No, my blog is not broken

I realize that this past month my blog has not seen a lot of action. This correctly reflects the fact that there has not been a lot of action on Frostbite last month either. I won't bore you with all the excuses I have collected which include sickness, wife's surgery, floods, rain, lack of $, etc. I can say, however, that I now have the funds and time necessary to complete Frostbite.

First, I'm happy to report that I ordered an air conditioner for Frostbite yesterday. I chose this one:

EdgeStar Extreme Cool 12,000 BTU Portable Air Conditioner and Heater

I spent a large amount of time shopping online trying to pick out the just the right AC.  I was trying to match several options such as size, BTU, and whether or not it was also a heater.  I discovered that my initial dream to permanently install an AC cannot be realized.

First, the unit had to be short, under 25in.  There are a few that were short enough but I then realized that the short ones were also deeper, I needed it to be about 21".  So the short ones would fit inside the cabnets ok but I would not have enough room to vent the air which, on those units anyway, came out of the back of the unit.  Also, these units were a good bit more expensive $100+.

I finally resigned myself to NOT permanently installing the unit and instead will place it on the cabinet next to the sink.  The exhaust hoses will be run through the cabinet top and out the floor of Frostbite. 

This will be a bit easier anyway since I will not have to do as much customization of the boxes except for a hole to run the exhaust hose through.

I went ahead and purchased the 2 year extended warranty ($40) and also what they call a "turtleneck" which is an insulation sleeve that covers the exhaust hose.  I have read in numerous places that the exhaust hose gets really hot and can be counter productive to the AC trying to cool the inside.

I also intend to make reflectix shields for the bunk end canvas tops which, from what I've read, contributes greatly to keeping a popup cool.  I have found instructions for making these out of the silver safety blankets you find in first aid kits.

The AC I bought was far cheaper than equivalent ACs at walmart, lowes, best buy etc. and had a better warranty so I feel good about the purchase.  The difference between the AC and the AC with the heater was only $20 so I opted to get the one with a heater which makes one less appliance to tote around in spring and fall both might be needed.

I also made a supply run to Lowes to get what will hopefully be the last of the building supplies I need to finish the inside. 

Next up: rebuilding the first box