Split system ac install

@windsmith what brand of the split ac unit are you using. Can you post some pictures with your setup? I have a raised roof Cascadia, bought a a Champion 3100 watts and trying to install a split ac unit. Thanks.

 

This is the new generator I've got ordered.

Westinghouse 4,500/3,700-Watt Super Quiet Gas Powered Inverter Generator with LED Display, Push Button Start and Remote Start-iGen4500 - The Home Depot

 

Let me know how that thing works out. I looked at the remote start Westinghouse generators before I bought this Predator 3500. I saw a number of reviews saying the remote choke quit working fairly quickly. Remote start would be awesome though.

If this Predator ever dies on me, I'll probably try one.

And @4rdtruck ... I installed a 12,000 BTU, 110v Senville a couple months ago. The only thing I don't like about it is that the evaporator drain is on the driver's side. If I park on the street where the road is crowned, it won't drain and leaks water inside. I either have to park left to curb or find a relatively flat spot.

As far as cooling though, I love it. It only uses 223 watts while it's running so the generator is barely breathing hard and sips gas. I burn $3 to $4 worth of gas a day which includes running it at shippers and receivers, as well as sleeping overnight.

Another note, please be kind to your fellow drivers and install an exhaust stack. I had problems with my carbon monoxide detector going off all the time before I did that.



It's just an Espar heater flex pipe connected to eight feet of 3/4" conduit. Some Permatex Ultra Copper seals the connections. Blows the exhaust straight up in the air above the cab.

 

Thank you @lilillill This is some good information. Where did you buy the bracket for the ac unit from? Any special bolts and nuts to be mounted to the sleeper?

 

I made the bracket from 2" x 1/8" angle iron. I used eight 5/16" stainless bolts and fender washers to secure it to the back wall of the cab.

I had to cut a rather large hole in the fabric panel on the inside to mount the evaporator to the back wall and to have room for all the lines and stuff, so there was plenty of room to reach in there and put the bolts for the condenser through.




No lines or electrical show on the inside, everything is concealed behind the fabric panel. And because the evaporator and condenser are mounted right behind each other, there's only about a foot and a half of refrigerant lines. I cut them off and reflared the ends to fit exactly. Each refrigerant line, one electric line and the drain have their own hole drilled with an exact fitting rubber grommet. So no gobs of sealant or giant holes in the cab. If I wanted to remove it, the holes could be plugged with plastic body grommets.

 

@lilillill did you use the copper pipes or rubber lines? I've heard that the copper pipe might crack from the truck vibration.
Also, what did you use for sealing the holes on the cab? Thanks!
P.S. Sorry for so many questions, I'm trying to figure out the a good set-up with minimal breakdowns in the future.

 

I used the copper lines it came with, I just cut them to fit. I got rubber grommets from the hardware store and used a step drill to cut the holes for them exact.



Because the lines are so short and the inside and outside units are mounted so close together, I don't think vibration will be a problem. They are literally back to back.

I researched and couldn't find any rubber hose that will withstand the pressures of 410a refrigerant. I inspect the lines regularly and haven't seen any evidence of wear.

It was 96 degrees today in Edinburg, TX and the unit performed flawlessly. I was a little concerned because the generator was very hot, running directly in sun and soaking up heat from the reefer unit. It seemed to do ok though. It ran for 6 hours straight while I was waiting to load.

 

Cool, I also run a reefer trailer, I do sit a lot of the time at the shipper/receiver idling the truck. Thanks for all the detailed information, it will be a good start-up guide for other owner operators who are trying to save money and reduce the engine idling.
One great thing about mini split ac is that it also has a heat pump. Also it's permanently installed so no need to move it on the window, plus is in the sleeper so it will cool down quickly than a window set-up.
That 110V Senville ac has a lot of positive reviews, I would buy one of those, but I'm thinking to buy the 9000 btu one since it will blow cold air right in the sleeper at my head.
Big thanks again for the detailed info. I'll send pictures with mine when the project will be done.

 

I purchased a 9000 BTU Klimaire 22.5 SEER (Chinese brand) from heatandcool.com. If I were to do it over again, I'd drop the extra $200 and purchase a 12000 BTU Daikin (German, but probably of Chinese origin) due to the better reported reliability.

Mine ran for 4 months, and then quit. It quit working as fall arrived, so I didn't investigate why it failed because I didn't need to use it. My guess is that the vibration from the truck wore a hole in the condenser coil and the refrigerant leaked out. It worked very, very well when it was working. I could run 12 hours on 2 gallons of gasoline. I'll be looking into the failure in the coming weeks, and post an update.

 

When I installed the new generator a few weeks ago, I checked my split system(Pioneer 9000 BTU) and the cooling and heating system still work on it. It'd be nice to figure out what brands are better or why some are failing. Mine has been on the truck for over a year now and been through some rough roads without any issue.

As for the Westinghouse generator, it's extremely good. It is on par or exceeds the Champion unit so far, except for a problem with the auto choke system. It can take multiple attempts using electric or remote stop to fire up due to what I believe is the choke getting stuck. In cooler weather it fires right up, though. It also has plastic or rubber coverings on all of the fuses, switches, and plugs so it is pretty good about being weather resistant. You can also read the fuel level, running hours, and power output on the LED display. When the weather gets warmer, I'll see how long the 3.4 gallon tank lasts running the AC unit. There is also a small outlet tube on the exhaust that makes it easy to attach a hose or pipe to route the exhaust away.