Fuel for Thought
Summer Retrofit Update
Freight being slow, I’ve taken some time off to work on the van. Last week was the transmission job. This week auxiliary air conditioning and insulation. Cool wet weather is making it hard to touch up the rust spots.
Since 2007, I’ve survived the summers with a minimal layer of Reflectix bubble wrap insulation on the walls and ceiling, and a fan in the roof. 2013 is going to be the year of the air conditioner. The idea is that I will be able to spend less energy avoiding summer misery which will allow more energy towards finding the freight. Today I finished the insulation upgrade. I left the back half of the van the way is was and brought the front half up to one and half inches of insulation. The single layer of Reflectix got a second helping of one inch foam board and an additional layer of Reflectix, so the inside walls are still sparkly. I only needed two cans of Great Stuff foam to seal the foam board edges. At the back of the side door, I hung a one inch thick partition made of thin foam board/Reflectix that folds to the ceiling when required. Picture a folding screen partition that folds up. The partion cuts in half tha area that the air conditioner has to cool.
The Engel refrigerator used to be behind the passenger seat. It is now behind the driver seat, and the air conditioner took the refrigerator’s previous position by the side door. I’m trying to watch my weight, so I opted to design everything around a cheap, high efficiency, 5000 Btu, window air conditioner. The AC is bolted to the floor and covered with a foam board box that directs the condenser intake and exhaust into the body of the side door. The cavity of the side door is divided, so that outside air comes in through vent holes cut into the leading edge of the door behind the exterior panel and enters the foam box intake. Condenser exhaust has a rearward path through the body of the door to holes cut into the rear part of the door like the intake holes. It does work. Whether it can handle Laredo is another thing. The AC is mounted, but I have more electrical work to do on it tomorrow.
Photos to follow.
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