I recently bought a 2016 13' Scamp.without air. I've ordered a Coleman 9200 B T U air conditioner That I plan on installing myself. My Scamp has been prepped for air and has a fan installed. I need some information on where on the roof to locate the air conditioner. A representative at Scamp said that I would have to pull the headliner down to expose the reinforcement area in the roof. Does anyone have any experience in pulling the headliner and then reattaching it? Thanks
Tue, 06/11/2019 - 08:30
#1
roof air install
Good move. I wish I had a 9200 BTU unit. Mine has the 13000 BTU and it is overkill for my use. If I was camping in the desert it would be different. Good luck. Are you putting the air where the fan is located? My 16 scamp has the fan aft of the air unit. If your fan is centered just start there.
Thanks for the info. I plan on installing the air conditioner in front of the fan assembly. I hoped that someone out there has done this or knows of a You Tube video that shows procedure. Pulling the the headliner down and then reattaching it really makes me nervous, not to mention cutting a hole in the top of my Scamp.
cobsy
May be off base since I’ve never done a roof ac retrofit, but my understanding was the factory prep for roof air if not equipped was reinforced for the fan hole to be the mounting point. The 120 line is supposed to be tucked under the headliner right at the fan opening. Cutting another hole in a different location could move you outside the area of factory roof reinforcement for the AC.
The headliner is simply glued and using a good 3M product to re-glue it after some exploration shouldn’t be difficult. I think Scamp Trailers needs to answer the question of where the AC goes when it’s prewired and can it be placed in a different location than what is intended.
Our Trailers:
2015 19 Escape
Buying or Selling Molded FG Trailers:
Fiberglass-RV-4Sale
We picked up our 2019 in May and the gentleman delivering the orientation said we could call and get the dimension from the vent to the place where the AC hole would have to be cut and beyond the headliner ( Rat Fur ) needing to be pulled out of the way it was already wired and the circuit breaker was in the panel already. Sounded easy????
Hope a phone call to service is all you need.
2019 Scamp 13 standard
Scamp FAQ A/C?
A. All 5th wheel Scamps can use roof air conditioners. Older 5th wheels may require the oak reinforcement supports (can be purchased from the Scamp parts department). On most 16 foot Scamps from the year 2000 the roof has been supported for the roof air. On 16 foot Scamps prior to this year most didn't have the roof air support. To check for support find the 120 volt wire tucked behind the fabric strip. This wire will be on the same side of the trailer as the 120 panel with the circuit breakers. Any trailers with the wire and support in the roof can have the roof air added. Thirteen foot Scamp trailers don't have the roof air support unless there is already a roof air installed or if the original buyer requested that the trailer be built that way. Also most trailers with a power vent in the roof air spot won't have supported roofs. Most 16 and 13 foot trailers prior to 2000 used a side air conditioner in the lower part of the closet by the door. This air conditioner is no longer available.
You can usually feel the added fiberglass support panel for the A/C under the Rat Fur and ensolite. You can pull back the 2" Rat Fur trim strips to check for the support. The best way to reattach the 2" trim is to use a hot glue gun.
Eddie
Did you get around to doing the install? I did one a few weeks ago on a 13 and can offer some tips if needed. I had to cut the seam in the rat fur on the non-curb side seam in the ceiling. The wire was behind the foil backed foam insulation. I cut the hole 14x14 with a jig saw. Put an old sheet inside to catch the debris. The hardest part was getting the A/C up on the roof. I had a friend help and an 8' A-frame ladder. Once installed, it's 4 bolts, the 3 wires, and I needed longer screws for the interior panel because the ceiling isn't flat.
I had to add a circuit breaker to the panel as it didn't have one and the power wire was sitting there with a wire nut capping it off. The breaker was $5 at Lowe's.
Your install looks great,We are going to consider adding the AC next year but are unsure. As Stated before our 2019 was built with the support and wiring from the factory so good there. I question which unit is best. The tiny space of a 13 needs so little AC I have only seen units down to 7,500 BTU and then the only one I saw working was noisy and over kill on a old Boler trailer. What did you install and how noisy did it turn out to be. We opted for a 2,500 btu external unit ducted thru the rear sliding window and sits on a home made platform I slip into the bike rack receiver. Appears a little odd with 4 inch tubes to the back window. At 2500 btu it can not possibly keep up with direct sun all day and 95 deg but once the sun goes down or in the shade of trees it can get down to 75 deg by bed time
2019 Scamp 13 standard
That unit is a 13,500btu Coleman Mach 3 plus. Quiet, reliable, and cheap. The unit itself is $565, plus another $100 for the interior piece. A low profile Mach 8 plus is 5" shorter and looks nicer, but has dual fans, is louder and costs about $250 more. 13,500 is a lot, but the owner is in southern Florida and needs all the A/C she can get! I think a 9,200btu would be fine though for most folks. If it's too much, crack a window or roof vent open.