With the summer months closing in and the temperature starting to climb, I thought it was about time to replace the fantastic fan that came with my 2015 Scamp 13 for a rooftop a/c unit. Because of how small my Scamp is I went with a Dometic Penguin II. I did a ton of research and watched about every video I could find regarding roof top a/c unit installation. I'm a fairly handy guy and I felt pretty comfortable so I decided to give it a try. Removal of the fan was simple enough, but the first hurdle I ran into was placement of the unit. Due to the shape of the Scamp and the placement of the fan opening I was forced to flip the unit around so it wasn't dangling off the back of my Scamp. That leads me to question one.
1. What are the potential problems that can occur from turning the unit in the opposite direction?
Once I had the unit where I wanted it, I went inside and began following the instructions that came with the unit. Everything was moving along just fine until it said to connect the wires running from the fuse box to the air handler. White to white. Black to black. Green to ???. There was no ground line ran up to the fan. Which brings me to a couple of questions.
2. Since the Scamp is made of fiberglass, what options do I have for grounding the a/c unit?
When I unhooked the fan, I gave both the white and black lines a quick touch, then a full fledged touch and hold, but received no shock. I checked all fuses which are all in the on position, but still nothing.
3. Why would I not receive power to the a/c unit if the fan always worked without fail?
I'm so close to being able to sleep in a crisp, cool environment snuggled up under a blanket, but I need some help from my fellow Scampers to cross the finish line. Any help, direction, or guidance would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you
Perry
Hi Perry,
First, Fantastic Fan is a 12v appliance and the Air Conditioner requires a 120v line. If you ordered your trailer AC ready then there should be a Romex line tucked in the rat fur around the fan opening. I believe they also add the extra necessary support around the vent opening necessary to accommodate the AC unit.
Since you have a recent model, I would call Scamp Trailer and tell them what ur doing and ask them about the AC accommodations on ur trailer. They'll tell you the exact location of the wiring, etc.
Take some pics and post if possible, many are interested in this project.
Our Trailers:
2015 19 Escape
Buying or Selling Molded FG Trailers:
Fiberglass-RV-4Sale
If you are saying mount it front to back, it will not shed rain when on the road.
If you do not know the difference between 12 VDC and 120 AC get help with this project.
Harbor Freight gives away free meters, you do not need to grab wires to see if there is
power. (Who gets the Scamp when you are gone?)
You might want to re-think turning your A/C unit around.
Most A/C units have the coils in the back end of the unit. If you reverse the Unit, you will be exposing your coils to the oncoming winds and your coils will quickly fill up with bugs, sand, and road debris.
This would be in addition to the water that would be forced into the unit if it rains while you are traveling down the road. Most likely causing a leak inside your Scamp.
Do you not have a centered opening in your roof?
As Always,
Happy Scamping !!!