It was particularly hot inside the van when I woke up this morning. Using the app (yes, there’s an app for my air conditioner), I turned the temperature down, but it didn’t help. Finally, I got up, looked for myself, and found that, yet again, the exhaust vent had fallen out of the window panel. It was spewing hot air right back inside the van, making it even hotter inside than outside! Fortunately, I was here when it happened. I opened the side door and all the vents and turned the fans on before it overheated inside. That wouldn’t have been possible if the exhaust vent had fallen out while I was out on a motorcycle ride with Lister trapped inside.
I seem to have found the ultimate nemesis of duct tape: the one job it was actually designed for in the first place. I’d been using it to help hold the bits and pieces of my AC exhaust system together, but the glue kept melting in the heat, losing its stick, and falling apart. It was time to take more drastic measures to ensure this would never happen.
I’d been saving the original hardware that came with the air conditioner in case I ever wanted to use it in a standard house window. Since my needs in the van are more immediate and serious, I decided to cut the plastic mounting panel to fit the driver’s window of a Ford Transit. I used my previous homemade panel as a template, traced the edges with a marker, and then used my Dremel to trim the panel to the unique shape needed.
It fit perfectly on the first try, with no additional trimming required. The problem I’d been having was this adapter piece, going from the round duct to the oval exhaust port, falling out of my homemade panel. It snaps right into the plastic piece quite tightly, as designed, so I believe I have solved this problem. The blue painter’s tape is only there to seal the gap between the panel and the window without leaving a sticky residue. Below it, you can see the sticky residue left by the old gaffer’s tape, which is allegedly designed specifically to avoid leaving a sticky residue. I’ll need to pick up some Goo-Gone for that.
There’s just enough room for the duct to fit under the top of the window trim and snap into the adapter. I closed up the van, turned on the AC, and immediately felt it begin to cool off. This more solid fit should also improve efficiency since there are fewer gaps between pieces than in my previous homemade version. I once again feel safe leaving Lister inside a closed, air-conditioned van when I go off on adventures or even just to the store.
Smokey Da Van 