Removing Roof Air Conditioner

challenders · 10-23-2017, 08:45 PM

Hi Everyone. I'm hoping someone can give me some advice. We have a 1982 Sunline 14' travel trailer that we bought a couple of years ago and redid.. We've only used it a couple of times, but now that retirement is just around the corner (whoa whoa), we plan on using it often starting next year.

One thing we've always wanted to do is remove the roof air conditioner, which we'll never use. The electricity does not work in the trailer. It's more like a really cute tent on wheels

My husband rigged up a power strip which we plug into campsites, which gives us all the electricity we actually need. Eventually, we want to add solar power to it, but that's for another day.

We're wondering if anyone else has removed the air conditioner, how you removed it, how hard it was to remove, and what you replaced it with. We're thinking a bubble window or something like that.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. That air conditioner is just adding weight to the trailer and it seems like a good idea to get rid of it, especially since we'll eventually be adding the solar panels up there.

**JohnB** · 10-23-2017, 09:34 PM

Hi challenders,

I do not know what model AC unit your 82 camper has but I'm assuming it is a Dometic non-ducted unit. Meaning there are no air ducts throughout the camper, all the air intake and cold exhaust air comes out of the center unit.

To take the AC unit off, see this thread. This link will drop you in the middle of the post with us taking the AC unit off the camper. Scroll down a little until you see the AC unit pics.
http://www.sunlineclub.com/forums/f7...tml#post137475

That is a 2004 camper but the AC unit should be similar. You take the plastic shrouding off the inside and you will see 4 bolts in the corner. Those bolts hold the roof unit down tight against the roof. Remove them and the wiring and the roof unit should lift off as one piece. If yours is not like this, post a model number and we can help look it up.

The hole in the roof may very well be a standard 14" nominal square opening. You can install a crank up roof vent in that hole or a 12 volt power fan. Yes they do make domes (skylights) that did not lift but let light in, but the crank up vent covers let light in and air if wanted. See the Ventline catalog for some options on the crank up roof vent. http://www.ventline.com/literature They sell them all over RV parts are sold. Amazon even has them.

If you want a power vent, see Maxx Air. Airxcel | Maxxair | MAXXFAN

Or Fantastic Fan Welcome to Fan-Tastic Vent!

If you still want just a dome, see Icon Direct RV Skylight Domes | Replacement Lexan Domes | ICON Technologies Limited

Hope this helps

John

challenders · 10-24-2017, 06:55 AM

Thank you John. That's quite a blog you have! What a wealth of information and pictures.

Yes, our air conditioner is like the one you removed. Thank you for the help. I had thought about the fantastic fan, but the trailer doesn't have electricity right now. Eventually I'd like to add solar power, but that's for the future.

A crank up roof vent might just be the answer. Thank you for the suggestion.

Do you happen to know approximately how heavy that air conditioner is?

And do you have, or know of, a video or pictures of how to install the replacement vent?

Thanks again for the info. Have a blessed day!

**Sunline Fan** · 10-24-2017, 07:52 AM

The hard part about 1982 is those air conditioners were not factory. So, we can hope it's a standard 14x14 hole, but depending on who was cutting and various brands of the time, it could differ a little.

Just curious, what about the electricity doesn't work in the trailer? They aren't that complicated and if you have a plug in at a campsite, it's a shame you can't use at least the lights inside. To add solar, you'll need the system working to begin with.

mainah · 10-24-2017, 08:32 AM

The AC is a one person lift it will be awkward because of the reach 1/2" piece of plywood on the roof helps, it is fastened from the inside just remove the wires and the bolt holding it down. It should be a 14X14 opening so whatever the option was a vent or AC fits. I agree with a vent fan even if you don't have power you may at some point and they can be lifted manually. Chances are pretty high there is DC wiring there already if not a light is probably some where close that you can get power from. DC power is very handy that fix maybe in your future if there is a 120 volt power cord your AC power maybe a simple fix too.

**JohnB** · 10-24-2017, 08:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by challenders

Do you happen to know approximately how heavy that air conditioner is?

And do you have, or know of, a video or pictures of how to install the replacement vent?

Hi again,

Thanks for the good words, much appreciated.

On the weight of the roof unit, not knowing which model you have, I can say that a 13,500 btu Dometic Brisk Air (the older ones) where in the 100 pound range. That is off the shipping weight of a unit ranging from 94 to 105lb. Yours may be an 11,500 btu unit and might be a little less weight but be prepared for the 100 pounds. This is ideally a 2 person job getting it off the roof. It is so big and bulky one person has a hard time getting their arms around it. Two people is so much easier.

Also a heads up, your roof is not a direct walk on roof. Meaning you need to take precautions and use small sheets of plywood on the roof to spread your weight out. See this post on how to get up on the roof. A tarp or other material on the roof first, (even a metal roof) then small sheets of plywood. 3/8 to 3/4" thick what ever you have laying around. 2' x 4' sheets work well.
http://www.sunlineclub.com/forums/f7...ics-10405.html

Roof vent and or fan installs, see here these may help

http://www.sunlineclub.com/forums/f7...pics-8922.html

http://www.sunlineclub.com/forums/f6...all-17030.html

http://www.sunlineclub.com/forums/f6...pics-8954.html

http://www.sunlineclub.com/forums/f7...tml#post131985

Hope this helps

John

mainah · 10-24-2017, 12:39 PM

I would guess it's either a 7 or 9000 BTU in a 14' camper but yeah it will be close to 100# It is something one person can carry that's what I mean by a one person lift two to get it off the roof is more like it unless you don't mind giving it a heave ho.

challenders · 10-25-2017, 06:10 AM

Thank you for all the helpful info. John, thank you again for such great info. Great piece on installing the roof vent.

Looking at what it takes, I'm thinking we may be better off seeing if we can get someone else to do this for us. I'm 63, my husband is 73. I'm not sure we'll have the strength to remove this ourselves.

On the question about the electricity and why it doesn't work, when we bought the trailer, we knew going in that the circuit box had burnt out years before and hadn't been replaced. We thought we could just replace that, but once we got started on the makeover, we realized the previous owner had been very dishonest about water damage. We had to do a lot of work to fix the water damaged areas, and ended up cutting many of the wires along the way that had been wet. We didn't feel it would ever be safe to use those wires again.

We also ended up putting a small fortune into having the outside wiring redone. The lights worked fine when we looked at it, but after having it, we realized the brake lights, turn signals, etc., worked some of the time, but not all the time. Lucky for the seller they worked when we tested them. UGH. We had a mini vacation planned with relatives and knew this was something we had to get fixed asap. Turned out the wiring had been done all backwards and it took our local mechanic quite some time getting it all wired properly. That was money we hadn't planned on investing in it.

We just simply did not have the funds at the time to pay someone else to rewire it and decided we could make it work without electricity. It's a very small trailer, we don't cook in it and we always camp in parks with facilities and electricity. We could use the bathroom if we wanted to, but we never have. We just use the campground facilities.

My husband rigged up a power strip so we can easily plug it into the camp grounds electricity, which provides all the electricity we actually need. If we have a light to read by, a fan and the ability to plug in our little heater if need be, we're happy.

For us, it's more like a cute tent on wheels. It's very comfortable to sleep in, plus we have animals so it's more secure than a tent for them. We also have a large tent with huge screened in windows all the way around and a rain flap. We plan on using that as our kitchen/eating area since we have a camp stove, camp oven, etc. We both grew up camping so, for us, we enjoy the cooking outside aspect of camping. Plus we're old enough to remember that campgrounds didn't actually provide electricity back in the day, so you just made do with flashlights and such, which was half the fun about camping. This really isn't a big deal to us.

The trailer just really provides us with a comfortable, warm and secure place to sleep. My husband does not feel comfortable with boondocking, so we will always opt for a park with facilities and electricity. However, we are buying a solar shower system with a privacy tent, and have found directions on using the toilet using bags and kitty litter/poo powder, just in case. We also carry jugs of water, and we've never had a problem keeping food cold using our coleman ice chest.

If we do eventually put in a solar system, it will just be a small system with it's own plugs, much like a generator (only quiet). We wouldn't be connecting to the trailers electrical system with it anyways.

We have thought about buying another trailer with everything in working order, but to be honest, we really love this little trailer. It's light weight, easy to haul and it's cute/comfy.

Here's a picture of what it looked like when we bought it, and what it looks like now. We took it camping one time in October (during Indian summer) and all the other Rv's and trailers in the park were HUGE.. Our little trailer looked like a miniature model next to all those huge rigs. lol...

Another funny. We had a man stop by our campsite one time asking if we'd be interested in selling it, telling us it was in great shape for a 60's Shasta. We kept telling him it wasn't a Shasta, it's a 82 Sunline, but he kept insisting that we didn't know what we were talking about. He wanted to see the title so he could prove to us it was a Shasta. We didn't have the title with us, so he left, completely certain that we didn't know what our trailer really was.

That big air conditioner is just adding weight, and taking up space inside, which is why we want to remove it. The last thing I need to do on the trailer is redo the ceiling, but I've been holding off on that till the air conditioner is gone. I'm retiring the first of the year, so we plan on using the little trailer much more than we have in the past, which is why I've started really thinking about getting rid of that air conditioner once and for all

Thank you again for the helpful information.

**Sunline Fan** · 10-25-2017, 06:32 AM

Looks great! It would fit in well at a Tin Can Tourist rally!

That guy that stopped by your campsite must have been smoking something strong if he knew his Shastas. Luckily I know a lot about Shastas too and it looks nothing like the pre '65s, and not really even the same shape as a late '60s. It could somewhat resemble a '70s or '80s Shasta, especially without the original paint and decals, but then again a lot of trailers had the same general shape by then.

Jim-Bev-2363 · 10-25-2017, 07:55 AM

Nice looking outfit there Challenders. Must have a old bottle opener on there somewhere.

When I changed my A/C I used a piece of plywood on the roof to put my weight on. I also found it hard to remove the old one so breaking that rubber seal is best done slowly. Once I had the unit loose from the roof and ready to come down I used a rope and let the unit slide down the extension ladder I had used to get onto the roof with. It slid down easy like it was on rails and nothing damaged.

Your unit seems to ride good going down the road.

Enjoy!

**JohnB** · 10-25-2017, 10:31 AM

Hi challenders,

WOW, that is a cute looking overhaul!!! Thanks for sharing. I take it you like the Coke motif?

We have one of our children who is a Coke memorabilia collector. They have a lot of it too...

Thanks for sharing your camping journey. Hidden water damage, yes we have seen and heard this before. The prior owner may or may not have known they even had it. The good news out of this, it can be repaired with common wood tools, a little know how and a lot of time on your hands...

Your camping simplicity style is great!!! Our curiosity about the electric more stemmed from being able to offer help on how to fix it for you...

Our RV camping started just like yours. While I was heavily involved as a Boy Scout leader and my wife was a Girl Scout leader before we had kids who even lived in summer camp all during high school, we never really camped much together until...

My son brought home an older StarCraft popup that has floor rot. He wanted to just fix the soft spot in the floor... Well about 3 hours later the entire popup (PU) was stripped bare to the frame and in about 300 pieces in my shed. He rebuilt it from the ground up. The rot went everywhere, up the walls etc.

Once it was all fixed and painted up, it was setup in the back yard and my wife comes out. Wow, this is nice, I could go camping in this! Oh.. wow, hears my chance... So we borrowed the PU and went out twice that fall. It was great. There was no power or water in the PU, just a dry place to sleep. I had everything to tent camp from our Scouting time frame and we had a really nice time. Just the basics and the luxury of a dry camper and a comfortable place to sleep. All cooking was outside.

The following spring the RV show was at the state fair grounds and I said to the DW, "Hey there is an RV show at the fair grounds, lets go have a look?". She says. "You know better then your just going to look, your going to buy something"... Well, she was right... 2 weeks later we owned our first PU...

We are now on our 3rd camper, 3rd truck..., and have traveled between 50 to 60,000 miles with our house on wheels in tow with lots more travel and camping yet to do. We all camp different and it is all good. I started camping with 50# on my back and a tent and loving it. Now we haul a Sunny with close to 10,000# in it and still loving it...

Thanks

John