Hi everyone. I'm going off the grid as a travel nurse, and I havejust purchased a 12 * 6 toy hauler. It comes with a portable AC, which the guy I'm buying it from says works very well at night but struggles in the full sun.It's fully insulated from the factory, but obviously isn't preforming all that well..so I'm going to put the .375 inch radiant barrier that home depot sells and then follow with 3/8 drywall. On the ceiling I'm going to put 2 inch sytrofoam panels from home depot, and then follow with 3/8 drywall. The drywall will add approx 300 pounds to the trailer, which isn't that much, but should allow the walls to store some cool energy. I'm also putting down another layer of flooring with 1/2 inch insulation as well. The trailer is 6 ft 6 inches on the inside, so I've got a few inches to spare.I'm hoping to put 400 watts of solar on the roof for lights and other electrical needs, but I'm not sure what to do about cooling. I do have a good generator, but it seems wasteful to run the generator all night just in order to run the AC. Any suggestions for cooling are much appreciated. I will be traveling the hospital circuit in Florida, and it's just too hot at night to do without some sort of cooling.

Why not use Luan or thin paneling? And go with 1/2 or 3/4 inch on the walls. More durable than drywall and less likely to hold mold. All could be glued together.

roadnurse wrote:Any suggestions for cooling are much appreciated. I will be traveling the hospital circuit in Florida, and it's just too hot at night to do without some sort of cooling.Stay in an RV park.

If you added a rack on top and then added on a sunshade, it would really add significant cooling. It has the same effect as parking in the shade of a tree.

2oldman wrote:roadnurse wrote:Any suggestions for cooling are much appreciated. I will be traveling the hospital circuit in Florida, and it's just too hot at night to do without some sort of cooling.Stay in an RV park.Heck no. I'm pocketing the per diem rates and staying stealth in a parking lot. Call me cheap, but I go through the indignities of being covered in blood, pee and poop, and I'm trying to make as much as possible for a few years. I will be driving to one city for 3 days, then another city for 2 days, and then home for 2 days. If I were staying someone for a few months, I might get a spot in a RV park and put out the amenities of home. This, however, is just business and I am out to maximize my take home pay.

roadnurse wrote:Call me cheap, but I go through the indignities of being covered in blood, pee and poop.... ..followed by the indignity of a hot, humid night. Running a gen all night is not the best idea.See if you can park in the hospital lot and use their power.

Cooling Issues in my stealth camper | Good Sam Community

BarneyS
Explorer III
May 29, 2016
After 13 pages of replies, the talk has turned to trolling and flaming. I have better things to do than edit and/or delete posts. Thread closed.
Barney
Bill_Satellite
Explorer II
May 28, 2016
Many have offered help. Many more have bashed the poor guy over stuff that's none of their business and has no bearing on the topic.
I could understand if he came here looking for instructions on how to build a bomb that folks might not condone those actions but I sure don't understand the negative comments being piled on by those making no attempt to offer useful suggestions.
roadnurse
Explorer
May 28, 2016
Bill.Satellite wrote:
Something like this from Home Depot.
2-part spray foam insulation

no question it's awesome stuff.
Bill_Satellite
Explorer II
May 27, 2016
Something like this from Home Depot.
2-part spray foam insulation
roadnurse
Explorer
May 27, 2016
Bill.Satellite wrote:
roadnurse.
Please, please, ignore the haters that pop up telling you can't do what you want. It really doesn't matter what anyone else thinks. Personally, I would simply ignore the posts. No response is necessary.
Continue to ask questions and there are going to be folks that will provide what they believe to be helpful information even if they disagree with its use or purpose. If you have already done something to plan to do something which you have no intention of changing your mind about just leave that out of future posts so the trolls don't have anything to jump on.
I wish you the best of luck with your project but I really do think you should consider some of the suggestions about the best paneling and insulation, especially if you could do some spray foam insulation prior to the ceiling installation.
If I can be of help with some of your upcoming questions.

First, I'd like to thank you for your supportive attitude. As a guilty pleasure (and I admit your approach is better), I can't help but play with the trolls a little. Please bear with me here.

I am considering spray foam, especially on the roof. I'll know a lot more when I peel the luan off the roof and see exactly what's underneath. I'm a bit leery of using anything that's super flammable, like some of the styrofoam board products.
roadnurse
Explorer
May 27, 2016
http://www.frigidaire.com/Home-Comfort/Air-Conditioning/Window-Mounted-AC/FFRE0533S1/

This, the AC I'm looking at. Only 410 watts when cooling. Very impressive, and makes it possible to consider AC via battery during the night. Not sure on the energy calcs, and I'd like some help here. How much battery would this require if the compressor ran 1/2 of the time, and how much would the unit likey be using with only the fan running?

My dream here would be 100% solar, though I'm not sure if 800 watts is enough to do this. My calcs tell me that I can fit 800 watts on the roof.

Edit: Actually, I can get 920 watts on the roof, if the MPPT controller allows me to mix different watt panels.
roadnurse
Explorer
May 27, 2016
One of the issues you've got to consider in a little space like this (6 x 12 x 6.50) = 468 cubic feet, is air exchange. There's a danger from CO2 buildup and you've got to have adequate passive air exchange (basically, we're talking an engineered leak that doesn't depend on fans, etc). This is a MUST. A perfect seal is dangerous.
roadnurse
Explorer
May 27, 2016
msmith1.wa wrote:
Have you thought of dividing the sleeping area from the remainder of the space. Even if it is just a curtain. This would reduce the area you are trying to cool.

That's actually an awesome idea. Hadn't thought of that. I'm going to play it by ear and see what happens first, because the trailer is going to be about 70 feet, half the capacity of the AC. But given that I'm hoping to cool with battery power, this could be a huge help because every little bit matters. It's true that at night I'd basically just need the bed and TV area cooled. two fold out 3 foot walls that meet in the middle could do the trick and save a significant amount of energy.

Only problem is the area I've got for the AC is at the other end of the trailer. I *could* put the AC under the bed and vent to the outside. I really like your idea!
roadnurse
Explorer
May 27, 2016
mnormand wrote:
My comment about tiny living comes from owning a teardrop style this last year. http://www.runawaycampers.com/pb/wp_7db0e5a9/wp_7db0e5a9.html
Bought $2700 used. Made there in Ocala, Fla.
Have camped in this quite a bit during past year.

Added patio umbrella holder for no-fuss fast and easy sun/rain cover. Lots others add freestanding popup canopies and side panels if needed for wind/rain proof extra room as applicable. All packable inside camper, or outside on roof, front, or rear racks and lockable storage containers.

Same 5K a/c as you are discussing. Will freeze you out for sure.
Shower stall (if/when needed) is a popup hunting blind in people areas. Goes up and down within seconds. $30
Water one gallon jug of water with a portion heated on a jetboil re-added to jug. Wash head, then downward, maxing water use, full head to toe clean as home shower.
Jetboil and pocket rocket backpack stoves used to cook/steam and/or reheat all manner of foods. Easy to eat healthy if desired. Usually bring my own La gumbo, stews, etc all frozen in small containers, and eat my way through the ice chest/cooler as things slowly defrost.

Truck is 2007 4runner, my 3rd 4R now since 1994. Rock solid, go anywhere. Slept in back many times before buying camper. Pulling teardrop gets same 20-22mpg, almost no change.

Considering moving up to a used A-frame solid wall popup camper like ALiner, Chalet, etc. Best of both worlds, goes up/down in seconds, and tows easy with small footprint. Full stand up comfort, but low profile when towing. Porta potty avail if needed. Powered 12v fantastic fan roof vent.

I could easily see myself similarly in your situation working out of these examples. Especially the A-frame. I have genset too if needed.

Just throwing some workable options/alternatives out there. Both have real possibility of getting most $$ back upon resale. I guess point is all seems much easier than the utility trailer conversions. But I enjoy reading all the ideas on everything, all good!

I enjoy all these posts! I'm thinking I'll be working for another 5-6 years on the road, so I couldn't cut it in a teardrop. I need self contained electric and a place I can stand up in. I'll have a relatively large fridge with a converted chest freezer, and I'd like to have a tiny freezer, maybe a coleman portable. Also gonna get a tiny crockpot, of course watching those watts. In 5 years time I'll have recovered my cost in this a couple of times over, so I'm not worried about the relatively large initial outlay.
JaxDad
Explorer III
May 27, 2016
roadnurse wrote:
JaxDad wrote:
It's all sort of moot IMHO since I doubt it will be very long before somebody drops a quarter and complains to someone in authority, and since living in a home brew 'stealth camper' isn't legal the adventure will likely not last long enough to worry about insulation or such.

There are all sorts of home built trailers out there. Check craigslist. If you've got a tag on your trailer and lights, I don't see where any state is too worried about how you camp. But hey, whatever.

Every day I drive down the road I see the majority of fellow drivers speeding.

Good luck telling a LEO that speeding is NOT illegal because everybody speeds too.

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