Date:         Tue, 24 Jun 2003 10:43:45 -0500
Reply-To:     Owen <olists@THEBRANDS.ORG>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Owen <olists@THEBRANDS.ORG>
Subject:      Re: Portable Air Conditioner for Westy?
Comments: To: mrvolkswagen@HOTMAIL.COM
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

Sorry for the late reply to this thread. I need to look back through my
stored best of the vanagon.com list to give proper credit for this idea. It
was a lifesaver last summer.

Actual price and manufacturer
The unit below is is the closest to the unit I bought last summer. My wife
reminded me that we paid closer to 89.00 for the unit. (Now that I think
about it I found another one in the $60.00 range that required shipping that
brought it to the price to stop in walmart and pick one up in route.) Time
makes everything seem less painful.

It is a Goldstar 5000 btu mini window unit bought last July in Utah. If I
have time later I will measure the dimensions of the Goldstar and take
pictures of the full setup in all of it's rag tag glory.

How to
I strapped it into the luggage rack with no waterproofing and it worked fine
after repeated hard driving rains. I put a cut to fit ac filter across the
coil to keep bugs out as we drove. When setting up camp with shore power I
simply placed it up on the edge of the storage bin and placed a folding camp
stool under it to make it level. I fed the power cord down through the
unzipped screen and via a heavier service cord into the shore power outlet.
The previously mentioned blanket and clothespin hack kept the cold air
channeled into the van. The remote allowed for the late night adjustment. A
towel across the lifting bar directs air into the lower area so the top bunk
isn't a complete meat locker.

Tear down
The unit has a u channel metal bracket for window mounting. This works
nicely to bungee across for tie down. Tear down consists of setting the unit
back in the storage bin. Snake the power cord back through the screen and
and bungee cord the unit securely into the storage bin using the u channel.
Still enough room for the folding camp table and 4 stools. While it adds to
the box against the wind aerodynamics I still get on average about 18-20 mpg
out of my old 1.9 so drag is negligible.


----- Original Message -----
From: "Chris S" <mrvolkswagen@HOTMAIL.COM>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Monday, June 23, 2003 9:21 PM
Subject: Re: Portable Air Conditioner for Westy?


> One solution here, cheap at $93:
>
>
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.gsp?product_id=2067704&cat=14940&type
> =1&dept=4044&path=0%3A4044%3A4064%3A92523%3A14940
>
> Another solution here, and indoor A/C unit that does not require window
> mounting.  This unit can simply stand inside the Westy, but it's *choke*
> $447:
>
>
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.gsp?product_id=2025454&cat=14940&type
> =1&dept=4044&path=0%3A4044%3A4064%3A92523%3A14940
>
> One fellow designed supports and a panel which mounts a small window a/c
> unit in the passenger window of a Westy.  Cool camping and it's easy to
> remove.  I can't find the link at the moment.
>
> Chris S.
> '85 Westy
> www.knology.net/~vw/
> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/wolfsburg_campers
>