This seems to be an ongoing subject in many forums over the years but I have never seen an install like this or anyone selling kits to do so.

I've seen side window projects you set up when camping or back window installs using plywood or plastic, etc. I was looking for something that could handle off road driving and ready to use when I needed it.

The lower door install above is of my van and top door (window area) is of jeffnick van. He posted pic in this thread so I added them to first post in hopes of making thread easier to keep up with. My objective is to show people they do have options. Why ? Because over the years when people have asked about installing window unit in rear van door at RV websites I've visited, they have been ignored many times for some reason. As if the option is frowned upon by everyone. This is why I'm building a website with all the info. to make sure this topic stays available.

I'm working on DIY website showing step by step pictures for those interested but here is a look at some in progress pictures. I Plan to add solid cover over outside with louvers like you see on the old hot rod hoods. so it looks more like storage box vs air conditioner and painted to match vehicle. The painted screen is another less expensive option to keep kids from using coil as drawing board and to look less like window unit until I can find company to make louver cover. PS: don't paint coil. I just mist it to reduce shine. The first install is always trial and error but not bad so far.

Interior panel is very plain but that is easy enough to change with more money. Depends how much you want to spend.

My Yamaha 2000 runs A/C unit just fine since it only pulls 450 watt. (start up 4.5 amp, I tested with meter. if you wait 1-2 min. between turning unit off and restarting the pressure drops and was about 4.5-4.8 amp on restart up. Now if you pull the plug and plug it back in which you should never do the amp draw can reach 22 amps but waiting even 20-30 seconds and plugging in changes to 8-9 amps. Now wait 1-2 min. which is what the unit would do cycling on it's own and amp draw is back to 4.5 approx.) Wanted to clear that up since I have heard people say these little units draw much more than that. This leaves enough power for everything else I would run provided A/C compressor is not on when using microwave but that is easy enough to prevent.

FYI: Not to change the subject but power boosters or hard start capacitors for A/C ($20 approx. ) can be added to larger A/C units to help smaller gen. handle start up. Do a google search, lots of DIY on the subject.

Will a 5000 btu cool the interior of an insulated van in the Florida heat ? depends on many variables but I promise it cools much better than not having A/C :a3: I placed thermometer outside in direct sunlight and one inside heated van ( color white / Elk factory conversion van only no extra insulation has been added ) which had been sealed up in sun till 1 pm. with no window covers other than windshield. It was well over 110 degree inside and outside reads 110 in direct sunlight. Turned window unit on and Inside van reads 84 degree after 90 min. approx. with 45% humidity inside and 85% outside. Park vehicle in shade ( shaded corner of house with oak trees reads 90 ) and that number quickly dropped to 74 degree. Once the sun went down and outside temp was upper 80's the inside temp fell to 63 in 90 min. with 35% humidity. Total cost was under $500. That includes Upholstry shop after cutting hole in panel and one off frame kit.

Because of door pillar support and locking latch (cable inside door) you don't have room for a larger unit in lower door section without cutting door pillar and I wouldn't suggest that unless your going to mod door support. Unit is riveted to A/C frame and then riveted to van door. because the 2 pc. slides together it sandwiches the door between them and frame is riveted to door panel inside and out. Very sturdy install. Unit sticks out 6" beyond door. That's another reason I selected 5000 vs 6000 or 8000, they stick out farther and I only have 10 inches between rear door and hitch carrier.



You can see in above pic the only flat location on door is where I installed unit. If you raise unit higher, your into the body line and curve of door which creates problems if you desire a clean looking install. A larger unit will not fit where my 5000 btu is located without removing door pillar support. In my opinion the 5000 A/C unit is already stressing the door but not over stressing it at 40 lb. (including frame kit ) Where as the 6000 or 8000 at 50 lbs. will be putting that much more stress on it and may be at the point of concern. Another member here posted his 8000 btu caused door to flex (when driving) at top and you could see light pass threw around door seal.

You can pick up A/C unit from Sears for $100 and when I get a chance to finish website you can see how it's done and purchase fabricated frame support pieces if you like.



Also wanted to touch on van insulation. People may think conversion vans are already insulated from the factory but as you can see by my ELK conversion pic. they are not. But mine is now. All this was done after adding A/C in rear door and should make a huge diff. I insulated windows also. Floor has 2 layers of carpet, 1 down & 1 up is how conversion company does it.







From what I have read it takes approx. 15 degree temp diff and higher humidity to sweat. If your inside humidity is higher than outside and temp is 15 degree higher your vehicle may start to sweat inside but if you pack insulation in every crack between metal and interior wall the temp / humidity on metal area inside will not be the same as what your reading with meter if you have 3-4" of insulation. I looked for mold and could not find any on the insulation from factory and that has been in there for years so if insulation soaks up moisture and then grows mold I guess mine had too much air flow around it. Either way, I would only have a problem during winter months and plan to keep the van vented and watch humidity meter. I have a full time solar roof vent which stays open so I dont expect a prob. Just wanted to offer a little info about insulation. With my A/C test results before being acceptable with no insulation, I should have a rolling ice box now.



I designed this out of need but will fab frame pieces if others need them.

for more info contact stkshooter@gmail.com





moderators, if this post is a problem please contact me. Just trying to help people find solutions.

 

Nice but some minor notes:
It'd be a really good idea not to cover the side vents like that. That airflow is essential for cooling the condenser, and it's probably easy to restrict the airflow that way. Doing so would raise the condenser temp and lower the cooling work it will do.

The "low" mount seems problematic to me. For one, cooler air falls, which means it's not going to mix as easily and the evaporator will intake cooler air which means it actually does less cooling work. But also, people tend to put things in vans and that could easily obstruct the evaporator airflow.

Moisture must be removed from the air before significant cooling will take place, because the latent heat of H2O vapor is so high. The evaporator can't get below the current dewpoint until then. Well, it's kinda hard to figure how much that delayed cooling because the mass of air (and thus water vapor) inside the van's kinda low and most of the ongoing cooling problem is the extreme amount of heat leaking through the walls rather than air infiltration (which brings in more humidity to remove).

In my insultated van, the ~6000BTU unit is pretty decent in the Texas summer, esp with a reflective heat shield inside the front windshield. It's gonna run continuously and only keep it in the upper 70's but I found it satisfactory. Well, that's a Sportsmobile van with a pop-top popped up- there's about a foot and a half of canvas/vinyl wall exposed like that, which ISN'T insulated. With the top down, it does seem to cool MUCH better.

 

Is there any reason not to use a portable unit (that have all the compressor etc) in one box that is inside, and just exhaust hot air out?

A bit noisy, but that can be worked around.

 

Yes there's a good reason. The portable units are horribly misdesigned unless they've got 2 hoses as in-out instead of just one, like almost all do. Because the one-hose units rely on constantly sucking in a HUGE volume of warm, moist outside air into the room to replace the air it blew over the condenser and blew out the window. This defeats any cooling it normally does.

Even the "proper" 2-hose designs, the airflow is greatly restricted over the window-unit design, leading to a very hot condenser and poor efficiency.

Plus they take up a LOT of room in the van, and cost a fortune!

Just put a $99 window unit in the rear driver's side window, and add one of the fresnel-lense wide-angle rearview stickons in the passenger side rear. You'll be able to see so much better through that lens, the view through the regular window is relatively useless.

 

Thanks Damnym, I'm going to answer your reply along with listing why I chose this set up.

My picture shows " in progress" shot. The A/C unit once fully attached inside and out sits 1" farther out than in picture so the vent is only 1/4" inside sleeve. No air flow restriction. Plus inside vent your referring to is smaller, outside is larger is why I assume you thought there was restriction based on pic

Considering the mounting options on a cargo van, I believe this is the only practical place to install window unit. Why ?

Appearances are everything to most people. ( No. 1 deciding factor.) Need proof ? I can prove it... $PORT$MOBILE$ Need I say more.

solid installation with the support needed for off road use.

Can use a fan to circulate air. But I must say this unit blows pretty good on Hi cool.

I drive off road, so a roof mounted unit that could be damaged by tree limbs was not an option. I also use parking garages from time to time so roof units would cause additional parking issues. Auto car washes won't normally take vans with high tops or roof racks, etc. Anything mounted on roof creates additional drag but not on lower door panel. Many, many reasons why I felt this was the best option.

Any person installing window unit in van door will be an adult (or older ha, ha ) so I can only hope they are responsible enough at this point to not block air intake when unit is running. If they do, unit will freeze up and stop cooling. They will then remove blockage and make sure that doesn't happen again.

Would it be better to mount unit in top of door to eliminate a few concerns ? Refer back to No. 1 reason "appearances are everything" and I have not seen a top door mount that passed that test. Just depends what is important to each person since you are the one driving van with window unit hanging out of the back door

Why didn't I go with larger unit ?

My van is white which is good for approx. 10 degree less temp diff. than many other colors. And 15 less than dark colors like black or dark blue in direct sun. In the shade or at night isn't a problem at all.

Also wanted to point out that I live in Florida with high humidity and need a smaller unit that will run compressor most of the time to reduce that humidity. If a 5000 btu reduced interior temp to 63 / humidity 35% within 90 min. at 8 pm with outside temp in the lower 80's / humidity 85% then it's doing it's job but a larger unit would not run long enough to reduce humidity and you might wake up feeling clammy. (Bigger is not always better.)

I wanted Yamaha 2000 to run A/C in idle mode or to run other things while running A/C and was not willing to purchase larger ( heavier ) gen.

Lower door space where I wanted to mount A/C would not provide enough space for larger unit.

My vehicle is already over factory GVWR when traveling, so larger unit or gen would not help this issue.

Couldn't justify going with larger unit based on all the variables.

There are going to be pro's / con's either way, depends what your needs are.

PS: I just removed interior panels and added insulation. Based on what little there was if any from conversion van company, this should make a huge diff. and since the 5000 btu worked pretty good before it should be great now. I took pictures of before and after insulation job which will be posted on website DIY info. you might be surprised just how little insulation there was. No way to insulate front doors with windows any more so I sealed them up real tight with plastic. Every little bit helps but your not going to be able to access everything in front. Windows are a bigger concern but they are a hassle putting up and taking down insulation everyday. Plus I kind of like to look out the window, so I don't feel like I'm in a cave.

Jon

 

I like it. How about a pic from inside?

 

Anyone tried to mount a small (2kv) generator under the body?

Or outside like on rear door (like a spare tire)?

Or anywhere else?

I am looking for ideas how to do this.

 

There's no fasteners at all. The tray just slips over the hitch shank.

 

Thanks , added to first post jeffnick.

I saw yours when I first started looking for others who have installed window units in vans. Came up first in google search so it must be getting some attention. Sorry to say that picture is what pushed me over the edge to cut a hole in my door and design a sleeve vs window mount design. Yours works great because heat rises but...

I liked the gen. tray idea a lot but my hitch is already way over loaded with other designs. Considering hinge mount on other door like spare tire mount since yamaha 2000 is about same weight. (relocate tag )

I have to be careful how I distribute weight with my little E-150. I am already at my tire max weight limit when loaded for a trip. Love the van except for that little weight issue. That dog box on rear is rated at 500 lb. and puts 750lb. leveraged weight on rear axle when fully loaded. How do I know ? Air bags psi.


I just talked with web designer friend about throwing something together for this and many other projects I've done. Want to offer DIY info. and step by step plans for each project along with selling the framed sleeve and cover for projects like this one since you can buy everything else local.

I have more projects like this which I haven't seen offered so I designed and fab them and figured others may be interested. Hope to get website and online purchase options set up soon.

Jon

 

Thanks for the post.

If you are using a hitch mount, have you any thought to mounting a type of AC that has the compressor outside, and a much quieter unit inside?

Split type AC, which normally uses copper hose, but can probably be done with flex hoses.

I am looking for a way to have the noisy portion (engine /generator / ac compressor) outside, and a very quiet system inside.

 

double post. thought I lost first one.

 

Window units divide the interior fan and exterior comp. parts using foam. You will have to run fan to cool interior and that is the loudest part of A/C unit. unless your van is very well insulated, a split system comp. & fan could prob. still be heard over low fan inside. RV roof air is loud with fan on high. Just a plain old box fan sitting in your house to circulate air during the summer is loud.

Don't think your going to find a solution to this one. gearloose except maybe ear plugs.

 

Is there anyone that builds a small engine (like a 2kv generator) that powers an AC compressor (maybe an auto one) directly?

 

Mine is a 350, no worry about tongue weight. Just towed this 8500# boat from Las Vegas to SC with nothing more than a 2 5/16 ball.

 

This is the way I look at it. Take it for what it's worth...

You can't touch A/C in any form for less than window unit prices. When one fails you buy another $100 unit and switch them out. You can attempt to repair old unit but if not, discard it. Your still way ahead. If your camping in van you'll want gen. I prefer suitcase style which has many other uses around the house vs a dedicated vehicle unit.

$500+ roof air or throw away $100 window unit ? Seems like a no brainer to me.

Ford OEM Auto A/C compressor is around 400+ and you still have to pay somebody to vac. old freon and recharge. No matter how you attempt to modify the vehicle system, it will cost you more long term. Therefore I don't want to wear mine out when other options are available.

You could try something like this idle buster set up for sprinter van but at $7500 approx. and almost 500 lb. added weight to your van...

Do a google search, there are many more $3000+ options available. And when those units require service, ask them what the hourly rate will be on top of the over priced parts.

I considered many other options and nothing comes close to window unit pricing. The worst I have heard is window units won't hold up to the vibration. I don't think this is going to hold true but if so I'll design a silicone wrap around sleeve to absorb vibration. I think the slamming of rear door is going to be a bigger vibration issue than driving unless your really pushing it off road. maybe washboard roads, etc.

Also, I"m considering adding optional door so you can remove unit when not needed. Some people may only camp 2 mo. out of the year and don't need a window unit in back door the other 10 mo. A sleeve with cover that could be easily removed, slide in unit with a locking pin once in place might be a better option.

Either way you can't touch the versatility or pricing of window units.

PS: SEER ratings consist of many factors so the argument that one is higher than the other may not mean much. Research and buy what works for you.