
My lovely wife seems to think that running the AC on High cool and High fan are required for her comfort during the night. I am happy the toss a blanket over me and enjoy the peace. We camped without AC for a lot of years (hot sticky nights do not = peace). We enjoy the days activites more now after a cool nights sleep.
You'll enjoy it.
Have fun out there. I won't tell.
Greg
Chef/Pilot
DW/Navigator
Kids too old to go, no G-kids yet
2006 Expedition
2007 Niagra
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