This post is getting categorized as a repair, but it isn´t really. We camp at non-electric sites, generally in shade, and have never used the air conditioner. This was extra weight we didn´t need, so rather than vibrate it to death on our travels, we decided to remove and donate it.
We had a local, independent, RV repair shop put a metal panel where the a/c once was. The shop did a great job with the panel; it´s strong, secure, and completely weatherproof.
This was not an elegant solution, but it was an affordable one. The fix would have looked much more integrated if the opening had been disguised by a hatch cover, but the cost would have been a lot higher, so this is what we went with.
Photo of an Aliner camper at a campsite in the woods.
However, the result was industrial enough that it cried out for some kind of disguise. Since one of us is an inveterate patch collectors, we went with a ripstop panel with our camping-related travel patches sewn on.
Photo of a rectangular banner made of red ripstop nylon.
A dozen-and-a-half or so embroidered multi-colored
patches are sewn onto the banner, illustrating a variety
of destinations.
I attached wide outdoor hook-and-loop strips — the ´hard´ side — at the top and bottom of the metal panel using a outdoor adhesive, and attached the fuzzy side to the ripstop. We store the ripstop panel inside when we´re not camping.
The hook-and-loop seems to be wearing well, and it´s a lot more fun to look at our travel souvenirs than at the black panel!
Photo looking down onto an Aliner counter showing a deep
ripstop pocket set into an opening previously used for
an air-conditioner. A colorful box of tissues is set into
the pocket, and a red clip shows at the bottom a compartment
to the left of the tissue box.
Removing the air-conditioner leaves a big gap in the counter where the controls once were. I worked up a quick-and-dirty pocket of black ripstop to fill the gap; there´s a PVC pipe frame all around the top edge which holds it in place. We can´t live without tissues — it´s Allergy City around here — so this turned out to be a handy way to store the box without it sliding all over the place, and it gives us a couple of small compartments for other things as well.
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Nice! We did the same thing, removed the AC and covered the hole with a piece of stainless steel sheet. I glued some insulating foam to the back of the SS sheet, so I think it’s roughly the same R value as the rest of the trailer.
We really had no choice, our driveway is so narrow we couldn’t bring the garbage cans out with the trailer parked there. (Postage-stamp sized urban homestead.) But I also noticed how much more rear-view we have on that side while driving. That really is a bad place for an AC.
We immediately started putting stickers on the SS sheet, just places we’ve been, quirky businesses we like, or just funny/goofy or artistic stickers. We both have to agree a sticker is worthy of that piece of prime real estate. It’s not full yet, so we’re still in the hunt for memorable stickers.
The interior hole, in the top of the cabinet, is both convenient and annoying, sometimes at the same time. It gives easy access from above, but stuff falls in. So I plan to make a tight-fitting cover that’ll fit flush, for that extra amount of counter space, but with the ability to lift the cover out when we want access.
Anyway, thanks for making this site. Happy roaming!
In its way, hanging the A/C out the side was a clever solution, but it just looks wrong, and seemed always in the way, and the extra width just isn’t helpful. Love your sticker solution for the cover sheet!
The lift-out pocket I made for the countertop opening has turned out to be very handy. Sticking a tissue box, large flashlight and paper towel roll into the pocket works well for us, but your cover idea sounds a lot sleeker and a lot less messy. (Send a photo and we’ll share!)
Thanks for your comment, and happy travels to you, too!