heater,defroster, and airconditioning

[kysteve]

Hey guys,

     I need to finish welding, up in the cockpit area and I am trying to decide what to do about the heater/defroster and airconditioning problem I am having.  I have lots of room up there to put in a completely new system since I moved up the floor for a high driver.   So, has anybody got any brand names to follow or some suggestions of maybe a website to do some research on this matter.  I tried goggling somethings but, I am not getting anywhere.   I really want to get rid of the original setup as it is ancient and I think now is the time to do it.  I would like to have something with digital controls with maybe some control to each side of the cockpit area so I dint have to freeze out Deb all the time.  Maybe some of you truck drivers can give me some incite as to what is being used in the new commercial trucks.  I just am blind as to whats is available. .....Thanks Steve .......

[Nick Badame Refrig/ACC]

Hi Steve,

Red Dot is the largest supplier of what you are looking for.

This is the start page for the heat and A/C units
http://www.rdac.com/Pages/product_pages/units_index.html#Anchor-Heater-49575

Good Luck
Nick-

[Tenor]

Check out "Vintage Air".  They make all kinds of aftermarket heaters and air conditioners for the hot rod industry.  www.vintageair.com.

[kysteve]

Nick,

     That's right on there bud.  Now can you tell me how much cooling and heating btu's I am looking for?  Have you ever laid out any systems via Red-dot.  If you are interested maybe you could help me lay out mine??? As all of us are aware most of us cant move our buses till we have them semi together, so I cant take it to a shop to have it laid out for me.  I'm sure buying their off the shelf products are cheaper than having them custom one out. What would you do in my situation as I trust your judgement in the ole air conditioning area........Thanks


Tenor,
   
     Thanks for the info there, I had forgotten about them too.



Thanks.........steve.....

[Nick Badame Refrig/ACC]

Hi Steve,

Sure, I will help you. You could send me all your specs. like, what kind of weather you will be using your bus in, how much insulation,

how cold do you like your inviroment. There is a big difference where some folks live at 74deg. and me, I have to have 68deg. to be

comfortable. So, added tonnage is needed for me...lol.  Will you be using this system for over the road air also?

Let me know
Nick-

[makemineatwostroke]

steve, take a look at the proair system     

http://www.proairllc.com   

also check out
http://www.discountvantruck.com they have all sizes 

nick can you make both links work



How's that

[kysteve]

Nick,
    I'd like to frost the windows up somewhere on the equator....lol.... I too like it about 68 degrees.  I will have 7 inches of sprayed in foam, in the ceiling at the center and 2 and a half in the ceiling at the outer walls.   2 inches in all the outside walls and 2 inches in the floor.  We will be fulltiming and not on the road a lot but want to be a comfortable 68 going down the road too.   We are planning on following the weather south looking for that steady 75 to 80 degree days but, will also be going to a lot of nascar tracks in all kinds of unknown weather and would like to be comfortable there also.  I would rather have a little to much than a little to little.  I figure we can turn the thermostat up but, I don't want to have it cycle on and off to often either.   The over the road air is gone and I don't have any plans to put it back so going down the road I will probably be dependent on the cockpit air to control the immediate area to keep us confordable.  I figure if Deb decides to nap in the bedroom well just start the generator and run the splits, if thats what you suggest there.  Oh yea I,ll need to figure that out too, the parked air that is.  Thanks .......Steve.......

[kysteve]

Thanks Two Stroke, if nothing else they got some killer furniture ill dig deeper into the site ........Steve.... 

[TomC]

I did my A/C the easy way- 3 roof tops with the front (13,500btu) close to the front offset to the right of the mid beam to better blow on the driver's seat.  The other two are in the center and in the bedroom.  The two front A/C's running will cool the bus at 72 degrees in 108 degree weather (last summer coming back from Mammoth-going through the Mojave desert).  I do have a dash mounted fan to blow the cool in my face which works great. 
Kept the original defroster, and mounted the original heating exchanger with two 14" 12v radiator fans blowing directly in the bus for heat going down the road.  Works well, and is simple with no freon lines.  Good Luck, TomC

[kysteve]

The Pro-air link sure was interesting.  Nick, anybody, what do you all think of their products???

    ...........Steve.......

[belfert]

Check out Dan Hard www.danhard.com if you want to see a lot of air conditioning/heating parts for buses.  The only thing I don't like is quite a bit of the stuff looks like it belongs in a 1970s car.

You'll need to click on the catalog link to look at their PDF catalog since the web site stinks.

[Nick Badame Refrig/ACC]

The Pro-air link sure was interesting.  Nick, anybody, what do you all think of their products???

    ...........Steve.......

Hi Steve,
See if your dash will fit that "960 powerpack" thats the one you would need to handle your windsheild and driver.

Nick-

[kysteve]

Thanks Belfert,

Nick, that Danhard link has a 4 n 1 system in it.  Have you any knowledge of those?  I may be overthinking here but would those allow for the dash air to be run off of 110 shore or gen line also?  May be nice to help cool the front of the bus when we are in key west or the like where it is extremely hot.  I wonder if those could be run like 3 systems for "splits" throughout the bus.  Dash, mid ways, and rear.  Just thinking out loud here.  On the 960 Powerpak, that looks to be right on my original unit size wise.  If the 4 n 1 doesn't work out I will pursue that road if you think that is best.  ......Thanks Steve.......

[TomC]

If you're going to do a custom A/C installation, especially if you're going to use an engine powered compressor, I would only consider Red Dot.  They make the A/C systems for most of the big rig trucks, and if you need a part, might as well buy it from the manufacturer, rather than a middle man that only sells the Red Dot systems.  Good Luck, TomC

[makemineatwostroke]

Steve, talk to Craig at Sliver Eagle Bus this is the type unit the Model 25 has FWIW 3 I believe