The window is tempered glass. Its very strong and would take more than a 40lb window AC to break it. Even so,.. there is additional bracing. This is a shot from the inside during a trial fit. There are rubber strips between the metal and glass now. Hurst
Thanks for the pic @Hurst. I see the small wings on the inside which hold it in place. That's what had me confused at first. Now how much to make me one too!
This window unit was advertised at Lowes as an AC/Dehumidifier,.. where what looked to me was an identical 8k BTU unit for $30 less was not. I waste more than that on lottery tickets twice a week,.. so I figured why not see if its any better? Is it any better? I have honestly have no idea. Does it keep the truck cool,.. heck yeah. I'm not going back to try the other one and find out I wasted $30. Why ruin my happy mood? LOL EDIT: This is the one I was originally looking to buy,.. http://www.lowes.com/pd_530383-2251-FFRE08L3Q1_1z0zdyxZ1z114o9__?productId=50139488&pl=1 Instead I bought this one. http://www.lowes.com/pd_623066-54932-FFRE0833Q1_1z0zdyxZ1z114o9__?productId=50299683&pl=1 The second one says it ionizes the air and removes pollen and dehumidifies better. Snake oil? All I know is that it cools the truck in the Fla humidity and direct sun. Will it last the summer? Who knows,.. I doubt it will be the last window unit I buy for this truck. Hurst
The one advertised as an AC/Dehumidifier means you can run it as only a dehumidifier with no AC but all AC units are dehumidifiers. If they weren't they would be useless. Get yourself a humidity gauge. They are real cheap and do an experiment. You won't need the extra unit in there. They generate a lot of heat also. Your pulling the moisture out of a very small space so the AC should do an excellent job all by itself.
Here's a little tidbit for all you motorcycle riders out there. Ever ride down the highway and get splashed with a drop of water here and there. Most know it comes from an AC unit on a car. That moisture from a car doesn't come from some filtered source. It comes right from the sweat of that 350 pound guy who hasn't taken a shower in 3 days. It comes from the wet diaper of that screaming baby who needs to be changed. ANY moisture in that car gets spit out of that tube.
Its made out of aluminum. The whole thing weighs maybe 1 lb. The window slides up into it to help hold and stabilize it. Its impossible for the AC to fall out with that mounted. Hurst
Yeah I know they dehumidify,.. thats why the AC compressor is on when the defrost is on,.. hot or cold. The second one is supposed to do a better job of it and supposed to help with crap in the air. I'm not overly allergic,. but my eyes get red from pollen,.. so I thought it would be a good thing to have. If this one didnt do the trick, I was going to try either the 10k BTU which wasnt much more,.. or the 12k. They all have pretty much the same dimensions as far as fitting inside the window. I learned today that you cant start the AC with the generator in economode. The surge chokes it and resets the voltage. Have to set it to normal, then start the AC and then set it to economy. It says to do that in the manual,.. but like most guys,.. I rip things out of the box and just want to play with it. Manuals are for responsible guys. HUrst
There are slow start AC units but you need to search the specs. Many people have very old houses with fuses so the the AC companies started making what is called slow start. They actually charge up a capacitor inside and when the compressor starts it gets it's extra power from the cap. Watch out for taxing the generator. That's how they stop working. They can only take so many surge hits before they give out. Not sure if you wrote this already but you'll want a fan up front blowing the cool air into the back. Also, you'll get much cooler air running the AC on Med fan and never on High. You can use a thermometer like this to show it.
These are intended as constructive "criticism". First off last summer I used a set-up very similar to yours. What will keep the bottom of the feet from chewing on the door? There will be some vibration although very slight. In your last picture it looks as if the left foot could have been longer and then shaped to fit the curve of the door. Otherwise that is an awesome bracket. You might add rubber to the wings that keep the shelf from falling out. I had to go to a 10,000 btu unit to do the job for me. I'll go check to be sure. Also I put a small fan on the floor and angled it to blow cold air up into the bunk. Other than putting the unit in the window and having to store it somewhere you will LOVE this economical and money saving set-up.
