Pop up truck camper, no AC. How to install a 5K BTU window unit?

[dbhost]

So I have a possibility of a Sun Lite pop up slide in camper. The specs I can find show it, and a full load of gear, supplies, and me to be under the payload capacity of the truck. It has their version of a polar package / insulated canvas area on the top. And I fully plan on throwing Henry Tropicool on the roof to help with stopping heat gain in the summer.

One teensy weensy problem.

I live, camp, and travel in the Gulf Coast, and , well other humid areas of the country. And I find it impossible to sleep at 80 Deg F 90% Relative humidity.

No matter what, if I am to camp / travel anywhere near me, or even within an 8 hour drive of me, I NEED air conditioning.

This camper has no AC, and the back window that is by the kitchen is too small for an AC.

I have been working on a truck shell camper that I can slide a, well block off plate at the tailgate that will allow a small 5K BTU window unit to be used.

The driving factors here are. It is a tiny space either truck shell, or pop up camper so I do not need 13K BTU. Especially if I am sensible about how I insulate. I.E. I have no qualms running reflectix all the way around the canvas as well... And I have a 1KW generator by choice for fuel efficiency . And at some point, I would like to have enough capacity in solar to run my entire camper, truck and propane appliances not included, off of solar.

So that begs the question. HOW do I get AC into this style of camper, preferrably through the back wall.

I was considering, assuming the back wall has enough space to do this, disassembling the rear wall, and framing in / trimming out a pass through for my AC. I am not sure there is enough room IN the camper for this though as there is a tall cabinet that would interfere with this.

Would it be worth removing the cabinet / trimming it down and redoing that corner of the camper to get the window unit in there? Is there some way that I might be able to support and run the AC passed through the tent part? I have no issues putting the AC up / down as setup and takedown for camp.

Just looking for ideas. Don't even have the camper yet.

 

[1000arms]

@IdaSHO 's thread might be of use to you:

Low BTU AC options ---> turned cheapo 5kBTU install in the Idacamper2.0

Very little offerings for small campers I know. Ours is less than 80sq feet, and less than 300 cubic feet of air to condition. Even a 5kBTU unit is overkill.... We are getting closer and closer to hitting the road full time, and have summer trip coming up, to the heart of texas. So adding AC...

expeditionportal.com

 

[dbhost]

@IdaSHO 's thread might be of use to you:

Low BTU AC options ---> turned cheapo 5kBTU install in the Idacamper2.0

Very little offerings for small campers I know. Ours is less than 80sq feet, and less than 300 cubic feet of air to condition. Even a 5kBTU unit is overkill.... We are getting closer and closer to hitting the road full time, and have summer trip coming up, to the heart of texas. So adding AC...

expeditionportal.com

Doesn't really answer my question, however it DOES show some ideas.

I have no intention whatsoever of using the built in 3 way fridge. And that area is large enough that I can remove the fridge, and install the 5K BTU AC , and POSSIBLY even have enough space while allowing plenty of breathing room for the AC to provide for storage of 2 200 amp hour Lifepo4 batteries.

 

[1000arms]

Doesn't really answer my question, however it DOES show some ideas. ...

Which is why I suggested it might be of use to you.

... Just looking for ideas. Don't even have the camper yet.

 

[Mickey Bitsko]

Doesn't really answer my question, however it DOES show some ideas.

I have no intention whatsoever of using the built in 3 way fridge. And that area is large enough that I can remove the fridge, and install the 5K BTU AC , and POSSIBLY even have enough space while allowing plenty of breathing room for the AC to provide for storage of 2 200 amp hour Lifepo4 batteries.

You answered your own question. Git r done.

 

[Kingsize24]

I feel you! We are going with the roof mount Dometic RTX2000. It's a bit spendy. But will run off our existing 400ah lithium, and keep us cool. It's a MUST if you live on the gulf.

 

[dbhost]

I feel you! We are going with the roof mount Dometic RTX2000. It's a bit spendy. But will run off our existing 400ah lithium, and keep us cool. It's a MUST if you live on the gulf.

The pop up camper will give me enough room for 4 200 and power lifepo4 Batteries and 1200 W of solar panel.

I would have to run the air conditioner the the fridge my CPAP And then phone chargers my laptop small things like that. Would that be enough power for all of that?

The domestic RTX 2000 definitely looks like a winner and would solve a lot of the problems but the problem is it seems like it would consume roof space which could be used for solar panels so there's that problem.

However the roof mount AC like that would allow me to entirely free up the space that the fridge is currently consuming and utilize that for battery storage.

 

[dbhost]

I feel you! We are going with the roof mount Dometic RTX2000. It's a bit spendy. But will run off our existing 400ah lithium, and keep us cool. It's a MUST if you live on the gulf.

So excluding the AC, I have enough capacity with 300w solar panel and 200 amp hour battery for my electrical needs. Charging my phone, cameras, running my CPAP, and my laptop. So it sounds like 400 amp hours more in battery will work, but how much panel will I need to run this?

I know an additional 3 200 amp hour batteries would give me a bigger buffer, but be harder to store / wire etc...

 

[Kingsize24]

I'd start with 400ah and see. From speaking to them at Dometic, I should have about 40 to 50% reserve. So unless you feel your cpap would use up that additional 50%, I think your days solar would be fine for recharge. We plan on running two 360 watt solar panels on the roof with room for one more sideways in front of the AC if I need to expand in the future. But I fully expect to be okay with as much sun as we get down here in the gulf. If not I can simply idle my truck a bit or supplement with my gen. We foresee no big issues. With expansion ability if needed.

 

[dbhost]

I'd start with 400ah and see. From speaking to them at Dometic, I should have about 40 to 50% reserve. So unless you feel your cpap would use up that additional 50%, I think your days solar would be fine for recharge. We plan on running two 360 watt solar panels on the roof with room for one more sideways in front of the AC if I need to expand in the future. But I fully expect to be okay with as much sun as we get down here in the gulf. If not I can simply idle my truck a bit or supplement with my gen. We foresee no big issues. With expansion ability if needed.

400 amp hours would actually make for installation being much easier it's easier considering how large those batteries batteries are. So so like I said I have a 100 W USB C power supply for my laptop a top that I use for work The sea pap only uses maybe 15 W there's no humidifier it uses a rebreather instead it's intentionally designed to run Is off of a car battery Is my 12 V compressor fridge bridge uses a Max of 45 W but that is only on on initial start up from warm I have used a kill a W on it in in the wall socket configuration and it pulls maybe 15 to 20 W at most when it cycles. That leaves the little stuff camera batteries my phone things like that that need to stay charged up. If I am hearing you correctly I literally literally just need to to grab the 600 W panel set which is 2 300 W panels Proper cables and a 60 amp Charge controller so I can tie in my existing 300 W suitcase should I need additional input And then add another 200 amp hour battery.

That puts me into relying on the OE solar charge controllers or upgrading to say a 60 amp charge controller and 60 amp DC to DC charger. Any recommendations for an integrated unit that is reasonably priced? I am going to need to be reasonable with costs after forking over for more panels, battery, and that Dometic AC. Nice unit but boy is it spendy!

 

[dbhost]

So the guy with that bigger but hard sided camper was saying his 5K BTU window unit would easily cool down from triple digits to 70 deg F in 3 hours. That is better than my house AC can do... Once it goes over about 96 deg F the lowest I can get is 72.... Anyway, so looking into it, I have a pop up, the sides are insulated, but the canvas would need a "polar pack" of sorts. I am figuring reflectix with blackout curtain fabric velcroed into place with a bit of an air gap between the panels and the canvas to add as an insulating layer should be enough. At that point. I am wondering should I go with the Dometic RTX1000 which is 4094 BTU, or the Dometic RTX2000 which is 6824 BTU. I know short cycling is not going to help me with dehumidification, which is a big struggle.

So the question is. Given an 8' pop up truck camper. Is the RTX1000 enough AC for the interior volume? FWIW, occupants will be one human and one beagle.

 

[dbhost]

I'd start with 400ah and see. From speaking to them at Dometic, I should have about 40 to 50% reserve. So unless you feel your cpap would use up that additional 50%, I think your days solar would be fine for recharge. We plan on running two 360 watt solar panels on the roof with room for one more sideways in front of the AC if I need to expand in the future. But I fully expect to be okay with as much sun as we get down here in the gulf. If not I can simply idle my truck a bit or supplement with my gen. We foresee no big issues. With expansion ability if needed.

So I was thinking, staying with the 300w solar suitcase for now. 400 amp / hours of battery, I have a 40 amp MPPT controller / dc to dc charger. If need be I can add a second suitcase solar panel although part of me is stupid hopeful those flexible solar panels on Amazon advertised at 300w each really are 300w each. 2 of them on the roof, the battery rig, a Dometic RTX and I am pretty much done.

 

[1stDeuce]

Here's something to consider... I just recently invested in a 1500W pure sine inverter for the truck. My truck burns about .4gal/hr of diesel idling and running the inverter with minimal house loads on it. (I am using it as my backup power supply for the house.) For draws like A/C, batteries are not enough unless you only camp for one day and then let the solar recharge it for a week. You just can't put that much panel on the roof, which would basically have to be enough to power the A/C AND charge the batteries during the day, assuming some A/C use at night...

With an inverter, you could skip the 1000w generator, which isn't enough to run the A/C anyway. You would have to run the truck so that your fairly high amp alternator would run the inverter and keep your A/C running when you're in the camper during the day, or night... There are certainly downsides to this method, but it's worth considering.

FWIW, I have a Phoenix popup camper that has a little window unit mounted in the side of the camper, just behind the bed. I am yanking it, since we don't need or want A/C. They did exactly as you outline, making a frame inside the wall that the A/C mounts to. I'm hoping to re-purpose the opening for a similar size window, just to plug the hole...
Also, if you haven't used your 3-way fridge, you might consider giving it a try. The 12v setting is ONLY for when the truck is running to power it, but I use ours exclusively on gas, and it works awesome. SO much easier than trying to keep ice in a cooler, and keep my food dry at the same time, not to mention being built into the cabinets such that using a cooler means I lose more space... In short, try it, you might like it...