Over the road A/C

[DrivingMissLazy]

You might check the Help board. Seems like I recall putting a couple of them up there. LOL
Richard

Hey Thom,

Da ya knw whre eye caan fid a goud spl cker?

Nik-

[faster_freddie]

We insulated our 1987 MCI 102A3 with the new material from radient tech and our bus keeps very cool in relation to he heat outside.  In fact in 100+ degree heat here in Nevada we can be in the bus with just the windows open and it's nice.  Even though this is the best insulation I've ever seen (we've had 6 bus conversions), we're still keeping the OTR air and heat systems in place. We always seem to travel in the extreme heat or when it's very cold out and we've never been cool enough going down the road with roof ac's even with good insulation.  And when it's cold outside well, I'm sure you already know, BUS HEAT is needed!

From what I can figure the best way to route the factory ac is to run a box down both sides of the interior walls at the floor (from the two factory ac vents) and instaling vents every few feet?  I would be interested in input of different ideas for cooling and heating going down the road using the factory system, that anybody may have.  We also kept the driver ac defrosters, etc.?

If anybody would like to e-me off the board to discuss this: fn1@mac.com

Fred

[tucsontattoo]

Hey! or is that hay, anyway, why isn't Frank Allen in here. If Boss Hoss and I keep striking out on finding a couple salvaged transit air systems I will install a system like his (Frank Allen) to get me by until I find something better. I will not make that drive from Tucson to the beach again without some type of engine driven A/C system and I know I can scratch up enough automotive stuff to put it together. 
     Would like to talk with him again and have lost his e-mail . Anyone have it? With that system and running my roof tops I'm sure we will be cool enough. anyone wanta tell me how much fuel that will take
                                   Nice to be back..............Gotta run Tucson

[Bosshosssport96]

Greg..........his E-mail address is kingfa39@aol.com...................Frank

[kingfa39]

go to this web site http://users.myexcel.com/roncarter/splitSystem tells the general quetions you may have. mine works great
Frank Allen
4106

[Christyhicks]

Unfortunately, due to the million degree days we've been having here on Oklahoma  , I missed most of this conversation  , but I have to chime in and agree with Nick. We, too, are hvac people and we also re keeping the bus air.  Sure, the rooftops work OK in normal conditions, but the problems I've seen so far are, that occasionally, a generator quits, and also, when you're running down the road in 100 degree temps, heading west in the afternoon, even the best insulated coach lets hot air in the picture window of a windshield!  I once suggested that we pull the window blind around and let my husband's head just stick through it, so he could still see out the windshield as he drove, but he nixed that idea!   

I think for us, it's also a definition of  "being cool and comfortable".  Everyone has their own definition of cool, but for my hubby, cool is 70 degrees, no warmer.  Some people are more comfortable in 80 degrees, and some feel fine even at 85.  If it's 85 outside, and your coach is insulated so well you can open your winds and feel fine, well, for us that would mean that the breeze blowing through was cooling us by evaporating our SWEAT off our skin!   Sure, maybe that's because we've spent so much time in the heat, that when we relax, we want to be comfortable.

I also like the idea of being able to choose the air conditioning system I want to use at that time, based on what will work the best and fit our needs.  I also like having the backup, and I can assure you, if for any reason the 120v systems quit at night  , yep, our bus will be at the local Flying J where we can idle and cool to our hearts content!     You do NOT want to live with Larry if he has to sleep when it's hot! 

Anyway, I agree that each should do as they wish, but in my opinion (for what it's worth, which isn't much), the cost difference between running a generator and running the bus air, in diesel used, or the wear and tear on the bus engine as compared to the generator engine, well, it just seems like that would be splitting hairs.  The cost of building and maintaining these busses far outweighs what extra I may spend on diesel running the bus air as we travel on down the road. . . it all goes back to how much you want to spend to be comfortable.  Shoot, if we were concerned so much about mileage and fuel usage, we'd haul our tent on the back of a motorcycle!

Also, each person has their own idea of what is worth spending money.  Some would suggest that solar panels, controllers, special batteries, etc., are the way to go and that the investment pays for itself, others say that for the money and energy spent designing, installing and maintaining solar systems, you are ahead of the game by just running your generator.  I think it's more about what you like doing, what interests you, where your knowledge lies, and what you consider to be more important that dictates the decisions concerning which components you keep or dump, which ones you buy, which ones you admire but pass on. 

That's what's so great about these forums, as there are so many differing opinions that somewhere along, as you read all of the posts, you come to a conviction of what will work best for you.  If that hasn't happened, well, keep reading, it will!
 

[tucsontattoo]

Thanks for the help Frank. Gonna get started gathering parts. For any of you who haven't seen Franks road A/C in his 4106 It's well Worth checking out!!! Defiantly an alternative to running inadequate generator driven rooftops for those of us who don't have bus air. As for the big generator driven basement stuff well, I could tell you I don't want to give up the bay space or would have to remodel and move to much stuff around. Truth is if I had the money I'd have the big stuff and in a brand new prevost please. But I'm more of a beer on the beach guy than a cocktails on the island at mission bay guy. Besides, my kids would have that new prevost craped out in no time
                           My two cents worth.................Tucson

[kingfa39]

Tuscon, the reason i didnt jump in here is because there are many who dont beleive in the way i did this job, i wanted to run two evaporators off a single compresser, they said it wouldnt work , also they said the units were too small to do the job, the roof airs are 13500 btu each, my dash units are 22500 btu each, DUH i meant a lot of oposition from different people on the boards, so what i did is just enjoy my 72 degree bus with no gen set running and quit talking about it. If someone asks about it i tell em what i did and how it works, outside of that i stay silent. I respeck others opinions on things but sometimes they just dont make a whole lot of sence. Thats the way i feel about the a/c for the bus. the original system had about ten tons , but it was designed for 35 pepole, they all have body heat and the tonage is needed, it is not needed when we only have a few in the bus. anyway mine was gone long before i got it
Frank Allen
4106

[travelingfools]

Any chance someone could post a pic of their road ac. I was just curious how much room it actualy takes up. As we are still looking for a bus, and while reading this, Im inclined to want to keep the road ac (until Im convinced otherwise) and am thinking that it would be worth it to have it overhauled right off the bat and hopefully get many years of service from it.

[Barn Owl]

Strap one of these to you bus, you could get penguins as pets.

[TomC]

Actually, there is not to much difference between the reefer unit and the over the road A/C except the big engine is turning the compressor compared to the reefers engine.  You could use many of the components to make your own A/C which would be very powerful, since the reefer units are rated to cool a 53x 102 x 110high trailer down to sub freezing-on ice cream trailers down to -20! Then you wouldn't need a refrigerator, just big meat hooks inside the bus.  Good Luck, TomC

[Busted Knuckle]

Strap one of these to you bus, you could get penguins as pets.

Barn Owl,

You bring back many memories with that picture of an old thermoking! Those were the best reefer units they ever made ! They worked like a charm, hardly ever had a problem with them, very low maitance units, but then the manufactures had to go and monkey with success and quit producing those and start building mega componet "smart unit's that create head ache after head ache ! Boy am I sure glad I got ot of trucking !

TomC you are very correct my friend ! Not all A/C - Refridgeration repair men know what it takes to make bus air work properly, but if you find one that knows about working on these babies he usually can make a bus cool cold ! BK 

[Dallas]

Strap one of these to you bus, you could get penguins as pets.

Barn Owl,

You bring back many memories with that picture of an old thermoking! Those were the best reefer units they ever made ! They worked like a charm, hardly ever had a problem with them, very low maitance units, but then the manufactures had to go and monkey with success and quit producing those and start building mega componet "smart unit's that create head ache after head ache ! Boy am I sure glad I got ot of trucking !

TomC you are very correct my friend ! Not all A/C - Refridgeration repair men know what it takes to make bus air work properly, but if you find one that knows about working on these babies he usually can make a bus cool cold ! BK 

I can't tell from the picture, since I don't see that well anymore, but I do remember some of those nasty old Mercedes engines that always kept you hopping!

Mooo things would run all day and all night, then get a hair up they're collective Moooos and quit about 15 minutes after you went to sleep..... always when you were hauling ice cream or the all important strawberries that had "ryans" tossed on top of the load.

To get around the ryan, we'ed toss them a few times as hard as we could and blow some ice blocks on the load. Usually about 5 blocks of ice would keep the load cool for a short time.

When you got it to the repair place, the Mooo thing would start with no problem and run like a dream until you tried to go back to sleep again.

Just some thoughts from an OLD truck driver

[Hi yo silver]

...and I said to myself, "Self, they're talking about over the road a/c.  Now's your chance!"
Dallas, it will interest you to know, I decided against the bus  we "up north" we discussed, based primarily on yours and others' valuable input regarding what is involved in retrofitting several basic conversion components after the interior has already been finished.  I know it can be done, but after all was said and done, it just wasn't the bus for us.  The important thing to recognise is that if we all just agreed with the other guys opinion rather than presenting the other viewpoint, this board wouldn't be of much use, other than entertainment.  So, thanks again everybody!

Now, on the the next MCI of interest; One of the few things I don't like about it is that it has the original bus a/c.  Haven't spoken directly with the seller yet to know whether it works, but was told it's still R-12.  Anybody got a ballpark idea of the cost to convert to newer refrigerant?  It's an MC9.

Dennis
Hi Yo Silver!     

[kyle4501]

I haven't used it yet, but there is a drop in replacement for R-12 called 'FREEZE-12'. U wouldn't need to change anything if U used it.

Just a thought,
kyle4501