I have been thinking about doing something similar with our 1st gen Tundra. Portable AC units are either cheap and ineffective or expensive and too big… cool to see how you solved the problem. ALSO! Love the bike tube idea!!! I’m definitely going to use that!!!
Also have a 2000 (gen. 1) Tundra, bought new. And with fully charged A/C, working perfectly per mechanic, it prefers to be in recirculating mode for the A/C to function effortlessly on really hot days. Not going to work well with this set up. That said, I would never risk abusing the truck by leaving it idling for hours on end in sun and super hot temps. No air flow through the radiator except by powered fan. It is not a diesel, which accepts such treatment. Do presently use that inner tube method to create the seal (works great), have placed a DC powered fan in the rectangular front to back passage running off a power station, and have installed vent shades up front to allow cracking open the front windows a bit for fresh air to pull in from the cab and flow through out from the back. This air flow has worked pretty well to keep the back from roasting in full sun. Also would not trust constant emissions right below the bed while inside a closed space immediately above. Fan a bit less effective but a whole lot safer.
You forgot the most important part, that engine size put it on full or 1/3 way and show ,uh much gas you used over what time. Anything gives us some idea . 1/4 tank over night or more?
So, if the "max" a/c setting is recirculating the cabin air it might be working against itself or check ir there is a recirculating button on the controls and turn it off so it draws outside air or if the regular a/c setting is outside air draw. Essentially the a/c may be looking for air to circulate that has been diverted to a different space, therefore starving it.
Looking back at the video it looks like recirculate was off, in fact I was curious if I would get better results with it on if it were to draw cooler air in from the cab (since there’s some air bleed from the vents the cab is relatively cool too). So if I understand right it would still be preferable to have recirculate off? I assumed the opposite that it would cause even more air pressure if I turned it on.
@@SethWild it's like putting a box on the back of a fan. The air from the vents needs to get pulled back into the blower to recirculate,, instead it's going into a separate space. If it's on fresh air in it will pull from outside pressurize in the blower, into your cap and then try to find a way out through any gaps etc.
@@ThisIsTheRealMe2 That makes sense thanks for explaining that, I’ll make sure and keep the recirc off in that case! I’m hoping insulating the hoses and maybe giving them a straight path from vent to camper shell will improve the cooling power a few degrees.
@Mike Turner That's what I was going to suggest as well. If that topper is fairly well sealed off, it will pressurize and the airflow will slow down, but if there was a return hose the air could go back to the cab and recirculate and get even cooler.
I have the same truck (2000 Tundra) and the same issue (camping in Kansas in the summer). My shell and set up are identical, except for the carpet. Mine is more of a Southwestern patten. I usually stay at a campground with power. I put the smallest window AC unit I could find (5000 BTU) on the tailgate. Cut plywood as a block for the rest of where the tailgate usually is. I freeze in this rig. Outside temps don’t matter. A generator could replace power access. Great setup and solvable issue. Keep in mind for all the air you are blowing in, the same amount needs to exit. Shell caps are a little leaky, but crack one of the sliders to improve air flow. Nice video!
Nice! I saw a video on the window unit and plywood I thought that was a great solution especially if you've got a power hookup. Montana camp areas with power are always booked way in advance unless you take weekdays off out here. My shell definitely has nooks and crannies for air to escape currently but I do plan on porting a smaller hose to the cab to hopefully help recirculate.
insulating the cab better and also remember the color of the top of the cab also absorbs the heat and changing the color or getting a reflective style paint will also help put another 5 to 10 degrees.
I’ve got the reflectix and carpet ready for the cab but I should consider paint matching it to white too like you said probably make quite a big difference. Clouds came out in my test otherwise I bet it would have been really cooking inside.
Great idea! I had done the same thing in my camper van only I just used one hose. I like your set up better with two hoses. And I like the way you connect to the dash. Mine just Velcros to the dash and looses AC. I'm going to convert mine to what you have. Just a couple of important safety suggestions. First and for most. Never sleep in a running vehicle without a carbon monoxide detector where you are sleeping. I realize vehicles produce carbon dioxide and not monoxide, however along with the dioxide there is some monoxide produced that would be detected by the cm detector and let you know if you have exhaust leaking into your sleeping area. Two, if you are sleeping in the back with the motor running, have a steering wheel lock on your steering wheel to keep would be thieves from taking off not realizing your asleep in the back. Great video thanks.
Thanks for watching and for the tips! I plan on getting a remote start eventually so if anyone were to try and break in they’d be dead in the water as soon as they hit that brake pedal 😁
I agree it would be smart to cut some reflectix for the cab as well and put a sunshade up. I meant to point out that I didn’t have my reflectix insert up on the back window of the topper and I could feel the heat coming off the glass. Adding this to the improvement list!
It would just be running on gasoline. if I assume the truck with AC on will burn say half a gallon of gas an hour (small V8, this number could be +/- 0.1 gallons), and if I run it in total 3-4 hours (assuming only when I need to cool off, or an evening stealth camp stuck inside) then we’re talking maybe $7-9 at about $4.39/gal in my area currently.
I haven’t myself but I think it was done in the last few years, in the cab the air is ice cold. I meant to get a thermal temp reader to see the air vent temp compared to my hose exit temp, I might do a follow up after some improvements.
I have been thinking about doing something similar with our 1st gen Tundra. Portable AC units are either cheap and ineffective or expensive and too big… cool to see how you solved the problem. ALSO! Love the bike tube idea!!! I’m definitely going to use that!!!
Also have a 2000 (gen. 1) Tundra, bought new. And with fully charged A/C, working perfectly per mechanic, it prefers to be in recirculating mode for the A/C to function effortlessly on really hot days. Not going to work well with this set up. That said, I would never risk abusing the truck by leaving it idling for hours on end in sun and super hot temps. No air flow through the radiator except by powered fan. It is not a diesel, which accepts such treatment. Do presently use that inner tube method to create the seal (works great), have placed a DC powered fan in the rectangular front to back passage running off a power station, and have installed vent shades up front to allow cracking open the front windows a bit for fresh air to pull in from the cab and flow through out from the back. This air flow has worked pretty well to keep the back from roasting in full sun. Also would not trust constant emissions right below the bed while inside a closed space immediately above. Fan a bit less effective but a whole lot safer.
You forgot the most important part, that engine size put it on full or 1/3 way and show ,uh much gas you used over what time. Anything gives us some idea . 1/4 tank over night or more?
Just get a twin waterbed waveless..always cold even at 100 degrees..water stays around 80..1970's AC
So, if the "max" a/c setting is recirculating the cabin air it might be working against itself or check ir there is a recirculating button on the controls and turn it off so it draws outside air or if the regular a/c setting is outside air draw. Essentially the a/c may be looking for air to circulate that has been diverted to a different space, therefore starving it.
Looking back at the video it looks like recirculate was off, in fact I was curious if I would get better results with it on if it were to draw cooler air in from the cab (since there’s some air bleed from the vents the cab is relatively cool too). So if I understand right it would still be preferable to have recirculate off? I assumed the opposite that it would cause even more air pressure if I turned it on.
@@SethWild it's like putting a box on the back of a fan. The air from the vents needs to get pulled back into the blower to recirculate,, instead it's going into a separate space. If it's on fresh air in it will pull from outside pressurize in the blower, into your cap and then try to find a way out through any gaps etc.
@@ThisIsTheRealMe2 That makes sense thanks for explaining that, I’ll make sure and keep the recirc off in that case! I’m hoping insulating the hoses and maybe giving them a straight path from vent to camper shell will improve the cooling power a few degrees.
@Mike Turner makes sense I’ll give that a try and thanks for checking it out!
@Mike Turner That's what I was going to suggest as well. If that topper is fairly well sealed off, it will pressurize and the airflow will slow down, but if there was a return hose the air could go back to the cab and recirculate and get even cooler.
I have the same truck (2000 Tundra) and the same issue (camping in Kansas in the summer). My shell and set up are identical, except for the carpet. Mine is more of a Southwestern patten. I usually stay at a campground with power. I put the smallest window AC unit I could find (5000 BTU) on the tailgate. Cut plywood as a block for the rest of where the tailgate usually is. I freeze in this rig. Outside temps don’t matter. A generator could replace power access. Great setup and solvable issue. Keep in mind for all the air you are blowing in, the same amount needs to exit. Shell caps are a little leaky, but crack one of the sliders to improve air flow. Nice video!
Nice! I saw a video on the window unit and plywood I thought that was a great solution especially if you've got a power hookup. Montana camp areas with power are always booked way in advance unless you take weekdays off out here. My shell definitely has nooks and crannies for air to escape currently but I do plan on porting a smaller hose to the cab to hopefully help recirculate.
insulating the cab better and also remember the color of the top of the cab also absorbs the heat and changing the color or getting a reflective style paint will also help put another 5 to 10 degrees.
I’ve got the reflectix and carpet ready for the cab but I should consider paint matching it to white too like you said probably make quite a big difference. Clouds came out in my test otherwise I bet it would have been really cooking inside.
Great idea! I had done the same thing in my camper van only I just used one hose. I like your set up better with two hoses. And I like the way you connect to the dash. Mine just Velcros to the dash and looses AC. I'm going to convert mine to what you have. Just a couple of important safety suggestions. First and for most. Never sleep in a running vehicle without a carbon monoxide detector where you are sleeping. I realize vehicles produce carbon dioxide and not monoxide, however along with the dioxide there is some monoxide produced that would be detected by the cm detector and let you know if you have exhaust leaking into your sleeping area. Two, if you are sleeping in the back with the motor running, have a steering wheel lock on your steering wheel to keep would be thieves from taking off not realizing your asleep in the back. Great video thanks.
Thanks for watching and for the tips! I plan on getting a remote start eventually so if anyone were to try and break in they’d be dead in the water as soon as they hit that brake pedal 😁
Might be good to add a inline 12v fan
Only thing missing is a remote start!
I’ve been meaning to get that done for a long time! One of these days
Very clever.
Maybe while running this, try insulating all the windows in the cab as well.
That might help get you an extra couple of degrees cooler.
I agree it would be smart to cut some reflectix for the cab as well and put a sunshade up. I meant to point out that I didn’t have my reflectix insert up on the back window of the topper and I could feel the heat coming off the glass. Adding this to the improvement list!
Wouldn’t this kill gas
Imagine if you used pvc pipes where you can.
What a great idea. I’m definitely going to try this.
Thanks hope it works well if you do!
Just get a stand up a/c and 2000 watt generator.
Nice job 👏
Thanks!
Great idea. You made a Noggle for the fraction of the cost.
Thanks! It was definitely a fraction of the cost of other “solutions” lol
Cost for cooling? Gas?
It would just be running on gasoline. if I assume the truck with AC on will burn say half a gallon of gas an hour (small V8, this number could be +/- 0.1 gallons), and if I run it in total 3-4 hours (assuming only when I need to cool off, or an evening stealth camp stuck inside) then we’re talking maybe $7-9 at about $4.39/gal in my area currently.
Good for a temp fix.....good travels to you. Always Be Safe.
@@808airgunsbackyardaz6 I agree, thank you and you too!
I alway thought running air idling wasn’t good for the vehicle.
Did you refill the Freon? Might make it cooler?
I haven’t myself but I think it was done in the last few years, in the cab the air is ice cold. I meant to get a thermal temp reader to see the air vent temp compared to my hose exit temp, I might do a follow up after some improvements.
No worries about the motor running and the fumes killing you?
If he parks in a well ventilated area he'll be fine