Window air conditioner enclosed? Will it work?

Portable air conditioners are becoming popular these days.

This is the concept...


Here is a photo of a typical installation


Might just fit in the area you are describing...

just my thoughts
Roy Ken

It will work if the part of the A/C that installs outside the window is outside the wall of the RV. Tucked fully inside, trying to operate in a closed space behind a refrigerator intake vent can be a problem, heat is still trapped inside, concentrated in a smaller space. You might be able to get enough air to the "hot" side of a window A/C with ducting and additional fans and blowers, depending on the air flow configuration, but just sticking it in that space likely won't work.

There are RV wall units configured differently, with only a few inches sticking out. The Cool Cat is one frequently used in very small RVs, but comes a RV price, and I don't know if there are any models large enough to cool a 5er in Oklahoma in the summer sunshine, since a 15,000 BTU/hr A/C doesn't keep up with that heat load in my 30 foot motorhome.

The problem is recirculation of condenser (outside coil) air. You need to provide for condenser exhaust air to leave thru the side of the RV without restriction. Intake air for the condenser may come from the existing refrigerator exhaust vent on the roof. I suggest you check out a newer smaller RV with a wall mounted AC to see how it may be done.

chevyman2 wrote:
Ever think of one of those new
"self contained portable A/C units"?

They are designed to work in spaces similar to the one you mentioned. You might have to mount a fan blowing OUT in the space where the original fridge vent is. And you might need to make the drain hole for the vent bigger, but it SHOULD work in that hole.

A typical window A/C unit likely will NOT work in that hole.

last I checked at Sam's they had about 4 different ones and they seemed reasonably priced.
bumpy

Ever think of one of those new
"self contained portable A/C units"?

They are designed to work in spaces similar to the one you mentioned. You might have to mount a fan blowing OUT in the space where the original fridge vent is. And you might need to make the drain hole for the vent bigger, but it SHOULD work in that hole.

A typical window A/C unit likely will NOT work in that hole.

The window units are designed to have air flow around and through the section that is outside, to help cool off the condenser. If you remove the side venting (as you mentioned), it won't allow it to work efficiently.

You may do better to open a window, or remove a window, and make a plywood piece to attach the A/C to, and hang it out the window opening when you get parked. I wouldn't recommend having it hang out the window when you are driving!!

A smaller unit may work, but you are defeating the A/C, by having all that heat that was taken out of the air at the front of the unit, being put back into the RV from the back of it! You might be able to make a duct, with a fan, that would blow that hot air outside (this is the way those portable units work), but it's probably not worth the efforts.

Bottom line....the hot part of the A/C needs to be outside, so that the cool part (inside) can pull the heat from the air. Having the whole thing inside is kind of like putting your head inside a ballon, and then breathing for awhile.....it doesn't work!!:)

It sounds like it would work if you put a large box fan in the compartment to increase the ventilation.