Finally got it up and running. The only delays we had was because we realized we needed some extra parts (I’ll list that below) ua-cam.com/users/postUgkxihMYiJNXcHdbH-7ihymsLz61l7jVyb5O . So we have a loft where our current hvac just couldn’t seem to keep cool during the summer. We have been using a window unit since we bought this house over 6 years ago (all the houses in this neighborhood were built in the 80’s and majority of the houses built like ours use a window unit). I hate window units because they are just so noisy and the one we had really only cools one side of the loft. I had contemplated upgrading our current HVAC, but with all the rising prices these days, it would take years before saving up enough to do that. With the advice of my father-in-law (used to run an HVAC business), he recommended we get an inverter instead. We thought we bought everything we needed, but there were just a few other parts we didn’t anticipate needing (which is what caused most of our delay). My friend and father-in-law did all the work to get it installed and running and now we have nice cool air circulating nicely throughout the entire loft. It is very quiet and even the outside unit is much quieter than our main HVAC unit. Saved ourselves thousands getting this.
I appreciate your honesty. Sometimes some jobs just suck, but you do them anyway. It's not all just fun and travel, there's some really hard , dirty work getting there. But once again, you nailed it!! Strong work Justin.
Nice installation, it's a great unit. I installed one on my 2021 E350 cutaway van. I love the comfort of the AC/heat pump and how quite it is. It's so efficient I can run it off my solar panels and batteries and occasionally off the dc to dc charger. Definitely a thumbs up for the video 👍
Beautiful thumbnail an Nova is so sweet bringing your food bus is looking absolutely amazing you have all done an incredible job thanku so much love and God bless always x
Nice build. Vacuum pump does not pull the refrigerant though. It evacuates the evaporator and piping side of atmosphere. Refrigerant is precharged in condenser unit and released into the system when valves are opened after evacuation is complete. I don't know if you fitted rubber mounts to the condenser before you bolted it to the brackets, but it would reduce vibration.
Thanks for clarifying that! What do you think about the fact that the unit is bolted to the brackets, bolted to the frame, and attached to the air suspension of the bus? Air suspension acts to reduce vibrations whereas rubber mounts might make the setup less solid and may actually contribute to vibrations while driving. would love to hear your thoughts about it. Thanks!
@@MobileDwellings I suggest putting 4 rubber mounts between the condenser feet and the brackets it sits on. This will take away any vibration transferred from the condenser to the bus frame while the aircon is running. Back in the day I used a Ford engine mount which was basically a hard rubber disc about 2" in diameter and 1" thick with a 3/8 " threaded stud on either end. Sorry I grew up metric so the measurements may be off slightly. You may find something similar at an auto spares outlet. The idea is to just isolate the condenser from the frame. There is no movement on that rubber as it's designed to hold a much heavier engine. I don't know of course if your unit is transferring vibration at this stage, but it's an option I've always used in my experience when clients have complained about the condenser being noisy.
This is a great idea for a split unit, I will probably do this on my Skoolie. Quick question, not only is rubber mounts wise here, but what about a metal shield on the bottom to prevent potential rocks and gravel being kicked up as you are driving down the road?
Metal shield would be nice. But bottom of the unit is a metal shield. I'm not too worried about it and it's far away from front wheels with mud flaps. Always fun to overbuild and over protect but I try and cut corners where I can personally for the sake of finishing the project. Sometimes it works out and occasionally it doesn't. I don't know if I agree with the rubber mounts though. I personally want this unit rock solid to its brackets and the frame. I think rubber mounts would increase vibrations and wear and tear whereas the whole unit bouncing around gets dampened by the air suspension of the bus. Essentially the air suspension is the rubber mounts in my mind. Would love to hear it if you disagree and why. Thanks!
Don’t ya just hate it when you make something for yourself and then when you do it again for someone else it turns out even better! 🤪🤣😂. Happens to ALL creators.
There's a saying that a builder builds their first home for their enemy, their second for a friend, and their third for themselves! So maybe I'll get to enjoy the best one afterall.
Mounted mine under the bus. Used a jack to do it myself. It was still a pain. Also, my circuit board fried. It's on top of the unit, pushed against the undercarriage. I can't fix it without taking the condenser unit down again! That's the one bummer about putting it under the bus.
Hey love your bus projects I would love to do this before retirement but still 23 years young got a long way. I’m an HVAC installer you may have some issues with suffocation of the condenser, it could be difficult to run in cooling on a really hot day depending on how hot that spot of the truck gets. It doesn’t have much space for heat displacement but please if you see this and have no issues let me know! I’d do this if it works!!!
Thanks for brining this up. I didn't film it but I did drill a bunch of holes in the side wall of the bus where the fan blows it's air. I didn't love that solution so I didn't share it. I do imagine on some super hot days it will suffocate the unit. I'm wondering what the long term negative effects to this are. however? Do you thing the unit will die sooner? We are still considering ways to vent it but as it's winter and this bus is headed to the pacific NW for the summer we're just not too concerned atm.
@@MobileDwellings I’m not a complete expert on it but in theory it may cause the fan motor and compressor to work harder but mini splits are so damn awesome and efficient it may not have too much of an issue. If you see it short cycling often then maybe need to vent it more or it can take a lil longer to cool the air. Time will tell tho. Love your videos and maybe in 10-15 I’ll have a video to post and I’ll hit you up for some pointers!
@@DiggidyD I was concerned about the location of the condenser as well, but my concern was more about keeping the unit clean enough for it to operate efficiently. I don’t have any experience with this type of unit. As far as air circulation is concerned, an additional fan on the skin/skirt of the bus might be helpful. There are plenty of electric radiator fans on the market to choose from and they typically operate on 12 or 24 volts. I’m in the initial process’s of building a tiny house on a trailer frame that will include a mini-split system. I’m planning on mounting the condenser on the trailer tongue. I’m also debating on whether to get more solar and go all electric. My house will be 24’x8.5’.
@@marcothehammer also look into propane electrical systems. It’s not as expensive to maintain but it may be pricy to set up. My family owns a ranch and the house runs off a propane system that they only fill up every 2-3 years for less than 3k.
Awesome video. Thanks! Im wondering what kind of performance could I expect from this unit? What should I expect the inside temp to be if its 90-100 outside.
This is so smart!! I dislike the look of the condenser, but didn’t want to spend the thousands of dollars on an rv unit that’ll add a lot of height to my bus, glad to see that it can be mounted under the bus like that!! Have you had any problems since?
Dude I've been looking at Pioneer for awhile and have been planning on buying two units The model in your link is 1078 bucks inverter compressor 16ft line set I found the same unit from a different distributor on Amazon for a little over 800 the both have the same features maybe I should call Parker Davis and ask what the difference is. Just thought your timing was perfect thanks for the install I've been watching you since you started your channel and watched you on your install on your bus your bus your working on is really coming alone nicely. Well done.
Hey Brian! I suspect that unit has a lower SEER, probably 19 SEER, less efficient. How much less efficient I'm not sure. I do think I can find a little bit better pricing on this unit though and tomorrow I'll have the direct link from Parker Davis.
@@MobileDwellings it looks to be the same unit under the specs but their is a different model number meaning something is different the seers are the same the compressor is an inverter model the line set is the same I don't know other than a couple hundred bucks and I'm buying two units that's a big savings right. Any input is helpful I tried to post the link you tube won't let it post so here is the model# I have. Name WYT012ALFI19RL you'll have to search for it on Amazon
How did you decide what size mini split to get? Ijust have a micro 4 window so I'm thinking the smallest unit would suffice for me? And how tall is the condenser under the bus? Thanks!
do you install split ac's in skoolies for profit, id be so down to pay for your service im bringing two cats on my build and itd be the best thing to have someone informed add it in
Are you worried about salt on the roads? If there's space under the bus I'm probably putting it under the bus no matter what but mostly for aesthetic reasons. There's nothing wrong with it hanging off the back.
I'm looking at doing something like this for my bus project but I'm concerned on how much power it draws. Do you have any details real world power draws? I have 600 ah battery's with 800 watts of solar, I don't know if it will be to taxing on my current system. Great looking bus by the way!
It generally draws about 600 watts. So while you have plenty of battery power your ability to use the mini split is a bit limited by your solar panels. If you can fit more up there I would. 1600 watts is where I'd start to think you can use a mini split consistently and that's without intense electric cooking or water heating. For comparison I have a similar battery bank to yours but I have 2,430 watts and this bus we just built has 3,200 watts.
As a previous diesel mechanic l would strongly recommend that you don't encourage people to drill into the frame. Usually its mounted above and below by grade 8 hardened bolts using the sandwich process.
Btw... Justin its nice to see you doing what your doing. We should email again sometime. I miss our conversations. I finally pulled the trigger on a 2015 bus lol. I know.
@@MobileDwellings it affects the integrity of the frame beams. The ones you see are actually done at factory they are done at high temperatures so when it is cooled they dont compromise the strengh of the beam.
Haha hey Shirley. I appreciate your concern. Sam and Katy both work full time from home. While working on the bus I tried to avoid pulling them away from their jobs whenever possible but I did ask for help many many many times. Also I like to show viewers who may be doing this mostly alone as well that you can usually do things by yourself. If I complain on camera it's to relate to my fellow builders. It's hard work building a Skoolie and while I turn a couple days work into a 10 minute video and speed things up 20x it can be misleading. I always want people to know that it's hard for me too. Thanks for looking out for me!
i don't think i would trust those hangers holding the outdoor unit without some kind of gussets or preferably more suspension on the front hanging from the top. kinda like a semi's fuel tank. it's in a place you wont check that often for cracks.
Finally got it up and running. The only delays we had was because we realized we needed some extra parts (I’ll list that below) ua-cam.com/users/postUgkxihMYiJNXcHdbH-7ihymsLz61l7jVyb5O . So we have a loft where our current hvac just couldn’t seem to keep cool during the summer. We have been using a window unit since we bought this house over 6 years ago (all the houses in this neighborhood were built in the 80’s and majority of the houses built like ours use a window unit). I hate window units because they are just so noisy and the one we had really only cools one side of the loft. I had contemplated upgrading our current HVAC, but with all the rising prices these days, it would take years before saving up enough to do that. With the advice of my father-in-law (used to run an HVAC business), he recommended we get an inverter instead. We thought we bought everything we needed, but there were just a few other parts we didn’t anticipate needing (which is what caused most of our delay). My friend and father-in-law did all the work to get it installed and running and now we have nice cool air circulating nicely throughout the entire loft. It is very quiet and even the outside unit is much quieter than our main HVAC unit. Saved ourselves thousands getting this.
I appreciate your honesty. Sometimes some jobs just suck, but you do them anyway. It's not all just fun and travel, there's some really hard , dirty work getting there. But once again, you nailed it!! Strong work Justin.
Thanks Jeff! Okay but back to fun and travel now haha.
That install looks really tidy. And I love the arched doorways in this build!
BEST THUMBNAIL PIC ON UA-cam!!! 😊 cutie pie!
Nice installation, it's a great unit.
I installed one on my 2021 E350 cutaway van. I love the comfort of the AC/heat pump and how quite it is. It's so efficient I can run it off my solar panels and batteries and occasionally off the dc to dc charger.
Definitely a thumbs up for the video 👍
Absolutely. Glad you're getting some good use out of your split unit too! it's so efficient and you can really do a lot with it.
Love the vids guy, From a builders perspective I would be putting a couple of angle braces on the brackets as additional support for the unit
Beautiful thumbnail an Nova is so sweet bringing your food bus is looking absolutely amazing you have all done an incredible job thanku so much love and God bless always x
Thank you Wendy!!!
@@MobileDwellings my pleasure always x
Still so cool to see this process. Great video, bro! And loved the interaction between you and the wife! Lol.
Haha thanks Nate!
Can't wait to see the end
Nice build. Vacuum pump does not pull the refrigerant though. It evacuates the evaporator and piping side of atmosphere. Refrigerant is precharged in condenser unit and released into the system when valves are opened after evacuation is complete. I don't know if you fitted rubber mounts to the condenser before you bolted it to the brackets, but it would reduce vibration.
Thanks for clarifying that! What do you think about the fact that the unit is bolted to the brackets, bolted to the frame, and attached to the air suspension of the bus? Air suspension acts to reduce vibrations whereas rubber mounts might make the setup less solid and may actually contribute to vibrations while driving. would love to hear your thoughts about it. Thanks!
@@MobileDwellings I suggest putting 4 rubber mounts between the condenser feet and the brackets it sits on. This will take away any vibration transferred from the condenser to the bus frame while the aircon is running. Back in the day I used a Ford engine mount which was basically a hard rubber disc about 2" in diameter and 1" thick with a 3/8 " threaded stud on either end. Sorry I grew up metric so the measurements may be off slightly. You may find something similar at an auto spares outlet. The idea is to just isolate the condenser from the frame. There is no movement on that rubber as it's designed to hold a much heavier engine. I don't know of course if your unit is transferring vibration at this stage, but it's an option I've always used in my experience when clients have complained about the condenser being noisy.
Am loving this conversion
Thanks Daniel!
What about the required 80 inch of clearance for the front?
loved the video ✌️
This is a great idea for a split unit, I will probably do this on my Skoolie. Quick question, not only is rubber mounts wise here, but what about a metal shield on the bottom to prevent potential rocks and gravel being kicked up as you are driving down the road?
Metal shield would be nice. But bottom of the unit is a metal shield. I'm not too worried about it and it's far away from front wheels with mud flaps. Always fun to overbuild and over protect but I try and cut corners where I can personally for the sake of finishing the project. Sometimes it works out and occasionally it doesn't. I don't know if I agree with the rubber mounts though. I personally want this unit rock solid to its brackets and the frame. I think rubber mounts would increase vibrations and wear and tear whereas the whole unit bouncing around gets dampened by the air suspension of the bus. Essentially the air suspension is the rubber mounts in my mind. Would love to hear it if you disagree and why. Thanks!
Don’t ya just hate it when you make something for yourself and then when you do it again for someone else it turns out even better! 🤪🤣😂. Happens to ALL creators.
There's a saying that a builder builds their first home for their enemy, their second for a friend, and their third for themselves! So maybe I'll get to enjoy the best one afterall.
@@MobileDwellings that’s pretty good! 😁
Nice and thanks
Just an Idea. Parts stores rent tools for automotive use and I believe the AC tools are compatible. The necessary Skills are still up to you.
Mounted mine under the bus. Used a jack to do it myself. It was still a pain. Also, my circuit board fried. It's on top of the unit, pushed against the undercarriage. I can't fix it without taking the condenser unit down again! That's the one bummer about putting it under the bus.
Yeah for sure. There are pros and cons.
Hey love your bus projects I would love to do this before retirement but still 23 years young got a long way. I’m an HVAC installer you may have some issues with suffocation of the condenser, it could be difficult to run in cooling on a really hot day depending on how hot that spot of the truck gets. It doesn’t have much space for heat displacement but please if you see this and have no issues let me know! I’d do this if it works!!!
Thanks for brining this up. I didn't film it but I did drill a bunch of holes in the side wall of the bus where the fan blows it's air. I didn't love that solution so I didn't share it. I do imagine on some super hot days it will suffocate the unit. I'm wondering what the long term negative effects to this are. however? Do you thing the unit will die sooner? We are still considering ways to vent it but as it's winter and this bus is headed to the pacific NW for the summer we're just not too concerned atm.
@@MobileDwellings I’m not a complete expert on it but in theory it may cause the fan motor and compressor to work harder but mini splits are so damn awesome and efficient it may not have too much of an issue. If you see it short cycling often then maybe need to vent it more or it can take a lil longer to cool the air. Time will tell tho. Love your videos and maybe in 10-15 I’ll have a video to post and I’ll hit you up for some pointers!
@@DiggidyD I was concerned about the location of the condenser as well, but my concern was more about keeping the unit clean enough for it to operate efficiently. I don’t have any experience with this type of unit.
As far as air circulation is concerned, an additional fan on the skin/skirt of the bus might be helpful. There are plenty of electric radiator fans on the market to choose from and they typically operate on 12 or 24 volts.
I’m in the initial process’s of building a tiny house on a trailer frame that will include a mini-split system. I’m planning on mounting the condenser on the trailer tongue.
I’m also debating on whether to get more solar and go all electric. My house will be 24’x8.5’.
@@marcothehammer also look into propane electrical systems. It’s not as expensive to maintain but it may be pricy to set up. My family owns a ranch and the house runs off a propane system that they only fill up every 2-3 years for less than 3k.
How well does this cool the entire bus? I installed a similar unit in my skoolie and it really struggles to keep the bus cool.
I got the Mr cool mini split because of the DIY factor. The line are already pre charged
Oh that's great so you just connect it and turn it on?
Awesome video. Thanks! Im wondering what kind of performance could I expect from this unit? What should I expect the inside temp to be if its 90-100 outside.
This is so smart!! I dislike the look of the condenser, but didn’t want to spend the thousands of dollars on an rv unit that’ll add a lot of height to my bus, glad to see that it can be mounted under the bus like that!! Have you had any problems since?
Nope it's been totally fine under there so far.
Dude I've been looking at Pioneer for awhile and have been planning on buying two units
The model in your link is 1078 bucks inverter compressor 16ft line set I found the same unit from a different distributor on Amazon for a little over 800 the both have the same features maybe I should call Parker Davis and ask what the difference is.
Just thought your timing was perfect thanks for the install I've been watching you since you started your channel and watched you on your install on your bus your bus your working on is really coming alone nicely.
Well done.
Hey Brian! I suspect that unit has a lower SEER, probably 19 SEER, less efficient. How much less efficient I'm not sure. I do think I can find a little bit better pricing on this unit though and tomorrow I'll have the direct link from Parker Davis.
If it's the exact same unit though please send me a link! $800 would be a great price!
@@MobileDwellings it looks to be the same unit under the specs but their is a different model number meaning something is different the seers are the same the compressor is an inverter model the line set is the same I don't know other than a couple hundred bucks and I'm buying two units that's a big savings right.
Any input is helpful I tried to post the link you tube won't let it post so here is the model#
I have. Name
WYT012ALFI19RL you'll have to search for it on Amazon
link to mounting brackets is wrong
How did you decide what size mini split to get? Ijust have a micro 4 window so I'm thinking the smallest unit would suffice for me? And how tall is the condenser under the bus? Thanks!
Yeah 9k btu should be fine for you. Mini split condenser is like 18 inches tall. Doesn't effect the ground clearance in this bus.
👍👍
How long was this lineset?
Doesn't the condenser get dirty and clogged being underneath?
There's currently a good deal on this Pioneer Diamante Series 9,000 BTU 19 SEER 230V at Home Depot. Would a 230v work in a skoolie?
It would not be cost effective. You'd have to buy another inverter. I'd stick to 120V unless you really want a mini split with two head units/zones.
do you install split ac's in skoolies for profit, id be so down to pay for your service im bringing two cats on my build and itd be the best thing to have someone informed add it in
What about if you plan on taking a skoolie into all four seasons, would you still recommend installing it under the bus?
Are you worried about salt on the roads? If there's space under the bus I'm probably putting it under the bus no matter what but mostly for aesthetic reasons. There's nothing wrong with it hanging off the back.
@@MobileDwellings yes! Worried about salt. Realistically, we’ll probably only be spending about 1 month driving in winter conditions
I'm looking at doing something like this for my bus project but I'm concerned on how much power it draws. Do you have any details real world power draws? I have 600 ah battery's with 800 watts of solar, I don't know if it will be to taxing on my current system. Great looking bus by the way!
It generally draws about 600 watts. So while you have plenty of battery power your ability to use the mini split is a bit limited by your solar panels. If you can fit more up there I would. 1600 watts is where I'd start to think you can use a mini split consistently and that's without intense electric cooking or water heating. For comparison I have a similar battery bank to yours but I have 2,430 watts and this bus we just built has 3,200 watts.
What is the size of outdoor unit. Measurement
approximately from my memory 22.5 inches wide and 18 inches tall but check my link in the description for exact measurements
Where can I follow this particular bus? I wanted to ask about the arched doorways and if they did pocket doors (and how they did them).
We made a video about each element of the build. Check out the pocket doors here! ua-cam.com/video/fduCKkv0vl8/v-deo.html
Now that you've mastered the mini-split installation, any plans to relocate the one on the Gilligan Phantom???
Would be nice, but nah I'm chilling.
Hey, thanks for the cool video, can you fix the link for the mounting brackets? Thanks!
Thanks for pointing that out. Fixed!
hello sir, I desperately need your help to finish my work, thank you!-lax
As a previous diesel mechanic l would strongly recommend that you don't encourage people to drill into the frame. Usually its mounted above and below by grade 8 hardened bolts using the sandwich process.
Btw... Justin its nice to see you doing what your doing. We should email again sometime. I miss our conversations. I finally pulled the trigger on a 2015 bus lol. I know.
Good to know. Can you tell me why it's an issue to you to drill through the frame? Plenty of bolts through the frame in general.
Congrats on finally buying a bus. Now the fun begins!
@@MobileDwellings it affects the integrity of the frame beams. The ones you see are actually done at factory they are done at high temperatures so when it is cooled they dont compromise the strengh of the beam.
You said it was a two man job, why is he just chilling on the couch?? Saw you struggling with the storage boxes.
Haha hey Shirley. I appreciate your concern. Sam and Katy both work full time from home. While working on the bus I tried to avoid pulling them away from their jobs whenever possible but I did ask for help many many many times. Also I like to show viewers who may be doing this mostly alone as well that you can usually do things by yourself. If I complain on camera it's to relate to my fellow builders. It's hard work building a Skoolie and while I turn a couple days work into a 10 minute video and speed things up 20x it can be misleading. I always want people to know that it's hard for me too. Thanks for looking out for me!
i don't think i would trust those hangers holding the outdoor unit without some kind of gussets or preferably more suspension on the front hanging from the top. kinda like a semi's fuel tank. it's in a place you wont check that often for cracks.
تصوير مره ضعيف ياريت تركز اكثر عشان ماندو من قل التصوير يبغاله حتراف وشكرا / هدى من الرياض
carnivore diet is the best!