mini split air conditioners

[Lee Bradley]

The opening is about 8" high and 6' wide.

[Phuriousgeorge]

Wow, that's a big mouth   I have to replace the rubber fuel inlets on both sides of the tank, so I guess I'll get a good look then at what's availabie.

Thanks again!

[Oonrahnjay]

... a 220 vac unit that draws about 2,000 watts powered by a 4024 Trace through a 5,000 watt step-up transformer. ..

    This is very useful info, Lee, thank you.  Do you have the brand name and model number for the transformer handy?  I am very interested in going this way.   Thanks!!   Bruce H

[Phuriousgeorge]

     This is very useful info, Lee, thank you.  Do you have the brand name and model number for the transformer handy?  I am very interested in going is way.   Thanks!!   Bruce H

Just make sure you do your careful research before.  In clamoring through various discussions, seems one leg of the 240 is out-of-phase and needs some special treatment.

[Lee Bradley]

Because the step-up transformer is a stand alone unit, you don't get into the phase problem of two 110 vac legs.  It plugs into one 110 vac leg and steps it up to 220 vac.

Bruce I will find the model and brand but I ran into the same problem Sean had with a transformer he bought for his boat; very early dangerous failure. The input wire goes to a fuse holder and from there to the unit. That is good but they just laid the wire on the spade and soldered it so the solder was doing mechanical and electrical connecting. Shortly after I put it in use it quit. I checked the line voltage and fuse all good. I unplugged it and opened the unit and found the soldered joint had failed when the wire had warmed in use the solder couldn't maintain the mechanical joint and the wire has loose inside the unit and if had contacted the steel case ... very bad.  I cleaned the wire and spade of solder and found a hole in the spade and ran the wire through that hole so the wire was mechanically supported and resoldered it. The unit has worked great since then. The unit has a 5 volt USB output, so I have added two computer fans to the case, one in and one out, for additional cooling. I have two welder sockets, one from the transformer and one from the circuit breaker panel, for the mini split. I plug the mini split cord into the transformer most of the time and the breaker when I have 50 amp service.   

[peterbylt]

I have just finished installing a Mini Split in the 96A3, so I don't have any statistics on longevity of the Unit.

I thought quite a bit about where I wanted to install both the inside and outside units, I am trying to keep as much storage space in the bays as possible, but there is a lot of infrastructure that needs to be located in the Bays.

I currently have one Pioneer 12,000 110v inverter unit installed in the Front, the long-term plans call for a second unit to be installed in the rear.

Both the Generator and the outside unit of the Mini Split need to cohabitate the driver's side of the front Bay.
I have divided the bay in half with a ¾ inch plywood wall.

The installation is not totally complete yet, the unit is up and running, over the course of a couple of hours it will bring the entire heat soaked bus down to 75 degrees in 90+ degree Florida weather.

After much though I decided to mount the Condenser (outside unit) sideways, for now the bay door needs to be opened, I plan to replace part of the skin of the Bay door with expanded metal to match the OTR air bay door just in front of it.

The OTR air is still intact and works good and I want to keep it.

I did not want to cut large holes in the Bay floor, I decide that the Mini Split and the OTR Air should probably not be running at the same time, So I could cut through the Wall into the OTR Air Bay and exhaust the hot air from the Mini split into that compartment, there is already a huge hole it the floor for the OTR hot air exhaust and can actually use the OTR Condenser to vent through as well, I'd rather not use the OTR exhaust fan, but I could if it became necessary .
 
I have cut the hole and mounted the door to seal it off when the OTR Air is running, the plan is to install an Air piston that closes the door when the Bus is started and the bus air compressor comes on line, then open when the bus is shut down, I will also install a valve to override.

The last part is to create a shroud out of Foam insulation board to channel the hot air out the door.

So far with the limited amount that I have run it, just leaving the Bay door open allows it to run nice and cool without any issue.
 
The most difficult part of the installation was running the 25 feet of copper tubing without kinking it, Lots of bends and turns.









Peter

[Phuriousgeorge]

Looks like you've got the same unit as me.  That the 22 Seer with heat pump?  I've got those same absorbing feet as well.  I noticed the compressor came with smaller ones, but I'll probably use the larger anyway.  Nice install, I haven't thought about a sideways configuration.

[Lee Bradley]

Looking good.  

While you don't plan on using the mini in motion, the indoor unit should have condensate drains on both ends, I would use both.  I use mine in motion and on a left hand turn it spilled cold condensate on my copilot/wife.  Now has the drains hooked up on both ends. Would have been easier during installation.

I think my photos show that I anchored the top of my outdoor unit; I have tried to keep all motion out of the system. Copper will work harden and crack.

I would try to isolate the two sides of the outdoor unit as much as possible. You don't want the exhaust air short circuiting around into the intake side; easily done in our bus applications.

Just suggestions, I think you are doing great work.

[luvrbus]

How do you mini split people over come the max ambient operating range on your units.I am trying to help a friend out that has 2 Sanyo 12,000 btu's unit his will not cool when the outside temp reaches 115 here in AZ which is a spring day for us.
His bus setting on black top the other day when it was 104 they would not work.Pull in the shop leave it for a hour they would cool.Sanyo is no help to us about all they say in a few words is sorry anyone have ideas without tossing the units summer time is coming here 

[Oonrahnjay]

Because the step-up transformer is a stand alone unit, you don't get into the phase problem of two 110 vac legs.  It plugs into one 110 vac leg and steps it up to 220 vac.

       OK, I think that we're talking about the same thing, but I want to be sure -- you mean that your transformer takes a single phase, 120V feed (or "leg") and it accurately makes the output 240V with the correct phase separation that normal 240V current has?  Do I understand right?
Thanks, this is important.

Bruce I will find the model and brand but I ran into the same problem Sean had with a transformer he bought for his boat; very early dangerous failure.

       Thank you, Lee.  That will be very helpful and I appreciate your effort.  And thanks for the warning about the possible failure mode, too.  If I go this route, I'll check with the transformer manufacturer to be sure that they've updated later units.

... I have two welder sockets, one from the transformer and one from the circuit breaker panel, for the mini split. I plug the mini split cord into the transformer most of the time and the breaker when I have 50 amp service.   

        Yes, I've seen other people do this for switching purposes and I like it a lot (esp. because it's idiot-proof and I can be an idiot).  Thanks for that detail.

        Best wishes,  BH

[Lee Bradley]

The transformer is wound 1:2 so 110 vac applied to the primary coil products 220 vac in the secondary coil. There is no phase separation as there is no neutral it is strictly 220 vac peak to peak one single cycle. That is why I use 220 vac 3 wire welder plugs (two hot and one safety ground). The mini split I use is completely 220 vac no 110 vac so I had to use 220 vac condensate pumps. Two of my indoor units are mounted on hanging cabinets so I couldn't use a gravity drain.

[Lee Bradley]

How do you mini split people over come the max ambient operating range on your units.I am trying to help a friend out that has 2 Sanyo 12,000 btu's unit his will not cool when the outside temp reaches 115 here in AZ which is a spring day for us.
His bus setting on black top the other day when it was 104 they would not work.Pull in the shop leave it for a hour they would cool.Sanyo is no help to us about all they say in a few words is sorry anyone have ideas without tossing the units summer time is coming here 

I don't know. I don't work with those temps. When I went down to Oregon for the eclipse the temps were in the upper 90's and I was parked in the direct sun for five days and no problems with my Sanyo. But I haven't had to deal with your kind of temps ... in the bus.

[brmax]

Im curious on the Sanyo ac units, were they showing an error code or do the have a screen for this.
This bothers me if something like this shut down spec is in the software.
Particularly with ambient tempature, without a cause of over heated parts from usage.  It really leads one to think they are made for a more mild climate, and many times no one could know these particulars. 



Good day

Floyd

[eagle19952]

How do you mini split people over come the max ambient operating range on your units.I am trying to help a friend out that has 2 Sanyo 12,000 btu's unit his will not cool when the outside temp reaches 115 here in AZ which is a spring day for us.
His bus setting on black top the other day when it was 104 they would not work.Pull in the shop leave it for a hour they would cool.Sanyo is no help to us about all they say in a few words is sorry anyone have ideas without tossing the units summer time is coming here 

try starting them at night ?

is it any cooler ?

find the sensor and blast it with canned air ?

[Tom Y]

Peterbylt, I have/had a mesh door off of my 5C. Would you like me to look? I am in Pa. Tom