2nd AC

[HornedToad]

I’ve discussed this modification before and have read were others have done the same modification. I’m going to re post with detailed photos and outline some of the issues I faced under General Modifications because this is simply about adding a 2nd AC to any trailer in any vent opening that is not pre wired.

I’m good at tearing things up so taking the vent out was no problem, at first I just unscrewed the cover from the inside and cut the 12v wires to the fan leaving the frame, but you need to get up on the roof and roll the putty off the screws with your thumb and then unscrew the frame from the top to yank it out of the raw opening. Next came the hard part, getting a 100 lb AC up on the roof. I had thought about rigging up some type of hoist or scaffold but I got lucky that the landlord of my storage yard had a fork lift. Got it up on the roof fairly easy leaving it in the box and laying it down on my outdoor mat while I worked. I ran a bead of roof sealer around the opening to seal the foam on the AC to the roof and set it over the opening. Back inside you could line up the four bolts that held it in place, wire the power, plug in the controls, screw on the ceiling assembly, time to chill.

Our Torque toy hauler was pre wired for a 2[SUP]nd[/SUP] AC in the front bedroom but since the garage is where an additional AC was really needed I had to figure out how to get AC power to the AC. Originally my plan was to purchase a high efficiency AC …
http://www.rvpartwholesaler.com/servlet/the-178/Dometic-459530-Brisk-RV/Detail
http://www.rvpartwholesaler.com/servlet/the-5225/Dometic-3107206.009-Shell-White/Detail
that pulled only 10 amps and wire it with an extension cord to plug it into the outlet in the garage. That worked initially, but the garage outlet was on a 15 amp circuit that was basically every interior outlet in the trailer, it could handle the AC and a couple of TV’s until one day I plugged in a box fan and when it tripped the breaker I knew I needed to make other arrangements.

I had talked to a dealer about adding this AC for me and they said it was very expensive and very messy to pull a new power line from the distribution panel to the garage ceiling and they preferred to use an inlet connection. So an inlet it was… http://www.marinco.com/en/products/connect/inlets/15-amp

I rewired the AC with romex running through an electrical raceway to an exterior Marinco Inlet and covered up the opening with a hatch. Now if I’m in a park I plug the AC in with an extension cord from the inlet to the shore power and if you had a 30 amp trailer you could stop right there. If I’m on the generator I run the extension cord from the inlet up to the exterior GFI outlet. This outlet is on a circuit by itself and I haven’t had any problems with the AC tripping breakers.



Now my next challenge would be if I ever try to add a 3[SUP]rd[/SUP] AC to the front bedroom pre wire!!!

 

[Dpa4747]

I like it............... Im thinking of a 3rd ac in my 43 foot Cyclone putting it in the garage

 

[Garypowell]

I like it too. Always interesting if there is a will there is a way. Great going!

 

[larryect]

looks good. I am a bit concerned about the electrical integrity of the Marinco inlet and the depth of the plug/wall. I am accoustomed to electrical devices being housed in electrical boxes to help prevent fire if the device overheats. Any comments about the integrity of the device?

Also, do you think this could be done without the service hatch? I was thinking a hole through the back of the wire mold into the wall, then doing the hook-up from the outside. Or, placing a wiremold outlet box on the inside (maybe with an outlet that could be used with a heater or etc.).

 

[HornedToad]

Also, do you think this could be done without the service hatch? I was thinking a hole through the back of the wire mold into the wall, then doing the hook-up from the outside. Or, placing a wiremold outlet box on the inside (maybe with an outlet that could be used with a heater or etc.).

The hatch cover was just cosmetic, if you can try to go out inside a cabinet. An outlet box is probably a good idea as the Marinco Inlet only has a rubber nipple covering the connections. One thing I did on two subsequent installs was loop the romex wire before the connection to remove any tension.

 

[Stinger381]

I have wondered about this installation myself and have thought that a wire fish could be run alongside the AC ducts where you pull a length of 12/2 Romex back to the fuse panel. You could pull vents along the way maybe to help steer the wire ? Maybe not ? I guess the toughest part is to run the wire down the wall to the fuse panel or up to the unit. Otherwise the Romex could run along the trailer frame on the exterior? The way you did it looks nice though. Good job.

 

[larryect]

Thanks for the reply. I need to do something similar. No handy cabinets or duct work. 30 amp service, so no point of running it to the service box. I believe my walls are 3 inch thick laminations. Heartland won't even okay putting the unit on the roof, because they didn't prep it they couldn't tell me if it would support it.....